Category Archives: Cloning

New research published in PLOS One provides evidence that duplicated human faces tend to elicit negative emotions in viewers. The findings serve as a warning that future robotic or cloning technology could provoke unpleasant psychological reactions.

The rapid development of humanoid technology is very exciting for people. However, when I imagined the future mass production of androids, I thought that we might be surrounded by human-like entities with the same face (like Agent Smith in the Matrix), said study author Fumiya Yonemitsu of Kyushu University, who is also a research fellow at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

I love science fiction stories that frequently include such situations, but I was horrified to think that this is what the imagined future world would actually look like. I was also curious if this is an emotional response that humans have in general.

Our previous cognitive psychological research has repeatedly shown that unfamiliar and unknown objects evoke an uncanny feeling (e.g., Yamada et al., 2013), and the scene with all the same faces is exactly the kind of unfamiliar and unknown situation that violates our expectations of what a real scene should be like, Yonemitsu explained. I believe that such a situation also evokes a sense of uncanny, and this is the reason why I wanted to try to conduct this study.

In six experiments, which included 2,135 Japanese adults, the researchers consistently found evidence that clone human faces induced a sense of eeriness and improbability. The main finding in this research is that we have an eerie impression of people that have faces with the exact same appearance, which is named the clone devaluation effect, Yonemitsu told PsyPost.

This suggests an ironic future. Even if technology is highly advanced enough to overcome the uncanny valley, if we implement a large number of mass-produced humanoid robots all over the world, as we do with todays consumer electronics, there will be new uncanny phenomena.

The researchers found that as the number of the clone faces in a scene increased, so did subjective ratings of eeriness. Seeing four clone faces was viewed as stranger than viewing two clone faces. But the results appear to be limited to humanoid faces. Clone dog faces were not associated with heighted eeriness ratings, possibly because humans have difficulties in distinguishing the individual faces of other species. In addition, clone human faces drawn in anime and cartoons images were viewed as less eerie and improbable than clone faces in photographic images.

In our experiment, both the clone and non-clone faces used as stimulus images were edited by swapping the facial parts. Therefore, the amount of collage was the same in both conditions, and it is unlikely that the failure of image editing caused the clone devaluation effect, Yonemitsu explained.

Yonemitsu and his colleagues also examined the faces of famous twins. They found that the subjective eeriness of twins faces tended to be lower than that of clone non-twins faces. This could indicate that the duplication of identity, rather than just the duplication of facial features, is what induces eeriness.

This research does not argue that multiplets (e.g., twins) are eerie. As shown in the paper, the research provides findings that clone faces are less eerie when they are multiplets. I would like to strongly emphasize this point, as it is easily misleading, Yonemitsu explained.

But the study like all research includes some limitations.

The clone faces presented in this study were images only. We know that some concerns exist in this regard in terms of construct validity and practicality. The ideal measurement would be to actually produce a number of cloned humans or androids with the same face beyond the uncanny valley and ask people for their impressions. But that is realistically impossible, Yonemitsu said.

So should we just leave this problem alone? We did not think so. Therefore, future research will have to consider its limitations and go beyond them. For example, it will be necessary to have the participants look at the faces of the clones in a more realistic environment, for example, by using virtual reality or by using actual human beings who have been given special makeup to make them look the same.

The findings highlight the need to think critically about introducing new technology because of the potential for unpleasant psychological reactions, the researchers said.

Although our research suggests that the great development of technology may bring us rather unpleasant situations in some aspects, we believe that research from a psychological point of view, such as this one, which anticipates future situations, plays an important role in order for people to smoothly accept the results of technological innovation and enjoy its benefits, Yonemitsu told PsyPost.

If we imagine the future, there could be a large number of psychological phenomena that we have not yet explored, and we can find many hints of them in science fiction works. I would like to end by saying that psychologists can greatly expand the scope of their research beyond the current realm.

The study, The clone devaluation effect: A new uncanny phenomenon concerning facial identity, was authored by Fumiya Yonemitsu, Kyoshiro Sasaki, Akihiko Gobara, and Yuki Yamada.

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Psychologists have uncovered a new uncanny phenomenon called the "clone devaluation effect" - PsyPost

The Circle just loves to pull stunts. Anything that makes the already trying experience of total isolation even more stressful and/or ridiculous, thats what The Circle is here for. And now that were in Season 3 of the Netflix reality series, we know that this show rarely pulls the same stunts twice and players cant predict which way the Circle is gonna zig or zag.

But if youre a US fan and have figured out how to watch the hard-to-find original UK Circle seasons (were still waiting, Netflix!), then these twists will look awfully familiar. One of The Circle USs Season 2 twiststhe merging of Emily/Jack and Lance Bass/Lisa into psychic gay Santa Claus Johnoriginated in the UK, and the same is true of Season 3s big twist. SPOILERS AHEAD for The Circle US Season 3, Episodes 1-4 andif you can find itThe Circle UK Season 3, Episodes 1-4.

The US Season 3 premiere ends with blocked sisters Ava and Chanel given a chance to re-enter the game. The catch: they have to clone one of the players still in the game! Ava and Chanel pick 52-year-old Southern mom/stand-up Michelle because she ranked lowest and because people already suspected her of being a catfish.

Players last season thought a gay, psychic Santa was real but a country lady cant do stand-up? Come on. Anywaythe players wake up to a surprise: theres a Blue Michelle and an Orange Michelle.

This moment sent a chill down the spine of everyone who watched The Circle UK Season 3 when it aired just six months ago, because this cloning madness debuted on that series when the first-blocked player, Yolanda, chose to clone Tally.

But even though the stunt was the same, the outcome was drastically different. Frustratingly different. Horrifically different. I thought that Tallys experience was an existential nightmare until I saw what happened to Michelle. Lets compare and contrast, because some fatal mistakes were made.

First, Tally and Michelle are about as different as can be. Theres the UK/US thing, sure, but Tallys 29 years younger than Michelle. Youth and Tally being way more used to emoting through text helped gave her an advantage. In the first group chat after the clone reveal, Tally came out swinging and Michelle forgot a key bit of punctuation that is essential to emoting online: an exclamation point.

Tally also had one advantage that Michelle ultimately didnt have: an ally. This proves how important those day one interactions are! Tally had already formed a crazy close bond with Manrika, her fellow geezer bird. Checking the ol Too Hot to Handle dictionary: geezer bird means a babe whos into bro-y dudes. Manrika clocked that Blue Tally was the real Tally from that first message and did not waver. She even got chat requests from Orange and Blue Tally at the same time and she chose to talk to the right Tally! #GeezerGirlsOfTheCircle!

Michelle, however, didnt have such a strong, immediate bond with any player. There was a potential regional connection with Kai, since Kais from Nashville and Michelles from South Carolina. Ava and Chanel are from New York City! Surely Kai could ask some deep-fried country questions that only Michelle would know. But that opening message made Kai doubt the real Michelle, and when Ava and Chanel used bless your heart incorrectly, Kai somehow didnt clock that!

Bless your heart is the worst thing a Southern woman can say to someone! Blue Michelle used it sincerely! Things went from bad to worse when Michelle used her first post-Circle Chat DM to hit up Daniel instead of Kai. Remember, Tally went straight to Manrika. That solidified Tally and Manrikas alliance further. Daniel wasnt exactly a bad choice for Michelle. He did come in third in the first ratings. But Kai placed first and, again, the Southern connection. Michelle at least convinces Daniel that shes the real deal for now.

Even though she had someone in her corner, Tally wasnt having a good time being duped. Her responses to all of Yolandas saccharine and earnest Orange Tally comments were downright iconic.

Yolanda even DMed with Tally and did not cop to being a catfish. She kept playing as Tally to Tally in a Tally on Tally chat. Real Twilight Zone moment, and Tally was not having it.

Fast forward to the US Season 3, and Michelles private chat with her clone was also heated.

You gotta give Ava and Chanel some credit here. They at least didnt act like Michelle while chatting with Michelle. And credit where its due: Yolanda did drop the act in her second private chat with Tally. Oh yeahthey talked twice in the UK. They dragged this drama out even longer than in the US!

Now were at the point where Michelle gets absolved of all blame and the look of scorn targets the other US players. In both seasons, the Orange and Blue players had to share the story behind one some of Tally/Michelles profile photos. The UK players used their heads. Tally gave them personality and solid details, like knowing the breed of her dog Cleo and the correct driving time from Manchester to Brighton. These Brits loved the details.

The Americans? Netflix owes me a new television, because I threw mine out the window. Michelles cast thought that she was giving too many detailseven though the whole point of this photo game is to share details. Truly maddening! Even worse was the wedding photo that somehow everyone thought was a prom picture? Because they could not believe that this photo was taken circa 2000.

Do people not remember what photos looked like before we all had iPhones or digital cameras? They looked like this. The quality of consumer-level photography did not drastically increase all that much until well into the 2000s. The only way to tell the difference between a 1980s photo and a photo from 2000 is the clothesand everyones calling Michelles dress and hairdo straight from the 80s? Do all of these 20-somethings seriously think that Pacolet, South Carolinaa town with a population of one large apartment building in Queensis on the cutting-edge of fashion? So many people in my Tennessee hometown are still rocking the old Paige Davis cut today! What are we doing here, people?!

And that game seals their fates. In the UK, Tallys emotionally draining clone saga had a happy ending; four players voted to block Yolanda, the clone Tally. Only two players voted to block the real Tally. Tally did it, with the help of an exclamation point, a ride-or-die named Manrika, details, and players who understand that details are a good thing when you are trying to prove you are not a clone!

But Michelle? God, what a heartbreaker. Every single one of these people voted to block her, even Danielthe one person who Michelle thought she had definitely convinced. Seeing a gosh darn delight like Michelle get taken out in such a surreal, hopeless way really stung.

Michelle deserved better, and at least Ava and Chanel felt bad about taking part in this grueling game within a game.

As for everyone who voted to block the real Michelle, well bless your hearts!

Stream The Circle on Netflix

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'The Circle's' Clone Saga Actually Debuted in the UKand the Brits Fared Way Better - Decider

Photo: Lionel Bonaventure (Getty Images)

Furthering its quest to suddenly become every other app, Twitter is now introducing Facebook Group/Reddit subreddit-like groups called Communities that revolve around shared interests.

Twitter Communities appear to function very similarly to a direct message group with a few key differences. Each community will have its own feed that appears separately from the main timeline on the site, and for now, theyre invite-only, so administrators can control who can tweet to them. Only members of Communities can reply to or like other tweets posted to the group. However, anyone can click into a community feed and view every single tweet thats been posted, as theyre public by default.

Communities are self-moderated, which is to say that deputized community moderators will have control over group membership and rules instead of being forced to rely solely on the same broken moderation process as the rest of Twitter. The first Communities available to join are broadly mundane topics like #AstroTwitter, #DogTwitter, #SkincareTwitter, and #SoleFood, though cryptocurrency is also on the list (of course). Twitter also shared a link where users can apply to form their own interest-based group.

In an announcement post, Twitter staff product manager David Regan wrote, Some conversations arent for everyone, just the people who want to talk about the thing you want to talk about. When you join a Community, you can Tweet directly to that group instead of to all your followers. Only members in the same Community are able to reply and join the conversation so it stays intimate and relevant.

... Think of Communities as places created for conversation where the vibe and tone is set by people who share the same interests and want to have relevant conversations, Regan added.

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For now, only Twitter users on iOS and desktop can access Communities through a dedicated tab, although Android users are able to read tweets posted to them. Regan wrote in the post that more functionality is coming soon.

Twitter has long had a problem with rampant harassment and proliferation of toxic groups like white supremacists and Gamergate trolls across the site, so its natural to wonder whether Communities could be used to organize harassment campaigns. But private group DMs that would allow users to do so outside of public view already exist, and at least for now, Twitter is manually approving the the creation of Communities on a case-by-case basis.

The biggest ramification for Twitter will likely be that interest-based groups open up the company to more lucrative targeted advertising opportunities. As the Verge noted, Twitter has also struggled to retain new users and the new interest-based groups may help the company lure them into staying. For example, there could be Twitter Communities based around discussing a show like White Lotus or for Taylor Swift fans.

Ever since CEO Jack Dorsey narrowly survived an attempted coup by vampiric hedge fund Elliot Management last March, the company seems to have internalized that it needs to make money and rapidly pivoted from maintaining a largely static experience for users to throwing crap at the wall to see what sticks. This has mostly taken the form of cloning popular features on other social media apps. In the past year, Twitter has rolled out Fleets, its version of the auto-deleting Stories feature ubiquitous on every other site; Spaces, a replica of audio chat app Clubhouse that now has paid ticketing; Super Follows, a Patreon-like service that allows users to charge for access to premium posts; and Twitter Blue, a subscription-based premium version of the app.

So far, its had mixed results. Of the above list, only Fleets and Spaces have had full-scale rollouts. Fleets proved to be utterly useless (according to Twitters head of product Ilya Brown, people mostly used it to promote tweets) and the company canned them in July. How successful Spaces has been is still unclear, but Clubhouse doesnt seem to be doing so hot. Super Follows seems like the clearest path to success, but is as of yet only available on iOS.

Continued here:

Twitters New Communities Feature Gives Laser-Eyed Bitcoin Bros and Dog Lovers a Space to Talk Among Themselve - Gizmodo

There are plenty to chose from a few billion most likely but in the realms of The Clone Wars there are a few Clone Troopers who served with distinction but didnt get the plaudits they deserved, and James Floyd and Amy Ratcliffe chose their personal favourite overlooked Clone Trooper.

Its 99, says Amy.

Heart. Courage. Loyalty. The Republic Armys clone troopers value these traits, maybe as much as fighting abilities. And one clone in particular has an abundance of all three of those qualities: 99. The cloning process malformed 99, leaving him with mutations that kept him from the battlefield. Instead he worked in maintenance in the Kaminoan cloning facilities. While he cleaned lockers, he fulfilled another set of duties by encouraging clone cadets and offering his guidance. Soft-spoken and gentle, 99 pushed young clones to be their best.

Jesse is the most underrated clone, says James.

The clone 99 may represent the ideals of clone brotherhood, but who was there, on the frontlines, for much of the action seen in The Clone Wars, and doesnt get enough love? CT-5597, or Jesse to his brothers in the 501st Legion. Rex is a hero for the whole series, Fives and Echo get a lot of focus and character growth and their own story arcs, but Jesse is always there, in the background, doing his job. No story arc focused on his journey specifically, but time and again Jesse plays a valuable role in the stories of his fellow soldiers.

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From A Certain Point of View: Which clone is the most overlooked in The Clone Wars? - Fantha Tracks

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Global Dog Cloning Market 2021 Top Growing Companies Analysis and Segmentation Outlook till 2027 - The Manomet Current

TheVoice Cloning Marketis expected to rise at an annual rate of 25.74% in the forecast period of 2021 to 2028 due to the increase in the penetration of artificial intelligence.

On the other hand, the high cost associated with voice cloning devices is expected to obstruct the market growth in the above-mentioned forecast period. An increase in the requirement of standard speech repository and increasing concerns over the potential misuse of voice cloning technology is projected to challenge the voice cloning market.

According to Data Bridge Market Research, the markets for voice cloning are accelerating because of the growing number of initiatives in voice cloning projects and analytics machine learning among the information technology (IT) sector and growing preference for artificial intelligent powered voice cloning technology among various organizations. Additionally, the rise in the numerous benefits offered by voice cloning software such as interactive training and learning, speaking text aloud,personaldigital voice assistant, accessibility text to speech, and familiar voice addition in navigation systems positively affect the voice cloning market.

Get a Sample Copy of the Report to comprehend the construction of the total report (Including Full TOC, Table, and Figures): https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-voice-cloning-market

Voice cloning software is utilized for high-tech customer relationship services among numerous organizations and voice cloning is defined as a highly preferred feature for personalized speech interfaces. Speaker coding is basically based on training an individual model to directly assume a new speaker embedding from cloning audios and also to be used with a multi-speaker propagative model.

Voice cloning market is segmented on the basis of countries into the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in North America, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, rest of Europe in Europe, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, rest of Asia-Pacific (APAC) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, rest of the Middle East and Africa (MEA) as a part of the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Brazil, Argentina and Rest of South America as part of South America.

Key Market Competitors Covered in the Report

Get the Latest TOC Of This Report @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-voice-cloning-market

Voice cloning market is analysed and market size insights and trends are provided by country, component, deployment mode, end-use and application as referenced above.

The countries covered in the voice cloning market report are U.S., Canada and Mexico in North America, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Rest of Europe in Europe, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Rest of Asia-Pacific (APAC) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa (MEA) as a part of Middle East and Africa (MEA), Brazil, Argentina and Rest of South America as part of South America.

North America dominates the voice cloning market due to high penetration of voice over applications, increasing corporate promotional videos, internet videos, and e-learning services among various organization in this region. Asia-Pacific is the expected region in terms of growth in voice cloning market due to increasing software adoption in communication and customer relationship management services among various organizations and rising adoption for software and IT services among various industries in countries such as China, India, and Japan in this region.

The country section of the voice cloning market report also provides individual market impacting factors and changes in regulation in the market domestically that impacts the current and future trends of the market. Data points such as consumption volumes, production sites and volumes, import export analysis, price trend analysis, cost of raw materials, down-stream and upstream value chain analysis are some of the major pointers used to forecast the market scenario for individual countries. Also, presence and availability of global brands and their challenges faced due to large or scarce competition from local and domestic brands, impact of domestic tariffs and trade routes are considered while providing forecast analysis of the country data.

By Region

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, etc.)

The Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa)

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Market Size and Forecast by Revenue | 20212028 Market Dynamics Leading patterns, development drivers, limitations, and venture openings Market Segmentation An itemized examination by item, by types, end-client, applications, fragments, and geology Competitive Landscape Top key sellers and other conspicuous vendorsInquire

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Voice Cloning Market 2021 Industry Outline, Global Executive Players and Benefit Growth to 2028 - PharmiWeb.com

Boone Best of the Best 2021 Best Sports Bar. Accepting the award for Best Sports Bar are, from left, Emily Sullivan, William Dennis, Victoria Bird, Rachel McCloskey, Liz Bell, Lindsey Hiatt, Brett Beaty, Erin Frye and Megan Berry of The Town Tavern.

BLOWING ROCK Success in the Blowing Rock hospitality market led Town Tavern owner Justin Davis and his associates to consider expansion of their brand. But, Davis said, they had to be careful not to cannibalize their existing business in Blowing Rock.

Davis Town Tavern does more than serve up burgers, Philly cheesesteaks, or fish and chips with customers favorite beverages. It also provides a gathering place for watching top sports competitions on large screen TVs and accommodates small to larger groups to enjoy each others company in a comfortable ambience, indoor or outdoor.

It is a formula that has worked for us in Blowing Rock, said Davis. As it turns out, we have a lot of customers come up here from Morganton just because they like our restaurant, bar, and the atmosphere that we provide. So we decided that Morganton would be the perfect opportunity to expand our brand, but far enough away that we would not cannibalize our success in the Blowing Rock and High Country market.

There are aspects to expansion, though, that have been challenging. Once they identified their preferred market, they had to find the right location within that market.

Town Tavern on Main Street has become a fixture in Blowing Rocks hospitality industry. One reason is its participation in fun community events and activities, such as this ice sculpture entry in the 2019 Winterfest.

We found a place right on the river. It used to be a restaurant, so at least some of our outfitting requirements will already have been met. We think it is the perfect location for our Morganton Town Tavern. It gives us the opportunity to offer that market another dining, beverage, and entertainment option, said Davis.

The location is in the River Village shopping center and for 15 years was home to the popular Friday Friends restaurant. They were unable to survive the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an article in the Morganton New Herald on April 14, 2021. After closing the doors of the restaurant, River Village shopping center owners L.H. and W.C. Kirksey began actively seeking a new tenant for the space. Enter Davis and Town Tavern, which proved to be a successful model in Blowing Rock, attracting both residents and tourists.

Davis said that while the space was previously a restaurant, they will have to do some extensive renovations of the interior to fit their business model and replicate, to an extent, what they have in Blowing Rock.

Were going to have the same menu, as well as a lot of the features that have contributed to Blowing Rocks success. Sure, it is a different market, but we think a lot of our Blowing Rock appeal is universal.

Town Tavern in Morganton is planned to be open in late October or early November in time to capture the last half of the football season.

That is our plan but there have, of course, been challenges to hiring the tradesmen to do certain things, said Davis.

Responding to other questions about rumors that he and a partner might be looking at the more than two acres on Valley Boulevard, near the Blowing Rock Fire Station as a possible site for another venture, Davis dismissed the idea.

We looked at it. Certainly from a location standpoint it is appealing for, maybe, a fast food restaurant, but we just couldnt make it work, Davis said. We hired an architect to get some design ideas, but restaurants really change the dynamics of a location vs., say, an office. In addition to parking per table, there are a number of other variables, such as accommodating garbage collection and management, where you place a dumpster, food and beverage deliveries, landscape needs, watershed and water usage, and such.

It is a wonderful location, but there are some problems, such as one way in and one way out ingress and egress from Valley Boulevard, the way the traffic flows, said Davis. Then there are issues with the setbacks are on that lot, as well as the NCDOT right of way. That lot is actually deceiving. It is about two and a half acres, but there is really only less than an acre that is usable, at least for our purposes. Without spending a ton of money on a 45-foot retaining wall and cutting back into the mountain, it just didnt make sense.

More:

Cloning its Blowing Rock success in Morganton is the next challenge for Town Tavern - Watauga Democrat

Hello! I always make extensive efforts to search the web and so forth in order to fix my own problems, since I'm pretty adept with Windows. But I've spent the last two weeks trying everything I can find, yet nothing helps (the overwhelming majority of the sites I've checked are near duplicates, right down to the syntax and other errors. But to be fair, I've submitted this post elsewhere.)

Here's the situation: I have one SSD containing the system I'm using right now, which works quite well. But I want to copy this system partition to another SSD, more specifically a pair of identical SSDs setup in a RAID 0 configuration (Intel soft RAID). That RAID configuration has worked perfectly for several years. However, when I make any kind of clone, but the most appropriate type (IMHO) of clone for an OS partition is a byte-for-byte copy (although I've tried other types with the same result). I've tried cloning with the following applications: DiskGenius Pro, Acronis Disk Director 12.5, EaseUS Partition Master Pro v16.0, and AOMEI Partition Assistant Pro. All cloning operations work properly, with no error messages. A visual inspection of the clone seems fine, and I can run all the applications off the clone that I've tried.

But...

When I try to boot from the new clone, the Windows 10 bootloader correctly allows me to choose to boot the clone (and the BCD is entirely correct), then I correctly see the rotating circles both before and after the BIOS page, then the logon screen correctly shows up, whereupon I enter my password, which is accepted.

Then I see a very bright, mostly white screen (it looks like a photo negative of the normal screen) with a dialog box in the center with the title bar reading: "sihost.exe - System Warning", with the actual message reading: "Unknown Hard Error". Thereupon the screen flashes roughly every second and the logon fails. But if I press CTRL-ALT-DEL, it correctly brings up the task manager, and there I see all the correct startup tasks. But that's all I ever see from then on.

I have the advantage that I can boot from the single, working SSD and easily work on the system volume on the RAID disks. Thus I don't have to boot from the repair or installation disk(s), although I've tried that too and run startup repair and double-checked the BCD and other such procedures. I've run CHKDSK both from the working online system as well as during boot up.

I've also tried running DISM offline repairs and offline SFC, but none of the sites which claim to provide instructions for those procedures are correct; they always produce syntax errors or the like, and as I said, nearly all of those sites are just plagiarized from each other (with minor variations) so I can't perform DISM or SFC according to their instructions.

Therefore, I've turned to the posters here. Can any of you offer help, please? Even the correct instructions and command lines for offline DISM and SFC would be a tremendous help.

Thanks!

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Unknown Hard Error, Nothing Helps (Not BSOD) - Windows Crashes and Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Help and Support - BleepingComputer

The Bad Batch season 2: key info

- Release date coming in 2022- Some crossover with elements of The Mandalorian expected- Likely to focus on the Clones being phased out by the Empire- Voice cast expected to return- Could young Boba Fett turn up next season?

The Clone Wars may be over but Clone Troopers still have a major role to play in that galaxy far, far away. The Bad Batch season 2 will continue the adventures of Clone Force 99, a ragtag group of unique troopers genetically engineered to possess traits that make them superior soldiers.

While the first run of 16 episodes took a while finding its reason to exist, the show eventually carved out its niche in Star Wars canon, with potentially significant implications for The Mandalorian. The Bad Batch season 2 seems set to expand the mythology further, as Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, Echo, Crosshair and their young sidekick Omega try to find their place in a universe where the newly formed Empire is starting to throw its weight around.

So, with the shows return confirmed for 2022, weve sent our troopers on a covert mission to tell you everything you need to know about The Bad Batch season 2 release date, story, cast and more. Spoilers follow for season 1.

Release date: The shows been confirmed for a 2022 return. If we were gamblers like Lando Calrissian, wed bet on a May debut.

Cast: Dee Bradley Baker will return to voice the main cast of characters Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, Echo, Crosshair and any other clones they might encounter. We wouldn't bet against seeing the return of Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand and maybe some other deep cuts from Star Wars lore will turn up.

Story: With the Clones being phased out by the end of season 1, we expect to see the galaxy changing further around our characters in season 2. What happens to the dispossessed Clones is likely to come up more in future seasons, too.

On August 5, just ahead of the two-part season 1 finale, Disney Plus confirmed confirmed (via StarWars.com) that the show will return. All we know for sure about The Bad Batch season 2 release date is that it will be some time in 2022. But, seeing as the first run kicked off (rather appropriately) on May 4 (aka Star Wars Day), we wouldnt be surprised if season 2 debuts on the same date not least because it falls on a Wednesday in 2022, which (after Loki and What If?) now appears to be Disney Pluss new favorite day for original launches.

Its still early days for a proper Bad Batch season 2 trailer. The first season 1 teaser didnt appear until late March, just over a month before the shows debut, and wed expect to see a similar pattern for the follow-up. In the meantime, you can enjoy the announcement teaser that debuted on Instagram in August 2021.

Spoilers follow for The Bad Batch season 1. If you're yet to watch it on Disney Plus, proceed with caution.

Like its counterparts at Marvel, Lucasfilm isnt in the habit of giving away major story details ahead of a Star Wars movie or TV shows release. It would be a massive surprise, however, if The Bad Batch season 2 didnt pick up where its predecessor left off.

Following the Imperial fleets brutal destruction of Tipoca City and the cloning facilities on Kamino, Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, Echo and Omega parted ways with ex-Clone Force 99 member Crosshair. Even though Crosshair told the Bad Batch that his Order 66-initiated inhibitor chip had been removed a fact confirmed by head writer Jennifer Corbett in an interview with StarWars.com his allegiance remains with the Empire.

As hes so fond of reminding his brothers, good soldiers follow orders, but the question remains: will the Empire value his services now that Clones are being phased out in favour of conscripted TK Troopers, the forerunners of Imperial Stormtroopers?

The Bad Batch, meanwhile, are likely to have some big decisions to make after theyve departed Kamino in their ship, the Havoc Marauder. We didnt want to have everyones purpose locked in at the end of season 1, supervising director Brad Rau told StarWars.com. Its something that they deal with in a big way as we move into season 2. What is their purpose from all of their different points of view? Its going to be a big deal, something we really wanted to dig into.

Although the Bad Batch are on the run from Imperial forces, theyre yet to take up arms in earnest against the Emperors totalitarian regime. As they see more and more of the oppressive tactics employed against the populace, however, it seems unlikely theyll continue doing odd jobs for former Jedi informant/information broker Cid when they could be joining the fight.

So will Clone Force 99 have a role to play in establishing the Rebellion against the Empire?

The Martez sisters appearance in season 1 strongly hinted the duo are involved in some kind of resistance movement, and their contact looked a lot like Rebel Alliance bigwig (and Leias adopted dad) Bail Organa. (That said, we know from Star Wars Rebels that the Alliance wont come together for over a decade, so theres a limit to how pivotal the Bad Batch can be in its formation.)

We also expect The Bad Batch season 2 to tell us more about the backstory of Omega, the unique female clone of Jango Fett whos become Hunter, Tech, Wrecker and Echos travelling companion. Although still a child, shes actually older than the members of Clone Force 99 who like their Clone brothers had their growth rate accelerated by the Kaminoans. Omega knows that the Batch were created with desirable genetic mutations to make them into superior soldiers and theres surely more to learn about her own origins.

We can also expect to learn more about the Clones spread throughout the galaxy in the wake of the Clone Wars. We will not let that storyline go undiscussed, for sure, confirmed Rau. It remains to be seen, however, whether that means Clone Wars veteran Rex and his future Rebels sidekick Gregor will see more action, or the introduction of new Clones.

The Bad Batch may be animated but its just as important to Star Wars canon as its live-action counterparts. As the first TV show or movie to dive into the early days of the Galactic Empire, its travelling to previously unexplored regions of the Star Wars timeline and has surprisingly major implications for The Mandalorian season 3.

The final scene of The Bad Batchs first season saw chief Kaminoan scientist Nala Se arriving at an Imperial outpost concept art suggests this is Mount Tantiss on Wayland, a planet that appeared in the (now non-canonical) expanded universe. Intriguingly, the Imperial scientist who greets Nala Se is wearing the same uniform as Dr Pershing, the geneticist who used Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) as a test subject in The Mandalorian.

Its long been speculated that Pershings experiments are part of Palpatines long-standing plan to clone himself a project that came to fruition in The Rise of Skywalker so theres a good chance Nala Se will be laying the groundwork for the Emperors nefarious schemes. Where Nala Se is, what Nala Se is doing, should be a mystery to the audience, Corbett told StarWars.com, and we hope to explore that in the upcoming season.

Bounty hunters always integral to the Star Wars mix also help to tie The Bad Batch season 2 into existing canon.

In the first season, Kaminoan prime minister Lama Su hired The Clone Wars biggest Clint Eastwood fan, Cad Bane, to track down Omega, prompting Nala Se to dispatch Fennec Shand to protect her. Shands presence is unlikely to be a coincidence.

The infamous Boba Fett saved her from death by on the surface of Tatooine in the first season of The Mandalorian, and the bounty hunting duo subsequently became associates to the point that theyre the two leads in spin-off show The Book of Boba Fett. Could The Bad Batch set more than 20 years earlier detail the beginnings of their friendship?

With Fett still in his teens at this point in the Star Wars timeline, theyll both be young bounty hunters making their way in the universe. We also know from The Clone Wars that the young Fett had associations with other representatives of the trade, including Dengar, Bossk and Aurra Sing.

Assuming he does turn up in The Bad Batch season 2 (Fennec Shand actor Ming-Na Wen was cagey when TechRadar asked her about his return back in June), Fett is likely to have a particular interest in Omega. After all, like him, shes an unaltered clone of their father, Jango.

With the show set between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy, most of the major characters in the franchise are potentially in play. While its unlikely Han Solo, Luke and Leia will make an appearance (the twins are just infants at this point in the timeline), the cargo bay doors are open for the likes of Darth Maul, Grand Admiral Thrawn and even Darth Vader to cross paths with Clone Force 99.

Official confirmation of The Bad Batch season 2 cast is yet to emerge, but it would be a surprise of Death Star-shattering proportions if the headliners dont look something like this:

Put simply, there would be no Bad Batch without Dee Bradley Baker. Having voiced legions of Clone Troopers throughout The Clone Wars, the actor plays the five lead roles in the show, giving unique personalities to Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, Echo and Crosshair. He also voiced additional Clones in season one, including a couple of veterans of The Clone Wars and Rebels, Rex and Gregor.

Michelle Ang is likely to be back as the Bad Batchs sister Omega, and wed be surprised if Cheers Rhea Perlman doesnt return as Cid. With Kaminoan scientist Nala Se now working at an Imperial facility, wed expect to hear more from Gwendoline Yeo, while Noshir Dalal is likely to lead the Empires pursuit of Clone Force 99 as Vice Admiral Rampart.

Beyond those regulars, were into less predictable guest star territory.

On the bounty hunter front, were predicting returns for Ming-Na Wen and Corey Burton as Fennec Shand and Cad Bane, respectively. And if Boba Fett does make an appearance in The Bad Batch season 2, that could mean a return for Daniel Logan, who played the young version of the bounty hunter in both Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars.

As for the Imperials, its likely Stephen Stanton will crop up again as future Grand Moff Tarkin. A Palpatine cameo, meanwhile, would probably prompt the return of Sam Witwer, who voiced the character in Rebels and later episodes of The Clone Wars as well as playing Darth Maul. (While Ian McDiarmid reprised his live-action role as Palpatine in the first episode of The Bad Batch, the scene was lifted from his performance in Revenge of the Sith.)

Part of the fun with any of the Star Wars animated shows, however, is listening out for big-name actors cropping up in the soundtrack, whether theyre Star Wars legends (Billy Dee Williams appeared as Lando in Star Wars Rebels), or simply fans of the franchise (Simon Pegg cropped up as bounty hunter Dengar in The Clone Wars). The Bad Batchs first season featured a cameo from Fleabags Sian Clifford as a protocol droid.

Behind the camera, the principal production team remains largely unchanged, with Jennifer Corbett as lead writer, Brad Rau as supervising director, and Dave Filoni (a veteran of The Clone Wars and Rebels, the creator of The Bad Batch, and Lucasfilms executive creative director) serving as executive producer.

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Cloning tools: What they are and how to use them - TechRepublic