#San Francisco Process Servers

[proserver]

Process Server In San Francisco - A Comprehensive Guide

A process server is an important person who is accountable for running smooth wheels of the legal system. It acts as a legal delivery system that delivers the legal documents of both parties.  There are so many legal documents that are used to maintain the whole legal justice system, i.e., Summons, subpoenas, restraining orders, eviction notices, divorce papers, and many more. In this guide, we explore the process server, the rules and regulations of process servers in San Francisco, and much more. Stay tuned.

What Is Process Server

A process server is a person who is accountable for delivering the legal notice to both defendants and witnesses. The primary responsibility of a process server is to ensure the legal documents are delivered successfully at the doorstep of both parties. . There are various legal documents that come under process server juridrisication - summons, subpoenas, restraining orders, eviction notices, divorce papers, complaints, and much more. Let's discuss each of them in short words.

Summons and Complaints These documents are enforced on a person with laws against them.  As per these legal documents, they have to appear in the court to defend

Subpeons - These documents compel wittiness to testify documents in court.

Notices and orders - Notices, divorces, and restraining orders are great examples of notices and orders, as is eviction.

At Wheels of Justice, they have the best professional process servers in the Bay Area who handle client requests precisely. Now let’s discuss the

Roles and Responsibilities of a Process Server

Here are the responsibilities of a process server

They are also known as the legal delivery men of a judicial system. They are responsible for serving the legal documents to both parties. This whole process is called service of process.

After successfully delivering legal documents to the parties, they must provide proof of service to the court. The proof of service mentions the place, time, and how the service is executed.

 Process servers should be fully aware of the legal system and legal requirements. They must also know the acceptable methods of service, governing rules, time, and restrictions.

They act as a middleman between the parties and the court.

Rules and Regulations Of Process Server in San Francisco

To ensure the process server performs the duties effectively and with diligence. The rules and regulations of the judicial system are as follows.

They also submit the proof of service to the court. Serving documents can not be authorized by word of mouth.

 Process Server should serve the legal documents within the specific time frame. It also depends on the type of legal action.

WOJ also provides the records and deposition service to streamline your justice process in the judicial system. For information, visit their official website.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

What kind of bubble is AI?

My latest column for Locus Magazine is "What Kind of Bubble is AI?" All economic bubbles are hugely destructive, but some of them leave behind wreckage that can be salvaged for useful purposes, while others leave nothing behind but ashes:

https://locusmag.com/2023/12/commentary-cory-doctorow-what-kind-of-bubble-is-ai/

Think about some 21st century bubbles. The dotcom bubble was a terrible tragedy, one that drained the coffers of pension funds and other institutional investors and wiped out retail investors who were gulled by Superbowl Ads. But there was a lot left behind after the dotcoms were wiped out: cheap servers, office furniture and space, but far more importantly, a generation of young people who'd been trained as web makers, leaving nontechnical degree programs to learn HTML, perl and python. This created a whole cohort of technologists from non-technical backgrounds, a first in technological history. Many of these people became the vanguard of a more inclusive and humane tech development movement, and they were able to make interesting and useful services and products in an environment where raw materials – compute, bandwidth, space and talent – were available at firesale prices.

Contrast this with the crypto bubble. It, too, destroyed the fortunes of institutional and individual investors through fraud and Superbowl Ads. It, too, lured in nontechnical people to learn esoteric disciplines at investor expense. But apart from a smattering of Rust programmers, the main residue of crypto is bad digital art and worse Austrian economics.

Or think of Worldcom vs Enron. Both bubbles were built on pure fraud, but Enron's fraud left nothing behind but a string of suspicious deaths. By contrast, Worldcom's fraud was a Big Store con that required laying a ton of fiber that is still in the ground to this day, and is being bought and used at pennies on the dollar.

AI is definitely a bubble. As I write in the column, if you fly into SFO and rent a car and drive north to San Francisco or south to Silicon Valley, every single billboard is advertising an "AI" startup, many of which are not even using anything that can be remotely characterized as AI. That's amazing, considering what a meaningless buzzword AI already is.

So which kind of bubble is AI? When it pops, will something useful be left behind, or will it go away altogether? To be sure, there's a legion of technologists who are learning Tensorflow and Pytorch. These nominally open source tools are bound, respectively, to Google and Facebook's AI environments:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/18/openwashing/#you-keep-using-that-word-i-do-not-think-it-means-what-you-think-it-means

But if those environments go away, those programming skills become a lot less useful. Live, large-scale Big Tech AI projects are shockingly expensive to run. Some of their costs are fixed – collecting, labeling and processing training data – but the running costs for each query are prodigious. There's a massive primary energy bill for the servers, a nearly as large energy bill for the chillers, and a titanic wage bill for the specialized technical staff involved.

Once investor subsidies dry up, will the real-world, non-hyperbolic applications for AI be enough to cover these running costs? AI applications can be plotted on a 2X2 grid whose axes are "value" (how much customers will pay for them) and "risk tolerance" (how perfect the product needs to be).

Charging teenaged D&D players $10 month for an image generator that creates epic illustrations of their characters fighting monsters is low value and very risk tolerant (teenagers aren't overly worried about six-fingered swordspeople with three pupils in each eye). Charging scammy spamfarms $500/month for a text generator that spits out dull, search-algorithm-pleasing narratives to appear over recipes is likewise low-value and highly risk tolerant (your customer doesn't care if the text is nonsense). Charging visually impaired people $100 month for an app that plays a text-to-speech description of anything they point their cameras at is low-value and moderately risk tolerant ("that's your blue shirt" when it's green is not a big deal, while "the street is safe to cross" when it's not is a much bigger one).

Morganstanley doesn't talk about the trillions the AI industry will be worth some day because of these applications. These are just spinoffs from the main event, a collection of extremely high-value applications. Think of self-driving cars or radiology bots that analyze chest x-rays and characterize masses as cancerous or noncancerous.

These are high value – but only if they are also risk-tolerant. The pitch for self-driving cars is "fire most drivers and replace them with 'humans in the loop' who intervene at critical junctures." That's the risk-tolerant version of self-driving cars, and it's a failure. More than $100b has been incinerated chasing self-driving cars, and cars are nowhere near driving themselves:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/09/herbies-revenge/#100-billion-here-100-billion-there-pretty-soon-youre-talking-real-money

Quite the reverse, in fact. Cruise was just forced to quit the field after one of their cars maimed a woman – a pedestrian who had not opted into being part of a high-risk AI experiment – and dragged her body 20 feet through the streets of San Francisco. Afterwards, it emerged that Cruise had replaced the single low-waged driver who would normally be paid to operate a taxi with 1.5 high-waged skilled technicians who remotely oversaw each of its vehicles:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/03/technology/cruise-general-motors-self-driving-cars.html

The self-driving pitch isn't that your car will correct your own human errors (like an alarm that sounds when you activate your turn signal while someone is in your blind-spot). Self-driving isn't about using automation to augment human skill – it's about replacing humans. There's no business case for spending hundreds of billions on better safety systems for cars (there's a human case for it, though!). The only way the price-tag justifies itself is if paid drivers can be fired and replaced with software that costs less than their wages.

What about radiologists? Radiologists certainly make mistakes from time to time, and if there's a computer vision system that makes different mistakes than the sort that humans make, they could be a cheap way of generating second opinions that trigger re-examination by a human radiologist. But no AI investor thinks their return will come from selling hospitals that reduce the number of X-rays each radiologist processes every day, as a second-opinion-generating system would. Rather, the value of AI radiologists comes from firing most of your human radiologists and replacing them with software whose judgments are cursorily double-checked by a human whose "automation blindness" will turn them into an OK-button-mashing automaton:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/23/automation-blindness/#humans-in-the-loop

The profit-generating pitch for high-value AI applications lies in creating "reverse centaurs": humans who serve as appendages for automation that operates at a speed and scale that is unrelated to the capacity or needs of the worker:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/17/revenge-of-the-chickenized-reverse-centaurs/

But unless these high-value applications are intrinsically risk-tolerant, they are poor candidates for automation. Cruise was able to nonconsensually enlist the population of San Francisco in an experimental murderbot development program thanks to the vast sums of money sloshing around the industry. Some of this money funds the inevitabilist narrative that self-driving cars are coming, it's only a matter of when, not if, and so SF had better get in the autonomous vehicle or get run over by the forces of history.

Once the bubble pops (all bubbles pop), AI applications will have to rise or fall on their actual merits, not their promise. The odds are stacked against the long-term survival of high-value, risk-intolerant AI applications.

The problem for AI is that while there are a lot of risk-tolerant applications, they're almost all low-value; while nearly all the high-value applications are risk-intolerant. Once AI has to be profitable – once investors withdraw their subsidies from money-losing ventures – the risk-tolerant applications need to be sufficient to run those tremendously expensive servers in those brutally expensive data-centers tended by exceptionally expensive technical workers.

If they aren't, then the business case for running those servers goes away, and so do the servers – and so do all those risk-tolerant, low-value applications. It doesn't matter if helping blind people make sense of their surroundings is socially beneficial. It doesn't matter if teenaged gamers love their epic character art. It doesn't even matter how horny scammers are for generating AI nonsense SEO websites:

https://twitter.com/jakezward/status/1728032634037567509

These applications are all riding on the coattails of the big AI models that are being built and operated at a loss in order to be profitable. If they remain unprofitable long enough, the private sector will no longer pay to operate them.

Now, there are smaller models, models that stand alone and run on commodity hardware. These would persist even after the AI bubble bursts, because most of their costs are setup costs that have already been borne by the well-funded companies who created them. These models are limited, of course, though the communities that have formed around them have pushed those limits in surprising ways, far beyond their original manufacturers' beliefs about their capacity. These communities will continue to push those limits for as long as they find the models useful.

These standalone, "toy" models are derived from the big models, though. When the AI bubble bursts and the private sector no longer subsidizes mass-scale model creation, it will cease to spin out more sophisticated models that run on commodity hardware (it's possible that Federated learning and other techniques for spreading out the work of making large-scale models will fill the gap).

So what kind of bubble is the AI bubble? What will we salvage from its wreckage? Perhaps the communities who've invested in becoming experts in Pytorch and Tensorflow will wrestle them away from their corporate masters and make them generally useful. Certainly, a lot of people will have gained skills in applying statistical techniques.

But there will also be a lot of unsalvageable wreckage. As big AI models get integrated into the processes of the productive economy, AI becomes a source of systemic risk. The only thing worse than having an automated process that is rendered dangerous or erratic based on AI integration is to have that process fail entirely because the AI suddenly disappeared, a collapse that is too precipitous for former AI customers to engineer a soft landing for their systems.

This is a blind spot in our policymakers debates about AI. The smart policymakers are asking questions about fairness, algorithmic bias, and fraud. The foolish policymakers are ensnared in fantasies about "AI safety," AKA "Will the chatbot become a superintelligence that turns the whole human race into paperclips?"

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/27/10-types-of-people/#taking-up-a-lot-of-space

But no one is asking, "What will we do if" – when – "the AI bubble pops and most of this stuff disappears overnight?"

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/19/bubblenomics/#pop

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

--

tom_bullock (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/tombullock/25173469495/

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

[purplealmonds]

My entry for the banner art contest for the Technoblade Discord server, inspired by a parenting story Technodad shared on Reddit.

More ramblings about process below the cut!

I didn't have time to document much of my process, so I'll be dropping bits of trivia as they come to me.

The contest announcement dropped 08/08, and for a few days I thought I was gonna skip out on it because I couldn't think of a decent idea. But then inspiration struck when I rewatched Tonko House's The Dam Keeper short. I also recalled Technodad's sweet parenting story, so I decided to mash the two ideas together for my entry.

Most of the time spent on this piece was on the 3D modeling in SketchUp! I started modeling on 08/11, and had several false starts before settling on the final build on 08/18. Technodad mentioned in his story that his family lived in a condo in San Francisco, so I referenced the more iconic architecture of the location's residential areas. He probably lives in more modern housing, but I'm a sucker for the old-fashioned aesthetic. Artistic-liberty!

The theme of the banner art contest was "autumn", so I roughly blocked in the location of two trees which I would paint in autumnal colors. The street lamps were recycled from another banner contest I entered around 2020 for the CrankGameplays server themed after "spring" - I think it's fitting that it's reused in another seasonal-themed contest. Everything else was modeled from scratch!

I wish I documented more of my painting process, but all of the painting was done in a span of 1.5 days while I was recovering from a bug. Normally I'd take at least a week to finesse things, but I was in a rush. I needed to submit my entry before the deadline so there was ample time for upvotes, and I also had a commission I needed to wrap up before next month. I get restless when I have more than one project on my plate, especially when both are time-sensitive!

[noobsomeexagerjunk]

Aypiere and Quackity are talking!

Around 30-40 minutes in Aypierre's stream; some significant points:

Quackity is cleaning up the airplane debris and plans to build a structure there (a Mexican or a French one)

Aypierre suggests a replica of the Arc de Triomphe to fill in the space in the wall

Aypierre hands Quackity shit, to his delight

The two discuss the potentiality of Aypierre being a candidate

Quackity says he wants to hold back for the event

Aypierre believes he and the rest of the French members will be competitive about it

Quackity gives some reminders about the delivery of the manual

Quackity and Aypierre have some cultural exchanges. The constant protesting in France is real. They compare French and Mexican drinking behavior.

They begin talking about America and some cultural observations they have with it. Aypierre finds America very friendly.

Aypierre mentions his streaming schedule and kids! This reminded Quackity of dealing with Luzu's own schedule.

Quackity talked about a culture shock moment in Spain regarding the auto-ticketing of cars. He then proceeds to rant about America's car culture.

"Los Angeles is nothing like the movies,"

Quackity reminisces of his childhood visits to San Francisco

(Dang Aypierre has been to America that many times???)

Quackity proposes they go drinking together at some point

Quackity praises California weather

The two discuss being able to speak English for travel + the implications of accents

Quackity starts ranting about LA traffic

Quackity is shocked learn that one can take a 2 hour train ride from France to London

Quackity asks Aypierre to compare London to Paris—Aypierre thinks British girls are prettier but French food is better

They discuss American food. There are some good stuff but they note how processed it can be.

Quackity reminisces about Mexican food upon being asked about it by Aypierre

The two build dick statues out black wool (?) and white quartz (?)

Aypierre places down the Make Love, Not War picture he has, baffling Quackity

Quackity shows Aypierre pictures of his places/houses in the server

Aypierre has placed down an image of himself cooking

Quackity shows Aypierre a picture of his younger self

They discuss Andorra—Quackity shows Aypierre a picture of himself in Andorra

They are discussing towns with silly names, like Montcuq

Quackity is straight up showing Aypierre cursed pictures of himself

B O O B S

Aypierre dropped down a picture of beef (and I am now hungry it is almost my dinner time)

Quackity accidently poked his eye IRL

Quackity admits to having a phobia of airplane bathrooms

He drew in paint to help explain why

asskiss

Quackity, during a first class flight, held in his shit for 13 hours due to his fear of airplane bathrooms

"It was like an orgasm?" "Better than an orgasm!"

Quackity talks about roadtrip stopovers

Bad whispers to Aypierre if he could place a warp in his factory. Aypierre said yes!

(Quackity you gotta help unravel the biases Aypierre has gotten about Mexico my man just assumed kids do coke in the bathroom during recess) <- Quackity does this

(Yikes Q-man people take pictures in the bathroom like that???)

They are now talking about vulnerability in the act of defecation

Quackity starts praising toilets in Amsterdam

Between me and Quackity, one of us is wrong when it comes to pronouncing "bidet"

Eyy squatting toilets! (I encountered one of those during a trip to Beijing and I hated them so much god)

More is happening right now but I gotta stop liveblogging (Quackity is showing a picture of tacos!)

[sibyl-of-space]

The San Francisco tech scene is completely beyond satire. I'm in a discord server for game developers based in SF because even though I don't live in the bay area anymore it's still the closest hub for indie developers near me. I went to one of their meetups once, the talk itself was completely useless and I left about 30 mins in, but I did get two people to playtest my demo beforehand so it was still worthwhile. One of those things where you're in a sea of 50 people who annoy you and are able to find maybe one or two people who are cool to talk to.

Anyway, I just received a ping about their next meetup, which is-- I literally could not make up something more on the nose than this if I tried--

brought to you

by

✨ J.P. Morgan ✨

.

Actual quote from the event page:

Are you a developer looking to accept payments and monetize your users effectively? We are excited to announce this unique opportunity to get in on the ground floor and learn about how to monetize your payment flow for your gaming applications at scale. As you may be aware, the Apple App Store and other stores are now allowing outside payment methods within iPhone apps due to "anti-competitive" laws in the EU. As a result, if you are part of Apples small business program, you may be eligible for a discounted percentage fee on IAP instead of the normal 30% fee. We hope you can attend to explore these concepts and learn how you can save money on payment processing fees with J.P. Morgan Payments.

Food is sponsored by J.P. Morgan and drinks are available for purchase at the DNA Lounge bar. All proceeds from drink sales go directly to the venue which helps them keep the lights on, and also helps us continue to host events in their space. DNA Lounge is over 3,000 sqft and is the largest venue we've ever hosted our events at. Speakers will go on stage at 7:00pm. This is an all ages event, is open to the public and is a professional networking event for game developers, artists, students, indies, or really anyone interested in game development. ASL Interpretation services available upon request via email.

Speaker Lineup:

Alan Lee | Developer Relations at J.P. Morgan Payments

Enhance your Payment Experience with J.P Morgan’s Payment Developer Platform

In this session, The J.P Morgan Payments developer relations team will showcase how the Online Payments API allows you to seamlessly accept, process and settle payments from the large suite of supported payment methods. We’ll explore the extended capabilities like tools for fraud prevention, recurring payments and demonstrate how these features can help you improve authorization rates, secure transactions, and gain valuable insights into your payment flow.

so anyway if anybody needs me I will be basically anywhere except at this particular event

[shcpcrsistcd]

@galacticglaze

natasha rarely left the compound these days, preferring to keep close to base in case one of the other remaining avengers, scattered across the planet and the universe needed to get a hold of her for a report. the ones on earth could reach her via phone, but for others like carol or the remaining guardians, the easiest way to get into contact with earth was at the compound itself. still... sometimes the former spy needed to leave, needed a change of scenery... or a harrowing reminder of her and her friends' failures. the larger cities had suffered the most with the blip, new york, san francisco and dc... new york had never exactly been paradise, but the before and after pictures said everything anyone needed to know. even a year later, many buildings were in need of repair and streets were lined with destruction and garbage. after the battle of new york, nearly ten years ago, the rebuilding of the city had been fairly quick, but fast forward those ten years... and half of the people who'd worked in construction, repairs and sanitation snapped away and general morale down amongst the population that remained, cleanup was... a much slower process. slow... but not at a stand still. everytime she went into the city, there was a little more progress that she could see, but the faces remained the same. that was to be expected. everyone had lost someone in the blip.

she kept the cap on her head that covered the crimson roots that had started coming in pulled low. while she and rogers weren't exactly wanted criminals and could come and go as they pleased without trouble, natasha didn't want to be recognised. the looks she got when she was... she didn't want to deal with them. the ones of betrayal for not having stopped the snap... or the ones that still saw her as some kind of hero. she was no hero and she never was. she never really... wanted to be. she just wanted to atone for the mistakes of her childhood, to wipe her ledger clean. her routine when leaving was the same every time... training... either at a gun range, a ballet studio or fogwell's gym, a hole in the wall in hell's kitchen where she would hit a bag for a few hours. today, it had been the last one and now... she was heading for a diner down the street from it, the most recent newspapers and her tablet in hand so she could torture herself keep herself informed as to the goings on while she forced herself to pick at a somewhat proper meal. she let herself inside and found a booth, setting her boxing gloves into the seat before sliding in herself setting her things on the table in front of her. she mustered up a small, thin lipped smile at the server as she came over to pour a fresh cup of coffee and asked for her order. "just the coffee for now. thank you." she said, her voice low. she took a sip from the off white mug, her eyes scanning the room and pure instinct. the diner was full and yet... the voices she did hear were hushed. everywhere and everyone was quieter these days and this place was no exception despite it once being the completely opposite. she refocused her attentions on one of the newspapers, thumbing through it, occasionally glancing up to observe for any change in activity inside or outside or to sip from her coffee. again, out of pure instinct, always keeping herself aware of her surroundings.

the sound of the bell when the door opened tore her attentions away from her paper again as she observed the new customer who's walked in. blind... as indicated by the stick and sunglasses. a quick glance around told her that all tables were still currently occupied. she took in a breath before sitting back in her side of the booth. "hey... all the tables are taken, but... feel free to join me if you'd like. can't promise i'll be much of a conversationalist though."

[benji-parker]

[ jordan fisher, demiboy he/they ] Hey, isn’t that BENJI PARKER. I thought they went away for the summer? Did you hear they might be a WITCH, and have a connection to the HEL COVEN? What I do know for certain is that they’re 27, and they’re LOYAL and NAIVE. They’re originally from SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, and have been in FENRIRSWOOD for FIVE YEARS living in FORK’S ROAD. I wonder if they still work at SERVER as a WOLF BURGER. Best if they stay safe for now. 

basics

full name: benjamin “benji” lee parker age: 27 date of birth: october 31st, 1996 zodiac: scorpio sun, virgo rising, scorpio moon gender & pronouns: demiboy, he/they species: witch spoken language(s): english and asl(american sign language) occupation: server at wolfburger sexuality: gay

appearance

face claim: jordan fisher height: 5'8"(172.72 cm) dominant hand: left hair color: black eye color: brown scars: tbd tattoos: none

personality

positive traits: bubbly, loyal, intelligent, caring, optimistic  negative traits: naive, overly-trusting, stubborn, disorganized, gullible

mentality

phobias: n/a disorder: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder allergies: n/a

background

hometown: san francisco, california birthplace: los angeles, california education level: high school diploma familial connections: unnamed parents

headcanons

benji was born with profound hearing loss, both of his parents are also deaf, so it seems to run in the family. they got a cochlear implant when they were 16 years old and can hear when using it, but greatly prefer using sign language when possible.

he first noticed that he was a spiritual medium when he realized that he can sense and talk to spirits in any location, with supernatural encounters beginning at the age of 14. since this discovery, they have become intensely passionate about helping spirits stuck in this world move to the afterlife and actively jump at any opportunity involving the paranormal.

they also offer tarot readings and refuse to accept payment for them. he carries tarot deck with him at all times just in case someone asks him for a reading. they have had it happen several different times where someone insists on paying him, which he always tries to deny but can’t always. he frequents occult stores when he can and likes spending his free time browsing them.

is naive to a bad degree, they generally know what to look out for when it comes to more obvious things, but there's almost no length benji won't go to if it means helping someone. a very bad habit of his is being altruistic, putting everyone else's needs before his own. has a tendency of getting into trouble by accident. whether this is from them wanting to help someone or just stumbling upon it, benji finds themself in questionable situations for too often. he's slowly but surely learning more self-preservation skills but it's a process.

[jcmarchi]

New AI noise-canceling headphone technology lets wearers pick which sounds they hear - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/new-ai-noise-canceling-headphone-technology-lets-wearers-pick-which-sounds-they-hear-technology-org/

New AI noise-canceling headphone technology lets wearers pick which sounds they hear - Technology Org

Most anyone who’s used noise-canceling headphones knows that hearing the right noise at the right time can be vital. Someone might want to erase car horns when working indoors but not when walking along busy streets. Yet people can’t choose what sounds their headphones cancel.

A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has developed deep-learning algorithms that let users pick which sounds filter through their headphones in real time. Pictured is co-author Malek Itani demonstrating the system. Image credit: University of Washington

Now, a team led by researchers at the University of Washington has developed deep-learning algorithms that let users pick which sounds filter through their headphones in real time. The team is calling the system “semantic hearing.” Headphones stream captured audio to a connected smartphone, which cancels all environmental sounds. Through voice commands or a smartphone app, headphone wearers can select which sounds they want to include from 20 classes, such as sirens, baby cries, speech, vacuum cleaners and bird chirps. Only the selected sounds will be played through the headphones.

The team presented its findings at UIST ’23 in San Francisco. In the future, the researchers plan to release a commercial version of the system.

[embedded content]

“Understanding what a bird sounds like and extracting it from all other sounds in an environment requires real-time intelligence that today’s noise canceling headphones haven’t achieved,” said senior author Shyam Gollakota, a UW professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. “The challenge is that the sounds headphone wearers hear need to sync with their visual senses. You can’t be hearing someone’s voice two seconds after they talk to you. This means the neural algorithms must process sounds in under a hundredth of a second.”

Because of this time crunch, the semantic hearing system must process sounds on a device such as a connected smartphone, instead of on more robust cloud servers. Additionally, because sounds from different directions arrive in people’s ears at different times, the system must preserve these delays and other spatial cues so people can still meaningfully perceive sounds in their environment.

Tested in environments such as offices, streets and parks, the system was able to extract sirens, bird chirps, alarms and other target sounds, while removing all other real-world noise. When 22 participants rated the system’s audio output for the target sound, they said that on average the quality improved compared to the original recording.

In some cases, the system struggled to distinguish between sounds that share many properties, such as vocal music and human speech. The researchers note that training the models on more real-world data might improve these outcomes.

Source: University of Washington

You can offer your link to a page which is relevant to the topic of this post.

[atlantisblasebl]

Fall Ball Recap #3

Ahoy! It's time for another Fall Ball Recap! But before we get into which Players have fallen, some news!

Team Histories have been added to the site! And with it, the Georgias have finally been acknowledged. Our team history recounts iconic Georgias moments, like that time we went to Cactus Land, and that time Niq Nyong'o redacted a ghost! (Which technically happened on the Pies but like, come on. It's a Georgias moment.)

Fall Ball is confirmed to be happening through December 30, 2022, with one Player dropping a week! This means there will be 10 Falls total, with curiosity building as to which Players will fall.

With that out of the way, let's get to Players that have fallen this week...

New Georgias Player

The sim has heard our requests for a Player with established history and lore... and has answered them with our fourth unlored Player in a row! That's right, welcome Doc Cash, a long-time Shadows Player who started on the Tigers and got Gachapon'd to the Garages! Per usual, lorejamming is happening in the Georgias Lore Thread of the official Blaseball Discord server, but be warned: most Georgias fans are tired of loring new Players, so things are gonna be slow this week.

Former Georgias Players (and their new teams)

Fortunately, things are not slow in the former player department, with three former Georgias falling this week!

Yurts Buttercup, a long-time Georgias Player who has really never moved off their spot in the lineup, has said !yohA, joining the Miami Dale in the process!

Fish Summer, a long-time target of Georgias wills who turned out not to like Atlantis all that much, has swiftly left the team, moving to the Charleston Shoe Thieves!

Mordecai Kingbird, a former Georgias player traded to the Fridays in Season 16, has joined the San Francisco Lovers! The Lovers love their Fridays overlap, and their Georgias overlap, so is this really all that surprising?

That's all for now! Will the Georgias ever get a Player with actual established history? Tune in next week on November 25, 2022 to find out!

[vanyelle]

Just read this NY Times article and burst out laughing at how absurd and beautiful this implosion is (not funny for the former employees, but just the absurdity of the situation as a whole is hilarious).

In “gearing up for legal battles,” Musk is literally creating future legal battles.

Thought I’d share a text-only copy-paste of the article under the cut.

Musk Shakes Up Twitter’s Legal Team as He Looks to Cut More Costs

Twitter has stopped paying rent on offices and is considering not paying severance packages to former employees, among other measures.

By Ryan Mac, Mike Isaac and Kate Conger

Dec. 13, 2022

5 min read

SAN FRANCISCO — Over the past two weeks, Elon Musk has shaken up Twitter’s legal department, disbanded a council that advised the social media company on safety issues and is continuing to take drastic steps to cut costs.

Mr. Musk appears to be gearing up for legal battles at Twitter, which he purchased in October for $44 billion, according to seven people familiar with internal conversations. He and his team have revamped Twitter’s legal department and pushed out one of his closest advisers in the process. They have also instructed employees to not pay vendors in anticipation of potential litigation, the people said.

To cut costs, Twitter has not paid rent for its San Francisco headquarters or any of its global offices for weeks, three people close to the company said. Twitter has also refused to pay a $197,725 bill for private charter flights made the week of Mr. Musk’s takeover, according to a copy of a lawsuit filed in New Hampshire District Court and obtained by The New York Times.

Twitter’s leaders have also discussed the consequences of denying severance payments to thousands of people who have been laid off since the takeover, two people familiar with the talks said. And Mr. Musk has threatened employees with lawsuits if they talk to the media and “act in a manner contrary to the company’s interest,” according to an internal email sent last Friday.

The aggressive moves signal that Mr. Musk is still slashing expenditures and is bending or breaking Twitter’s previous agreements to make his mark. His reign has been characterized by chaos, a series of resignations and layoffs, reversals of the platform’s previous suspensions and rules, and capricious decisions that have driven away advertisers.

Mr. Musk did not respond to a request for comment.

As he has transitioned into the role of Twitter’s new leader, Mr. Musk has had a cast of rotating legal professionals by his side. In October, he fired both Twitter’s chief legal officer and general counsel “for cause” within hours of closing his acquisition and installed his personal lawyer, Alex Spiro, to head up legal and policy matters at the company.

Mr. Spiro is no longer working at Twitter, according to six people familiar with the decision. Those people said that Mr. Musk has been unhappy with some of the decisions made by Mr. Spiro, a noted criminal defense lawyer who successfully defended the billionaire in a high-profile defamation case in late 2019 and worked his way into the Twitter owner’s inner circle.

Among those decisions was Mr. Spiro’s call to retain the Twitter deputy general counsel, James A. Baker, through Mr. Musk’s various rounds of layoffs and firings. Mr. Baker had served as general counsel at the F.B.I. until May 2018 — advising the agency on politically fraught investigations into Hillary Clinton’s private email server and Donald J. Trump’s campaign — and joined Twitter in 2020.

Last week, Mr. Musk said he terminated Mr. Baker after he learned that the lawyer had been responsible for reviewing internal communications about the company’s decision to suppress a 2020 New York Post story about Hunter Biden’s laptop. Mr. Musk had ordered that those communications, which he has called the “Twitter Files,” be given to a group of journalists to release and discredit the decision-making of the company’s past executives.

With Twitter drained of legal talent from layoffs and departures, Mr. Musk has sought lawyers from his other companies, including rocket maker SpaceX, to fill the void. More than half a dozen lawyers from the space exploration company have been given access to Twitter’s internal systems, according to two people and documents seen by The Times. SpaceX employees who have been brought in to Twitter include Chris Cardaci, the company’s vice president of legal, and Tim Hughes, its senior vice president, global business and government affairs.

A SpaceX spokesman did not return a request for comment.

Among its legal challenges, Twitter is facing more questions from the Federal Trade Commission, which is investigating whether the company is still adhering to a consent decree. In 2011, the company signed a consent decree with the F.T.C. after two data breaches and said it would not mislead users about privacy protection. In May, the company paid $150 million to the F.T.C. and Justice Department to settle allegations that it had violated the terms of that consent decree, which was expanded.

The F.T.C. has sent Twitter letters asking whether it still has the resources and staff to adhere to the consent decree, two people with knowledge of the matter said. An F.T.C. spokeswoman declined to comment.

On Friday, as Mr. Musk encouraged the release of internal information through the continuation of his Twitter Files, he also sent an email to employees noting “many detailed leaks of confidential Twitter information” showed that some were violating their nondisclosure agreements.

“If you clearly and deliberately violate the NDA that you signed when joining Twitter, you accept liability to the full extent of the law and Twitter will immediately seek damages,” he wrote. The email was first reported by the Platformer newsletter.

Mr. Musk’s team has also deliberated the merits of not paying severance to the thousands of people who have left the company since he took over, when there were about 7,500 full-time employees. While Mr. Musk and his advisers had previously considered forgoing any severance when discussing cuts in late October, the company ultimately decided that U.S.-based employees would be given at least two months of pay and one month of severance pay so that the company would be compliant with federal and state labor laws.

Mr. Musk’s team is now reconsidering whether it should pay some of those months, according to two people familiar with the discussions, or just face lawsuits from disgruntled former employees. Many former employees still have not received any paperwork formalizing their separation from Twitter, five people said. Mr. Musk has already refused to pay millions of dollars in exit packages to executives he claims were terminated “for cause.”

As Twitter has downsized, Mr. Musk’s team has been hoping to renegotiate the terms of lease agreements, two people familiar with the discussion said. The company has received complaints from real estate investment and management firms including Shorenstein, which owns the San Francisco buildings that Twitter occupies.

A spokesman for Shorenstein declined to comment.

In other money-saving moves, Twitter has laid off its kitchen staff and begun to list office supplies, industrial-grade kitchen equipment and electronics from its San Francisco office for auction.

Mr. Musk also continues to cut staff and leaders, including Nelson Abramson, Twitter’s global head of infrastructure, and Alan Rosa, the global information technology head and vice president of information security, according to four people familiar with the moves.

On Sunday night, Mr. Musk sent two emails to Twitter’s staff with advice about how to work for him that he had previously shared with SpaceX and Tesla employees. One message focused on first principles thinking, a worldview based on the teachings of Aristotle to reduce assumptions to basic axioms, which Mr. Musk credited with helping him make difficult decisions. The other advocated against workplace hierarchies.

On Monday, Twitter notified members of its trust and safety council, an advisory group formed in 2016, that it would dissolve immediately. The council was created to guide Twitter through challenging safety problems and content moderation issues, and was made up of organizations focused on civil rights and child safety.

“Safety online can mean survival offline,” said Jodie Ginsberg, the president of the Committee to Protect Journalists, one of the organizations involved in the council. “As a platform that has become a critical tool in both open and repressive countries, Twitter must play a constructive role in ensuring that journalists and the public at large are able to receive and impart information without fear of reprisals.”

Michael S. Schmidt contributed reporting. Kitty Bennett contributed research.

A correction was made on Dec. 13, 2022:

An earlier version of this article misstated the role of an executive for SpaceX who was brought in to Twitter. The executive, Tim Hughes, is senior vice president for global business and government affairs, not general counsel. The error was repeated in a photo caption.

[hopessolution]

Efficient Website Designer San Francisco CA

Intro About Hope Solution:

Hope Solution is a leading company known for providing the best high-quality services in web design and development. Our expert website designer San Francisco CA, focuses on meeting all your web development and design needs according to your business requirements. We are known for providing the best and most trustworthy services. Our aim is to provide excellent work, and we are committed to meeting your desired outcomes. We also provide customized web designing solutions that will definitely assist our worldwide clients in meeting their desired business goals. Also, our designers make every necessary designing input to maximize your website's worth according to your needs. Also, our web development team makes sure that your end product is functional, easy to use, and meets all the factors that a useful business site needs to have. Ultimately, our end goal is to meet your needs and bring rapid growth to your business. 

Services We Can Offer:

Web development involves creating and maintaining websites. It's important for businesses, organizations, and individuals who want to be visible online. Web development is a dynamic field essential for establishing and managing an online presence. Our website designer San Francisco CA, offers a range of services to support this, including web design, development, and maintenance. These services are important for businesses, organizations, and people who are seeking to achieve their goals in today's digital age. Let’s figure out the list of services provided by our Hope Solution team. 

E-Commerce Development:

E-commerce development involves creating platforms for online stores and shopping cart systems. Web developers integrate inventory management, payment gateways, order processing, and shipping functionalities to perform online transactions. E-commerce developers ensure that the website provides a secure environment for conducting online business transactions. We can create a user-friendly and secure environment for conducting online business. Also, our website designer San Francisco CA, makes sure that the website meets the needs of both merchants and customers.

Hosting and Maintenance of Web:

Web developers provide web hosting services and guidance on choosing hosting providers that meet performance, security requirements, and scalability. They also offer website maintenance, backups, updates, security audits, and ongoing support to ensure the reliability and functionality of the website, ensuring that it runs smoothly and securely. By managing the hosting and maintenance aspects, web developers ensure that the website remains accessible, secure, and functional for its users.

Front-End Development:

Front-end development team of Hope Solution focus on the client side of websites, dealing with the design, layout, and functionality that users connect with directly in their web browsers. It involves using languages like HTML, CSS, ASP.net and JavaScript to create responsive and interactive user interfaces. Front-end developers ensure that the visual elements of a website are engaging and user-friendly, providing an optimal user experience. Our team focuses on creating the best and most intuitive user experience that meets the needs of the target audience.

Back-End Development:

Back-end development involves the server side of websites, managing databases, server configurations, and application logic. Back-end developers can develop sites using programming languages like PHP, Ruby, Python, Java, Node.js, etc., to handle data processing, server operations, and user authentication. They are responsible for the behind-the-scenes functionalities that power the front end of the website. We ensure that the server side of the website operates efficiently and securely, supporting the front-end functionalities and providing a seamless user experience.

Full-Stack Web Development:

Full-stack web development involves implementing user authentication, data validation, form handling, API integrations, and session management in projects. Full-stack developers have a deep and clear understanding of both front-end and back-end development. It allows them to create fully functional web applications and dynamic websites that meet the needs of both users and server-side operations. We can create versatile and responsive web applications that meet the needs of both users and the underlying server infrastructure.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

SEO techniques are implemented to enhance search engine performance. This includes structured data markup, meta tags, content strategies, and site and speed optimizations. Web developers optimize websites for search engines to improve visibility, search rankings, and organic traffic, ensuring that the website is easily accessible to your target audience. Our web developers team makes sure that the website is easily accessible to your worldwide audience and performs well in search engine results.

Security and Performance Optimization:

Web developers and website designer San Francisco CA optimize website performance by minimizing and optimizing images, loading times, and assets. They also focus on performing every necessary security measure, such as SSL certificates, firewalls, HTTPS protocols, and secure coding practices to protect websites from cyber threats. We make sure that the website is both fast and secure for users. Also our team focuses on both performance and security, web developers create websites that are fast, reliable, and secure for their users.

FAQs:

How much time will it take your team to develop a website?

The time required to develop an e-commerce website depends on various factors, including project complexity, scope, design requirements, content volume, client feedback, and developer resources. 

What to know about web development services?

Web development is a wide process which includes creating a unique website along with its designing and core specifications. The entire process of web development includes website designing, its coding and maintaining different elements of your site. We make sure that we meet every single aspect of your site.

What list of services are provided by the web developers of Hope Solution?

Our team of website designers San Francisco CA offer a range of services. These include front-end development in which we use popular programming languages. We also provide back-end and full-stack development services. We can provide responsive design, e-commerce development as well. We also provide SEO services for ranking your site on search engines. 

What is the expected cost of developing a website?

The cost of developing a website is based on several factors. There are different kinds of sites, and all of them require different input methods and use of programming language. So, the cost of web development for any project is based on project size, requirements and programming methods. 

Does our team provide you with ongoing support at the launch of your website?

Definitely we can provide you support for your website and maintenance services after its first launch. Even if you need assistance or face any issue you can contact Hope Solution team to provide you technical assistance and guide you about its updates. 

[proserver]

Professional Subpoena Preparation and Court Services in San Francisco Why It's Important?

Navigating the legal system can be tricky and demanding, especially when it deals with the various forms of ensuring subpoenas are properly prepared and served. That is where professional process servers in San Francisco come in. Read More Here: https://medium.com/@wheelsofjustice/professional-subpoena-preparation-and-court-services-in-san-francisco-why-its-important-dd9826e0be9c

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Convicted monopolist prevented from re-offending

This Sunday (Apr 30) at 2PM, I’ll be at the San Francisco Public Library with my new book, Red Team Blues, hosted by Annalee Newitz.

In blocking Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, the UK Competition and Markets Authority has made history: they have stepped in to prevent a notorious, convicted monopolist from seizing control over a nascent, important market (cloud gaming), ignoring the transparent, self-serving lies Microsoft told about the merger:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/644939aa529eda000c3b0525/Microsoft_Activision_Final_Report_.pdf

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/27/convicted-monopolist/#microsquish

Cloud gaming isn’t really a thing right now, but it might be. That was Microsoft’s bet, anyway, as it plonked down $69b to acquire Activision-Blizzard — a company that shouldn’t exist, having been formed out of a string of grossly anticompetitive mergers that were waved through.

Activision-Blizzard is a poster-child for the failures of antitrust law over the past 40 years, a period in which monopolies were tolerated and even encouraged by the agencies that were supposed to prevent monopolies from forming and break up the ones that slipped past their defenses. Activision-Blizzard is a giant, moribund company whose “innovation” consists of endless sequels to its endless sequels, whose market power allows it to crush its workers while starving competitors of market oxygen, ensuring that gamers and game workers have nowhere else to go.

Microsoft is another one of those poster-children, of course. After being convicted of antitrust violations, the company dragged out the legal process until George W Bush stole the presidency and decided not to pursue them any further, letting them wriggle off the hook.

The antitrust rough ride tamed Microsoft…for a while. The company did not use the same dirty tricks to destroy, say, Google as it had used against Netscape. But in the years since, Microsoft has demonstrated that it regrets nothing about its illegal conduct and has no hesitations about repeating that conduct.

This is especially true of cloud computing, where Microsoft is using exclusivity deals and illegal “tying” (forcing customers to use a product they don’t want in order to use a product they desire) to lock customers into its cloud offering:

https://www.reuters.com/technology/google-says-microsofts-cloud-practices-anti-competitive-slams-deals-with-rivals-2023-03-30/

Locking customers into Microsoft’s cloud also means locking customers into Microsoft surveillance. Microsoft’s cloud products spy in ways that are extreme even by the industry’s very low standards. Office 365 isn’t just a version of Office that you never stop paying for — it’s a version of Office that never stops spying on you, and selling the data to your competitors:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/25/the-peoples-amazon/#clippys-revenge

Microsoft’s Activision acquisition was entirely cloud-driven. The company clearly believes the pundits who say that the future of gaming is in the cloud: rather than playing on a device with the power to handle all the fancy graphics and physics, you’ll use a low-powered device that streams you video from a server in the cloud that’s doing all the heavy lifting.

If cloud gaming comes true (a big if, considering the dismal state of broadband, another sector that’s been enshittified and starved by monopolists), then Microsoft owning the Xbox platform, the Windows OS, and the Game Pass subscription service already poses a huge risk that the company could grow to dominate the sector. Throw in Activision-Blizzard and the future starts to look very grim indeed.

It’s a nakedly anticompetitive merger. As Mark Zuckerberg unwisely wrote in an internal memo, “it is better to buy than to compete.”

(These guys can not stop incriminating themselves. FTX got mocked for its group-chat called “Wirefraud,” but come on, every tech baron has a folder on their desktop called “mens rea” full of files with names like “premeditation-11.docx.”)

Naturally, the FTC sued to stop the merger (after 40 years, the FTC has undergone a revolution under chair Lina Khan and is actually protecting the American people from monopoly):

https://www.vice.com/en/article/ake97g/ftc-sues-to-block-microsoft-acquisition-of-call-of-duty-publisher-activision-blizzard

The FTC was always in for an uphill battle. “Cloud gaming,” the market it is seeking to defend from monopolization, doesn’t really exist yet, and enforcing US antitrust law against monopolies over existent things is hard enough, thanks to all those federal judges who attended luxury junkets where billionaire-friendly “economists” taught them that monopolies were “efficient”:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/13/post-bork-era/#manne-down

But the FTC isn’t the only cop on the beat. Antitrust is experiencing a global revival, from the EU to China, Canada to Australia, and South Korea to the UK, where the Competition and Markets Authority is kicking all kinds of arse (see also: “ass”). The CMA is arguably the most technically proficient competition regulator in the world, thanks to the Digital Markets Unit (DMU), a force of over 50 skilled engineers who produce intensely detailed, amazingly sharp reports on how tech monopolies work and what to do about them.

The CMA is very interested in cloud gaming. Late last year, they released a long, detailed report into the state of browser engines on mobile phones, seeking public comment on whether these should be regulated to encourage web-apps (which can be installed without going through an app store) and to pave the way for cloud gaming:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/13/kitbashed/#app-store-tax

The CMA is especially keen on collaboration with its overseas colleagues. Its annual conference welcome enforcers from all over the world, and its Digital Markets Unit is particularly important in these joint operations. You see, while Parliament appropriated funds to pay those 50+ engineers, it never passed the secondary legislation needed to grant the DMU any enforcement powers. But the DMU isn’t just sitting around waiting for Parliament to act — rather, it produces these incredible investigations and enforcement roadmaps, and releases them publicly.

This turns out to be very important in the EU, where the European Commission has very broad enforcement powers, but very little technical staff. The Commission and the DMU have become something of a joint venture, with the DMU setting up the cases and the EU knocking them down. It’s a very heartwarming post-Brexit story of cross-Channel collaboration!

And so Microsoft’s acquisition is dead (I mean, they say they’ll appeal, but that’ll take months, and the deal with Activision will have expired in the meantime, and Microsoft will have to pay Activision a $3 billion break-up fee):

https://mattstoller.substack.com/p/big-tech-blocked-microsoft-stopped

This is good news for gaming, for games workers, and for gamers. Microsoft was and is a rotten company, even by the low standards of tech giants. Despite the sweaters and the charity (or, rather, “charity”) Bill Gates is a hardcore ideologue who wants to get rid of public education and all other public goods:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/13/public-interest-pharma/#gates-foundation

Microsoft has a knack for nurturing and promoting absolutely terrible people, like former CEO Steve Ballmer, who has played a starring role in Propublica’s IRS Files, thanks to the bizarre tax-scams he’s pioneered:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/24/tax-loss-harvesting/#mego

So yeah, this is good news: Microsoft should have been broken up 25 years ago, and we should not allow it to buy its way to ongoing dominance today. But it’s also good news because of the nature of the enforcement: the CMA defended an emerging market, to prevent monopolization.

That’s really important: monopolies are durable. Once a monopoly takes root, it becomes too big to fail and too big to jail. That’s how IBM outspend the entire Department of Justice Antitrust Division every year for twelve years during a period they call “Antitrust’s Vietnam”:

https://onezero.medium.com/jam-to-day-46b74d5b1da4

Preventing monopoly formation is infinitely preferable to breaking up monopolies after they form. That’s why the golden age of trustbusting (basically, the period starting with FDR and ending with Reagan) saw action against “incipient” monopolies, where big companies bought lots of little companies.

When we stopped worrying about incipiency, we set the stage for today’s Private Equity “rollups,” where every funeral home, or veterinarian, or dentists’ practice is bought out by a giant PE fund, who ruthlessly enshittify it, slashing wages, raising prices, stiffing suppliers and reducing quality:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/16/schumpeterian-terrorism/#deliberately-broken

Limiting antitrust enforcement to policing monopolies after they form has been an absolute failure. The CMA knows that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure — indeed, we all do.

From Apr 26–28, Barnes and Noble is offering a 25% discount on preorders for my upcoming novels (use discount code PREORDER25): The Lost Cause (Nov 2023) and The Bezzle (Red Team Blues #2) (Feb 2024).

Catch me on tour with Red Team Blues in Mountain View, Berkeley, San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, DC, Gaithersburg, Oxford, Hay, Manchester, Nottingham, London, and Berlin!

[Image ID: A promotional image from the Call of Duty franchise featuring a soldier in a skull-mask gaiter giving a thumbs up on a battlefield. It has been altered so that he is giving a thumbs-down gesture. Superimposed on the image is a modified Microsoft 'Clippy' popup; Clippy's speech-bubble has been filled with grawlix characters; the two dialog-box options both read 'No.']

Image: Microsoft, Activision (fair use)

[olgbenga-agboola]

Flutterwave CEO Olugbenga Agboola on Building a Functioning Fintech Company Across Africa 

The African fintech startup Flutterwave, which reached a valuation of $3 billion in February 2022, grew faster than many experts predicted. But founder and CEO Olugbenga “GB” Agboola wasn’t one of them.

For Olugbenga Agboola, the rapid pace of his company’s ascent is simply another symptom of the burgeoning growth happening across the African continent. 

“Obviously, we can’t just copy and paste a Silicon Valley or European model. We have to build what works for our environment,” he said. 

He has a point. Over the past several years, Africa has developed a budding middle class that has helped spur demand for new goods and services. Chief among those services are fast payment companies, among which Flutterwave stands out. A true African unicorn, it’s the highest-valued startup in Africa. 

But while it’s based in Nigeria and San Francisco, Flutterwave’s increasingly high valuations are better understood as part of a growth spurt across Africa, Olugbenga Agboola said. 

“There are so many problems to solve on the continent. There are so many things to build. I’m excited by entrepreneurs who are willing to take on these crazy problems and try to solve them across the board. Africa has always been known to leapfrog. We go from nothing to something, consistently — no phones, to mobiles, to internet. People skipped browsers; they search for what they want to buy on Instagram.

“We’ve always been that way when it comes to [technology] leapfrogging a generation. That’s already happening here [with payments] as well.”

Pandemic Problems — And Solutions

Although anchored by its enterprise division, Flutterwave’s server message block products have helped expand its reach. As the pandemic hit, the fintech company’s e-commerce product  store provided a lifeline that allowed many who were locked down across Africa to continue selling products. More than 30,000 businesses made use of Flutterwave during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We were more focused on Enterprise customers in our early days, but when the pandemic hit and we saw how it had severely affected the SMBs in our markets and we knew we had to step in,” Olugbenga Agboola explained. “But as we started growing as a company, the value proposition of getting one enterprise client who gives you so much volume also means that if you lose them, you’re in trouble, so we started thinking about how to diversify the business.

“Then the pandemic struck. The team came to me and said, ‘GB, let’s build a Shopify-like product but for SMBs and help them sell more, to help them keep the lights on [during the pandemic shutdowns].’ So we went from a purely impact perspective and built the Flutterwave store, which quickly became very successful. We were able to onboard over 30,000 SMBs on that platform in a very short period. It was simple. We built in payment logistics and e-commerce in one. You can take a photo of what you’re selling, put it online, and sell it, and then someone can come and pick it up for you and do delivery.”

Olugbenga Agboola Builds On Success

Building on those successes, Agboola led the company to another high point. In September, Flutterwave secured the highest payment processing license granted from the Central Bank of Nigeria, allowing the company to directly move payments between banks, fintechs, and other outlets with total autonomy.

Said Agboola, “This is big news for our customers, partners, investors, and other stakeholders. It is an important milestone in our growth story. Building a thriving payments ecosystem in Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, is in line with our goal of developing a world-class and secure payment infrastructure for global merchants and payment service providers across the continent."​​

That’s not to say that everything has been easy for Flutterwave since Olugbenga Agboola founded it in 2016. Agboola readily points out that Africa has infrastructure problems. It’s also relatively poor, but even in richer countries like Nigeria, problems abound. Nigeria lacks a reliable electrical grid, which means that disruptions are part of life for many residents. It’s also a very young continent, with more than 40% of its population under the age of 15 (for comparison, that percentage is 16% for the EU and 18% for the United States). 

However, for entrepreneurs like Olugbenga Agboola, challenges read as opportunities. As the continent continues its swift-paced urbanization and its middle-class balloons, there are many chances to bring meaningful change and establish new ventures. 

For example, only about 40% of adults in Africa have bank accounts. In countries in Europe or North America, that is closer to 95%. That’s why creating a payment application that works in Africa will necessarily be different, Olugbenga Agboola said. 

“So I think it’s a great time to be here,” Agboola said. “The market is still huge and still largely untapped. There is still a huge population that are not even banked at all on the continent. It’s just the place to be in the next 10 to 20 years. It’s going to be explosive. Our goal is to be here and stay alive to be able to harness the opportunity.”

[seekpoiintlegal]

San Francisco Process Server: Your Trusted Partner in Legal Document Delivery

In the intricate web of legal proceedings, the role of a process server is invaluable. In San Francisco, a city known for its diverse legal landscape, having a reliable process server is crucial for timely and efficient legal document delivery. In this guide, we'll delve into the significance of San Francisco process servers, their responsibilities, and why they are an essential part of the legal system in the Bay Area.

The Role of a San Francisco Process Server:

San Francisco process server  is a licensed professional responsible for delivering legal documents to individuals and entities involved in a court case. They play a pivotal role in ensuring that due process is followed, which is fundamental to the fair administration of justice. Here's why process servers are vital:

1. Service of Legal Documents: Process servers are responsible for delivering legal documents such as summons, complaints, subpoenas, and court orders to the intended recipients.

2. Impartiality: Process servers act as neutral parties, ensuring that legal documents are served without bias or prejudice.

3. Compliance: They are well-versed in the rules and regulations governing the service of legal documents, ensuring that all legal requirements are met.

4. Timeliness: Process servers are skilled in delivering documents promptly, meeting critical deadlines in legal proceedings.

Why San Francisco Process Servers Matter:

1. Navigating Complex Legal Landscape: San Francisco is home to diverse legal matters, from civil cases to corporate disputes. Process servers in the city are well-equipped to handle the intricacies of serving documents in various legal contexts.

2. Local Expertise: San Francisco process servers have an in-depth understanding of the city's neighborhoods, ensuring that legal documents reach their intended recipients efficiently.

3. Confidentiality: They adhere to strict confidentiality standards, safeguarding the privacy of individuals involved in legal cases.

4. Legal Compliance: Process servers in San Francisco are well-versed in local, state, and federal laws governing the service of legal documents, ensuring compliance with all regulations.

Responsibilities of a San Francisco Process Server:

1. Document Retrieval: Process servers may be responsible for retrieving legal documents from law firms or courts.

2. Personal Service: They personally serve documents to recipients, ensuring that the correct individual or entity receives them.

3. Affidavit of Service: Process servers provide an affidavit of service as proof that the documents were successfully delivered.

When to Hire a San Francisco Process Server:

1. Lawsuits and Civil Cases: Process servers are essential for serving legal documents in civil lawsuits.

2. Divorce and Family Law: They play a critical role in delivering divorce papers, custody documents, and restraining orders.

3. Corporate Matters: Process servers are often involved in serving legal notices to businesses and corporate entities.

Conclusion:

San Francisco process servers are the unsung heroes of the legal system, ensuring that due process is followed and that legal documents are delivered accurately and promptly. In a city known for its legal complexity, having a reliable and experienced process server by your side can make a significant difference in the outcome of legal proceedings. Whether you're an attorney, a business owner, or an individual involved in a legal matter, a trusted San Francisco process server is your ally in the pursuit of justice and the fair resolution of legal disputes in the vibrant Bay Area.

For more info. visit us:

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[universalinfo]

Transforming Test Tubes - A Radical Reshaping of Chemical Laboratories

Let's embark on a thrilling exploration into the captivating world of chemical laboratories. Forget the stereotypical imagery of stoic scientists toiling away amid rows of bubbling beakers. Modern labs are pulsating with innovation, blending tradition with technology to revolutionize chemical research and analysis. Visit us here: "Verity Labs".

So, strap on your safety goggles and adjust your lab coats as we delve deeper into these scientific wonderlands. Let’s begin, shall we?

Automating the Analysts

Our first stop is the exciting realm of automation and robotics. If you're picturing a Hollywood-style robot uprising, don't worry, we're far from that scenario. Instead, we're witnessing how the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into chemical laboratories is not just improving efficiency, but fundamentally reshaping the way research and analysis are carried out.

With automation, tasks such as titration, sample preparation, and data analysis, which were once repetitive and labor-intensive, are now handled by AI-powered robots with unmatched precision. These machines toil away, undeterred by fatigue, performing tasks with a level of consistency that's a challenge for even the most experienced scientists.

Beyond routine tasks, we're seeing how AI algorithms are learning to predict chemical reactions. That is, indeed, a breakthrough that's nothing short of revolutionary. Machine learning, a subset of AI, is the powerhouse behind this innovation, capable of sifting through vast databases of chemical reactions to provide insights that even veteran chemists may overlook.

This AI-enhanced prediction capability can potentially speed up drug discovery, reduce the trial-and-error approach in chemical manufacturing, and provide valuable insights into unknown or complex chemical reactions.

The Cloud and Collaboration

Moving away from terrestrial robots, let's ascend into the virtual clouds. The advent of cloud technology has become a game-changer for data storage and collaboration within chemical laboratories. Instead of being restricted to the local servers' storage capacity, scientists can now store, access, and analyze a nearly limitless amount of data on cloud platforms.

This cloud isn't just about storage. It's a collaborative platform that's helping unify research and analysis from laboratories spread across the globe. Imagine real-time data sharing between a research team in San Francisco and their collaborators in Singapore or synchronized experiments conducted by laboratories situated in different time zones.

These scenarios, which once seemed impossible, are now a reality, thanks to cloud technology. As a result, the pace of research has accelerated, paving the way for faster scientific breakthroughs and innovations.

Smarter, Safer Labs

As we float back down from the cloud, let's touch upon another key technological advancement that's reshaping chemical laboratories: the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT, with its network of interconnected devices, sensors, and smart systems, is turning our labs into intelligent spaces.

Consider a chemical laboratory equipped with sensors monitoring the temperature, pressure, and humidity levels. These sensors relay real-time information to a centralized system, which can trigger alarms or take corrective actions if any parameter deviates from its optimal range. Or imagine smart ventilation systems that adjust their operations based on the nature of chemicals being used, enhancing safety and efficiency. These are no longer figments of imagination; they are actual implementations of IoT in today's chemical laboratories.

Greening the Chemical Scene

The buzzword 'green' has made its way from eco-conscious social movements into the heart of chemical laboratories. Welcome to the era of green chemistry, an innovative approach to chemical research and analysis that seeks to minimize the environmental impact of chemical processes.

Green chemistry is more than just a fad. It's a comprehensive reimagining of traditional chemical processes, urging scientists to favor environmentally friendly materials, use safer solvents, reduce waste, and design energy-efficient processes. This sustainable mindset is permeating all aspects of chemical laboratories, from the choice of reagents to the disposal of waste, highlighting the importance of environmental responsibility in scientific pursuits. You might like to read: "Analytical Laboratory - Grand Reveal As Dynamic Powerhouse".

The Age of Bioinformatics

Straddling the intersection of biology, computer science, and information technology, bioinformatics is a pioneering field that's creating waves of transformation in chemical laboratories. Its ability to manage, interpret, and analyze vast amounts of biological data is fueling breakthroughs in drug discovery, genetic research, and personalized medicine.

With bioinformatics, scientists can process complex datasets, identify patterns, decode genetic sequences, and explore the interactions between different biological systems. This has profound implications for drug development, where bioinformatics can help identify potential drug targets and predict their effectiveness. Additionally, it aids in understanding disease mechanisms at the genetic level, paving the way for personalized therapeutic strategies.

3D Printing to the Rescue

Last but not least, let's explore the transformative impact of 3D printing technology on chemical laboratories. Once considered a niche technology for creating prototypes or models, 3D printing is now breaking boundaries in the field of chemistry.

In the context of chemical laboratories, 3D printing has two main applications. First, it provides the ability to create customized lab equipment on demand, reducing costs and dependency on suppliers. Second, and more excitingly, it opens up the possibility of constructing chemical compounds, atom by atom, molecule by molecule.

By manipulating the building blocks of matter, scientists can potentially create rare compounds, design new materials, or even explore previously unknown chemical structures.

Conclusion

Stepping back to take in the grand panorama, it's clear that chemical laboratories are not just embracing the future; they are actively shaping it. In this rapidly evolving landscape, one thing is certain: the future of chemical laboratories is bright, and brimming with infinite possibilities.