#Alarm Monitoring Market | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

reporttrendz · 1 year

Link

The Alarm Monitoring Market size is forecast to reach US$ 60 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 4.8% from 2022 to 2027. Alarm monitoring system is used for communicating between home security system and security service provider. The system control panel registers an emergency event and sends a signal to the central monitoring station, where the appropriate authorities are notified and sent to your home. Alarm Monitoring systems inform service providers about burglar, fire, and medical emergency at the location. This Alarm Monitoring system uses alarm sensors such as motion detection sensor, gas detection sensors, photo sensors, acoustic sensors and others to detect the emergency and switch on the alert system in action. It is used at various residential, commercial and public spaces across various industry verticals for safety purposes. The driving factors for this market include increasing crime rate, rise in fire accidents and other disasters, growing demand of high safety and security at public spaces and increasing government investments in Alarm Monitoring systems. However, high installation and maintenance costs and issue of false alarms are restraining the growth of Alarm Monitoring Market.

Alarm Monitoring Market Report Coverage

The report: “Alarm Monitoring Industry Outlook – Forecast (2022-2027)”, by IndustryARC covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the Alarm Monitoring industry.

By Offering:

Hardware, Software, Services (Installation services, Monitoring services, Maintenance services)

By Technology:

Wired Telecommunication, Wireless radio network, Cellular wireless network, IP Network, Others

By Type of system :

Perimeter Intrusion Detection System(Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4 ), Internal Security Alarm System

By Components:

Sensors and Detectors, Surveillance camera (Doorbell camera, Outdoor camera, Indoor camera), Siren alarm, Smart Locks, Control panel, Operating software

By Sensors:

Glass Break Detection sensors, Flood Sensors, Motion Detection sensors, Smoke and gas sensors, Temperature sensors, Pressure sensors, Beam Sensor, Seismic sensors, Others

By Input Signal:

Analog Signal, Discrete Signal, Protocol Signal

By Alarm panels:

Coded panels, Conventional panels, Addressable panels, Multiplex systems

By End user:

Manufacturing, Infrastructure (Government and Public spaces, Corporate Offices, Residential, Commercial),Healthcare, Pharmaceutical, Energy and Power plants, Petrochemical , Automotive, Military and defense, Others

By Geography:

North America (U.S, Canada, Mexico), Europe(U.K, Germany, France, Italy, Spain,Others), APAC (China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Others), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Others), RoW (Middle East, Africa)

Key Takeaways

The wired telecommunication segment held the largest share in the Alarm Monitoring Market segmented by technology. This is owing to the more reliable response system as well as cheaper installations and maintenance costs as compared to other communication technologies.The infrastructure segment held the largest share in Alarm Monitoring Market by end user, in 2021. This is attributed togrowing smart home residential projects, need for high safety and security at commercial spaces with large footfall of people.North America market held the largest market share of 37%, in 2021. This is due to increasing crime rates, increasing public awareness about Alarm Monitoring and other security systems. The insurance policy benefits provided by most of the firms are also a major driving factor of this market in North AmericaFactors such as increasing crime rate, rise in government investments for Alarm Monitoring in public spaces, benefits by insurance policy providers, increasing smart city and smart home projects and increasing public awareness are boosting the growth of Alarm Monitoring Market.

For More Details On This Report- Request For Sample

Alarm Monitoring Market Segment Analysis- By Technology

The Alarm Monitoring Market by technology has been segmented into wired telecommunication, wireless radio network, cellular wireless network, IP network and others. The wired telecommunications segment held the largest share of 45%, in 2021. This is owing to reliable wiring connections, low installation as well as maintenance costs, no requirement for battery replacements and no risks of hacking of the wired telecommunication Alarm Monitoring system.In a wired Alarm Monitoring system, each sensor is connected to the main control panel with a cable that runs around the walls and door or window frames. The system uses a fixed connection to work and communicate for the tasks. This system is widely adopted for critical applications such as industrial and medical where precise and timely alarm systems are essential. In June 2021, Konnected Alarm Panel was designed to upgrade a residential wired alarm system with open and flexible nature of the Konnected hardware and automation integrations. A significant implementation is seen in Sunny Isles, Florida where the Konnected Alarm Panel Prois being used to monitor and and stop water leaks in several high end multimillion dollar residential condominium buildings. In addition to the high-end finishes and appliances, the Acqualina residences are wired in every room including bathrooms with category 6 ethernet cable and are fitted with passive water leak detection sensors under every sink, toilet, and appliances. Insurance industry reports have established that water damage resulted in over US$13 billion in damage and removal costs per year which were eliminated with the use of wired alarm panel system. Thus, safety and reliability in the alarm system saving costs of repair and maintenance has fuelled the growth of Alarm Monitoring Market.

Alarm Monitoring MarketSegment Analysis- By End User

The Alarm Monitoring Market by end user has been segmentedinto manufacturing, infrastructure (government and public spaces, corporate offices, residential, commercial), healthcare, pharmaceutical, energy and power plants, petrochemical, automotive, military and defense, other. The infrastructure segment held the largest share of 60%, in 2021. This is due to rapidly growing sub-segment of residential under smart home projects, increasing crime rates at public spaces and rise in safety concerns at corporate or government offices. This application infrastructure segment is also attributed to the insurance policies offering discounts with alarm monitoring installations and increasing government-initiated funding for incorporating alarm monitoring systems at public spaces. In September 2021, Interface Security Systems, a leading managed service provider delivering business security and intelligence solutions to distributed enterprises, announced that WKS Restaurant Group, one of the fastest-growing multi-brand restaurant franchisees in the US is relying on Interface’s managed video verified intrusion alarm monitoring to eliminate false alarm costs and standardize security operations across over 380 restaurants. Before the Interface, WKS was incurring about US$165,000 worth of false alarm costs. As a result of significant financial burden and security breaches has increased the demand of alarm monitoring and drives the growth of this market.

Alarm Monitoring Market Segment Analysis- By Geography

The Alarm Monitoring Market by geography is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), South America, and the rest of the world (RoW). North America held the largest Alarm Monitoring Market share with 37%of total market size. This owing to the increase in crime rates such as thefts, rise in increasing public awareness about alarm monitoring and other security systems. The insurance policy benefits over alarm monitoring system installations provided by most of the firms are also driving the growth of this market in North America. One of the most well-known insurance companies in United States, All state provides a protective device discount on the insurance policy which includes installing alarm monitoring systems. In 2019, as per the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reports, the property crime rate fell 55%, with big declines in the rates of burglary (-69%), motor vehicle theft (-64%) and larceny/theft (-49%) due to growing use of surveillance and alarm monitoring systems. Thus, effective results with the use of security systems and alarm monitoring system has led to growth of this market in North America.

Inquiry Before Buying

Alarm Monitoring Market Drivers

There has been a continuous rise in theft and other crime rate which is propelling the growth of the Alarm Monitoring Market.

The alarm monitoring system is used to communicate the signals from sensor network to system control system. These systems are used to prevent theft and burglary, prevent fire breaks, gas or fluid leakages and alert in case of emergency in medical or industrial sectors. Criminal activities often go unnoticed or difficult to catch the culprit due to lack of evidence and late discovery of the situation. However, using alarm monitoring system can ensure quick transfer of the information to the user and emergency services. According to the FBI statistics, a burglar strikes close to every 30 seconds in the US. That adds up to two burglaries every minute and over 3,000 burglaries per day. This rapid rate of increasing crime rate makes the use of alarm monitoring system essential in every home. In May 2022, Ajax-based security solution announced reduction in fuel thefts for Portugal-based transport company, Portugalenses Transportes, LDA. Trucks installed with alarm monitoring systems by Ajax with control panel connected to the vehicle battery, via Ajax 12V PSU. The hub uses 2G networks to communicate with the company control centre. In case of an alarm activation, the control panel activates the siren, sends notifications to the Ajax app on the driver’s smartphone and the Ajax PRO Desktop monitoring app, at PortugalensesTransportes control centre. Thus, rapid alert system and precision of alarms prevents a significant loss of the users. This reliability and instant notification by installing alarm monitoring system boosts the growth of Alarm Monitoring Market.

There is rise in frequent natural calamities and need of alarm monitoring systems for early preventive measures is driving the growth of this market

Alarm monitoring systems are also used for early warning and preventive measures, especially in case of natural calamities and disasters. There is a significant rise in numbers of natural calamities and disasters due to increasing human activities, pollution and many other factors. The natural calamities and disasters mainly include floods, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes and others. These alarm monitoring provides an alert based on satellite information, sensor networks and weather forecast to take preventive actions. For example, Geoprevent, a company manufacturing monitoring systems and sensors states that the alarm monitoring detects glacier or rock instability and leads to an alarm warning for the ice or rock avalanche prior to a few hours, days or even weeks. This leaves enough time to evacuate and close endangered areas. The system detects the avalanche as early as possible and usually signals between 30 and 60 seconds to automatically close roads or railways. In March 2020, COPS Monitoring, the largest provider of wholesale professional alarm services in North America, announced that alarm monitoring services continued without interruption despite the loss of both power and communications at its Tennessee monitoring center as a result of the Nashville tornado. The combination of multiple sites, redundant technology, and distributive staffing made the COPS monitoring to stand unparalleled in any such calamity or disasters. Thus, the growing technology for preventive alert for natural calamities using alarm monitoring system is contributing to the growth of Alarm Monitoring Market

Buy Now

Alarm Monitoring Market Challenges

The rise in false alarm rate due to misinterpreted external conditions inhibits the further growth of Alarm Monitoring Market.

Alarm monitoring system functions on the basis of input from sensors of various receptors to alert the system. However, in certain external conditions, they tend to misinterpret the input signals and cause false alarm which may lead to unnecessary panic situation and wastage of time for emergency services. For instance, the smoke from cooking or cigarettes might get detected in smoke detector leading to the trigger of fire alarm which leads to the false alert. Such situation can arise in many alarm monitoring systems used in various verticals mainly due to highly sensitive sensors. However, using less sensitive sensors can increase the response time which may cause increased scale of damage. In 2021, according to Home Officedata report published shows the county’s Fire & Rescue Service responded to 5,070 call-outs in the 12 months up to September 2021. Of those, 34% were a result of false alarms from alarm monitoring system.The National Fire Chiefs Council revealed crews attend one false alarm almost every 90 seconds in the UK and can cost up to £450 a time, diverting precious resources away from genuine emergencies and increasing the service's carbon footprint. Hence, the issue of false alarm is a major concern in adopting alarm monitoring system which restrains the market growth.

Alarm Monitoring Market Landscape

Product launches, acquisitions, and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the Alarm Monitoring industry. The Alarm Monitoring top 10 companies include:

Bosch Security Systems

Diebold Inc.

Siemens AG

Johnson Controls International PLC

Rockwell Automation Inc.

Honeywell International

Schneider Electric SE

Vector Security, Inc.

Vivint, Inc.

Recent Developments:

In April 2022, Johnson Controls announced that it has acquired Security Enhancement Systems LLC (SES), a provider of mobile-based, keyless access control solutions used in critical infrastructure, including telecommunication towers for major providers. Security Enhancement Systems will add to Johnson Controls’ comprehensive portfolio of security and access control technology available, including security and access controls, video management, security as a service, IP cameras, door controllers and card readers. Thus, the expansion of security system technologies with alarm monitoring system helps in growth of the market.In January 2022, Automaker Ford and ADT, a company that provides home and business security and alarm monitoring services, have announced the launch of a joint venture called Canopy that aims to address vulnerabilities in current vehicle security offerings. Ford and ADT have invested a total of $105 million in the joint venture. This helps in hiring, setting up the supply chain and logistics for the aftermarket product after the launch in the market. This unique product is predicted to aquire a major market share in automotive industry segment.In December 2021, Pye-Barker Fire & Safety has announced acquisition of super regional systems integrator Mountain Alarm Fire & Security, and comes on the heels of the purchase of Yarnell Security Systems, based in Lancaster. Mountain Alarm is the preferred provider of alarm monitoring, installation, maintenance services, and inspection services for fire alarms, security alarms, CCTV systems, and access control systems. Mountain Alarm’s ability to acquire alarm companies, elevate the customer experience, and integrate those companies into their software systems will help the pye-barker gain momentum in the market revenue.In October 2021, GeoArm, a leading provider of smart home solutions serving residential and business customers in the United States, announced the addition of M2M products and services to its website offerings. The end user can remotely download the RControl app on any Android or iOS device to arm/disarm the security system. With universal compatibility and ease of operation can easily add the M2M alarm communicator into most commercial fire alarm and burglary intrusion panels business in the Alarm Monitoring Market.

For more Electronics Market reports, please click here

#alarm monitoring market #alarm monitoring market size #alarm monitoring market share

0 notes

markettrend24 · 2 years

Text

Alarm Monitoring Market 2022 Size, Share, Upcoming Industry Trends, Business Development Analysis, Segmentation and Forecast by 2028

This report studies the Alarm Monitoring Market with many aspects of the industry like the market size, market status, market trends and forecast, the report also provides brief information of the competitors and the specific growth opportunities with key market drivers. Find the complete Alarm Monitoring Market analysis segmented by companies, region, type and applications in the report. The…

View On WordPress

#Alarm Monitoring #Alarm Monitoring forecast #Alarm Monitoring Industry #Alarm Monitoring Market #Alarm Monitoring price #Alarm Monitoring report #Alarm Monitoring research #Alarm Monitoring share #Alarm Monitoring trends #Covid-19 Impact Analysis

0 notes

loveindefinitely · 5 months

Text

༊*·˚ NEW JOBS AND DEATH THREATS — cod x reader

CRAVE YOU — call of duty x reader CHAPTER ONE

featuring. simon 'ghost' riley + johnny 'soap' mactavish + kyle 'gaz' garrick + john 'bravo six' price + alejandro vargas + rodolfo 'rudy' parra + könig + keegan p. russ

warnings. nsfw, fem!reader, prison au, serial killer au, reverse harem, therapist/patient, medical inaccuracies, graphic violence, depictions of murder, everyone's unhinged, poly tf141, minor ships, threesomes, foursomes, gangbangs, this is not medical advice!!

series masterlist. read on ao3.

Life was hard. That was a fact.

Bills and groceries didn’t pay for themselves. That was also a fact.

Adding these two factors together, the final product will be a high-risk job in one of the highest-risk places on Earth. That’s… not a fact.

And yet, here you are, standing at the visitor entrance of Las Almas Prison, sporting a disgruntled grimace and a new pair of black slacks that you’d splurged on. They, at least, made your ass look good, although that was truly the least of your worries.

No. Your current list of worries looked something like this;

Getting Murdered

Getting Attacked

Vomiting Within The First Five Minutes Of Your New Job?

…Yeah. Something like that.

The early morning sun is blinding where it sits, just off to the side of the giant concrete building that was the main offices and Visitor Centre. The fact that you were standing in front of what was only a small part of the overall prison grounds was… alarming.

You were well aware that this was the largest prison in your country, housing the most lethal and awful of criminals. Some you’d seen either on the news, or heard of in passing conversations.

This was the real deal. And, somehow, you’d managed to find yourself being hired to work here. You. Work with serial killers. The worst of the worst.

With the stress on your bank account, and the endless struggle that was trying to find a stable career in the current job market, you simply had no other choice but to accept the offer. It paid extremely well, had great benefits, and your safety was… fairly considered.

The amount of NDAs, liability clauses and agreements, however?

Not the best at calming your nerves, to say the least.

The biting chill of the winter wind has you wrapping your arms around yourself, leather bag slung over your shoulder as you finally step through the automatic sliding door.

You’re not surprised to find that the chill only deepens inside the concrete walls of the building, with no heaters or air conditioning from what you can see. There is, however, bright white overhead lights that do nothing except aid the throbbing in the side of your head – probably due to the restless sleep you’d had the night before, anticipation and anxiety warring inside of your thoughts.

There’s an office in front of you as you step in, with only a few decades-old couches to your right, in front of a dingy TV that’s turned off. Saving their budget for more important things, you suppose.

The walls are a pale, grimy yellow, with sparse photos hung about, framing newspaper articles that are surely from the last century, and black and white pictures of the prison’s opening.

It’s an unsettling place, that much you’ve already gathered.

You haven’t even actually been inside the prison, you remind yourself, your stomach churning where it now lays at your feet.

Without a second thought, you continue with hurried steps to the front desk, where scratched plastic encases the sole woman inside, sitting behind a monitor. There’s a circle of holes that allow for sound to pass through, but other than that, there’s no way of entering from this room. With a quick study of your surroundings, you see a steel door to the left of where the desk sits, with a small square window covered in iron bars.

…Jesus christ.

“Can I help you?” The woman drawls, sliding her glasses further up her nose. Her voice is nasally, and the words come out in a slow drawl as she looks you up and down, unimpressed.

You give her your best smile, although even you can tell that it’s an uneasy one. “Yes! This is my first day, I think I’m supposed to be meeting Kate Laswell?” You ask, nerves betraying your voice with unsteady breaths.

The woman snaps her gum.

You stand there.

She blows it again.

You continue to stand there.

Her gaze is bored and completely void of any thought, before she nods slowly. “Laswell… I’ll call her.”

Really, you couldn’t be more shocked if you tried. What the fuck was happening? How could one lack so much… professionalism?

“Hi, Kate. Yes, it’s Jenny. I have a new hire who apparently wants to see you…” Her voice remains that unbearably slow, sloth-like delivery, before her eyes unhurriedly meet yours again. “What’s your name…?”

You give it to her, tone only the slightest bit impatient as you roll back on the heels of your feet. You can only hope that your black boots are appropriate; you’d figured that they were safe, closed-toe and still somewhat professional.

Time would tell. Jenny was giving you the impression that they were more than acceptable, because at least they got you to do your job in a timely manner.

Jenny says a few more words to who can only pray is Laswell on the other end of the phone, before she places it back in its holder.

“Laswell will be here any…” She pops her gum once more, and maybe, just maybe, you can understand the urge to murder. “Moment.”

You give her a tight, painful smile. “Thank you, Jenny.”

She doesn’t respond, and you decide to just stand back and wait. You certainly weren’t complaining – any more conversation with her would’ve ended with a severe lack of hair on your head.

A minute passes, before a buzz in the pocket of your slacks has your throat tightening.

Pulling out your phone, your next exhale comes out shaky as you read the text.

Charlie: get milk otw home used it all

No ‘good luck’. No… ounce of care for you, or the absolute stress that comes with a new job, let alone one like this.

When you’d told him about the offer, all he’d said was, “It might make you worth something for a change.” Didn’t even question, not for a minute, the risks that came with a job like this. He simply couldn’t give less of a fuck.

“Doctor?” The sound of a door opening, and the kind, almost motherly tone of the voice has you shoving your phone into your pocket once more as you turn to the source of the sound.

It’s a woman, her hair pulled back into a slick bun, one hand holding what seems to be a clipboard. Her other hand rests in the pocket of a white coat, not unlike one a scientist would be fashioning in a lab. Her smile is warm, the corner of her eyes crinkling as you direct a smile of your own her way.

“Kate Laswell?” You ask, extending your hand for her to shake. Taking her hand out of her pocket, she accepts it gracefully, nodding her head.

“The one and only,” she says, before gesturing to the steel door she’d entered through. “Now, today we’ll get you set up with a keycard, general rules, and I’ll have you meet two of your patients.”

You nod, following her as she swipes a card in a black reader, before the red light buzzes green, and she pulls the door open. Right behind her, you take an unstable deep breath as you take in the greyed, jagged walls, a complete contrast to the painted ones of the entrance room.

“We really are so glad to welcome you to our team,” she continues, her black work shoes clicking against the smooth concrete flooring. She doesn’t turn to you as she speaks, but her voice carries around the echoey hallway. “You’ll make a great addition. A necessary one, also. We’ve needed an innovative, young therapist for a while. Most of our… previous hires have held out-dated beliefs, and a lack of humanity for their clientele.”

That makes your brows furrow in confusion. “That’s… odd,” you murmur, before pausing your steps as Laswell stops, swiping her keycard, before entering another room.

As you step into the newly revealed space, your eyes go wide as you take it in.

It’s a wide, large space, with several floors. Metal staircases sit at either end of the vast space, allowing access to every floor. Guards sit at every level, some walking around the space where you and Laswell stand.

It’s a lot, all at once. You’d never even stepped foot into a prison – not before now.

“Most inmates are at the mess for breakfast,” Laswell supplies, turning to you with a neutral expression. She gestures for you to follow her back out of the space, and you do with hurried steps. “The ones you’ll be dealing with, however… they usually eat by themselves.”

You don’t decide to push that statement, not now, as you continue to follow her down the hallway.

“You won’t be seeing much of the prison,” she admits. “There’s heavily guarded spaces on the top floor for your sessions, both for your protection and for the safety of our staff and other low-risk inmates.”

You nod, humming a sound of affirmation as the two of you start heading up the cleaner steps at the end of the hallway. The staff staircase, you suppose.

“Today, you’ll be meeting two of our more… understanding ambers.”

You raise a brow. “Ambers? What does that mean?”

She turns her head over her shoulder, just enough to shoot you a knowing look. “Ambers are our highest-risk inmates. We house ten of them, and you’ll be dealing with eight as per your contract.”

Your stomach falls. You’d known, of course, that the risks were high when applying for this role. But… this was more than you’d imagined, in a way. Ambers. Huh.

Silence falls over the two of you as you make your way up the never-ending steps, no windows in sight. It’s unnerving, in a creepy, strange way. When you finally reach the top, you try and hide how out of breath you are from that small exertion.

Fucking christ.

Laswell, for her part, looks completely fine in an effortless way. You can’t eve find it in yourself to be envious. The feeling’s closer to admiration.

“Here’s the files on them both. You’ll be seeing Kyle Garrick first,” she hands you the clipboard she’d been carrying, and you accept it with only a slight tremble. She doesn’t comment on it, and you find yourself warming up to her already. “They’ll be restrained, and there is heavy security, so you needn’t worry about that side of things.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” you say earnestly, flipping through the files without reading much of anything, not yet.

She waves you off with a soft chuckle. “None of that. Kate’s more than fine,” she insists, and you give her a bright smile in return. Maybe this job wouldn’t be so bad – a boss like this was much better than a creepy middle-aged man any day of the week.

You don’t realise you’ve made it to a small room until she stops walking, scanning her keycard and pushing the door open, gesturing you in. “While you have your first two sessions, I’ll sort your keycard and the rest of the processes out. I wish you luck.”

With that, the door shuts behind you, and you’re alone in a small room.

It matches the rest of the hallways you’ve seen – grey concrete walls, grey concrete floors. The only furniture, however, is one metal table drilled into the floor in the centre, one chair on either side.

…It’s depressing. Not at all like you’d prefer, not for a fucking therapy session, but then again, you hadn’t met your clients yet.

Ambers. High-risk.

With a deep breath, you take a seat at the chair closest to you, finally reading through the top file on the clipboard.

Kyle ‘Gaz’ Garrick.

You skim over the height, weight, sex – immediately reading the comments made and his sentence.

Mass murderer. Motivated attacks.

Your eyes go wide, almost comically so, as you bite at your lip, folding one leg over the other as you continue to read.

Of course, you’d prepared, been made aware that you’d be dealing with murderers. But having it in black and white, right in front of you, is a whole other thing entirely.

Apparently, they were motivated attacks. Targets being large CEOs, specifically those with reported claims of misuse of power, and those against green laws. Anti-environment types.

The motive is… you’re aware killing is bad. You hadn’t spent years studying for a degree in Psychology to think otherwise. But it wasn’t as simple as some made it out to be. You’d done papers suggesting that certain motives implied healthier patterns, healthier outlets.

If you had to choose between him killing pregnant women, and CEOs with broken moral compasses?

It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out your answer.

You’re about to flip the page when there’s a knock on the door on the other side of the room, before it opens.

There’s two guards that walk in, before a man in an olive green jumpsuit follows, hands cuffed tightly together in front of him, head down. Another guard from behind shoves him in, too rough for your liking. You sit up straighter, eyes assessing as you take in the man in the jumpsuit.

He’s forced into the chair opposite you, before one of the guards grabs his cuffed wrists and chains them to a rig in the middle of the table. You’re grateful for the precautions, but there’s a part of you that feels guilty watching the manhandling of the seemingly calm man.

“Half an hour,” the most brutish guard of them all grits out, beer belly spilling out over his belted jeans. He jostles the chain attaching his wrists to the table unnecessarily, and your eyes narrow.

He goes to leave, along with another guard, but one stands to stay in position inside, beside the door.

Your brows furrow, and you speak up before you can stop yourself. “Sorry, sir, but my sessions will need confidentiality, as for the best results. I’m sure that I’ll be safe with his restraints.”

The guard stares you down, seemingly mulling your words over, before shrugging and leaving the room, door shutting behind him.

…Huh. Alright.

You find your posture relaxing, just slightly, which is odd, considering you’re now only a metre or two away from a convicted murderer.

His gaze is trained to the table, left foot tapping incessantly against the concrete floor.

“It’s nice to meet you, Gaz,” you say with a soft tone and a gentle smile. You figure that his nickname is the best bet, not wanting to stir up any possible traumas with his given name during your first session with the man. “I’ll be your new psychiatric evaluator.”

His eyes flick up, meeting yours, and he nods slowly, as if awaiting a punchline.

“Is it okay for me to call you Gaz?” You ask, tilting your head to the side and flipping to an empty page to take notes on. You’d need to grab a notebook from home, you decide.

He relaxes, only the smallest of movements, and he nods. “Gaz, yeah.”

Your smile widens at the small victory. Any step towards progress was a huge one, in your eyes. You’d be facing a lot of them in the coming days.

“Do you have any advice for this place?” You push, trying to form a bond of trust with the dark-haired man. “I’m gonna be honest, you’re my first patient, and I’ve only met Laswell and… Jenny?”

His mouth quirks at that, a dimple showing to the left of his mouth as he looks back up at you. “Jenny’s a character, ain’t she?”

You laugh, a genuine one, and nod. “She certainly is. You’ve met her?”

He shrugs, shoulders relaxing slightly. “Few times, yeah. She drives me up the fuckin’ wall.” His accent is only minimally apparent, but his voice is of a somewhat humorous tone.

Small victories.

“Well,” he exhales, settling into his chair a bit as he seems to ponder. “Do ya know who else you’re assigned to?”

You’d been sure to thoroughly go over your contract, and you were allowed to disclose your other patients between your others. They’d find out within the day, anyways, so there was no point in being discreet.

“It’s only you and a… John Price? Today. I’m sure I’ll find out the other six over the next few days,” you say, appreciating that he’s starting conversations. It’s more than you’d allowed yourself to hope for.

Gaz’s eyes light up, and even if you hadn’t been incessant in watching him, it’d be an obvious shift in emotions. “Price?”

You nod, quickly making a note on your clipboard, before folding your hands in your lap as you gesture for him to continue with a quick inclination of your head.

“He’s the best. Man’s a legend,” he enthuses. “Love ‘im.”

There’s… a hidden truth to that statement, that you make a mental note to unpack during a later session. Your smile is a natural one as you say, “He’s an amber, correct? Laswell told me I’d been assigned eight out of ten ambers… you’re one of them, right?”

Gaz seems to fold into himself, and you kick yourself for going back to square one. He answers, however.

“...Yeah. Only Ghost ‘nd Valeria are aggressive, though. We’re just… misunderstood,” he murmurs, and in the back of your brain, you find yourself believing his words.

“Thank you,” you smile, and he responds with a sharp one of his own. Maybe you’d covered more ground than you’d expected. “I think it’d been mentioned that I was only assigned men, due to the nature of the job, or something like that.”

Seeming to mull over your words, he starts to slowly nod. “Sounds ‘bout right. As long as you don’t get Graves, you’ll be alright. The others are… fuckin’ weird, but they’re good men. Mostly.”

That’s a lot of information at once, and quite frankly, it takes a moment for you to process.

“‘Good men’. What do you think it takes to be a good man?” You ask, curiosity laced into your tone. Getting to ask such questions of a convicted murderer, it’s a thrilling, exhilarating task.

His eyes don’t shift as he replies. “Good men do the acts others are too scared to do. They see the evil in the world, and rid of it with their own bare hands. You can be an ethical murderer, Doc.”

Those words, they��re – they’re authentic, and conviction aches in their structure.

You swallow around a dry mouth.

“You think you’re a good man?” You ask.

His smile would be seen as warm to any who weren’t aware of his acts, but to you – it’s chilling. Haunting in a way you’ve never experienced.

It remains as he answers.

“I think that I’m a man who people wish they had the bravery to be.”

a/n. okay so im really nervous about posting this, cause ITS EIGHT FUKCING LOVE INTERESTS and also im a humanities girl not a science one!! sociology all the way not psych!! so forgive me for all the inaccuracies and legality issues please. im just a girl. hopefully u guys will like this one? i mean, obsessed serial killers cod is smth i need so here we are. all comments and feedback mean so muchhh ty ily mwah mwah mwah

taglist comment/msg to be added. [nothing to see here.]

2K notes · View notes

ralfmaximus · 2 months

Text

Shane Jones, the AI engineering lead at Microsoft who initially raised concerns about the AI, has spent months testing Copilot Designer, the AI image generator that Microsoft debuted in March 2023, powered by OpenAI’s technology. Like with OpenAI’s DALL-E, users enter text prompts to create pictures. Creativity is encouraged to run wild. But since Jones began actively testing the product for vulnerabilities in December, a practice known as red-teaming, he saw the tool generate images that ran far afoul of Microsoft’s oft-cited responsible AI principles.

Copilot was happily generating realistic images of children gunning each other down, and bloody car accidents. Also, copilot appears to insert naked women into scenes without being prompted.

Jones was so alarmed by his experience that he started internally reporting his findings in December. While the company acknowledged his concerns, it was unwilling to take the product off the market.

Lovely! Copilot is still up, but now rejects specific search terms and flags creepy prompts for repeated offenses, eventually suspending your account.

However, a persistent & dedicated user can still trick Copilot into generating violent (and potentially illegal) imagery.

Yiiiikes. Imagine you're a journalist investigating AI, testing out some of the prompts reported by your source. And you get arrested for accidentally generating child pornography, because Microsoft is monitoring everything you do with it?

Good thing Microsoft is putting a Copilot button on keyboards!

#ai #microsoft #copilot #bullshit

404 notes · View notes

prasannareddy · 2 years

Text

Europe and Latin America Alarm Monitoring 2021 Global Market Size, Status, Analysis and Forecast 2030

Statistics: Major Factors that Can Increase the Global Demand, Business Growth Analysis by Top Countries Data and Segments Insights

ACCESS COMPLETE REPORT: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/europe-and-latin-america-alarm-monitoring-market-A15606

The Europe and Latin America Alarm Monitoring market report offers an in-depth analysis of every crucial factor that affects the market growth including recent market developments, key market players, and decisive trends. The study begins with a detailed analysis of major determinants of the market such as drivers, challenges, restraints, and upcoming opportunities.

The market is studied based on a variety of factors that impact the performance of the market across various regions such as North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia), Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa).

DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/15975

Key Market Players:

The Europe and Latin America Alarm Monitoring market report includes a thorough study of the top 10 market players active in the industry along with their business overview, financial analysis, business strategies, SWOT profile, and key products and services. Leading market players analyzed in the report include ABB Ltd., Siemens AG, Diebold Inc., Schneider Electric SE, Honeywell International, Vivint Inc., Johnson Controls, Bosch Rexroth AG, ADT Corporation, and Vector Security. Moreover, it includes recent industry developments including prime market mergers & acquisitions, new product launches, partnerships and collaborations, and market expansion.

Prime Benefits:

1. The report includes Porter’s Five Forces analysis to understand the ability of buyers and suppliers to allow business investors to make strategic decisions.

2. The study offers a detailed analysis of the ongoing market trends, market size, and forecast of the Europe and Latin America Alarm Monitoring market during the period 2020-2030.

3. The report includes the potential of the market across various regions along with revenue contribution.

4. The study provides an in-depth analysis of the major market players in the Europe and Latin America Alarm Monitoring

5. The Europe and Latin America Alarm Monitoring industry report includes growth factors of the market along with major challenges and restraining factors that might hinder the market growth. This analysis aids new market entrants and existing manufacturers to prepare for future challenges and take advantage of opportunities to strengthen their market position.

The report offers detailed information regarding major end-users and annual forecasts from 2020 to 2030. In addition, it presents revenue forecasts for each year along with sales and sales growth of the Europe and Latin America Alarm Monitoring . The forecasts are offered by an in-depth study of the market by skilled analysts concerning yy, and geography of the market. These forecasts are beneficial to gain insight on the future prospects of the market.

GET EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/15975

Major Offering of the Report:

1. Major impacting factors: An in-depth analysis of driving factors, upcoming opportunities, and challenges.

2. Ongoing trends & forecasts: A thorough study in recent market trends, happenings, and forecasts for the next few years to take a strategic, informed decision.

3. Segmental analysis: A detailed analysis of each segment and driving factors coupled with growth rate analysis.

4. Regional analysis: Insights on the market potential across each region to enable market players to leverage market opportunities.

5. Competitive landscape: An in-depth analysis of every key market player active in the Europe and Latin America Alarm Monitoring

COVID-19 IMPACT ANALYSIS/CUSTOMIZATION: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/15975

Related Reports:

Flip Chip Market

B2B Payments Market

Insurance Analytics Market

Europe and Latin America Alarm Monitoring Market

About Us:

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of “Market Research Reports” and “Business Intelligence Solutions.” AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

Contact:

David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 [email protected] Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com

#Europe and Latin America Alarm Monitoring 2022 Global Market

0 notes

psithurista · 11 months

Text

approach shift pt. nine

pairing: Peter Parker x f!reader (TASM/Andrew Garfield version) length: 4.3k rating: explicit 18+ warnings: Mentions of death, fingering, a quick wristy (lol)

Peter Parker is a weirdo. A hot, distracting, irritating weirdo. And you can’t afford distractions right now. So there’s only one thing to do.

a/n: Last full chapter but there will be an epilogue in the not-too-distant; I'll probably have more notes then. Thank you x

series masterlist

The back of your head is torturously itchy.

You try surreptitiously to press your knuckles to the spot, just to relieve the worst of it. The nurse sitting closest to you glances up at you from over the top of her monitor and guiltily, you clasp your hands back down into your lap.

It smells sour in here, like soft plums left to rot. Whichever industrial cleaner it is this hospital uses, it’s definitely not one anybody’s trying to market for domestic use. It’s probably cheap as fuck, you contemplate, your hand drifting back up towards your head.

“You can go in now,” a new nurse says beside you. You jerk your hand away. “He’s awake. I let him know you’ve been waiting.”

“Oh, thank you,” you say, unpeeling yourself from the plastic waiting room chair. “I won’t be very long. I just wanted to say hi.”

She gives you a mild, distracted okay-that’s-nice-whatever smile and disappears. You push open the door to the room she’d just exited and duck inside.

It smells far better in here. There’s a vase of opening lilies leaving red pollen-stains on the table in front of the window, and the lavender-powder smell of clean sheets. Doctor Brant is propped up in the bed, frowning hard at the tablet in his hands.

“I hope you aren’t working while you’re meant to be resting,” you say.

He tilts his head down to peer at you over his glasses. “Oh, no. It’s just sudoku. It’s good to see you.”

“You too, Doctor. How are you?”

He nods, and sets the tablet aside. “Well, they’ve finally taken me off the oxygen so I expect I’ll be allowed to leave soon. All things considered, a little smoke inhalation injury at my…advanced age could’ve been far worse.” His eyes glint a little bit. “Were you injured?”

You shake your head. “A concussion, but I’m fine. The. He. Um. You know. He got me out, before he went back for you.”

“You shouldn’t have stayed to look for me.”

You sit gingerly on the very edge of the chair next to the bed. “I thought. I didn’t think he’d made it to you in time. I thought you were both.” Your voice starts to sound weird, so you stop talking.

He folds his hands together over his chest. “It’s strange. I remember the first time I saw him. I didn’t understand what was happening. I thought it must have been a stunt, or an advertisement for something. Silly, really. And yet he’s saved Oscorp from itself more times than it deserved. After Connors and Dillon and that whole terrible disaster with young Harry. It’s too much. There’s no reason for anybody to endanger themselves in that place ever again.” He takes his glasses off and sets them beside the bed. “Which is why I’ve resigned.”

You stare at him. “You. What?”

He smiles at you; the expression a little indulgent. “All those years of work, gone. And for nothing. I’m sure you’ve already heard what happened?”

You have. It’s been all over the news the entire week. First the speculation: was it an attack? Was it political? Was it another disgruntled ex-employee? A competitor? And then, later, the worse, more boring truth: regular old corporate negligence. An undertrained technician who’d tried to prematurely purge a vac test chamber with concentrated oxygen. An alarm system two years overdue for maintenance. And floor upon floor of laboratories filled with dangerous substances, improperly stored.  

Nobody else in your department was seriously hurt. But others weren’t so lucky.

“When I started with Norm, it was all about changing the world for the better. And in the end, we’ve helped nobody.” He shakes his head. “If you’ll forgive my language…Fuck Oscorp. I’m ready to start over.”

You grin at him, even though it feels a little watery. “I’m…really happy for you.” And you are. In the brief time you’ve worked under him, his passion has been obvious, but he’s always seemed so bogged down by the minutiae of red tape; appeasing a board of investors with no interest in the importance of his life’s work beyond its potential profitability.

But it also makes your already-uncertain future with the company even foggier. You’ll need to find someone else willing to offer you a similar graduate position, and you already know you won’t find anything else quite as specialised as the work he’s been doing.

He takes a sip from the glass of water beside his bed, then sits back with a sigh. “Publicly-funded research is a far less glamorous world than that of private enterprise. We’ll be relying primarily on grant funding and academic support. There won’t be any glass fountains or vertical gardens, I’m afraid.”

You nod sympathetically. “I can imagine. It’ll be a big change.” His eyebrows draw together at you. “I would understand if your answer is no.”

You blink. “My answer?” you say, like a genius.

“If so, I would, of course, write you a glowing recommendation. And I have plenty of contacts I could put you in touch with, if you’d prefer that.”

Holy shit. Is he…? “Hold on. Are you offering me a position with you?”

“Well, yes.”

He grunts as you dart in and hug him. “Oh! Yes! I mean, of course! I would love to. Thank you so much. You won’t regret this.”

“Uh.”

You lean back as he smooths his blankets down. “Sorry,” you say, a little sheepish. “That was unprofessional.”

He tries to look stern, but it’s unconvincing. “Well, yes,” he says again. “But I’ll choose to ignore it just this once.”

You stop by to see Bear on your way home. The roller doors in the alley beside the grimy little theatre are propped open so you can see all the half-painted set pieces inside, and there’s a bunch of people dressed all in black gathered around smoking.

“Are you gonna be home tonight?” you ask, watching her inhale the deli sandwich you’d brought after correctly guessing she hadn’t stopped rehearsing long enough for lunch.

“I can be if you want,” she says, her mouth full of half-chewed food. “But I was kind of planning on staying at a friend’s.”

You press your knuckles absently against the back of your head and leer at her. “Would this friend happen to be the same person who wanted you to move in after one salad date?”

“If you don’t stop scratching your stitches I’m calling the hospital and narcing to your doctor. And yes.”

You make a face. “I’m not even touching them!”

She stuffs the rest of the sandwich in her mouth and wipes her hands on her jeans. “I’m seriously cool not to go, though. It’s totally fine.”

She’s barely left you alone since you got back from the emergency room, even setting alarms and checking up on you throughout the first couple of nights. You know for a fact she’s had to cancel other plans for you—again. You shake your head. “No, go. I kind of want some alone time anyway.”

It’s another cold, bright afternoon. You walk into the feet of your shadow and spread your fingers beside your body as your arms move, watching them elongating out on the pavement in front of you, lost in thought. You’ve been lost in thought a lot, lately.

You’re just past the end of your block when you catch sight of the figure sitting on the stairs outside your building. Long legs in faded jeans are stretched out and crossed over at the ankles, and there’s duct tape around the toe of one sneaker. You slow to a halt on the sidewalk. A woman behind you huffs with irritation, veering around you, a giant paper grocery bag clutched in her arms.

He looks up from his cracked phone screen as you draw level with your door. His hair is as chaotic as ever, stuck up in every direction, except for at the nape of his neck, where it curls gently around in little flicks. He looks tired. He’s always looked tired, the whole time you’ve known him, but you notice it differently now. Like the holes in his jeans, and the bruise on his jaw, and the angry-sore-looking blisters on his knuckles.

He smiles a little, jerking you out of your silent staring. “Hi. Sorry. I didn’t wanna just show up unannounced. I’ve been trying to call, but,” he holds his phone up, and you shake your head.

“My phone was—”

“Yeah, I figured.”

The wind lifts the edge of your scarf and shivers under the neck of your coat. There’s something sweet in the air; like cinnamon sugar, maybe someone baking from one of the open windows overhead. “Do you want to come inside?”

His expression is soft as he considers you, looking up through his lashes. “Okay.”

Neither of you speak on the trip upstairs. Your hand accidentally brushes his as you reach out for the elevator buttons, and you both pull away, as awkward and over-polite as strangers.

He stands a respectful distance back as you open your door, and you lead him inside, waving your hand vaguely toward the sofa. “Do you want a drink?”

He folds himself into the seat nearest the window, hunching over and shoving his hands between his knees. A cold drift of sun touches his jaw. “Um, no thanks, it’s cool.”

You sit down beside him, folding your hands across your lap like you’re about to get a class picture taken.

He chews his lip, runs his thumbs over his burned hands. Outside, a car horn beeps. “It’s not because I didn’t trust you,” he starts. “If you’re wondering. I don’t want you thinking that’s the reason.”

“It’s okay,” you say. “You don’t need to explain.”

“I just want you to know—”

“I know.” You try to smile at him, and it feels a little watery. “I get it. I know why you couldn’t tell me.”

His brows bend together just enough to mark out a pained line. “I’m sorry.”

You shake your head. “Really. Don’t be.”

It falls silent in your living room. The little clay pinch pot in the centre of the coffee table Bear had brought home from the artists’ market watches you both watching one another; soft-skinned and tender as nervous newborn things.

“You might die doing this,” you finally point out. “One day. All those times you’ve been hurt. You might…not come home.”

He nods at the floor. “Which is why I couldn’t really ask you to, you know. Waste your time with—” he waves his hands vaguely back and forth between your bodies. “It’s not worth it. And, like, trust me, I would never, ever want to drag you into any of the shit I’m involved with. I didn’t mean to fuck you around so long, knowing you wouldn’t...” He looks back at you, his dark eyes soft. “It was just. The happiest I’ve been in a really long time. I couldn’t stop myself. I’m sorry. It was shitty of me. Selfish.”

You stare at him for a few seconds in stunned disbelief. Then you laugh. You don’t mean to, and his head jerks back, startled. “Are you serious?” you manage.

His eyes are huge. “Uh. Yeah?”

You laugh again. It sounds a little manic. “You’re unbelievable.”

He flushes. “Could you maybe quit laughing at me when I’m trying to—”

“Peter. You saved my fucking life. Twice. Even after I was a total asshole to you. You saved me.”

He shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “Yeah, look, I don’t want you to feel weird about that. Like, it’s totally, one-hundred-percent not a big deal and I never want anybody to feel like—”

“You help people. Strangers. Every day. For nothing. And they aren’t even grateful. The things people write about you.” He hasn’t moved, and you realise you’re talking louder than you need to, considering he’s right in front of you. “You’re the least selfish person I’ve ever met,” you tell him, emphatic, needing him to get it. “You’re a good person, Peter. I’m so sorry I didn’t see that before.” Your voice breaks a little and it’s embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as the fact that your vision has gone blurry and your cheeks feel suddenly too hot.

You stop and breathe for a few moments, willing yourself not to cry. He doesn’t say anything, just studies the edge of the rug as though he’s pretending not to notice, and you’re grateful.

Then, quietly, he takes a breath. “I was going to tell you. Before the fire. I saw May, and she told me she saw you, and that you’d talked, and. I wanted to explain everything.”

You remember the way May had looked that day in the park; her small, sad mouth, and the way she’d spoken slowly like she was choosing each word carefully. “Does she know?”

Peter half-shrugs. “We’ve never talked about it. But, like, I know she knows. And she knows I know she does.” He gives you a little smile. “It’s easier if we both keep pretending we don’t, though.”

“Does anyone else?”

His smile turns tight. “I guess not. Not really.”

“So you’ve been doing this all on your own? The whole time? How?”

He runs his hand back through his hair. “Yeah. Well, I guess I’m pretty good with DIY now, you know? I wasn’t always. I had to learn. Shit went wrong a lot in the beginning. Shit still goes wrong a lot.”

You lean in a little, curling into the cushions. “What’s the hardest part?”

You’re expecting him to say the fear of discovery, or the isolation, or the sheer physical exhaustion. But he wrinkles his nose. “God. The sewing. It’s so hard. And it’s constant. I swear I pop a different seam every day.” His face goes blank for a moment and he looks at you as though a brand new thought has just occurred to him for the first time. “It’s actually really nice. Getting to talk about this.”

“Am I allowed to ask about the outfit?”

He slaps his hands over his face. “You are absolutely fucking not allowed to ask about the outfit.”

Your mouth drops open in outrage. “I wasn’t gonna laugh! I just want to know why—”

“Look, I was going for, like, a velodrome thing. Like for speed and better flexibility and less wind-resistance and then like, anonymity as well, obviously, and originally—”

“What about the, uh, pattern?”

“Yeah, okay, okay, it seemed cool at the time! I was fifteen!”

The thought of Peter as a child, alone, in danger, no doubt even ganglier and nerdier than he is now, sends a fresh pang of sadness through you. You try not to let it show. “Do you eat the webs?”

He stares like you’ve just asked if he’d like to swap heads with you. “What?”

“Certain types of spiders go back and eat their webs after they’re done with them. Like, to replenish the protein they expended making them. Do you ever eat yours?”

The expression on his face is the funniest thing you’ve ever seen. “Uh, no. It’s inorganic. Like, it’s a, like essentially a nylon polymer composite. It’s not edible. I mean, I’ve never tried, but it’s designed to dissolve after a few hours, so I guess if you did really want to eat it, it wouldn’t hurt you…” He trails off, sheepish, looking at you sideways. “You’re fucking with me.”

“Yeah,” you say, unable to stifle your smile any longer.

He grins and ducks his head. He hasn’t shaved today, you note; there’s a little bit of stubble along his jawline.

Your chest hurts. Seeing him, being close to him, just like before. It pulls open the ache of missing him, turning it from a bruise into a wound. You know you shouldn’t. You tell yourself not to. But you do it anyway.

“I miss you.” Your voice is barely louder than a whisper.

He looks so fucking sad. His eyes are huge and pained and so close, and then they dart down to your lips, and you see it; the precise split-second the urge hits him, then the one after as he fights it, and your heart sinks and you’re about to lean back but then his mouth is on yours and it’s soft and it’s warm and unbearably gentle as his hands sweep up to the base of your neck.  It’s not the best kiss you’ve ever had.

You’re twisted uncomfortably to face him. Your hands lay shocked in your lap, and you’re pretty sure he can hear you attempting not to sniffle too much with your breathing, and you’re so busy worrying about it that you forget to open up to him; his tongue touching the edge of your lips. His fingertips brush the stitches at the back of your head and you flinch, pulling away.  “Oh, shit, sorry, I’m sorry,” he says, visibly mortified.   “It’s okay,” you say. “Didn’t hurt. It’s just sensitive.”

“For kissing you,” he clarifies. “I know we’re not, like…you know. Anymore.”

That hurts. You shake your head. “We could be. We could try.”

“I can’t ask you—"

“No. Don’t do that. What do you want?”

He exhales through his nose and a tiny, pained sound escapes with it. “It’s not that easy—“

“It is. It is that easy. What do you want?”

“You have no idea,” he says, suddenly. “God. You have no fucking idea how bad I want you. I want this. You’re the only thing I. Fuck.” He knuckles at his eyes, frustrated. “You just have no idea how bad this could go.”

“I do,” you tell him, gently. “I know exactly how bad it could go. And I’m sorry, Peter. I’m so sorry that happened. It’s so, so fucked up that that happened and I’m so sorry, and I know nothing I can say will ever make any of it any less fucked up, but fucked up things happen. They happen all the time for normal people, too. And fucked up things are going to keep happening and it’s inevitable and it’s part of being alive and that’s why we just need to take that risk every day, and choose to—to try to just be happy in as many stupid fucking hopeless ways as we can anyway, because we deserve to be happy. You deserve to be happy.”

He’s staring at you like he wants to believe you. Like he wants to cry. “You need to know,” he says, reaching his hand out, pulling it back. “I can’t promise you this’ll be okay. If you still wanted…I would try. I would try so, so hard for you. Harder than I’ve ever tried at anything. But I—I still just have no way of knowing that it’ll be okay.“

You smile at him, shaky and sure. “That’s any relationship, Parker.”

This time when he kisses you, you’re ready. Your mouth opens eagerly under his, catching the faint metal-salt of his skin, the dryness where his lips are ever-so-slightly windburnt.

All the breath leaves your body in a rush. You shove your hands up through his hair, lifting up onto your knees and sliding across his lap until you’re straddling him on the couch.

He tilts his head back to work his tongue into your mouth, one of his hands sliding up underneath your shirt to find the edges of your bra, and it’s awkward and clumsy and you’re both breathing hard by the time he manages to get your jeans unzipped and his hand cramped into your underwear.

“Holy shit,” you gasp, half-dizzy from kissing without pause. You almost bite him when his fingers find your clit. “Can you—yeah, like that, oh, my God—"

“Hold on, it’d be better if, let me…” he murmurs, frustrated, and you let out what could only be described as a yelp as he lifts your entire weight up to easily shove your jeans and underwear the rest of the way off your legs before settling you back down over his lap.

You’re stuck between trying to grind down against the front of his jeans and trying to give him enough space to work his hand back between your legs, ultimately deciding on the latter as he finds your clit again, this time his attentions unhampered by clothing.

His body hasn’t forgotten yours. It only takes a few moments of searching before he has you melting into the palm of his hand; your bones soft and hot inside you as you roll your eyes closed. It’s easy with him, just like before, but better.

You’re almost close when he eases two fingers inside you, and that’s easy too, so easy, the way you give for him. Your forehead rests against his as your lips come apart; too focused for kissing anymore.

“I missed you,” he breathes, working his wrist. “God, I missed you. I missed you so much.”

You flex your thighs as you rock with the movement of his hand, and that’s when you need to touch him, urgently. It takes a little repositioning before you manage to open his jeans and ease his cock out, wrapping your fingers loosely around him.

You feel him tense and shudder as you stroke him, too slow to really get him anywhere, too lost in the way his long, firm fingers curl inside you.

He noses along your jaw, mouthing lazily at your damp skin, his eyes closed, and then he’s there, right where you need him, and you’re clenching and biting down on the sounds trying to escape as you come apart sudden and hard around him.

You’re still loose-limbed and shaky when he pulls his slick fingers free, gently moving your hand out of the way to grasp himself instead. You feel a little guilty; you’d almost forgotten about him straining in front of you, but he doesn’t seem to care as he jerks himself quick and short in his fist. His other hand cups the swell of your ass as he huffs hot breath into your hair, your neck, coming sudden across the inside of your thigh.

You slump your weight against him.

Neither of you speak for a while. Your hand is curled between your bodies, trapped where it’s warm and you can feel his heart slowing in his chest. He runs his hand absently from your hip to your thigh, then back again.

“Peter,” you murmur.

“Mmm.”

“You do need to promise me one thing, though.”

He moves, just enough that he can look up at you. His cheeks are flushed. “What?”

“We can never. And I mean never. Tell Bear we fucked on her couch.”

His eyes widen in horror. “Oh, my God. She already hates me.”

“I know. But it’s okay, because we’re not gonna tell her.”

“I just don’t know if I can keep that secret; I’m not good at subterfuge, y’know, I’m just not that kinda guy—"

“Yeah, yeah, okay—"

“—and you should see me under pressure; I fold like origami—"

You kiss him again, just to shut him up, and feel his lips curling up against yours.

Your thighs feel sticky and gross, and you’re starting to get cold, and when you get up you nearly fall over from the cramp in your leg from sitting so awkwardly, but you’re too happy to care in the slightest.

You stand together in the bathroom, cleaning each other up. Every time his eyes meet yours in the mirror you both smile again, giggling and getting in each other’s way, like idiots.

It takes twice as long as it should to get back out to the couch, and you’re hoping he’ll curl up with you again but then you catch him glancing toward the window. “You need to go,” you say. It’s not really a question.

He hedges. “I kind of do, but…”

You offer him a little smile. “It’s okay. Go.”

He nods. You walk him to the door, where he pauses. He chews at his thumbnail, looking at you sideways again from under his eyelashes.

You watch him for a few seconds, waiting. “What?” you finally say.

He presses his lips together, runs his hand through his hair. “So. It’s probably, like, kind of weird. To ask. At this…uh, juncture.”

He’s nervous, you realise. It’s excruciatingly endearing. You nudge him. “I feel like weird’s kind of our thing.”

He grins. “Yeah. I guess. So. I was gonna ask if you’d like to go out. For dinner. Friday night.”

There’s absolutely no way to prevent the smile slowly pulling at your mouth. “Peter. Are you asking me on a date?”

He laughs, a little self-conscious huff. “Uh, yeah. Like. I mean, I wanted to way sooner. But. I guess I wanna try doing things properly this time. If you want.”

You can think of a thousand different things to say, but most of them are embarrassing, so you settle for keeping it simple. “Yes. Fuck yes. Obviously.”

He blinks. “Oh, okay, awesome, holy shit. Okay. Should we…? I don’t have your new number.”

“Oh, yeah, I need to get yours again too.” You pull your phone out and make a new contact before handing it to him.

He stares at your screen for a second, then he snorts. “You have me in your phone as ‘p.p.’?”

You wrinkle your nose at him. “Why? What do you have me as?”

He laughs again, quiet, shaking his head. “Doesn’t matter.” He hands your phone back. He takes a few steps out the door, then he sticks his hands in his pockets. “So. I’ll see you?”

“You will,” you tell him, watching the way his jaw juts crookedly when he smiles.

He’s halfway to the elevator, walking backwards, his hands still in his pockets when he calls back to you. “Friday, Miss Jersey.”

You laugh. “Quit disturbing my neighbours.”

You stay there long after he’s gone, leaning against your doorframe, smiling to yourself, aching with stupid, giddy affection.

#peter parker x f!reader #peter parker x reader #tasm!peter parker x f!reader #tasm!peter parker x reader #andrew garfield!spiderman x reader #tasm fanfic #tasm fanfiction #tasm imagine #peter parker imagine #tasm!peter parker imagine #tasm!peter smut #tasm!peter x you #tasm!peter fanfiction

274 notes · View notes

meret118 · 4 months

Text

Tainted CPAP machines and ventilators went to children, the elderly and at least 700,000 veterans despite internal warnings. Company insiders said the devices posed an “unacceptable” risk.

The first complaints landed at the offices of Philips Respironics in 2010, soon after the company made a fateful decision to redesign its bestselling breathing machines used in homes and hospitals around the world.To silence the irritating rattle that kept users awake at night, Philips packed the devices with an industrial foam — the same kind used in sofas and mattresses. It quickly became clear that something had gone terribly wrong.

The reports coming into Philips described “black particles” or “dirt and dust” inside machines that pump air to those who struggle to breathe. One noted an “oily-like” substance. Others simply warned of “contamination.”

Yet Philips withheld the vast majority of the warnings from the Food and Drug Administration, even as their numbers grew from dozens to hundreds to thousands and became more alarming each year.

. . .

Instead, as the complaints continued to pile up in company files, Philips waged aggressive global marketing campaigns to sell more machines, including new models fitted with the hazardous foam.The sales pitch worked: The devices went to infants, the elderly and at least 700,000 veterans. The company also promoted machines meant for some of the sickest people in the country, rolling out a new ventilator filled with the foam in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

. . .

All the while, people using Philips machines were suffering from illnesses that no one could explain: vomiting, dizziness and headaches, along with newly diagnosed cancers of the lungs, throat, sinuses and esophagus. One man in Philadelphia coughed so hard that he broke his ribs, and a Florida woman with a hacking cough was hospitalized for days and placed on oxygen.

. . .

Studies published in scholarly journals showed the foam broke apart in heat and moisture. The company used it anyway, even though the machines send air for hours at a time into the lungs of users.

. . .

As news of the problem spread, customers and others stepped forward by the thousands, describing emergency room visits and sudden illnesses in reports submitted to Philips and the government. The reports detailed nearly 2,000 cases of cancer, 600 liver and kidney illnesses and 17,000 respiratory ailments.

. . .

The company acknowledges that the foam tested positive for genotoxicity — its own experts described “uncontrolled cellular replication” — but said that a third-party assessment still concluded the machines are unlikely to cause harm.

The three experts consulted by the news organizations said that’s not possible. While safety thresholds for chemical emissions vary and findings can be open to interpretation, genotoxicity means that one or more chemicals are changing cells, the building blocks of the human body.

“You can’t make the argument that it’s safe. That’s bad science,” said the engineer familiar with the Philips testing. “It’s a real-life failure that shows you have a problem. There’s no ambiguity. There is unacceptable risk. Full stop.”

The company’s ventilators also tested positive for genotoxicity; Philips said the devices are still being assessed.

. . .

More details about the health risks are expected to emerge through the ongoing federal lawsuits in Pittsburgh. Earlier this month, the company reached a settlement in one of the cases, agreeing to pay at least $479 million to reimburse customers and others for the costs of the defective machines.

Other legal challenges are still ongoing, including more than 600 personal injury claims and a class-action suit seeking ongoing medical monitoring and research on the dangers posed by the devices.

------

They knew the foam would break down when they decided to use it. Tests within the company after complaints came in showed how dangerous the devices were, but they refused to even change the design for new sales, much less recall the old ones. For every official complaint, how many more people were harmed that weren't reported?

They didn't recall them until 3,700 official complaints had been made. Until after they sold over 5 million life-threatening machines. There's no way to know how many people they killed.

If they think the products are so great, then they won't mind being forced to use them.

Companies will keep doing this until the financial cost of hurting people is greater than the profits from doing so.

Trigger warning for disturbing medical details, descriptions of suffering, and an image of a permanent feeding tube, in the article.

#Health #Trigger warning #Torture #Gore #Enraged #Big pharma

5 notes · View notes

feckcops · 1 year

Text

Secret Amazon Reports Expose the Company’s Surveillance of Labor and Environmental Groups

“Updates on labor organizing activities at warehouses include the exact date, time, location, the source who reported the action, the number of participants at an event (and in some cases a turnout rate of those expected to participate in a labor action), and a description of what happened, such as a ‘strike’ or ‘the distribution of leaflets.’ Other documents reveal that Amazon intelligence analysts keep close tabs on how many warehouse workers attend union meetings; specific worker dissatisfactions with warehouse conditions, such as excessive workloads; and cases of warehouse-worker theft ...

“The new intelligence reports obtained by Motherboard reveal in detail how Amazon uses social media to track environmental activism and social movements in Europe—including Greenpeace and Fridays For Future, environmental activist Greta Thunberg's global climate strike movement—and perceives such groups as a threat to its operations. In 2019, Amazon monitored the Yellow Vests movement, also known as the gilet jaunes, a grassroots uprising for economic justice that spread across France—and solidarity movements in Vienna and protests against state repression in Iran ...

“‘It’s not enough for Amazon to abuse its dominant market power and face antitrust charges by the EU; now they are exporting 19th century American union-busting tactics to Europe,’ Christy Hoffman, general secretary of UNI Global Union, a global federation of trade unions that represents more than 20 million workers, told Motherboard. ‘This is a company that is ignoring the law, spying on workers, and using every page of the U.S. union-busting playbook to silence workers' voices’ ...

“‘Amazon's systemic use of military surveillance methods against unionists and activists is deeply alarming,’ said Aubry, who is also a senior member of France's France Insoumise, France's main radical left party. ‘Amazon and Jeff Bezos act as if they were above the law because they have accumulated unprecedented levels of wealth and power. This has to stop.’”

31 notes · View notes

musewrangler · 10 months

Text

Piett sipped at his tea and watched the monitor. Lord Vader had arranged for surveillance of the Princess’s apartment and there were two possible entries. The front door of course—located in the west corridor of the tall building—and her bedroom which contained double doors leading to a small balcony that overlooked the Yzidri market district.

Piett had set up a system to alert him if the camera noted that the Princess had exited either of these doors.

It had gone off numerous times during his stay here, but none of them had been cause for alarm.

He had just tugged off his boots in preparation to rest when the alarm pinged again. He glanced at the monitor, then did a double take and looked more closely.

The girl had exited her double doors to the balcony. Nothing problematic about that. She’d done so many times.

But.

It was 0100 hours.

She was dressed in black with a hood over her head.

And she’d just shimmied over the side of the balcony.

115 floors up.

#star wars #star wars original trilogy #star wars au #firmus piett #admiral piett #leia organa #darth vader #general veers #artoo detoo #r2d2 #Vader finds Leia first #piett is the skywalker wrangler #skywalker family drama #teenage leia

10 notes · View notes

thethistlegirlwrites · 9 months

Note

Accidentally falling asleep together and one washing the other’s hair for John and Robin, reading a book together for John and Emma (you know what book lol), and patching up a wound and/or caring for the other when they’re sick (possibly blood or bite withdrawals) for Sierra and Shane (why is this happening? How did this end up as anyone’s best option? Up to you!)

Thank you! 💚

Thanks for the asks! These got pretty long so I'm gonna stick them under a cut. Hope you enjoy the results!

Stakeouts are some hunters' least favorite parts of the job, but John doesn't mind them. Not as long as he has a stash of cayenne pepper beef jerky and a good partner to wait out the night with. Being put up in an air conditioned motel room is preferable to sitting in the car, and less conspicuous. Especially when they're keeping tabs on a Red Cross blood donation center across the street that's been hit by vamp thieves three times in the past four months. The enhanced alarm system the agency installed last week (which in itself is part of what they're monitoring, vampire-detecting alarms are the latest hot commodity on the market and every company wants agencies testing theirs so they can put that on their promotions) is programmed to alert his and Robin's phones if it catches anything suspicious. But in John's opinion, there's still nothing like the good old human eye. He hears halting footsteps, and smells chicory and coffee, and then a warm mug is tapped against his shoulder. Robin joins him at the window, pulling up a chair and handing John his mug before curling in over his own. His broken foot is healing, but John wishes the accident hadn't happened in the first place. Being on stakeouts is much less enjoyable when the reason for them is having a partner on medical reassignment. Because God forbid Robin take actual time off like a normal human being to heal. John chuckles at that thought, earning him a confused look from Robin. "Is the coffee bad again?" "No. Just...thinking." "Should I be worried?" "Hey!" John says, cheerfully. "I'll have you know, my thinking has gotten me out of at least as much trouble as it's gotten me into." Robin chuckles, then takes a sip from his mug, hunching over it. John leans over to turn down the chattering AC unit under the window. It feels fine to him, better than the sweltering humidity outside, but Robin has never done well with cold. Not since Arion. John scoots his own chair a little closer to Robin's, and Robin leans in to rest against his shoulder, soaking up the body heat. John puts his free arm around him and continues sipping his coffee. At some point, Robin's breaths even and slow, and John sets down his own empty mug on the windowsill so he can gently take Robin's now-cold one before it falls and wakes the kid up. When the relief team appears at four am, John waves them over to the other side of the room, then closes his eyes. The only thing waiting for him back at the agency is a pile of unfinished paperwork and Maira's death glare. he's perfectly happy to wait here till sunrise.

...

"What is this stuff?" John asks, holding up a gummed together chunk of Robin's hair. "Pine sap." Robin shrugs. "There was a kitten stuck up there." "I'm surprised it's not stuck in your hair now. Half the rest of the tree is." John shakes his head. "How do I get this out?" "Try with the oil," Robin says, nodding slightly toward the kitchen cabinet the Rowan is opening. "If that doesn't get it, you could use alcohol." "So much for that bottle of whiskey I was planning on taking home, I guess." "Not that kind of alcohol!" Robin laughs. "I have rubbing alcohol in the house." John takes the olive oil bottle a branch of the Rowan is holding out to him. "Okay, well, we'll try this first." John works some of the oil into the most matted strands of Robin's hair. It works better than he expected. The kitten responsible for the whole mess wanders into the kitchen, rubbing itself around John's legs and complaining at being ignored. "I'm working here," John says, shaking his head, but stops long enough to sort of awkwardly scoop the little pest up with his forearm to avoid covering it in oil, and set it in Robin's lap. The kitten settles into his legs, purring and kneading energetically. John winces, but Robin seems immune to the claws digging into his thigh. John shakes his head and continues working on the sap, until Robin stops petting the cat and looks up. "Um...he's got some sap in his fur too..." "Oh no. I draw the line at cats who try to bite my hand off when I touch them. He's all yours."

...

"Your great-great-whatever uncle was ridiculous," Emma says, absentmindedly petting Mr. Prickles where he's sitting on the arm of the couch. "Did he not think about the fact that there were people on the other side of that window?" "I mean, that side of my family does tend toward impulse decisions," John says, closing his battered, first edition, signed copy of Dracula and replacing it on the side table. "Like letting a vampire stay in your apartment while her club-which-doubles-as-apartment is getting repaired from fire damage? Which, I might add, is indirectly your fault." "It wasn't even Robin this time!" "My insurance company is already upset about the last time." Emma allows Mr. Prickles to crawl up her arm and snuggle under her chin. "At least this time most of the damage was water after the sprinklers kicked in." John flips the book open again. "Funny story, I was reading this as a kid and left it outside on the porch rail overnight, and I thought Dad was going to tan my hide for letting the dew get it. Probably would have if it was our good copy. This was just an early training manual, more or less. Already had blood on it." "So what you're saying is, water damage is inevitable with you." "Pretty much," John grins. "So, where did I leave us?" "Your great-great-great uncle at the height of human stupidity firing his gun through a window to the inside, because he saw a bat." "If you still think that is the height of human stupidity, I guess I haven't been doing my job right." "Okay. The height of human stupidity is setting a vampire's club on fire on three separate occasions. And then inviting her to live in your apartment." "Yeah, you're probably right." John flips the page over. "Okay, here it is, the second stupidest moment in human history..."

...

"This su..." "Don't say it." Shay grumbles, curled in on himself in the corner of the cabin. "Right." Sierra tugs the oversized sweatshirt sleeves down over her hands and clenches her fists in them so she's not tempted to scratch at the pinprick marks on her wrists. She doesn't regret it. They had a cover to maintain. Getting the information they needed to take down the people behind an underground vamp-fighting ring was worth it. That doesn't mean they're not both paying the price. And maybe it's only fair that if Shay has to fight through blood withdrawals out here, she has to handle the bite version. She's chilled from the blood loss, but the vampire saliva in her blood is burning like a fever. She wants more, she needs that fiery high. She's heard that vamp venom makes most people feel blissed out and docile, but however it mixed with the adrenaline from the escape made her feel kind of like the world was slowing down and moving at a different pace. It felt good. Now, it feels anything but. Shay makes a muffled sound from the other side of the room, and Sierra turns to see him with his face buried in a pillow. "You okay?" "Wh-oo-nk?" She doesn't need to hear the words to catch his meaning from his incredulous expression. "Sorry, stupid question." That seems to be the core of whatever it is they are. Stupid questions, questionable decisions, and messy aftermath. She takes a step toward the window and then stumbles, catching herself on the back of a chair. The dizziness is kicking in in earnest. "Need the bed?" Shay asks. Apparently whatever urge to bite possessed him is gone, because he doesn't sound like there's a pillow in his mouth. "No, you will in a minute." This might be Sierra's first time dealing with a bite, but it's far from Shay's first experience of withdrawals. They'd discussed what he'd be likely to start feeling on the way out. And if he's right about timing, he's about to get hit with the worst of it. Which is going to be a serious problem. She needs synth-blood for him. Which they don't have. Once she kicks her own withdrawals enough to drive safely, she can get somewhere with a signal and call for extraction. Pete's got to be worried sick, and he's probably already combing the Oregon wilderness for them. But until she feels like she's not going to swerve their stolen jeep into the nearest tree, they're stuck. "Then share." Shay pats the edge of the bed. "I've been sitting on it for an hour and it hasn't fallen apart. Can't say the same for that chair." Sierra looks down. She doesn't see anything wrong with the wicker-seated furniture, but Shay's hearing is dialed in well above hers. Any minor creak in the structure, and he'll know. "I don't think that's a good idea." He wants blood, she wants a bite. That close, they'll drive each other crazy. "Nothing about us is ever a good idea." Sometimes she hates how perceptive and honest he is. She had to get partnered with an infuriatingly emotionally intelligent vampire who can also be as dumb as a rock. "Fine. I guess if you bite me you can drive us to someplace with a signal." "That's the spirit." Shay smiles, a weak imitation of his usual one, which tells her how much pain he's already in, but he's trying. "Not that that's what I'm going to do." She wouldn't hate it. In fact, she'd appreciate it. But it would only be putting off the inevitable. She sits down on the edge of the bed, hands clenched white-knuckled around the edge of the mattress, her pinky finger brushing up against his. Sooner rather than later, he's going to get worse. But for now, she can offer this much. At least they can be miserable together.

Asks list here!

#asks #ask game #john stoker #angus robinson #robin #emma cole #sierra aguirre-stoker #shane barrett #magic & silver #compass

5 notes · View notes