Journal articles: 'Integrated Farm System Model (Computer file)' – Grafiati (2024)

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The massive amount of sensing and communication data that needs to be processed during the production process of complex heavy equipment generates heavy storage pressure on the cloud server-side, thus limiting the convergence of sensing, communication, and computing in intelligent factories. To solve the problem, based on machine learning techniques, a storage optimization model is proposed in this paper for reducing the storage pressure on the cloud server and enhancing the coupling between communication and sensing data. At first, based on the operation rules of the distributed file system on the cloud server, the proposed model screens and organizes the system logs. With the filtered logs, the model sets feature labels, constructs feature vectors, and builds sample sets. Then, based on the ID3 decision tree, a file elimination model is trained to analyze the files stored in the cloud server and predict their reusability. In practice, the proposed model is applied in the Hadoop Distributed File System and helps the system delete underutilized and low-value files and save storage space. Experiments show that the proposed model can effectively reduce the storage load on the cloud server and improve the integration efficiency of multisource heterogeneous data during complex heavy equipment production.

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Nowadays modern manufacturing demands advanced computer controller, having higher input language and less proprietary vendor dependencies. STEP stands for Standard for the Exchange of Product model data is the next generation of data model between CAD/CAM and CNC system. STEP is still under research and development all around the world. This paper describes the design, development and testing of an integrated Interface development environment for STEP file using Universal Data Structure, which aims to provide support for machining operation. The system also aims to provide function of reading and extracting the relevant information associated with the machining data and to write the G-Code file. The sample of machined block is designed from 3D CAD modeler which consisted of features need to be machined from a blank workpiece and saved in the STEP file format. The validation process will be done using the simulation in the Mach3 software.

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Purpose The aim of this paper is a steady-state analysis of the basic electrical characteristics of a wind farm with squirrel-cage induction generators (SCIG), integrated into a high power system. The SCIG are connected to the system by means of a step-up substation 21/115 kV, realized by cable lines. Design/methodology/approach The analyses have been done with the help of a computer model, developed in MATLAB/Simulink. Findings Results have been obtained, concerning the influence of the SCIG on the active and reactive power, on the power factor and the voltage deviation in the cases of only one generator operating, all generators operating and disabled generators. Practical implications The analysis has been carried out for an operating wind farm in the power system. The obtained results are applicable for optimizing and managing the modes of operation of the wind farm. Originality/value A mathematical model for studying the electrical parameters of an SCIG integrated into a high power system has been described. A computer model in MATLAB/Simulink has been synthesized. Numerical results have been obtained, concerning the dependence of the active power, the reactive power, the power factor and the voltage deviation on the shaft torque of the wind farms with SCIG.

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Regional microscale meteorological models have become a critical tool for wind farm production forecasting due to their capacity for resolving local flow dynamics. The high demand for reliable forecasting tools in the energy industry is the motivation for the development of an integrated system that combines the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) atmospheric model with an optimization obtained by the conjunction of a Kalman filter and a Bayesian model. This study focuses on the development and validation of this combined system in a very dense wind farm cluster located in Galicia (Northwest of Spain). A period of one year is simulated at 333 m horizontal resolution, with a daily operational forecasting set-up. The Kalman-Bayesian filter was tested both directly on wind speed and on the U-V (zonal and meridional) components for nowcasting periods from 10 min to 6 h periods, all of them with important applications in the wind industry. The results are quite promising, as the main statistical error indices are significantly improved in a 6 h forecasting horizon and even more in shorter horizon cases. The Mean Annual Error (MAE) for 1 h nowcasting horizon is 1.03 m/s for wind speed and 12.16 ° for wind direction. Moreover, the successful utilization of the integrated system in test cases with different characteristics demonstrates the potential utility that this tool may have for a variety of applications in wind farm operations and energy markets.

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This paper presents the model of integrated halal supply chain in food manufacturing industries. There is global increase in the demand for halal products by Islamic countries as well as by non-Islamic countries. Halal food consumers are presently more alert and concern about the integrity of Halal status. Furthermore, they also curious about all the activities involved along the supply chain whether the products that they purchased were truly halal from the beginning to the end. The need of halal supply chain is crucial in ensuring that the concept of halal is not only applicable for the food itself but also for the whole supply chain starting from the farm to the customer. This project attempts to develop an integrated halal supply chain system that can be used by food manufacturers that are developing halal products for better productivity and quality. The identified supply chain components are human resources, process, environment, accreditations, logistics and traceability.

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After several decades of research, the traditional modeling methods, such as geometric model，feature model and integrated product model, can’t fully meet the integrated product information and the related knowledge that required. Meanwhile, lack of semantics, is not conducive to the using and sharing of knowledge. Semantic-based product design and process decision can shorten the product development cycle, reduce costs and allow the computer to participate in the design. Based on building of complex electronic products ontology and already been built OWL ontology file introduced into database, this paper combines Ontology model of complex electronic products with the semantic Web, studies a network design model based on the semantic Web and develops a product design and process decision Web platform based on semantic. The platform can realize product design, semantic search of the resources and decision of parts machining process, thus, to improve the productivity and enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of the company by the system.

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The method of computer-aided conceptual design is present for the palletizing robot. Intelligent design and modeling are integrated in this system. Index of design requirement is quantified hierarchically and various kinds of attributes of function carriers are digitized. The analytic hierarchy process is used for reference to check the consistency of quantitative value of attributes and the rationality is ensured. Design requirement can be configured flexibly in man-computer interaction module and the optimal scheme is generated automatically according as the computation of evaluation function. Model file of virtual prototype for ADAMS can also be generated automatically by auto-modeling module. Software system of computer-aided conceptual design for palletizing robot is developed based the method mentioned above.

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To decrease the transmission delay and alleviate communication congestion, caching has been applied in the integrated satellite-terrestrial networks (ISTNs). In traditional caching schemes, the cache-enabled relays update files during off-peak hours and push them during on-peak hours. However, for the enormous number of end devices in ISTNs, the long-time waiting for off/on-peak hours would decrease the quality of service. To address this issue, this paper proposes a two-tier nonorthogonal multiple access- (NOMA-) based ISTN with wireless caching. Specifically, data transmission of this model consists of two phases. For the first phase, named the file-push-and-placement (FPAP), the satellite employs the NOMA protocol to send information to both the relay and first-tier user. While for the second phase, which is called the file-push-and-delivery (FPAD), second-tier users are served by the relay employing NOMA. Performance analysis of the proposed configuration is carried out, focusing on the exact and asymptotic outage probability (OP), diversity order, and hit probability. Moreover, the influence of key factors on the system performance is also investigated. Compared with the traditional configuration, it is shown analytically and numerically that the proposed scheme achieves lower OP and higher diversity order.

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A software system (SAGE) was built for on-farm decision support. The objective was to provide a framework for constructing and deploying knowledge-based decision support in the areas of integrated pest management, fertilization, and field operations. The framework is open by design and includes a generic model of an agro-ecosystem as well as various mechanisms allowing for the continued growth in scope and function of the software. The SAGE system is designed to provide a number of building blocks and predefined decision-support strategies that can be adapted to specific needs and situations. It operates on a personal computer and is based on the use of an objectoriented technology for software construction and operation. A prototype of the system has been built and is being used to build commodity-specific decision-support modules.

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<p>The Objective of study is to find the result of the learning process of Adobe Flash as media on the course of <em>Pengembangan Media Pembelajaran </em>through E-Learning system at English education study program in University of Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara. E-learning provides a set of tools to enrich the value of conventional learning model, studies of textbooks, CD-ROMs, and computer-based training. Students can answer the challenges of globalization. Research Method used descriptive method through qualitative approach. Method of research conducted qualitative. Sample of research were forth semester students of English education study program. E learning system of UMSU provided schedule of course, attendance check, discussion forum between a lecture and students, task file, exercises file integrated Moodle and google form, module e book of <em>Pengembangan Media Pembelajaran</em>, slide file presentation, all activities viewed past, present and future time. Adobe flash media learning English implemented by virtual for one semester. The students can be active teaching English using Adobe Flash, simple material for presentation. They were enthusiastic when learn Adobe flash as media leaning English.</p>

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Analysis of dimensions of a product, its visualization as a 3D model & volume estimation, positively impact the operations of manufacturing department in an industry. In this paper, a system has been designed to integrate the proposed features like 3D reconstruction, dimensional analysis & support for manipulating the reconstructed model. Research was carried out to estimate the volume of objects using their virtual 3D model & allow the user to edit this model which later can be compared with the original object, for manipulation. The pictures of an object from different planes are captured and using image processing, it is reconstructed in 3D, which is used to estimate parameters like volume, surface area, maximum dimensions across different planes. This edited 3D model will be utilized for generating a binary file representing the changes. This system provides detailed information to the user along with flexibility, thus enhancing the way in which the manufacturing industry works, as it requires no manual input or interaction once the process begins.

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High transportation costs make energy and food expensive in remote communities worldwide, especially in high-latitude Arctic climates. Past attempts to grow food indoors in these remote areas have proven uneconomical due to the need for expensive imported diesel for heating and electricity. This study aims to determine whether solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity can be used affordably to power container farms integrated with a remote Arctic community microgrid. A mixed-integer linear optimization model (FEWMORE: Food–Energy–Water Microgrid Optimization with Renewable Energy) has been developed to minimize the capital and maintenance costs of installing solar photovoltaics (PV) plus electricity storage and the operational costs of purchasing electricity from the community microgrid to power a container farm. FEWMORE expands upon previous models by simulating demand-side management of container farm loads. Its results are compared with those of another model (HOMER) for a test case. FEWMORE determined that 17 kW of solar PV was optimal to power the farm loads, resulting in a total annual cost decline of ~14% compared with a container farm currently operating in the Yukon. Managing specific loads appropriately can reduce total costs by ~18%. Thus, even in an Arctic climate, where the solar PV system supplies only ~7% of total load during the winter and ~25% of the load during the entire year, investing in solar PV reduces costs.

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High penetration of wind power in the modern power system renders traditional automatic generation control (AGC) methods more challenging, due to the uncertainty of the external environment, less reserve power, and small inertia constant of the power system. An improved AGC method named predictive optimal 2-degree-of-freedom proportion integral differential (PO-2-DOF-PID) is proposed in this paper, which wind farm will participate in the load frequency control process. Firstly, the mathematical model of the AGC system of multi-area power grid with penetration of wind power is built. Then, predictive optimal 2-degree-of-freedom PID controller is presented to improve the system robustness considering system uncertainties. The objective function is designed based on the wind speed and whether wind farm takes part in AGC or not. The controller solves the optimization problem through the predictive theory while taking into account given constraints. In order to obtain the predictive sequence of output of the whole system, the characteristic of the 2-DOF-PID controller is integrated in the system model. A three interconnected power system is introduced as an example to test the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. When considering the penetration of wind power, two cases of high wind speed and low wind speed are analyzed. The simulation results indicate that the proposed method can effectively deal with the negative influence caused by wind power when wind power participates in AGC.

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The public service administration system at the government offices of the Kemiri village office in the Kemiri District currently does not have a computerized and integrated system. Because the system runs, residents who submit letters for administrative completeness, still use the Ms.Word / Ms.Excel application. of course has many weaknesses including human error, not neat in file storage, resulting in the lengthy process of searching and making a cover letter and required reports. The analytical method used in this study is to use PIECES (Performance, Informance, Economy, Control, Efficiency, Service) analysis, the design of the model uses UML (Unified Modeling Language). The results of this study are web-based letter information systems at the Office of the Village Chief of Kemiri that can accessed using a local computer browser. Thus the information letter needed by the Kemiri Village community and more effective and efficient in making the letter.

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The public service administration system at the government offices of the Kemiri village office in the Kemiri District currently does not have a computerized and integrated system. Because the system runs, residents who submit letters for administrative completeness, still use the Ms.Word / Ms.Excel application. of course has many weaknesses including human error, not neat in file storage, resulting in the lengthy process of searching and making a cover letter and required reports. The analytical method used in this study is to use PIECES (Performance, Informance, Economy, Control, Efficiency, Service) analysis, the design of the model uses UML (Unified Modeling Language). The results of this study are web-based letter information systems at the Office of the Village Chief of Kemiri that can accessed using a local computer browser. Thus the information letter needed by the Kemiri Village community and more effective and efficient in making the letter.

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Data warehouse contains vast amount of data to support complex queries of various Decision Support Systems (DSSs). It needs to store materialized views of data, which must be available consistently and instantaneously. Using a frame metadata model, this paper presents an architecture of a universal data warehousing with different data models. The frame metadata model represents the metadata of a data warehouse, which structures an application domain into classes, and integrates schemas of heterogeneous databases by capturing their semantics. A star schema is derived from user requirements based on the integrated schema, catalogued in the metadata, which stores the schema of relational database (RDB) and object-oriented database (OODB). Data materialization between RDB and OODB is achieved by unloading source database into sequential file and reloading into target database, through which an object relational view can be defined so as to allow the users to obtain the same warehouse view in different data models simultaneously. We describe our procedures of building the relational view of star schema by multidimensional SQL query, and the object oriented view of the data warehouse by Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) through method call, derived from the integrated schema. To validate our work, an application prototype system has been developed in a product sales data warehousing domain based on this approach.

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This paper emphasizes the applications of the Expert System in Agro-informatics and reveals their importance as one of the very useful tools for the transfer of domain specific knowledge to the end users. Agro-informatics is the interdisciplinary branch of study which deals with the application and development of electronics, computer and ICT based tools for agricultural applications. The profession of agriculture aided by the various ICT based tools opens new avenue for applied research. Expert system (ES) is one of the advanced developments in software technology and can play key role in the agro-informatics. An Expert System is a program that employs expert knowledge coded in a AI language in a computer to solve problems that require human expertise. It came as the first commercial product of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the software market place and proved it efficacy by solving many problems at par with the human expert. The Expert System in agriculture is based on agriculture related problem solving models; including Diagnostics model, Hypothesis proving model, Prediction model and Farm Management model. It uses the domain specific knowledge of the experts in different representational forms such as production rules, list, frames etc. An integrated approach of Expert System with other ICT tools and electronics systems has tremendous potential to supports many problem solving activities i.e. decision making, forecasting, regulating, controlling, monitoring, prescribing, interpreting, knowledge sharing and reuse, intelligent retrieval of agricultural data. The aim of the paper is to produce detail account of applications of expert system in agriculture in Indian perspective.

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The proposed abstract model of the effects of malicious software (SDR) allows us to consider the objects of the computer system that may be affected by SDR and computer attacks. Therefore, it was used as a basis for a new method of ensuring the resilience of specialized IT in the face of SDR and computer attacks. As a result, the application of the developed method is carried out in a system that has mechanisms for restructuring and uses redundancies. A feature of the main steps of the developed method according to the parametric control of program file integrity is the possibility of its application to a group of program files that do not have a fixed checksum and thus it expands the possibilities of the known method of detecting. Compared with the known application of this method, in previous work, this method could not be used to control the integrity of a certain group of executable files that have a heterogeneous internal structure. This group includes files of type mde, which are obtained when compiling programs written in MS Access. Their feature is the fact that they have a complex internal structure, which includes, in addition to program code, structures that are elements of the database, such as tables, indexes, relational database schema and others. This step of the method is designed for application in IP with increased fault tolerance and enhanced protection against RAM and computer attacks, namely in the second, local security loop integrated into specialized IT software. This is dictated by the fact that its implementation requires specific information about the parameters of the program file, which is unknown at the system level, but known locally, as it is information obtained in the design and implementation of this part of specialized IT as a whole. Therefore, the scope of the SCR detection method based on checksum calculation for files with volatile checksums as a step of the IT fault tolerance method has been expanded. As a result, the application of the developed method is carried out in a system that has mechanisms for rebuilding and uses redundancies. To study the developed method, a method of evaluating its effectiveness in terms of redundancy and redundancy has been developed. Experimental studies and evaluation calculations confirm the effectiveness of the developed method of ensuring the resilience of IT in the face of SDR and computer attacks.

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This research is aimed at building a new health service model for childhood obesity based on data processing by cloud computing, to effectively utilize existing resources to provide fair, accessible, systematic, and continuous health services for children with obesity. Through the questionnaire, expert interview, and building cloud platform, this research involves cloud computing technology, pushing notification about exercises and nutrition prescriptions, smart wearable devices, exercise monitoring and feedback, Internet technology, social-ecological platform, as well as technology for social-ecological intervention in childhood obesity, realized through deep integration of big data and health file storage. Furthermore, with qualitative research on the demand for social-ecological intervention in childhood obesity-related health service, this research redefines the roles of different players, establishes a cloud service platform, and comes up with an innovative service model. Against the background of the development of modern information technology, this research proposes to change the management mode for sports intervention; apply modern information technology such as big data, cloud technology, and electronic medical testing equipment; integrate resources from family, community, and school; optimize management service process; and explore a practical, efficient, and integrated health management system for obese children, to provide continuous, active, and full-range health management services for obese children, which is an effective way to improve the compliance and effect of exercise intervention for obese children and materialize a lasting mechanism of health management for obese children.

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An integrated computer program called Cropping System and Water Management Model (CSWM) with a three-step feature (expert system—simulation—optimization) was developed to address a range of decision support for rainfed farming, i.e. crop selection, scheduling and optimisation. The system was used for agricultural planning with emphasis on sustainable agriculture in the rainfed areas through the use of small farm reservoirs for increased production and resource conservation and management. The application of the model was carried out using crop, soil, and climate and water resource data from the Philippines. Primarily, four sets of data representing the different rainfall classification of the country were collected, analysed, and used as input in the model. Simulations were also done on date of planting, probabilities of wet and dry period and with various capacities of the water reservoir used for supplemental irrigation. Through the analysis, useful information was obtained to determine suitable crops in the region, cropping schedule and pattern appropriate to the specific climate conditions. In addition, optimisation of the use of the land and water resources can be achieved in areas partly irrigated by small reservoirs.

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Wind power, one of renewable energy resources, is a fluctuating source of energy that prevents its further participation in the power market. To improve the stability of the wind power injected into the power grid, a short-term wind speed predicting model is proposed in this work, named VMD-P-(ARIMA, BP)-PSOLSSVM. In this model, variational mode decomposition (VMD) is combined with phase space reconstruction (P) as data processing method to determine intrinsic mode function (IMF) and its input–output matrix in the prediction model. Then, the linear model autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA) and typical nonlinear model back propagation neural network (BP) are adopted to forecast each IMF separately and get the prediction of short-term wind speed by adding up the IMFs. In the final stage, particle swarm optimization least squares support vector machine (PSOLSSVM) uses the prediction results of the two separate models from previous step for the secondary prediction. For the proposed method, the PSOLSSVM employs different mathematical principles from ARIMA and BP separately, which overcome the shortcoming of using just single models. The proposed combined optimization model has been applied to two datasets with large fluctuations from a northern China wind farm to evaluate the performance. A performance comparison is conducted by comparing the error from the proposed method to six other models using single prediction techniques. The comparison result indicates the proposed combined optimization model can deliver more accurate and robust prediction than the other models; meanwhile, it means the power grid dispatching work can benefit from implementing the proposed predicting model in the system.

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Fifth-generation (5G) network is a digital cellular network communication technology that allows for more data traffic and wireless connectivity. The global demand for wireless communication networks is increasing as the number of wireless users grows and new wireless services are presented. Fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks are expected to provide higher data speeds, expanded coverage, improved cost-effectiveness, resource utilization, security, flexibility, and scalability in the future. To attain higher-order teaching abilities, include cutting-edge technology into the curriculum. Teachers should use network resources, notably 5G network communication tools, to reform English teaching since the rapid advancement of network communication technology provides a new viewpoint for English education in colleges and universities. Researchers are concentrating their efforts on maximizing the benefits of the information technology revolution. It has become a hot subject among academics to use it as an opportunity to innovate in English education. As a result, this study proposes a paradigm for revamping English instruction using 5G integrated wireless connectivity technologies. To preprocess the input data, the Butterworth filter and the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) are employed. To extract data features, a Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix (GLCM) is employed. For classification, the decision tree approach is used. The File Transport Protocol (FTP) is used for data transfer, which may be enhanced with the Revamped Artificial Bee Colony Optimization Algorithm (RABCOA). Using the MATLAB simulation tool, the proposed system is simulated and its performance is assessed. The outcome of the study’s shows that the scholars are usually unsatisfied with old style English classroom education and are more interested in the instructional innovation of 5G integrated wireless networking technologies.

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The Ammonia Gas Emission Model for Swine (AGEM-S), a nitrogen flow model, was created with the objective of assisting in the reduction of ammonia emissions in the Hungarian pig sector. Regarding the applied technological processes and considering the factors that influence ammonia emissions, the model quantifies the amount of ammonia emissions of pig farming in all stages (feeding, housing technology, manure storage, and application in the field). The aim of the project was to create a system that performs general calculations using the input data used by practicing farmers, without compromising the information content of the output data. Using this system, the input parameters can be entered as simply as possible and in the shortest possible time. In addition to demonstrating the impact of ammonia emission reduction measures to farmers from an integrated N management approach, AGEM-S has the potential to support the transfer of emission reduction technologies and practices at the farm level as a knowledge transfer tool primarily, but also as a decision support tool for technological change.

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The virtual reality technology has been widely applied in virtual manufacturing; virtual environment which integrated with visual, auditory and tactile can be established. In this paper, a single - channel immersion machine assembly simulation system was built by EON Studio of virtual reality software and virtual peripherals. For building immersion virtual environment, three dimensional entity model of machine was established by the CATIA software, rendering and coloring it through the 3ds Max, inputting interface of EON convert file. Researching on interactive virtual assembly technology of machine was done, two interactive methods were developed through the keyboard ,mouse and other input devices or data glove ,(Flock and Bird) and other virtual peripherals respectively: one was to realize the interaction based on keyboard by the triggering sensor node, event driven and routing mechanism ; another was established the virtual hand, achieving the spatial position of manpower through driving virtual hand by data glove and (Flock and Bird) , and converted it into the position of virtual hand in virtual space, to complete the grasping, moving, releasing the object operation in immersion virtual environment, so that completing the virtual machine assembly, assembly trajectory visualization was realized, the basis was provided for the path of assembly analysis. The human-computer interface of assembly simulation system of machine develop, each module integration was realized by the transmission of information between EON Studio and machine, and reasonable guidelines for machine assembly training was provided.

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This study aims to maintain the frequency stability of the power system penetrated by wind power. Hence, a battery energy storage system (BESS) is applied to smooth the wind power output in power systems and to enhance their load frequency control (LFC) capacity. A novel comprehensive control framework is proposed for power systems integrated with wind farms and BESS based on an adaptive fuzzy super-twisting sliding mode control (AF-SSMC) method. Firstly, the sliding functions and control laws of subsystems are designed according to different relative degrees. Then, the super-twisting algorithm is applied to suppress the chattering of the sliding mode control law. Furthermore, an adaptive fuzzy control method is used to adjust the control gains online for better control performance of the controllers. The Lyapunov stability theory is employed to prove the asymptotic stability of the subsystems. The model of an interconnected thermal power system with wind and BESS penetration is also constructed for simulation analyses. The results indicate that the AF-SSMC method effectively reduces the chattering, and the proposed framework stabilizes the frequency of the power system under system uncertainties and external disturbances. Moreover, the wind farm and BESS combined system accurately tracks a reference power to reduce wind power fluctuations.

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The mapping of peatland microtopography (e.g., hummocks and hollows) is key for understanding and modeling complex hydrological and biochemical processes. Here we compare unmanned aerial system (UAS) derived structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry and LiDAR point clouds and digital surface models of an ombrotrophic bog, and we assess the utility of these technologies in terms of payload, efficiency, and end product quality (e.g., point density, microform representation, etc.). In addition, given their generally poor accessibility and fragility, peatlands provide an ideal model to test the usability of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) visualizations. As an integrated system, the LiDAR implementation was found to be more straightforward, with fewer points of potential failure (e.g., hardware interactions). It was also more efficient for data collection (10 vs. 18 min for 1.17 ha) and produced considerably smaller file sizes (e.g., 51 MB vs. 1 GB). However, SfM provided higher spatial detail of the microforms due to its greater point density (570.4 vs. 19.4 pts/m2). Our VR/AR assessment revealed that the most immersive user experience was achieved from the Oculus Quest 2 compared to Google Cardboard VR viewers or mobile AR, showcasing the potential of VR for natural sciences in different environments. We expect VR implementations in environmental sciences to become more popular, as evaluations such as the one shown in our study are carried out for different ecosystems.

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In South Africa, there is an ongoing constraint on the electricity supply at the national grid to meet the demand. Eskom is implementing various measures such as the Integrated Demand Management and the promotion and encouragement of the use of energy efficient devices like an Air Source Heat pump (ASHP) water heater to replace the high electrical energy consuming conventional geysers for sanitary hot water production. The ASHP water heater market is fast gaining maturity. A critical mathematical model can lead to performance optimization of the systems that will further result in the conservation of energy and significant reduction in global warming potential. The ASHP water heater comprises of an ASHP unit and a hot water storage tank. In this study, a data acquisition system (DAS) was designed and built which monitored the energy used by the geyser and the whole building, the temperature at the evaporator, condenser, tank outlet hot water, tank inlet cold water, the ambient temperature and relative humidity in the vicinity of the ASHP evaporator. It is also worthy to mention that the DAS also included to a flow meter and two additional temperature sensors that measured the volume of water heated and inlet and outlet water temperature of the ASHP. This work focused on using the mathematical equation for the Coefficient of Performance (COP) of an ideal Carnot’s heat pump (CHP) water heater to develop basic computation in M-file of MATLAB software in order to model the system based on two reservoir temperatures: evaporator temperatures (Tevp) of 0°C to 40°C (approximated to ambient temperature, Ta) and condenser temperatures (TCon) set at 50°C, 55°C and 60°C (approximated to the hot water set temperature of 50°C, 55°C and 60°C) respectively. Finally, an analytical comparison of a CHP water heater to the practical ASHP water heater was conducted on a hot water set point temperature of 55°C. From the modelling results, it can be deduced that at 0°C Tevp, the COP was 5.96 and 2.63 for CHP and ASHP water heater respectively, at a hot water set temperature of 55°C. Above 20°C Tevp, the rate of change of COP increased exponentially for the ideal CHP system, but was constant at 0.01/°C for the practically modelled ASHP water heater.

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Three-dimensional scanning is available for more than 15 years, however there are few that have heard of it and as few people know the applications of this technology. 3D scanning is also known as 3D digitizing, the name coming from the fact that this is a process that uses a contact or non-contact digitizing probe to capture the objects form and recreate them in a virtual workspace through a very dense network of points (xyz) as a 3D graph representation. Based on this information have been developed many new applications in many fields - computer games industry, prosthetics or forensic medicine, the arts and culture area - but the most common area where scanning systems are used remains the automotive industry, aircraft and consumer goods. Most automotive manufacturers currently use 3D metrology based on optical or laser systems to validate products quality. The pieces are initially measured by 3D scanning then they are compared with the designed model (CAD file) using a specialized software. By this comparison producer can interfere very quickly in the manufacturing process to remove the cause of defects, this technique being called Reverse Engineering (RE). The overall accuracy of a 3D acquisition system depends above all on the sensors precision and on the acquisition device (acquisition with contact) or acquisition structure (acquisition without contact). This accuracy may vary from micron to millimeter and the acquisitions size from a few points to several thousand points per second. In a perfect world or in an integrated production environment, 3D measuring systems should be able to measure all the necessary parameters in a single step without errors, and to render the results in the same way to the manufacturing networks equipped with computers, in formats useful for machines control and processes management.

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La presente investigación se llevó a cabo en la Universidad de Cienfuegos con el fin de diseñar un sistema informático e implementar el módulo de Descargas Automáticas para el control, seguimiento y procesamiento automático de las solicitudes de descargas hechas por parte de los usuarios de la red de dicho centro. Para el desarrollo de la aplicación informática se utilizó la arquitectura cliente-servidor y el patrón Modelo Vista Controlador; se usó Python como lenguaje de programación del lado del servidor y el framework Django. El Sistema de Gesión de Base de Datos usado fue PostgresSQL, el Proceso Unificado de Desarrollo de Software como metodología de desarrollo de software, Visual Paradigm para UML como herramienta CASE y PyCharm como Entorno de Desarrollo Integrado. El sistema desarrollado mantiene un control del flujo de información que hasta ahora ocurría de forma manual y gestiona todas las solicitudes de descargas de los usuarios. Además, el módulo de Descargas Automáticas se encarga de procesar las descargas, informar a cada usuario el estado de su descarga y a cada administrador cualquier error que ocurra al procesar las solicitudes. También elimina cada archivo descargado luego que pase un determinado tiempo en los servidores. De esta forma se logró mejorar el proceso de solicitud de descarga en todos sus aspectos. Palabras clave: descarga, sistema automático de descarga, tareas programadas. ABSTRACT This research was carried out at the University of Cienfuegos in order to design a computer system and implement the Automatic Downloads module for the automatic control, monitoring and processing of download requests made by users of the Internet. said center. For the development of the computer application, the client-server architecture and the Model View Controller pattern were used; Python was used as the server-side programming language and the Django framework. The Database Management System used was PostgresSQL, the Unified Software Development Process as a software development methodology, Visual Paradigm for UML as a CASE tool and PyCharm as an Integrated Development Environment. The developed system maintains a control of the information flow that until now occurred manually and manages all the users' download requests. In addition, the Automatic Downloads module is responsible for processing downloads, informing each user of the status of their download and each administrator of any error that occurs when processing requests. It also deletes each downloaded file after it spends a certain time on the servers. In this way, the download request process was improved in all its aspects. Keywords: download, automatic download system, scheduled tasks.

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Erosion is a global problem that destroys soil and adversely affects ecosystem productivity. Soil erosion generally involves many processes but the major activities involve particles being transported and deposited to another location. With an increasing population, soil erosion, water availability, energy production, and biodiversity loss are some of the most pressing environmental problems around the world. Erosion is a hazard associated with agriculture in tropical and semi-arid areas. Kambiti sub catchment is part of the upper Tana catchment. The upper Tana catchment includes 25% of Kenya gazette forest. A large area of land has been degraded, resulting in a drastic reduction in surface water availability during the dry season and poor-quality water during the wet season caused by high silt levels. The main objective of the study is to assess erosion hazards using RUSLE model in Kambiti sub catchment area, Murang’a County. The specific objectives of the study were to determine the effect of rainfall erosivity and soil erodibility factor in Kambiti Sub catchment area in Murang’a County, to determine effect of slope factor to soil loss in Kambiti Sub-catchment area in Murang’a County, to determine the effect of crop protection and management factor in Kambiti Sub catchment area in Murang’a County to soil loss and to determine the strategies for management of soil and water in Kambiti Sub catchment area in Murang’a County. Data was collected from the catchment and analyzed using arc Geographical Information System to obtain the specific parameters in the revised universal soil loss equation model. Interpolation method was used to determine the mean annual precipitation. The k factor is a function of soil texture. Shape file for geological structure for Kenya was obtained from Kenya Agriculture and livestock Research Organisation and analyzed by use of arc GIS to obtain soil erodibility factor. The slope factor was analyzed using digital elevation model from arc view. Digital elevation model was gotten from STRM download. The C factor was derived from Landsat imagery from sentinel of 30metres by 30 metres. It was further analysed by unsupervised classification from Arc GIS. The sentinel clip of Kambiti sub-catchment was joined with ground trothing observations. The results were useful in estimation of soil loss therefore profiling the areas prone to soil loss. Study findings indicated rain drop impact and runoff were primarily responsible for causing erosion in Kambiti sub catchment. Anthropogenic factors played an important role in amplifying the severity of the damage, such as persistent vegetative degradation and destruction of soil structure due to organic matter depletion and routine shallow tillage. In recent years, erosion control has been hampered by the occurrence of gaps in knowledge regarding the integrated nature of erosion processes, leading to land damage caused by rill and inter-rill erosion going unaddressed. Poor people and those lacking capital to invest in reclaiming land are the main causes of abandoning degraded land. Through strategic awareness campaigns and education, soil erosion will be assessed and the knowledge gap will be closed. Participation of farmers in land use decisions is inevitable as it ensures that people who utilize land resources are recognized as equal partners in identifying problems and designing solutions. It was also recommended that Identification and operationalization of alternative off-farm income.

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STEP is a general data format that observes the international standard ISO 10303-21. STEP means Standard for the Exchange of Product model data. It consists of the 3D geometry of a computer-aided design (CAD) model in the configuration of boundary representation (B-rep). By extracting, refining and decoding the geometric data correctly, the data can be utilized for writing G-code for Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining application. Usually G-codes can either be manually generated by skilled machinists or automatically generated by computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software. However, manually generated G-code is inefficient and susceptible to error. Meanwhile automated generation G-code requires significant setup cost. This paper describes the design and development of an integrated interface system, an instrument aimed to be used to analyze STEP files and generate machining tool path based on ISO 6983 format. This developed interface reduces the need for high setup cost as well as eliminates human limitations. The interface at present is able of detecting circular machining features on the workpiece. Circular machining features are created by 3D modelling software and retained as STEP file. The STEP file which contains geometrical data is then uploaded to the interface system as an input file which is structurally analyzed and processed. Finally, the ideal machining tool path in the G Code format is proposed and generated. By bypassing the CAM software and its proprietary post processor, the outcome of this research is important to enhance compatibility between different CNC machine systems

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The STEP (STandard for the Exchange of Product model data) is a worldwide standard for exchanging products between diverse computer systems and industrial applications. STEP files (ISO 10303) contain 3D data in the universal data format with a boundary representation (B-rep) that allows the exchange of data models between CAD, CAM, and CNC systems. Traditionally, G-code generation relies on CAM software as an add-on, which incurs significant installation costs. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of an Integrated Interface System (I2S) for Tool Path Generation (TPG) for the CNC milling operations utilizing neutral STEP files.The algorithm was interpreted in Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) programming and produced a computer interface system that is capable to convert STEP file geometric data to G-code format.The geometric features of the sample block were modeled using a 3D CAD model. The result was validated using machining simulation, and the machining is performed on a three-axis CNC milling machine with a PC-based controller.In modern manufacturing systems based on Open Architecture Controller (OAC), the development of the I2S provides an alternative to generating machining tool paths and G-code by intercepting CAM software.

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MIIND is a software platform for easily and efficiently simulating the behaviour of interacting populations of point neurons governed by any 1D or 2D dynamical system. The simulator is entirely agnostic to the underlying neuron model of each population and provides an intuitive method for controlling the amount of noise which can significantly affect the overall behaviour. A network of populations can be set up quickly and easily using MIIND's XML-style simulation file format describing simulation parameters such as how populations interact, transmission delays, post-synaptic potentials, and what output to record. During simulation, a visual display of each population's state is provided for immediate feedback of the behaviour and population activity can be output to a file or passed to a Python script for further processing. The Python support also means that MIIND can be integrated into other software such as The Virtual Brain. MIIND's population density technique is a geometric and visual method for describing the activity of each neuron population which encourages a deep consideration of the dynamics of the neuron model and provides insight into how the behaviour of each population is affected by the behaviour of its neighbours in the network. For 1D neuron models, MIIND performs far better than direct simulation solutions for large populations. For 2D models, performance comparison is more nuanced but the population density approach still confers certain advantages over direct simulation. MIIND can be used to build neural systems that bridge the scales between an individual neuron model and a population network. This allows researchers to maintain a plausible path back from mesoscopic to microscopic scales while minimising the complexity of managing large numbers of interconnected neurons. In this paper, we introduce the MIIND system, its usage, and provide implementation details where appropriate.

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A computer simulation approach has been developed that quantifies land capability in terms of crop productivity under different conditions of climate, soil, drainage or irrigation and farm management. This model deals with: (i) the dates and number of days in spring when soil moisture content falls sufficiently to permit soil cultivation and sowing or planting (farm management aspect); (ii) duration of germination and time of emergence in relation to soil moisture and temperature; (iii), water uptake, development, growth and harvest of the crop; (iv) number and time of soil workable days available for the harvest of root crops in autumn (farm management aspect). The model was applied to compute effects of land drainage (15 combinations of drain depth and distance) on the yield of potatoes and spring cereals growing during 30 years (1952-81) on eight different soil types in the Netherlands. The outcome of this study was used as a basis for a nationwide system for evaluating the effects of soil and drainage upon crop yields. The methodology of the integrated model approach can be applied in other climates for a variety of crops growing on different soil types. It can be used to evaluate not only drainage effects on yield, but also those of irrigation and soil improvement. The approach is applicable to land evaluation studies in general.

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Today, technology is developing rapidly. It changes architectural design and building techniques. To these changes up education system should be updated and be integrated with the novel technology. Tomorrow’s professionals only be educated with this way. To make novel technology a part of architectural education, computational fabrication laboratories should be established and be integrated with architectural curriculum. They have the potential to transform architectural education processes. Within this context, this study tries to integrate computational fabrication methods with architectural education. The aim of the study is to share the process and results of a series of exercises applied to the use of computational fabrication tools and methods at the undergraduate level of architectural education. The study deals with exercise processes in a multidimensional scope. In this framework, constructivist learning processes, the concept of metacognition, the flipped classroom model and portfolio evaluation method played a role in the creation and evaluation of the exercise processes. Integrating computational fabrication laboratories with educational processes brings the student to play an active role in the exercise process. This approach is defined as constructivist learning process. In this way, it is ensured that the students can construct their own thinking and understanding processes. While the verb "teaching" is in question in conventional or objectivist education processes, the verb "learning" comes to the fore in constructivist processes. The instructor does not give the information directly but directs the student to reach the information. Flipped classroom model and portfolio evaluation are used as the methods of this study. The background of the exercises is supported by constructivist learning processes and metacognition concept. Within the exercise processes computational fabrication processes such as CNC laser machining and robotic milling were experienced. Within this study four exercises were performed to make the students experience computational fabrication methods: Unfolding, Tessellation, Sectioning, Folding and Moulding. To evaluate the exercise series success portfolio evaluation method was used. The answers in the portfolio to the questions of “What is the aim of this study?” and “What did you learn from this study?” are compared with the aim and learning outcomes of the exercises. As a result of this study, it is seen that the students’ knowledge on file-to-factory process is increased. They learned how to make ready a parametric model for computational fabrication. Based on student portfolios, it has been determined that students have begun to realize the potentials of computational fabrication tools. The students learned how to use computer aided manufacturing software, and even they could manage to define toolpaths on their own. This shows that, undergraduate architectural education level is not early to teach students computational fabrication tools and software.

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Purpose Until now, a lot of research has been done and applied to provide security and original data from one user to another, such as third-party auditing and several schemes for securing the data, such as the generation of the key with the help of encryption algorithms like Rivest–Shamir–Adleman and others. Here are some of the related works that have been done previously. Remote damage control resuscitation (RDCR) scheme by Yan et al. (2017) is proposed based on the minimum bandwidth. By enabling the third party to perform the verification of public integrity. Although it supports the repair management for the corrupt data and tries to recover the original data, in practicality it fails to do so, and thus it takes more computation and communication cost than our proposed system. In a paper by Chen et al. (2015), using broadcast encryption, an idea for cloud storage data sharing has been developed. This technique aims to accomplish both broadcast data and dynamic sharing, allowing users to join and leave a group without affecting the electronic press kit (EPK). In this case, the theoretical notion was true and new, but the system’s practicality and efficiency were not acceptable, and the system’s security was also jeopardised because it proposed adding a member without altering any keys. In this research, an identity-based encryption strategy for data sharing was investigated, as well as key management and metadata techniques to improve model security (Jiang and Guo, 2017). The forward and reverse ciphertext security is supplied here. However, it is more difficult to put into practice, and one of its limitations is that it can only be used for very large amounts of cloud storage. Here, it extends support for dynamic data modification by batch auditing. The important feature of the secure and efficient privacy preserving provable data possession in cloud storage scheme was to support every important feature which includes data dynamics, privacy preservation, batch auditing and blockers verification for an untrusted and an outsourced storage model (Pathare and Chouragadec, 2017). A hom*omorphic signature mechanism was devised to prevent the usage of the public key certificate, which was based on the new id. This signature system was shown to be resistant to the id attack on the random oracle model and the assault of forged message (Nayak and Tripathy, 2018; Lin et al., 2017). When storing data in a public cloud, one issue is that the data owner must give an enormous number of keys to the users in order for them to access the files. At this place, the knowledge assisted software engineering (KASE) plan was publicly unveiled for the first time. While sharing a huge number of documents, the data owner simply has to supply the specific key to the user, and the user only needs to provide the single trapdoor. Although the concept is innovative, the KASE technique does not apply to the increasingly common manufactured cloud. Cui et al. (2016) claim that as the amount of data grows, distribution management system (DMS) will be unable to handle it. As a result, various proven data possession (PDP) schemes have been developed, and practically all data lacks security. So, here in these certificates, PDP was introduced, which was based on bilinear pairing. Because of its feature of being robust as well as efficient, this is mostly applicable in DMS. The main purpose of this research is to design and implement a secure cloud infrastructure for sharing group data. This research provides an efficient and secure protocol for multiple user data in the cloud, allowing many users to easily share data. Design/methodology/approach The methodology and contribution of this paper is given as follows. The major goal of this study is to design and implement a secure cloud infrastructure for sharing group data. This study provides an efficient and secure protocol for multiple user data in cloud, allowing several users to share data without difficulty. The primary purpose of this research is to design and implement a secure cloud infrastructure for sharing group data. This research develops an efficient and secure protocol for multiple user data in the cloud, allowing numerous users to exchange data without difficulty. Selection scheme design (SSD) comprises two algorithms; first algorithm is designed for limited users and algorithm 2 is redesigned for the multiple users. Further, the authors design SSD-security protocol which comprises a three-phase model, namely, Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3. Phase 1 generates the parameters and distributes the private key, the second phase generates the general key for all the users that are available and third phase is designed to prevent the dishonest user to entertain in data sharing. Findings Data sharing in cloud computing provides unlimited computational resources and storage to enterprise and individuals; moreover, cloud computing leads to several privacy and security concerns such as fault tolerance, reliability, confidentiality and data integrity. Furthermore, the key consensus mechanism is fundamental cryptographic primitive for secure communication; moreover, motivated by this phenomenon, the authors developed SSDmechanismwhich embraces the multiple users in the data-sharing model. Originality/value Files shared in the cloud should be encrypted for security purpose; later these files are decrypted for the users to access the file. Furthermore, the key consensus process is a crucial cryptographic primitive for secure communication; additionally, the authors devised the SSD mechanism, which incorporates numerous users in the data-sharing model, as a result of this phenomena. For evaluation of the SSD method, the authors have considered the ideal environment of the system, that is, the authors have used java as a programming language and eclipse as the integrated drive electronics tool for the proposed model evaluation. Hardware configuration of the model is such that it is packed with 4 GB RAM and i7 processor, the authors have used the PBC library for the pairing operations (PBC Library, 2022). Furthermore, in the following section of this paper, the number of users is varied to compare with the existing methodology RDIC (Li et al., 2020). For the purposes of the SSD-security protocol, a prime number is chosen as the number of users in this work.

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Introduction 2021 was the year that NFTs got big—not just in value but also in terms of the cultural consciousness. When digital artist Beeple sold the portfolio of his 5,000 daily images at Christie’s for US$69 million, the art world was left intrigued, confused, and outraged in equal measure. Depending on who you asked, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) seemed to be either a quick cash-grab or the future of the art market (Bowden and Jones; Smee). Following the Beeple sale, articles started to appear indicating that the film industry was abuzz for NFTs. Independent filmmaker Kevin Smith was quick to announce that he planned to release his horror film Killroy Was Here as an NFT (Alexander); in September 2021 the James Bond film No Time to Die also unveiled a series of collectibles to coincide with the film’s much-delayed theatrical release (Natalee); the distribution and collectible platforms Vuele, NFT Studios, and Mogul Productions all emerged, and the industry rumour mill suggests more start-ups are en route (CurrencyWorks; NFT Studios; NewsBTC). Blockchain disciples say that the technology will solve all the problems of the Internet (Tewari; Norton; European Business Review); critics say it will only perpetuate existing accessibility and equality issues (Davis and Flatow; Klein). Those more circ*mspect will doubtless sit back until the dust settles, waiting to see what parts of so-called web3 will be genuinely integrated into the architecture of the Internet. Pamela Hutchinson puts it neatly in terms of the arts sector: “the NFT may revolutionise the art market, film funding and distribution. Or it might be an ecological disaster and a financial bubble, in which few actual movies change hands, and fraudsters get rich from other people’s intellectual property” (Hutchinson). There is an uptick in the literature around NFTs and blockchain (see Quiniou; Gayvoronskaya & Meinel); however, the technology remains unregulated and unstandardised (Yeung 212-14; Dimitropoulos 112-13). Similarly, the sheer amount of funding being put into fundamental technical, data, and security-related issues speaks volumes to the nascency of the space (Ossinger; Livni; Gayvoronskaya & Meinel 52-6). Put very briefly, NFTs are part of a given blockchain system; think of them, like cryptocurrency coins, as “units of value” within that system (Roose). NFTs were initially rolled out on Ethereum, though several other blockchains have now implemented their own NFT frameworks. NFTs are usually not the artwork itself, but rather a unique, un-copyable (hence, non-fungible) piece of code that is attached, linked, or connected to another digital file, be that an image, video, text, or something else entirely. NFTs are often referred to as a digital artwork’s “certificate of authenticity” (Roose). At the time of writing, it remains to be seen how widely blockchain and NFT technology will be implemented across the entertainment industries. However, this article aims to outline the current state of implementation in the film trade specifically, and to attempt to sort true potential from the hype. Beginning with an overview of the core issues around blockchain and NFTs as they apply to film properties and adjacent products, current implementations of the technology are outlined, before finishing with a hesitant glimpse into the potential future applications. The Issues and Conversation At the core of current conversations around blockchain are three topics: intellectual property and ownership, concentrations of power and control, and environmental impact. To this I would like to add a consideration of social capital, which I begin with briefly here. Both the film industry and “crypto” — if we take the latter to encompass the various facets of so-called ‘web3’ — are engines of social capital. In the case of cinema, its products are commodified and passed through a model that begins with exclusivity (theatrical release) before progressing to mass availability (home media, streaming). The cinematic object, i.e., an individual copy of a film, is, by virtue of its origins as a mass product of the twentieth century, fungible. The film is captured, copied, stored, distributed, and shared. The film-industrial model has always relied on social phenomena, word of mouth, critical discourse, and latterly on buzz across digital social media platforms. This is perhaps as distinct from fine art, where — at least for dealers — the content of the piece does not necessarily matter so much as verification of ownership and provenance. Similarly, web3, with its decentralised and often-anonymised processes, relies on a kind of social activity, or at least a recorded interaction wherein the chain is stamped and each iteration is updated across the system. Even without the current hype, web3 still relies a great deal on discourse, sharing, and community, particularly as it flattens the existing hierarchies of the Internet that linger from Web 2.0. In terms of NFTs, blockchain systems attach scarcity and uniqueness to digital objects. For now, that scarcity and uniqueness is resulting in financial value, though as Jonathan Beller argues the notion of value could — or perhaps should — be reconsidered as blockchain technology, and especially cryptocurrencies, evolve (Beller 217). Regardless, NFT advocates maintain that this is the future of all online activity. To questions of copyright, the structures of blockchain do permit some level of certainty around where a given piece of intellectual property emerged. This is particularly useful where there are transnational differences in recognition of copyright law, such as in France, for instance (Quiniou 112-13). The Berne Convention stipulates that “the subsistence of copyright does not rest on the compliance with formal requirements: rights will exist if the work meets the requirements for protection set out by national law and treaties” (Guadamuz 1373). However, there are still no legal structures underpinning even the most transparent of transactions, when an originator goes out of their way to transfer rights to the buyer of the accompanying NFT. The minimum requirement — even courtesy — for the assignment of rights is the identification of the work itself; as Guadamuz notes, this is tricky for NFTs as they are written in code (1374). The blockchain’s openness and transparency are its key benefits, but until the code can explicitly include (or concretely and permanently reference) the ‘content’ of an NFT, its utility as a system of ownership is questionable. Decentralisation, too, is raised consistently as a key positive characteristic of blockchain technology. Despite the energy required for this decentralisation (addressed shortly), it is true that, at least in its base code, blockchain is a technology with no centralised source of truth or verification. Instead, such verification is performed by every node on the chain. On the surface, for the film industry, this might mean modes of financing, rights management, and distribution chains that are not beholden to multinational media conglomerates, streamers like Netflix, niche intermediaries, or legacy studios. The result here would be a flattening of the terrain: breaking down studio and corporate gatekeeping in favour of a more democratised creative landscape. Creators and creative teams would work peer-to-peer, paying, contracting, servicing, and distribution via the blockchain, with iron-clad, publicly accessible tracking of transactions and ownership. The alternative, though, is that the same imbalances persist, just in a different form: this is outlined in the next section. As Hunter Vaughan writes, the film industry’s environmental impact has long been under-examined. Its practices are diverse, distributed, and hard to quantify. Cinematic images, Vaughan writes, “do not come from nothing, and they do not vanish into the air: they have always been generated by the earth and sun, by fossil fuels and chemical reactions, and our enjoyment of them has material consequences” (3). We believe that by watching a “green” film like Avatar we are doing good, but it implicates us in the dirty secret, an issue of “ignorance and of voluntary psychosis” where “we do not see who we are harming or how these practices are affecting the environment, and we routinely agree to accept the virtual as real” (5). Beyond questions of implication and eco-material conceptualisation, however, there are stark facts. In the 1920s, the Kodak Park Plant in New York drew 12 million gallons of water from Lake Ontario each day to produce film stock. As the twentieth century came to a close, this amount — for a single film plant — had grown to 35-53 million gallons per day. The waste water was perfunctorily “cleaned” and then dumped into surrounding rivers (72-3). This was just one plant, and one part of the filmmaking process. With the shift to digital, this cost might now be calculated in the extraction of precious metals used to make contemporary cameras, computers, or storage devices. Regardless, extrapolate outwards to a global film industry and one quickly realises the impact is almost beyond comprehension. Considering — let alone calculating — the carbon footprint of blockchain requires outlining some fundamentals of the technology. The two primary architectures of blockchain are Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS), both of which denote methods of adding and verifying new blocks to a chain. PoW was the first model, employed by Bitcoin and the first iteration of Ethereum. In a PoW model, each new block has a specific cryptographic hash. To confirm the new block, crypto miners use their systems to generate a target hash that is less than or equal to that of the block. The systems process these calculations quickly, as the goal is to be “the first miner with the target hash because that miner is the one who can update the blockchain and receive crypto rewards” (Daly). The race for block confirmation necessitates huge amounts of processing power to make these quick calculations. The PoS model differs in that miners are replaced by validators (or staking services where participants pool validation power). Rather than investing in computer power, validators invest in the blockchain’s coins, staking those coins (tokens) in a smart contract (think of this contract like a bank account or vault). When a new block is proposed, an algorithm chooses a validator based on the size of their stake; if the block is verified, the validator receives further cryptocurrency as a reward (Castor). Given the ubiquity and exponential growth of blockchain technology and its users, an accurate quantification of its carbon footprint is difficult. For some precedent, though, one might consider the impact of the Bitcoin blockchain, which runs on a PoW model. As the New York Times so succinctly puts it: “the process of creating Bitcoin to spend or trade consumes around 91 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, more than is used by Finland, a nation of about 5.5 million” (Huang, O’Neill and Tabuchi). The current Ethereum system (at time of writing), where the majority of NFT transactions take place, also runs on PoW, and it is estimated that a single Ethereum transaction is equivalent to nearly nine days of power consumption by an average US household (Digiconomist). Ethereum always intended to operate on a PoS system, and the transition to this new model is currently underway (Castor). Proof of Stake transactions use significantly less energy — the new Ethereum will supposedly be approximately 2,000 times more energy efficient (Beekhuizen). However, newer systems such as Solana have been explicit about their efficiency goals, stating that a single Solana transaction uses less energy (1,837 Joules, to be precise) than keeping an LED light on for one hour (36,000 J); one Ethereum transaction, for comparison, uses over 692 million J (Solana). In addition to energy usage, however, there is also the question of e-waste as a result of mining and general blockchain operations which, at the time of writing, for Bitcoin sits at around 32 kilotons per year, around the same as the consumer IT wastage of the Netherlands (de Vries and Stoll). How the growth in NFT awareness and adoption amplifies this impact remains to be seen, but depending on which blockchain they use, they may be wasting energy and resources by design. If using a PoW model, the more valuable the cryptocurrency used to make the purchase, the more energy (“gas”) required to authenticate the purchase across the chain. Images abound online of jerry-rigged crypto data centres of varying quality (see also efficiency and safety). With each NFT minted, sold, or traded, these centres draw — and thus waste, for gas — more and more energy. With increased public attention and scrutiny, cryptocurrencies are slowly realising that things could be better. As sustainable alternatives become more desirable and mainstream, it is safe to predict that many NFT marketplaces may migrate to Cardano, Solana, or other more efficient blockchain bases. For now, though, this article considers the existing implementations of NFTs and blockchain technology within the film industry. Current Implementations The current applications of NFTs in film centre around financing and distribution. In terms of the former, NFTs are saleable items that can raise capital for production, distribution, or marketing. As previously mentioned, director Kevin Smith launched Jay & Silent Bob’s Crypto Studio in order to finish and release Killroy Was Here. Smith released over 600 limited edition tokens, including one of the film itself (Moore). In October 2021, renowned Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai sold an NFT with unreleased footage from his film In the Mood for Love at Sotheby’s for US$550,000 (Raybaud). Quentin Tarantino entered the arena in January 2022, auctioning uncut scenes from his 1994 film Pulp Fiction, despite the threat of legal action from the film’s original distributor Miramax (Dailey). In Australia, an early adopter of the technology is director Michael Beets, who works in virtual production and immersive experiences. His immersive 14-minute VR film Nezunoban (2020) was split into seven different chapters, and each chapter was sold as an NFT. Beets also works with artists to develop entry tickets that are their own piece of generative art; with these tickets and the chapters selling for hundreds of dollars at a time, Beets seems to have achieved the impossible: turning a profit on a short film (Fletcher). Another Australian writer-producer, Samuel Wilson, now based in Canada, suggests that the technology does encourage filmmakers to think differently about what they create: At the moment, I’m making NFTs from extra footage of my feature film Miles Away, which will be released early next year. In one way, it’s like a new age of behind-the-scenes/bonus features. I have 14 hours of DV tapes that I’m cutting into a short film which I will then sell in chapters over the coming months. One chapter will feature the dashing KJ Apa (Songbird, Riverdale) without his shirt on. So, hopefully that can turn some heads. (Wilson, in Fletcher) In addition to individual directors, a number of startup companies are also seeking to get in on the action. One of these is Vuele, which is best understood as a blockchain-based streaming service: an NFT Netflix, if you like. In addition to films themselves, the service will offer extra content as NFTs, including “behind the scenes content, bonus features, exclusive Q&As, and memorabilia” (CurrencyWorks). Vuele’s launch title is Zero Contact, directed by Rick Dugdale and starring Anthony Hopkins. The film is marketed as “the World’s First NFT Feature Film” (as at the time of writing, though, both Vuele and its flagship film have yet to launch). Also launching is NFT Studios, a blockchain-based production company that distributes the executive producer role to those buying into the project. NFT Studios is a decentralised administrative organisation (DAO), guided by tech experts, producers, and film industry intermediaries. NFT Studios is launching with A Wing and a Prayer, a biopic of aeronaut Brian Milton (NFT Studios), and will announce their full slate across festivals in 2022. In Australia, Culture Vault states that its aim is to demystify crypto and champion Australian artists’ rights and access to the space. Co-founder and CEO Michelle Grey is well aware of the aforementioned current social capital of NFTs, but is also acutely aware of the space’s opacity and the ubiquity of often machine-generated tat. “The early NFT space was in its infancy, there was a lot of crap around, but don’t forget there’s a lot of garbage in the traditional art world too,” she says (cited in Miller). Grey and her company effectively act like art dealers; intermediaries between the tech and art worlds. These new companies claim to be adhering to the principles of web3, often selling themselves as collectives, DAOs, or distributed administrative systems. But the entrenched tendencies of the film industry — particularly the persistent Hollywood system — are not so easily broken down. Vuele is a joint venture between CurrencyWorks and Enderby Entertainment. The former is a financial technology company setting up blockchain systems for businesses, including the establishment of branded digital currencies such as the controversial FreedomCoin (Memoria); the latter, Enderby, is a production company founded by Canadian film producer (and former investor relations expert in the oil and uranium sectors) Rick Dugdale (Wiesner). Similarly, NFT Studios is partnered with consulting and marketing agencies and blockchain venture capitalists (NFT Investments PLC). Depending on how charitable or cynical one is feeling, these start-ups are either helpful intermediaries to facilitate legacy media moving into NFT technology, or the first bricks in the capitalist wall to bar access for entry to other players. The Future Is… Buffering Marketplaces like Mintable, OpenSea, and Rarible do indeed make the minting and selling of NFTs fairly straightforward — if you’ve ever listed an item for sale on eBay or Facebook, you can probably mint an NFT. Despite this, the current major barrier for average punters to the NFT space remains technical knowledge. The principles of blockchain remain fairly opaque — even this author, who has been on a deep dive for this article, remains sceptical that widespread adoption across multiple applications and industries is feasible. Even so, as Rennie notes, “the unknown is not what blockchain technology is, or even what it is for (there are countless ‘use cases’), but how it structures the actions of those who use it” (235). At the time of writing, a great many commentators and a small handful of scholars are speculating about the role of the metaverse in the creative space. If the endgame of the metaverse is realised, i.e., a virtual, interactive space where users can interact, trade, and consume entertainment, the role of creators, dealers, distributors, and other brokers and players will be up-ended, and have to re-settle once again. Film industry practitioners might look to the games space to see what the road might look like, but then again, in an industry that is — at its best — somewhat resistant to change, this may simply be a fad that blows over. Blockchain’s current employment as a get-rich-quick mechanism for the algorithmic literati and as a computational extension of existing power structures suggests nothing more than another techno-bubble primed to burst (Patrickson 591-2; Klein). Despite the aspirational commentary surrounding distributed administrative systems and organisations, the current implementations are restricted, for now, to startups like NFT Studios. In terms of cinema, it does remain to be seen whether the deployment of NFTs will move beyond a kind of “Netflix with tchotchkes” model, or a variant of crowdfunding with perks. Once Vuele and NFT Studios launch properly, we may have a sense of how this all will play out, particularly alongside less corporate-driven, more artistically-minded initiatives like that of Michael Beets and Culture Vault. It is possible, too, that blockchain technology may streamline the mechanics of the industry in terms of automating or simplifying parts of the production process, particularly around contracts, financing, licensing. This would obviously remove some of the associated labour and fees, but would also de-couple long-established parts and personnel of the industry — would Hollywood and similar industrial-entertainment complexes let this happen? As with any of the many revolutions that have threatened to kill or resurrect the (allegedly) long-suffering cinematic object, we just have to wait, and watch. References Alexander, Bryan. “Kevin Smith Reveals Why He’s Auctioning Off New His Film ‘Killroy Was Here’ as an NFT.” USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2021. <https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2021/04/15/kevin-smith-auctioning-new-film-nft-killroy-here/7244602002/>. Beekhuizen, Carl. “Ethereum’s Energy Usage Will Soon Decrease by ~99.95%.” Ethereum Foundation Blog, 18 May 2021. <https://blog.ethereum.org/2021/05/18/country-power-no-more/>. Beller, Jonathan. “Economic Media: Crypto and the Myth of Total Liquidity.” Australian Humanities Review 66 (2020): 215-225. Beller, Jonathan. The Cinematic Mode of Production: Attention Economy and the Society of the Spectacle. Hanover, NH: Dartmouth College P, 2006. Bowden, James, and Edward Thomas Jones. “NFTs Are Much Bigger than an Art Fad – Here’s How They Could Change the World.” The Conversation, 26 Apr. 2021. <http://theconversation.com/nfts-are-much-bigger-than-an-art-fad-heres-how-they-could-change-the-world-159563>. Cardano. “Cardano, Ouroboros.” 14 Feb. 2022 <https://cardano.org/ouroboros/>. Castor, Amy. “Why Ethereum Is Switching to Proof of Stake and How It Will Work.” MIT Technology Review, 4 Mar. 2022. <https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/03/04/1046636/ethereum-blockchain-proof-of-stake/>. CurrencyWorks. “Vuele - CurrencyWorks™.” 3 Feb. 2022 <https://currencyworks.io/project/vuele/>. Dailey, Natasha. “Quentin Tarantino Will Sell His ‘Pulp Fiction’ NFTs This Month despite a Lawsuit from the Film’s Producer Miramax.” Business Insider, 5 Jan. 2022. <https://www.businessinsider.com.au/quentin-tarantino-to-sell-pulp-fiction-nft-despite-miramax-lawsuit-2022-1>. 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What NFTs Mean for Film.” BFI, 22 July 2021. <https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/nfts-non-fungible-tokens-blockchain-film-funding-revolution-hype>. Klein, Ezra. “A Viral Case against Crypto, Explored.” The Ezra Klein Show, n.d. 7 Apr. 2022 <https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/05/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-dan-olson.html>. Livni, Ephrat. “Venture Capital Funding for Crypto Companies Is Surging.” The New York Times, 1 Dec. 2021. <https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/01/business/dealbook/crypto-venture-capital.html>. Memoria, Francisco. “Popular Firearms Marketplace GunBroker to Launch ‘FreedomCoin’ Stablecoin.” CryptoGlobe, 30 Jan. 2019. <https://www.cryptoglobe.com/latest/2019/01/popular-firearm-marketplace-gunbroker-to-launch-freedomcoin-stablecoin/>. 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Abstract:

Introduction This article is a study in anxiety with regard to social online spaces (SOS) conceived of as dark. There are two possible ways to define ‘dark’ in this context. The first is that communication is dark because it either has limited distribution, is not open to all users (closed groups are a case example) or hidden. The second definition, linked as a result of the first, is the way that communication via these means is interpreted and understood. Dark social spaces disrupt the accepted top-down flow by the ‘gazing elite’ (data aggregators including social media), but anxious users might need to strain to notice what is out there, and this in turn destabilises one’s reception of the scene. In an environment where surveillance technologies are proliferating, this article examines contemporary, dark, interconnected, and interactive communications for the entangled affordances that might be brought to bear. A provocation is that resistance through counterveillance or “sousveillance” is one possibility. An alternative (or addition) is retreating to or building ‘dark’ spaces that are less surveilled and (perhaps counterintuitively) less fearful. This article considers critically the notion of dark social online spaces via four broad socio-technical concerns connected to the big social media services that have helped increase a tendency for fearful anxiety produced by surveillance and the perceived implications for personal privacy. It also shines light on the aspect of darkness where some users are spurred to actively seek alternative, dark social online spaces. Since the 1970s, public-key cryptosystems typically preserved security for websites, emails, and sensitive health, government, and military data, but this is now reduced (Williams). We have seen such systems exploited via cyberattacks and misappropriated data acquired by affiliations such as Facebook-Cambridge Analytica for targeted political advertising during the 2016 US elections. Via the notion of “parasitic strategies”, such events can be described as news/information hacks “whose attack vectors target a system’s weak points with the help of specific strategies” (von Nordheim and Kleinen-von Königslöw, 88). In accord with Wilson and Serisier’s arguments (178), emerging technologies facilitate rapid data sharing, collection, storage, and processing wherein subsequent “outcomes are unpredictable”. This would also include the effect of acquiescence. In regard to our digital devices, for some, being watched overtly—through cameras encased in toys, computers, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) to digital street ads that determine the resonance of human emotions in public places including bus stops, malls, and train stations—is becoming normalised (McStay, Emotional AI). It might appear that consumers immersed within this Internet of Things (IoT) are themselves comfortable interacting with devices that record sound and capture images for easy analysis and distribution across the communications networks. A counter-claim is that mainstream social media corporations have cultivated a sense of digital resignation “produced when people desire to control the information digital entities have about them but feel unable to do so” (Draper and Turow, 1824). Careful consumers’ trust in mainstream media is waning, with readers observing a strong presence of big media players in the industry and are carefully picking their publications and public intellectuals to follow (Mahmood, 6). A number now also avoid the mainstream internet in favour of alternate dark sites. This is done by users with “varying backgrounds, motivations and participation behaviours that may be idiosyncratic (as they are rooted in the respective person’s biography and circ*mstance)” (Quandt, 42). By way of connection with dark internet studies via Biddle et al. (1; see also Lasica), the “darknet” is a collection of networks and technologies used to share digital content … not a separate physical network but an application and protocol layer riding on existing networks. Examples of darknets are peer-to-peer file sharing, CD and DVD copying, and key or password sharing on email and newsgroups. As we note from the quote above, the “dark web” uses existing public and private networks that facilitate communication via the Internet. Gehl (1220; see also Gehl and McKelvey) has detailed that this includes “hidden sites that end in ‘.onion’ or ‘.i2p’ or other Top-Level Domain names only available through modified browsers or special software. Accessing I2P sites requires a special routing program ... . Accessing .onion sites requires Tor [The Onion Router]”. For some, this gives rise to social anxiety, read here as stemming from that which is not known, and an exaggerated sense of danger, which makes fight or flight seem the only options. This is often justified or exacerbated by the changing media and communication landscape and depicted in popular documentaries such as The Social Dilemma or The Great Hack, which affect public opinion on the unknown aspects of internet spaces and the uses of personal data. The question for this article remains whether the fear of the dark is justified. Consider that most often one will choose to make one’s intimate bedroom space dark in order to have a good night’s rest. We might pleasurably escape into a cinema’s darkness for the stories told therein, or walk along a beach at night enjoying unseen breezes. Most do not avoid these experiences, choosing to actively seek them out. Drawing this thread, then, is the case made here that agency can also be found in the dark by resisting socio-political structural harms. 1. Digital Futures and Anxiety of the Dark Fear of the darkI have a constant fear that something's always nearFear of the darkFear of the darkI have a phobia that someone's always there In the lyrics to the song “Fear of the Dark” (1992) by British heavy metal group Iron Maiden is a sense that that which is unknown and unseen causes fear and anxiety. Holding a fear of the dark is not unusual and varies in degree for adults as it does for children (Fellous and Arbib). Such anxiety connected to the dark does not always concern darkness itself. It can also be a concern for the possible or imagined dangers that are concealed by the darkness itself as a result of cognitive-emotional interactions (McDonald, 16). Extending this claim is this article’s non-binary assertion that while for some technology and what it can do is frequently misunderstood and shunned as a result, for others who embrace the possibilities and actively take it on it is learning by attentively partaking. Mistakes, solecism, and frustrations are part of the process. Such conceptual theorising falls along a continuum of thinking. Global interconnectivity of communications networks has certainly led to consequent concerns (Turkle Alone Together). Much focus for anxiety has been on the impact upon social and individual inner lives, levels of media concentration, and power over and commercialisation of the internet. Of specific note is that increasing commercial media influence—such as Facebook and its acquisition of WhatsApp, Oculus VR, Instagram, CRTL-labs (translating movements and neural impulses into digital signals), LiveRail (video advertising technology), Chainspace (Blockchain)—regularly changes the overall dynamics of the online environment (Turow and Kavanaugh). This provocation was born out recently when Facebook disrupted the delivery of news to Australian audiences via its service. Mainstream social online spaces (SOS) are platforms which provide more than the delivery of media alone and have been conceptualised predominantly in a binary light. On the one hand, they can be depicted as tools for the common good of society through notional widespread access and as places for civic participation and discussion, identity expression, education, and community formation (Turkle; Bruns; Cinque and Brown; Jenkins). This end of the continuum of thinking about SOS seems set hard against the view that SOS are operating as businesses with strategies that manipulate consumers to generate revenue through advertising, data, venture capital for advanced research and development, and company profit, on the other hand. In between the two polar ends of this continuum are the range of other possibilities, the shades of grey, that add contemporary nuance to understanding SOS in regard to what they facilitate, what the various implications might be, and for whom. By way of a brief summary, anxiety of the dark is steeped in the practices of privacy-invasive social media giants such as Facebook and its ancillary companies. Second are the advertising technology companies, surveillance contractors, and intelligence agencies that collect and monitor our actions and related data; as well as the increased ease of use and interoperability brought about by Web 2.0 that has seen a disconnection between technological infrastructure and social connection that acts to limit user permissions and online affordances. Third are concerns for the negative effects associated with depressed mental health and wellbeing caused by “psychologically damaging social networks”, through sleep loss, anxiety, poor body image, real world relationships, and the fear of missing out (FOMO; Royal Society for Public Health (UK) and the Young Health Movement). Here the harms are both individual and societal. Fourth is the intended acceleration toward post-quantum IoT (Fernández-Caramés), as quantum computing’s digital components are continually being miniaturised. This is coupled with advances in electrical battery capacity and interconnected telecommunications infrastructures. The result of such is that the ontogenetic capacity of the powerfully advanced network/s affords supralevel surveillance. What this means is that through devices and the services that they provide, individuals’ data is commodified (Neff and Nafus; Nissenbaum and Patterson). Personal data is enmeshed in ‘things’ requiring that the decisions that are both overt, subtle, and/or hidden (dark) are scrutinised for the various ways they shape social norms and create consequences for public discourse, cultural production, and the fabric of society (Gillespie). Data and personal information are retrievable from devices, sharable in SOS, and potentially exposed across networks. For these reasons, some have chosen to go dark by being “off the grid”, judiciously selecting their means of communications and their ‘friends’ carefully. 2. Is There Room for Privacy Any More When Everyone in SOS Is Watching? An interesting turn comes through counterarguments against overarching institutional surveillance that underscore the uses of technologies to watch the watchers. This involves a practice of counter-surveillance whereby technologies are tools of resistance to go ‘dark’ and are used by political activists in protest situations for both communication and avoiding surveillance. This is not new and has long existed in an increasingly dispersed media landscape (Cinque, Changing Media Landscapes). For example, counter-surveillance video footage has been accessed and made available via live-streaming channels, with commentary in SOS augmenting networking possibilities for niche interest groups or micropublics (Wilson and Serisier, 178). A further example is the Wordpress site Fitwatch, appealing for an end to what the site claims are issues associated with police surveillance (fitwatch.org.uk and endpolicesurveillance.wordpress.com). Users of these sites are called to post police officers’ identity numbers and photographs in an attempt to identify “cops” that might act to “misuse” UK Anti-terrorism legislation against activists during legitimate protests. Others that might be interested in doing their own “monitoring” are invited to reach out to identified personal email addresses or other private (dark) messaging software and application services such as Telegram (freeware and cross-platform). In their work on surveillance, Mann and Ferenbok (18) propose that there is an increase in “complex constructs between power and the practices of seeing, looking, and watching/sensing in a networked culture mediated by mobile/portable/wearable computing devices and technologies”. By way of critical definition, Mann and Ferenbok (25) clarify that “where the viewer is in a position of power over the subject, this is considered surveillance, but where the viewer is in a lower position of power, this is considered sousveillance”. It is the aspect of sousveillance that is empowering to those using dark SOS. One might consider that not all surveillance is “bad” nor institutionalised. It is neither overtly nor formally regulated—as yet. Like most technologies, many of the surveillant technologies are value-neutral until applied towards specific uses, according to Mann and Ferenbok (18). But this is part of the ‘grey area’ for understanding the impact of dark SOS in regard to which actors or what nations are developing tools for surveillance, where access and control lies, and with what effects into the future. 3. Big Brother Watches, So What Are the Alternatives: Whither the Gazing Elite in Dark SOS? By way of conceptual genealogy, consideration of contemporary perceptions of surveillance in a visually networked society (Cinque, Changing Media Landscapes) might be usefully explored through a revisitation of Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon, applied here as a metaphor for contemporary surveillance. Arguably, this is a foundational theoretical model for integrated methods of social control (Foucault, Surveiller et Punir, 192-211), realised in the “panopticon” (prison) in 1787 by Jeremy Bentham (Bentham and Božovič, 29-95) during a period of social reformation aimed at the improvement of the individual. Like the power for social control over the incarcerated in a panopticon, police power, in order that it be effectively exercised, “had to be given the instrument of permanent, exhaustive, omnipresent surveillance, capable of making all visible … like a faceless gaze that transformed the whole social body into a field of perception” (Foucault, Surveiller et Punir, 213–4). In grappling with the impact of SOS for the individual and the collective in post-digital times, we can trace out these early ruminations on the complex documentary organisation through state-controlled apparatuses (such as inspectors and paid observers including “secret agents”) via Foucault (Surveiller et Punir, 214; Subject and Power, 326-7) for comparison to commercial operators like Facebook. Today, artificial intelligence (AI), facial recognition technology (FRT), and closed-circuit television (CCTV) for video surveillance are used for social control of appropriate behaviours. Exemplified by governments and the private sector is the use of combined technologies to maintain social order, from ensuring citizens cross the street only on green lights, to putting rubbish in the correct recycling bin or be publicly shamed, to making cashless payments in stores. The actions see advantages for individual and collective safety, sustainability, and convenience, but also register forms of behaviour and attitudes with predictive capacities. This gives rise to suspicions about a permanent account of individuals’ behaviour over time. Returning to Foucault (Surveiller et Punir, 135), the impact of this finds a dissociation of power from the individual, whereby they become unwittingly impelled into pre-existing social structures, leading to a ‘normalisation’ and acceptance of such systems. If we are talking about the dark, anxiety is key for a Ministry of SOS. Following Foucault again (Subject and Power, 326-7), there is the potential for a crawling, creeping governance that was once distinct but is itself increasingly hidden and growing. A blanket call for some form of ongoing scrutiny of such proliferating powers might be warranted, but with it comes regulation that, while offering certain rights and protections, is not without consequences. For their part, a number of SOS platforms had little to no moderation for explicit content prior to December 2018, and in terms of power, notwithstanding important anxiety connected to arguments that children and the vulnerable need protections from those that would seek to take advantage, this was a crucial aspect of community building and self-expression that resulted in this freedom of expression. In unearthing the extent that individuals are empowered arising from the capacity to post sexual self-images, Tiidenberg ("Bringing Sexy Back") considered that through dark SOS (read here as unregulated) some users could work in opposition to the mainstream consumer culture that provides select and limited representations of bodies and their sexualities. This links directly to Mondin’s exploration of the abundance of queer and feminist p*rnography on dark SOS as a “counterpolitics of visibility” (288). This work resulted in a reasoned claim that the technological structure of dark SOS created a highly political and affective social space that users valued. What also needs to be underscored is that many users also believed that such a space could not be replicated on other mainstream SOS because of the differences in architecture and social norms. Cho (47) worked with this theory to claim that dark SOS are modern-day examples in a history of queer individuals having to rely on “underground economies of expression and relation”. Discussions such as these complicate what dark SOS might now become in the face of ‘adult’ content moderation and emerging tracking technologies to close sites or locate individuals that transgress social norms. Further, broader questions are raised about how content moderation fits in with the public space conceptualisations of SOS more generally. Increasingly, “there is an app for that” where being able to identify the poster of an image or an author of an unknown text is seen as crucial. While there is presently no standard approach, models for combining instance-based and profile-based features such as SVM for determining authorship attribution are in development, with the result that potentially far less content will remain hidden in the future (Bacciu et al.). 4. There’s Nothing New under the Sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9) For some, “[the] high hopes regarding the positive impact of the Internet and digital participation in civic society have faded” (Schwarzenegger, 99). My participant observation over some years in various SOS, however, finds that critical concern has always existed. Views move along the spectrum of thinking from deep scepticisms (Stoll, Silicon Snake Oil) to wondrous techo-utopian promises (Negroponte, Being Digital). Indeed, concerns about the (then) new technologies of wireless broadcasting can be compared with today’s anxiety over the possible effects of the internet and SOS. Inglis (7) recalls, here, too, were fears that humanity was tampering with some dangerous force; might wireless wave be causing thunderstorms, droughts, floods? Sterility or strokes? Such anxieties soon evaporated; but a sense of mystery might stay longer with evangelists for broadcasting than with a laity who soon took wireless for granted and settled down to enjoy the products of a process they need not understand. As the analogy above makes clear, just as audiences came to use ‘the wireless’ and later the internet regularly, it is reasonable to argue that dark SOS will also gain widespread understanding and find greater acceptance. Dark social spaces are simply the recent development of internet connectivity and communication more broadly. The dark SOS afford choice to be connected beyond mainstream offerings, which some users avoid for their perceived manipulation of content and user both. As part of the wider array of dark web services, the resilience of dark social spaces is reinforced by the proliferation of users as opposed to decentralised replication. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) can be used for anonymity in parallel to TOR access, but they guarantee only anonymity to the client. A VPN cannot guarantee anonymity to the server or the internet service provider (ISP). While users may use pseudonyms rather than actual names as seen on Facebook and other SOS, users continue to take to the virtual spaces they inhabit their off-line, ‘real’ foibles, problems, and idiosyncrasies (Chenault). To varying degrees, however, people also take their best intentions to their interactions in the dark. The hyper-efficient tools now deployed can intensify this, which is the great advantage attracting some users. In balance, however, in regard to online information access and dissemination, critical examination of what is in the public’s interest, and whether content should be regulated or controlled versus allowing a free flow of information where users self-regulate their online behaviour, is fraught. O’Loughlin (604) was one of the first to claim that there will be voluntary loss through negative liberty or freedom from (freedom from unwanted information or influence) and an increase in positive liberty or freedom to (freedom to read or say anything); hence, freedom from surveillance and interference is a kind of negative liberty, consistent with both libertarianism and liberalism. Conclusion The early adopters of initial iterations of SOS were hopeful and liberal (utopian) in their beliefs about universality and ‘free’ spaces of open communication between like-minded others. 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