#apple developer enterprise

[buyiosenterpriseaccount]

Common Issues with iOS Enterprise Accounts and How to Resolve

Navigating the digital landscape of iOS enterprise accounts can sometimes be a challenging journey. However, with the right information, you can effectively address and resolve common issues. This blog aims to help you understand these issues and provide feasible solutions.

Recognizing Common iOS Enterprise Account Issues

There are a few common issues that users may encounter with their iOS enterprise account. These range from application distribution problems to issues with certificates and provisioning profiles.

Distribution Issues

A common challenge with iOS enterprise accounts is the distribution of applications outside the App Store. To resolve this, ensure your organisation adheres to the Apple Developer Enterprise Program's guidelines for app distribution.

Certificate Problems

Certificate-related issues are common and can cause app installation failures. Regularly updating your certificates and ensuring that they are correctly installed can prevent such problems.

Provisioning Profile Difficulties

Issues with provisioning profiles can result in apps failing to launch. To resolve this, ensure the app's bundle ID matches the one in the provisioning profile.

Maximising the Potential of Your iOS Enterprise Account

Understanding these issues is only half the battle. Leveraging the tools and resources available in the iOS enterprise account will help you optimise your app development and distribution processes.

Conclusion

While navigating the world of iOS enterprise accounts can be challenging, understanding common issues and their solutions can make the journey smoother. Remember that the key to resolving these issues lies in compliance with Apple’s guidelines, regular updates, and matching IDs. With these strategies in hand, you are well-equipped to maximise the potential of your iOS enterprise account, paving the way for successful app development and distribution!

[jcmarchi]

Vapi Secures $20M Series A to Redefine Enterprise AI Voice Agents

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/vapi-secures-20m-series-a-to-redefine-enterprise-ai-voice-agents/

Vapi Secures $20M Series A to Redefine Enterprise AI Voice Agents

Vapi, founded in 2023 by CEO Jordan Dearsley and CTO Nikhil Gupta, has announced a $20 million Series A funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners, alongside investments from Abstract Ventures, AI Grant, Y Combinator, Saga Ventures, and Michael Ovitz. As generative voice models rapidly approach human-level interaction—often passing a “voice Turing test”—enterprises need a platform that can help them seamlessly integrate these capabilities into their customer interactions, workflows, and services.

Vapi sets out to “bend the arc of technology back to the human voice” by giving developers the tools to deploy AI voice agents in minutes instead of months. This developer-first approach removes complexity, letting engineering teams focus on their core products. Through its flexible APIs and broad platform integrations, Vapi quickly transforms existing CRMs, EHRs, and telephony systems into immersive voice-enabled experiences.

Backed by Global Technology Investors

Bessemer Venture Partners, known for supporting innovative companies across various sectors—including Pinterest, Shopify, Twilio, Yelp, LinkedIn, and DocuSign—recognized Vapi’s unique potential from the start. With more than 145 IPOs and a portfolio of 300+ companies, Bessemer’s extensive track record and resources will help Vapi scale to meet global demand for advanced voice AI.

“We believe AI will fundamentally impact every vertical of the economy, with voice agents becoming a core interface for many applications,” said Byron Deeter, partner at Bessemer. “Vapi is emerging as the leading developer platform for conversational voice agents, redefining how people interact with technology.”

Rapid Growth and Widespread Adoption

In just six months since launching, Vapi scaled to millions in revenue by serving a diverse range of enterprises, from customer support and outbound sales to telehealth and food ordering. Companies like Mindtickle, Luma Health, Ellipsis Health, and Gestionadora de Créditos have harnessed Vapi to handle high call volumes seamlessly, demonstrate human-like responsiveness, and improve the overall caller experience.

This rapid market adoption reflects a growing need for AI voice agents that can scale without losing the warmth and nuance of the human voice. As Apple Intelligence and Google Gemini prepare to bring voice assistants to billions of people, Vapi ensures that developers have the infrastructure to keep up with this voice-first movement.

Developer-First Approach: Building Voice AI in Minutes

A core part of Vapi’s strategy is to empower developers. Instead of months spent piecing together complex systems, developers can now build, test, and deploy robust voice agents with low-latency response times and multilingual support.

Inbound and Outbound Calls: Handle inbound inquiries or set up outbound call campaigns at scale.

Voice Products and IoT: From SaaS support desks to IoT devices, Vapi’s stack plugs into numerous platforms.

Flexible Integration: Mix and match preferred speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and LLM providers.

No-Code and Server URL Quickstarts: Even teams with minimal voice AI experience can launch projects in a matter of minutes.

Driving Innovation Across Industries

Vapi’s adaptability makes it a fit for nearly any vertical:

Healthcare and Telehealth: Appointment scheduling, patient FAQs, and prescription refills managed by voice agents.

Travel and Hospitality: Reservations, bookings, and real-time customer queries handled in a natural, conversational style.

Finance and Insurance: Policy inquiries, claims assistance, and secure account actions executed at scale.

Retail and Food Services: Handling menu inquiries, order taking, and reservation confirmation seamlessly and efficiently.

According to CEO Jordan Dearsley, “Consumer-facing companies run on voice. To scale their revenue, they need to scale their voice operations. But, people don’t scale. With generative voice models, it’s flexible like a human and can scale to millions of calls.”

Technology That Speaks Like a Human

Under the hood, Vapi’s platform is built for performance and scalability:

Sub-500ms Latency: Achieve near-instant responses through optimized GPU inference, caching, and high-performance networking.

Natural Turn-Taking: Built-in interruption handling and endpointing models ensure voice agents listen and respond just like human operators.

Global Infrastructure: A Kubernetes-based architecture and private internet backbone enable high availability and low-latency performance worldwide.

“Vapi is far ahead of any other platform—simple, powerful, and it just works,” said Marcelo Oliveira, SVP of Engineering at Luma Health.

Scaling Infrastructure and Engineering Talent

With the new funding, Vapi will expand its engineering team to further strengthen its real-time infrastructure and onboard new enterprise customers. By investing in top technical talent, Vapi ensures that its developer tools continue to evolve, constantly improving reliability, functionality, and usability. The company’s ultimate aim is to make voice AI as accessible and dependable as any other API in a modern developer’s stack.

Industry Endorsements and Market Validation

The excitement around Vapi is evident through endorsements from customers and partners like Groq, Relevance AI, and Deepgram. They praise Vapi’s responsiveness, ease of integration, and developer-focused support. From real-time voice sales agents to advanced training simulations and multilingual chat, these testimonials highlight the platform’s versatility and potential to shape how enterprises use voice technology.

By removing the friction of building from scratch, Vapi lets developers concentrate on their unique business logic. “I spent time at Stripe in 2012 and I saw what it takes to design and support a great API. This team has that kind of magic,” said Richard Burton, CEO of Balance IO.

Bending the Arc Back to the Human Voice

Vapi’s mission is rooted in the idea that voice should once again become the default interface—a natural, human way to interact with technology. Through its flexible APIs, industry-leading latency, and developer-first approach, Vapi delivers voice AI capabilities that feel as natural and responsive as any human conversation.

With the $20 million Series A in hand, Vapi stands poised to usher in a future where voice agents are as common and reliable as web or mobile interfaces. As enterprises across the globe look to scale their voice operations, Vapi provides the platform, tools, and guidance to help them build it—all in a matter of minutes.

[quietlyfail]

It's absolutely wild to me in an "and quartz" way that people do not know about the 30% cut on the App Store. Like. I say this as a person who had a (free) app on the App Store in 2016, so I am obviously more informed about how the App Store works than most people but it's still wild to me that people don't know.

Also to be clear I think Apple needs to make a different tier for apps whose value is being a platform/market place like Patreon.

[sayruq]

AN OPEN LETTER from Apple employees and shareholders demands the tech giant stop matching employee donations to organizations with ties to the Israeli military assault on the Gaza Strip and ongoing illegal settlement development in the West Bank. The letter, building on a previous demand by Apple employees for a ceasefire in the conflict, calls on the company to “promptly investigate and cease matching donations to all organizations that further illegal settlements in occupied territories and support the IDF.” As with many large corporations, Apple employees can make donations to a number of nonprofit organizations and receive matching contributions from their employer through a platform called Benevity. Among the charitable organizations eligible for dollar-matching from Apple are Friends of the IDF, an organization that collects donations on behalf of soldiers in the Israeli military, as well as a number of groups that contribute to the settlement enterprise in the West Bank, including HaYovel, One Israel Fund, the Jewish National Fund, and IsraelGives. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

This isn't the only genocide Apple is funding.

[misfitwashere]

ROBERT REICH

FEB 7

Friends,

I wanted to make sure you saw this piece by Lina Khan, who until a few days ago was chair of the Federal Trade Commission. IMHO — as someone who was once an official of the FTC — Khan was one of the wisest and most courageous of its leaders. She wrote the following in the February 4 edition of The New York Times.

Stop Worshiping the American Tech Giants

By Lina M. Khan

When Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek shocked Silicon Valley and Wall Street with its powerful new A.I. model, Marc Andreessen, the Silicon Valley investor, went so far as to describe it as “A.I.’s Sputnik moment.” Presumably, Mr. Andreessen wasn’t calling on the federal government to start a massive new program like NASA, which was our response to the Soviet Union’s Sputnik satellite launch; he wants the U.S. government to flood private industry with capital, to ensure that America remains technologically and economically dominant.

As an antitrust enforcer, I see a different metaphor. DeepSeek is the canary in the coal mine. It’s warning us that when there isn’t enough competition, our tech industry grows vulnerable to its Chinese rivals, threatening U.S. geopolitical power in the 21st century.

Although it’s unclear precisely how much more efficient DeepSeek’s models are than, say, ChatGPT, its innovations are real and undermine a core argument that America’s dominant technology firms have been pushing — namely, that they are developing the best artificial intelligence technology the world has to offer, and that technological advances can be achieved only with enormous investment — in computing power, energy generation and cutting-edge chips. For years now, these companies have been arguing that the government must protect them from competition to ensure that America stays ahead.

But let’s not forget that America’s tech giants are awash in cash, computing power and data capacity. They are headquartered in the world’s strongest economy and enjoy the advantages conferred by the rule of law and a free enterprise system. And yet, despite all those advantages — as well as a U.S. government ban on the sales of cutting-edge chips and chip-making equipment to Chinese firms — America’s tech giants have seemingly been challenged on the cheap.

It should be no surprise that our big tech firms are at risk of being surpassed in A.I. innovation by foreign competitors. After companies like Google, Apple and Amazon helped transform the American economy in the 2000s, they maintained their dominance primarily through buying out rivals and building anticompetitive moats around their businesses.

Over the last decade, big tech chief executives have seemed more adept at reinventing themselves to suit the politics of the moment — resistance sympathizers, social justice warriors, MAGA enthusiasts — than on pioneering new pathbreaking innovations and breakthrough technologies.

There have been times when Washington has embraced the argument that certain businesses deserve to be treated as national champions and, as such, to become monopolies with the expectation that they will represent America’s national interests. Those times serve as a cautionary tale.

Boeing was one such star — the aircraft manufacturer’s reputation was so sterling that a former White House adviser during the Clinton administration referred to it as a “de facto national champion,” so important that “you can be an out-and-out advocate for it” in government. This superstar status was such that it likely helped Boeing gain the regulatory green light to absorb its remaining U.S. rival McDonnell Douglas. That 1997 merger played a significant role in damaging Boeing’s culture, leaving it plagued with a host of problems, including safety concerns.

On the other hand, the government’s decision to enforce antitrust laws against what is now AT&T Inc., IBM and Microsoft in the 1970s through the 1990s helped create the market conditions that gave rise to Silicon Valley’s dynamism and America’s subsequent technological lead. America’s bipartisan commitment to maintaining open and competitive markets from the 1930s to the 1980s — a commitment that many European countries and Japan did not share — was critical for generating the broad-based economic growth and technological edge that catapulted the United States to the top of the world order.

While monopolies may offer periodic advances, breakthrough innovations have historically come from disruptive outsiders, in part because huge behemoths rarely want to advance technologies that could displace or cannibalize their own businesses. Mired in red tape and bureaucratic inertia, those companies usually aren’t set up to deliver the seismic efficiencies that hungry start-ups can generate.

The recent history of artificial intelligence demonstrates this pattern. Google developed the groundbreaking Transformer architecture that underlies today’s A.I. revolution in 2017, but the technology was largely underutilized until researchers left to join or to found new companies. It took these independent firms, not the tech giant, to realize the technology’s transformative potential.

At the Federal Trade Commission, I argued that in the arena of artificial intelligence, developers should release enough information about their models to allow smaller players and upstarts to bring their ideas to market without being beholden to dominant firms’ pricing or access restrictions. Competition and openness, not centralization, drive innovation.

In the coming weeks and months, U.S. tech giants may renew their calls for the government to grant them special protections that close off markets and lock in their dominance. Indeed, top executives from these firms appear eager to curry favor and cut deals, which could include asking the federal government to pare back sensible efforts to require adequate testing of models before they are released to the public, or to look the other way when a dominant firm seeks to acquire an upstart competitor.

Enforcers and policymakers should be wary. During the first Trump and then the Biden administrations, antitrust enforcers brought major monopolization lawsuits against those same companies — making the case that by unlawfully buying up or excluding their rivals, these companies had undermined innovation and deprived America of the benefits that free and fair competition delivers. Reversing course would be a mistake. The best way for the United States to stay ahead globally is by promoting competition at home.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Through time, we’ve seen a progressive narrowing of how we experience entertainment: from the collective cinema experience, to the family viewing of the television, to the even narrower audience of the streaming service and various video apps, and now the expectation is that we’ll strap a set of screens directly onto our faces to ensure we can’t share an experience with another person. The development is a worrying one, and illustrates how disconnected tech executives are from real life.

The leaders of the tech industry are not only separated by much of the public because their wealth, experience of the world, and exclusive lifestyles, but also seem to have stunted social lives, or at least a lack of insight into the social nature of regular humans. They think an ideal way of living is one where as much as possible is mediated through digital technology because they have a specific interest in the tools that made them rich and powerful, and continuing a process that put them in that position in the first place. And while people have been open to going along with their visions, it’s pretty clear there’s a growing frustration and even dissatisfaction with the world they’ve created. Doubling down on it seems like a bad idea.

[...]

Given that the Vision Pro will retail for $3499 and won’t launch until 2024, with an initial rollout limited to the United States, I think we have a unique ability to ensure this project fails. We’ve already seen how ridicule can take the hype out of a tech bubble, most recently with crypto and the metaverse, but a decade ago the same thing happened with Google’s attempt to make its Glass smart glasses happen. Instead, its users were termed “Glassholes” and the product was scaled back and sold as a niche enterprise tool.

[applepiesupreme]

American Apple Pie

Pairing: Low/Mid Honor Arthur Morgan and female OC.

Rating: Explicit

Summary: Savigne Ricci is a temporary guest at the Van der Linde camp. Her path crosses with the enforcer of the gang, Arthur Morgan, and despite their differences, a relationship develops between them. Whole lot of smut and fluff, slow burn-ish.

Chapter 42

AO3 link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54945853/chapters/155064979

After that talk with Dutch and the gang, he asked John and Charles to help him reposition the wagon more distant to the camp center. Not as far as before - wasn’t wise to sit alone in the Bayou like that as a single tent - but at least far enough to give them a modicum of quiet and privacy. Two things he had lived an entire life without and two things he now enjoyed just as much as she did. The ground was too soft to hold beams so he had swung the tent fabric over some tree branches to make it bigger and put some wood pallets on the ground with their carpet on top to walk on. It looked nowhere near as nice as their original tent but ten times better than this morning.

Then it was time to head back to the city and he changed out of his dirty, sweaty clothes and climbed on the cart to ride to Saint Denis. On the way, his mind naturally replayed the gang discussion from earlier. Let them talk it out, he thought. He knew which way most were going to fall and if he could break off at least a few of them, those few had a shot and headbutting with Dutch was worth that shot. It felt odd, making these calculations about the gang, felt like he was trying to be Dutch, but regardless of his decision to leave, he still cared for these people and if a push was all they needed to get out of the orbit of this calamity, then he was here to give it. 

Him and Dutch - that was clearly over. Had been over a while now, maybe even since the very day Savigne had followed a strutting Hosea into camp.

"The hell is that?" Arthur scoffed as he squinted towards Dutch’s tent while he wiped the blood of his recent hunt off his hands. "That might be our new temporary resident," Mary Beth sighed as she scratched out a sentence in her notebook and scribbled over it.  "We takin' guests now?" His eyes crawled over the newcomer’s pressed clothes and her clean boots.   "Not guest. Resident. Hosea says she's going to pay rent," she mumbled absentmindedly. He grunted, thinking Hosea was losing it at his old age. It was one thing to bring in the strays, another thing entirely to turn the camp into an enterprise. Folks like this among them while they had bounties on their heads? Who could be sure she wouldn't run to the law first chance she got to rat them out? He decided he would talk it out with Hosea and Dutch both. Wouldn't have to if they had asked him first, but neither man gave a damn what Arthur thought until things went south. He was a lughead when all was steady, but as soon as stuff went sideways, suddenly it was his job to fix it. Because at that point fixing it meant breaking bones, and neither gentlemen liked getting their hands dirty. Mary Beth looked up and watched as Savigne shook hands with Dutch, all serious and demure, shoulders hiked up as if she was trying hard to look confident. "Hosea says she's a cook. She's pretty, isn’t she?” Arthur had already lost interest. "Long as her money is green," he grumbled and threw the bloody towel into the dirty clothes bin. He scratched his beard and glanced over his shoulder and observed Savigne’s eyes dart around the gang, nervous as if she was in the middle of a pack of wolves. "She city folk. Ain't gonna last a week." "She might. If the brutes in this gang stay away from her. That includes you, by the way." "I ain't gonna bother her highness," he huffed, then paused. "Unless she don' pay, that is." Mary Beth's eyebrows rose at that. "You think 'm above collectin' from a woman, think again," was his added growl.

In hindsight, prophetic words.

After that, he had promptly forgotten about her and his desire to talk to Dutch and Hosea. She had made it easy enough by darting in and out of camp like a field mouse and staying out of sight, and he had made it easier still by drinking the idle hours of his vapid life away. In fact, the next time he thought of her at all was when, weeks later, he had gone to write his contribution into the camp ledger and there was her neat name with the $50 next to it. He had paged back and there it was, again and again and again. Something about the promptness, the unfailing clockwork repetition of it had miffed him. He should have felt approval of her tenacity, but instead, for whatever reason, next to Sean’s barely legible $2.50, and Uncle’s stuttering scribble of $10, the print-like neatness of her handwriting and that $50 per week had stood out like a smug upturned nose.

To this day he was unsure why this had tipped his fairly neutral opinion of her to dislike but that was the moment he had really noticed her existence, and the turning point after which he found himself complaining about her whenever the subject came up and a few times even when it hadn’t. She had done nothing disagreeable to him or to anyone else, but the more she kept to herself, the more annoyed he became. A month later when she had run up to him in Valentine, it had felt as if the gods had served her up on a platter for punishment for all the slights she hadn’t done, and Arthur Morgan had been ready to dole it out.

Or so he had thought.

Now, merely two seasons removed, here he was trying to navigate how an outlaw becomes a law abiding citizen, how a drifter builds a home, how an orphan turns into a family man. For her.

He entered the city as the short winter day darkened and turned his mind to the next problem in line:

Underdeveloped, he thought and clicked his tongue. That probably my fault, too. He was the reason she was still in this shithole in the first place, so it wasn't that far of a reach. He was no stranger to anger or guilt, but shame was not a feeling he often grappled with. And yet, this past day, that's all he had felt. It had shamed him when he had stepped out of the hut with the breakfast trays this morning, to see her sit on those crooked chairs in the mud. Had made him feel like John. Like he didn't care how his woman and his child lived or what they ate or how they fared. Shamed him that she slept in an unpacked wagon among gators and snakes. At least before, the tent had been big, airy and clean and she had had an oven and everything else that made her happy. Now she lived like the rest of them bums, but unlike them, she was no bum. 

No wonder she was distant and withdrawn. No wonder she didn’t trust him and was trying to talk him out of fatherhood - hell, a signpost would make a better father at this point because at least a signpost would do no harm. All these years he had teased John and put him down, but John had done more by her than he had. Time to eat yer humble pie, he scoffed, shaking his head. All them years naggin' how bad of a parent John was, but soon as you became one, you done the same.

He thought of that ring in his satchel and let out a frustrated breath. Clearly she had reservations about his skills as a father, so it didn’t take a genius to understand why now she wouldn’t want him as a husband either. He should have done this sooner, back when she still had confidence in him. Should have put that ring on her finger the day he bought it, soon as he returned to that hotel. She would have said yes that Sunday. And after, when his foolish choices boomeranged back as they had, he could have weathered the storm by insisting “Woman, I vowed ‘till death do us part’, and I ain’t the kind to break it”. A disgraceful idea? Sure. But in his defense, he was a selfish bastard.

Bag it, Hosea spat in his head. Pick up the damn ball and walk on. Nobody got time for your bullshit.

"'M goin', old man," he sighed to himself. "'M goin'."

When she came out, he was waiting. Maybe because he had missed her so fiercely this past month, or maybe she had changed in womanly ways he couldn’t understand, but even after a day of work and clearly tired, she looked stunning to him. It was one of those things he couldn't wrap his head around - how and when she had gone from the mousy, plain person who had showed up in camp to the splendid woman she was today. The few precious things in his life he had to his own, he had always felt possessive about, but there was a softness and vulnerability to her now that intensified how protective he felt of her. He wondered if that circling shark was always going to be a feature in his life now, if he was ever going to feel less on edge. Or was he now forever doomed to lie awake at night, pondering the ways the world could hurt his family and how to circumvent them?

She spotted him and in that first unguarded moment her face always betrayed how much she cared for him and it swelled his heart. Thirty six years on this dust ball and the number of people who had ever looked at him like that, he could count on one hand. The ones who stuck around, on one finger. 

He offered her his arm and she accepted. They strolled through the evening streets of Saint Denis. This city held both some of the best and some of the worst memories for him. But he liked it better after dark, when the dirty and the ugly was concealed by shadows and the people looked more agreeable under the soft glow of light bulbs. They passed through a street with food vendors who were bracing the cold and hoping to unload the last of their wares and walked through broken English and puffs of breaths in the chilly winter night and the sharp tang of spice, the aroma of warm bread. His stomach grumbled. Guarma had starved him good and proper and despite eating several meals since his return, his hunger wasn't sated. Savigne stopped at a stall selling tamales and he followed her gaze to the vendor's wife who had a kid strapped to her back. 

"Hola," she said and approached the woman. Savigne didn't speak Spanish and by the looks of it, the woman didn't speak English, but that didn't stop them none as they gestured and oohed and ahhed and their hands fluttered like courting butterflies. It fascinated him how women who had never met stepped up to one another without hesitation and ran their fingers across each other’s arms and squeezed hands and talked without speaking. Arthur glanced at the vendor and returned the offered grin with a curt nod and an uncomfortable shifting of his feet. He decided to buy two tamales because it seemed like the polite thing to do as the women "chatted". When he was told the price he wished he spoke Spanish after all, just so he could express his opinions about highway robbery. Still, he didn't back out because it would look cheap and well, nobody wanted a cheap husband or a cheap father. So he paid and chewed on his tamale as Savigne ran her fingers over the sash that was criss-crossed across the woman's torso and circled her to inspect how it was wound up in the back. She gently patted the swaddled pupa of a baby with just a shock of black hair showing and walked back around.

She called Arthur over and asked if he had his journal on him and when he said he did she asked him to draw the lady. He handed her the tamales as he dug into his satchel, produced a pen and made a quick sketch of the woman who was excited to pose.

“Make sure you draw how she tied her sash,” Savigne muttered, straining to see the page in the dim light. Then she smiled and twirled a finger in the air and the mother turned so he can draw the back. When he was done both her and her vendor husband walked over and looked at his drawing and were unreasonably happy and the husband offered his “buenos”s and a free tamale.

The women waved goodbye as if they’ve know each other for years and Savigne gave him the third tamale as she nibbled on hers.

He wanted to ask what she was thinking and if she meant to strap the grub on like that but there was a chance that she would turn tense and evasive again, so he swallowed his questions.

She handed him her own tamale to finish as they approached the clinic.

"What's wrong with it?" he asked.

"I don’t like pork anymore.”

When they sat down in the waiting room, she picked up and flitted through a magazine about flower arrangements. The clinic was quiet at this hour with just another person there. His ailment - a dry cough - made Arthur give him a narrow eyed hard stare. The man looked back, somewhat apologetic. Arthur shifted his eyes at Savigne, then back at him and subtly jabbed his chin towards the far end of the room. The man seemed offended at this. Arthur sat up and slowly raised his eyebrows as in “Really?”, and the fool finally wilted under his frosty gaze, staggered to his feet and moved a few chairs down.

“Look how pretty,” she showed him a page. “Like food, but with flowers.”

He hummed with appreciation but it was pretend because the notion that food had to be pretty made no sense to him. Lazan ya looked plain and tasted delicious.

The examination room was simple and clean which he approved. But one look at this Polio guy, and his hackles rose. Ridiculously good looking for a doctor. His eyes twitched to Savigne who was gazing at the doctor as if he was walking on water. His dislike only intensified at this and he played with the hat in his hands to distract himself.

Polio was affable enough and gave him a handshake when they were introduced. Surgeon hands - smooth and firm.

“I’m glad to meet you. I was told you would return, happy to see it.” 

When Savigne had removed that stupid ring as she exited the steakhouse, he had been relieved. It bothered him that she had a fake ring on her finger and it bothered him more that this was due to his own cowardice. But now he kind of wished she hadn’t because here he was, standing in front of Polio with his baby in her and no ring on her finger like a deadbeat loser.

Since he had managed to strongarm his way into the doctor's appointment, he felt like he had to justify being here, so he asked the first question that popped up in his head: “She allowed to ride?”

“I recommend she doesn’t ride a horse, no,” Polio responded. Arthur's confidence surged at that because this assured him that he had done good by being “insufferable” as she had called it this morning. Savigne gave him an annoyed side eye, but he latched on to that feeling of righteousness and plowed on:

“Was told the gr-baby could be…” he cleared this throat, “…healthier.”

“Yes,” was the somber response. “But nothing we can’t catch up with. Your…” there was a short moment where he sensed the doctor debate with himself what to call her,  “…partner needs to eat more. Rest more. Work less. And less tension is always recommended.”

“I’m doing all those things,” Savigne objected. It didn’t escape his attention that the usual sullen ire in her tone was replaced by polite defensiveness.

“I’m confident you can do better, Ms. Ricci,” he chided her and the demure way she accepted this instead of the bristling upturn of a nose Arthur would have received annoyed him too.

The doctor turned to him again. “Now that you’re back, I expect improvement.”

“Yes, sir.” was his polite response. What did this fool of a man know? She might be sitting here all nice and proper, but he had tamed wild horses with less effort than it took to make Savigne do something she didn't want to do. 

Polio settled in his chair. “Let’s take your vitals.”

He inspected her and she seemed to enjoy his attention. When he was done, she didn’t even need to be asked before she unbuttoned her shirt so he can glide his hands over her bump. Jealousy flared up at him. Sure, he knew this was the doctor and he knew he had to do the inspecting, and he also knew that he himself hadn't earned the privilege yet, but the fact that this man was so readily granted access to something that was denied to him bruised his ego.  

Polio put in his stethoscope and listened. “Very healthy heartbeat though,” he said with approval. “Would you like to hear, Mister…?”

“Kilgore,” he jumped in. “And yes, I would.”

Polio offered the earpiece to him and then glided the stethoscope bell along Savigne’s stomach. 

Suddenly, the beating of a rapid pulse, the same rabbit heart from his Guarma dream drumming in his ears. We meet at last, he thought as the familiar rapture ran through him, You called and I came. I will always come. He grinned despite himself and huffed a cough of delight. Thank you for saving me. Thank you, thank you, thank you…His hand itched but he restrained himself and didn’t touch her.

“Strong heart,” Polio complimented. A better man would think “I yelled at this woman, disappeared on her, then slept on a bedroll like a sullen child, then gone disappeared again and caused her grief and hurt”. But being who he was, he just grinned with pride as if he had crafted the heart himself. He nodded, a little overcome and handed him back the headset and caught her eyes. The unguarded smile on her face stuttered his breath.

When they stepped outside he was still reeling, boiling with emotions he couldn’t describe. Saint Denis flashed by him with color and light and music and he hardly noticed, focused on not tangling his feet.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, giving him furtive looks.

“Nothin’s wrong,” he sniffed. “Everythin’s right.” He folded his hand on hers that was sitting on the crook of his arm.

“Did you like the doctor?”

“Man looks too young to be a doctor,” was his careful response.

“He’s very clean,” she sighed wistfully.

“That’s important,” he conceded.

They walked on and he wasn’t sure where they were going and to be honest, he didn’t care that much either. His eye was turned inward; something was percolating in him, bubbling and threatening to brim over, but he couldn’t name it. He felt light headed and drunk and short of breath. Next alley they were passing he snatched her hand and drew her in and a few feet away from the foot traffic he pushed her shoulders against the wall to kiss her. It threw her off but only for a moment and his battered old heart drummed against his rib cage when her small hands crawled up his shoulders and danced in the hair on the back of his neck as she kissed him back. She tasted like the peppermint candy that she had snatched from the doctor’s office and offhandedly flashed at him with a mischievous grin, and her mouth was soft and warm. He was careful not to crush her as he leaned into her, his palm pushing up her face as he ran his tongue over her teeth and suckled on her lips, feeling himself increasingly heady. There was an insatiable hunger in him and when she moaned into his mouth it shed its strange, unknown skin and quickly morphed into lust.

Five weeks wasn’t that long of a time; before Savigne he had gone far longer without a woman. But that was before he was spoiled by waking up next to one for months. He felt famished for her and increasingly reckless that they were just off a busy street in a crowded city as the flutter of her pulse under his lips and the sighs in his ear drove him to the quicksand marshes where a man could lose his footing and sink. Distantly he felt himself grow hard and that familiar pressure started building in his gut. He swallowed and broke off and pulled back to get himself under control, or else he would ravish her right here and now.

He placed his forehead on hers and panted with the effort to overcome his rising need, the swelling of temptation. Her hands fluttered on his cheeks and streaked down his chest. There was so much in him, too damn much, and he felt he had to pour the cup to regain his composure, but his head insisted that a dark side street in Saint Denis was no place to do it. 

“You okay?” she breathed and the thickness of her voice told him she wouldn’t refuse him if he gave in, which only served to harden him further.

“About that…hotel…” he rasped and felt her cheek stretch with a smile in the cup of his right hand. Clearly she enjoyed the affect she had on him.  

“Back one day and you’re already trying to get under my skirt. Not sure you deserve it, Mister Morgan.”

He groaned as she placed a playful long kiss under his ear. He braced his arms on both sides of her head and angled his hips out in an herculean effort to lasso back his runaway desire. She took pity on him then and dropped her hands. 

“How about we go Saturday? So we can have a lazy morning. Like last time.”

“The hell is it today?” he groaned.

Her amusement tinkled in his ears. “Thursday.”

“Fuck!” he hissed.

She laughed again and he pressed his mouth so he wouldn’t dive in and kiss the laughter off her lips.

“But it depends.”

“On?”

He opened his eyes and there she was, eyes glittering with mischief. “You might want to avoid throwing me against a tree again.”

He blinked rapidly as he recalled that night in the woods. The memory of how she had fallen to her knees in front of him and almost tore the buttons of his trousers off made his cock twitch. He groaned and bounced off the wall, wiping his palms over his face to come down from his intoxication. 

“Savigne, ‘m warnin’ ya, you keep that up, we gonna get in trouble.”

“Keep what up?” she said innocently as she dug into her skirt pocket and retrieved another candy. He watched her unwrap it and press it between those delectable lips and quickly looked away, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Undoubtedly she was teasing him. Desire reared in him like a wild horse, indomitable and determined to throw him off. You would think a man of his age would be the master of his base urges but that was easier said than done. He swallowed, bewildered by the churning of his emotions, one pouring into the other, one melting into the next.

“Think you missed me, too,” she smiled, rolling the candy in her mouth and Arthur’s mouth went dry as it bulged against a cheek. His cock twitched again and the tension in his thighs tightened as he took a frustrated breath, stepping away. 

He gave her a warning look and she sobered a little at his expression. “Saturday. No backin' out.” He offered his arm again and she took it and guided him to the stable where they picket up Frost and Cricket and the cart.

She gasped when they rolled in and she saw the new tent, promptly ignored his calls to wait for him to come around as she scrambled down the cart and ran off. He took a defeated breath, unhooked the horses and followed, but it pleased him to catch her stroll around enchanted, touching the objects on the crates to put them in their perfect positions.

“You like it?” he asked, even though it was obvious she did and his heart lurched when she beamed at him. It was ridiculously easy to please Savigne.  

“Looks very nice,” she grinned.

He saw the subtle grimace that flew over her face at the state of his photos pinned on the crate and he walked up to fix the corners.

“Don’ fly off the handle, but ‘m thinkin’ maybe you can work less?” he asked carefully. She was quiet for a while as she sat down on the bed and chewed her lip.

"We need the money," was her cautious response.

He sat next to her. "'M here now. We have more money." 

"I know," she played with the candy wrapper she found in her skirt pocket. "But we also have...you know...additions."

"Savigne," he sighed, placing his hat on the nearby crate. "You gotta let me do somethin'."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I can't do what yer doin'. But this my child, too. I can do the money, you ain't gotta worry 'bout that."

These were the things she was skittish about and he tried not to take it personally. Even on their best days, she had balked at the notion of depending on someone other than herself and it shouldn't surprise him that the trust she had in him had only eroded since. She gave him a furtive look like she understood where he was coming from and relented: “I’ll talk to Luther about reducing my hours. Or days. But I just started back there and they might say no.”

If it was up to him, she wouldn't be working at all, but he knew her well enough to bide his time for a better moment. It’s been a day. Knock, don’t kick the door in.

“I’m happy we’re not in the middle of camp anymore,” she grinned in an effort to lead the conversation back to a positive note. “You said honest, so here is honesty: I didn’t miss the rest of them.”

He chuckled at that. “What ‘bout Bill?” he teased.

“It sucked that I had to leave his ice box behind!” she bemoaned.

“Then why did ya?”

She looked at him like he was a fool. “I was too embarrassed to ask Charles to lift it for me. He was the only one left to do the heavy lifting and he had a whole camp to dismantle. So I told him he doesn’t have to bother with it.”

He snorted at that. “That what you get for lyin’.”

“I was trying to be considerate,” she grumbled. “I don’t mind Bill and Javier. But you know I don’t like Dutch. And I’m not celebrating Micah’s return, either.”

“Micah ain’t returned. He dead.”

Her head snapped up to him. “How?”

He gave her a long look, uncertain if he should say it. He was still smarting from her reaction to Ecco’s demise. She had admitted that she was thankful when she thought he was asleep, but he wasn’t sure if she really understood or agreed that it had been necessary. That the only thing that could stop a bad man was another bad man - a killer. Before he could wobble on this point and slide back to dishonesty again, he made himself say it:

“Killed him.”

“You killed him?” she started.

He nodded. “Honest,” was his quiet reminder. “No lies.” 

“Why?” was her late timid whisper.

“Knew he was gonna come after you if I didn’ make it.”

She blinked at him. “How do you know that?”

“Was his nature,” he said simply.

She thought on this for a long time, chewing her lip as he watched her face. Whenever he engaged in violence around her, there was the same trepidation in his heart: that she would revile him. That she would fear him. That she couldn’t make peace with who he was, because this was the man he was now and forever, this was his nature, and he wasn’t sorry.

He was a little surprised when she finally looked up at him and nodded. “I understand.”

“How so?” was his curious question.

She shrugged and leaned down to untie her boots. “You’re my man, aren’t you?”

Said so casually, so naturally that it took his breath away.

There was a part of him, a more guarded and cautious part that hoped she would never understand what hearing that did to him. How terrifying it was, the power she had over him.

“I have to change into my nightgown," she said as she slid her boots off. "Turn around.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“I ain’t turnin’ ‘round,” he scoffed, crossing his arms.

Her eyes blazed at him with unexpected ire. "Why, so you can call me massive?"

"Listen here, I ain't never-"

"Turn around."

He exhaled in frustration and walked up to the flap of the tent, faced the inky darkness and fished out a cigarette.

“‘M telling ya now, this ain’t gonna fly Saturday.”

“Doctor said no tension, so remember that.”

“Stop cookin' up tension then,” he lobed over his shoulder.

“Easy for you to say,” she mumbled under her breath. “Imagine never having to blow up like a balloon!”

"Woman, yer barely showin'."

"Sure, and I'm wearing this corset for fun, not because my breasts are the size of melons!"

He shifted on his feet and tried to ignore his traitorous, pathetic cock twitching at the notion. In his head, a swift calculation of how many hours were left for Saturday which released a burst of saliva in his mouth as if he was a hungry beast. He inhaled a frustrated breath and made an effort to think of something else - anything else. 

"Told John he can still come with," he said to the Bayou. "To the cabin. Till Spring."

Her "Okay," was unexpected. When he looked over his shoulder she had changed into her bed wear and was loosening her hair. He threw out his cigarette and walked in to undress, too.

"Y'aint gonna argue?"

"Why would I argue? I like John," she watched him in the mirror. "He was very nice to me." Then she paused and gave him a look. "Of course, Abigail will be there too..."

His eyes flicked to her and back as he pulled up his cotton pants. "So?”

"So…” she said pointedly, climbing on the bed, "...a lot, and I mean a lot will depend on how you handle the next few months, Arthur."

"The hell that mean?"

"You know exactly what," she muttered as she lied down.

"Savigne, I haven't touched this woman in years. And John is my brother."

The look she threw his way made him wonder if he had done the right thing by inviting the Marstons. "I'm just warning you, that's all."

"'Bout?"

"Conduct." She said coolly and pulled the thin cover over herself. 

Whatever that meant. Good job plantin' this mine field under yer feet, he thought. He ran his palms over his face and was about to turn the lantern off when the word triggered something in his head and he reached to his shirt to retrieve the folded paper from his pocket. "Look here," he said softly. "This for you."

"What is it?" she sat up, surprised.

"Jasmine," he said as she carefully unfolded the paper. "Was told to plant it home." Her face lit up as she carefully pushed the dark pellets around. He cleared his throat. "Ain't the ordinary kind. Heirloom," he added to fluff up the somewhat underwhelming gift, ironically as Hercule had done. 

"Okay," she grinned, carefully folding the paper back up and placing it on the nearby crate. "Thank you. I love it." She paused for a moment and looked at him from under her eyebrows. "You know...that's the first thing you ever gifted me."

"Lies," he huffed. But in his head, he was bewildered to find it true. Christ, grub really must have made her stupid, why else would she stick with you?

She didn't argue and lied back down and was a lot less stiff and frosty and she didn’t slap his hand away like last night. He enveloped her like before and kissed her temple, then her neck. 

"That enough to get under yer skirt?" he grinned. Then he added a hasty “Just kiddin’,” when she tensed in his arms.

"I wonder what kind of soil they like," she whispered a while later. "And climate." A moment passed. "There is a gardener shop in the city, I'll ask them tomorrow." He smiled to himself, happy with her enthusiasm. Then she said something that surprised him:

"You think we can plant one on Hosea's grave?"

"Sure,” was his belated answer.

“He was the one who invited me to the camp,” she pondered quietly. “And he was always nice to me. I miss him.”

“Miss him too,” he sighed as the familiar dagger swiped at his heart. “Was more a father to me than m’own.”

Her hand closed over his and squeezed gently and he relished her closeness, her warmth, her compassion. It occurred to him that by a twist of fate, a single fork in the road he could be lying in that hut with the others right now and have nobody but himself as he faced this loss. A deep gratitude for his fortune washed over him. Grief was a lot easier to carry with her by his side.

Sometime during the night she gasped and sat up and he woke up and reflexively did the same.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, still disoriented. The vestiges of Guarma followed him around, probably because the Bayou climate and mood was similar enough to the jungle and he often woke up in the night, unsure where he was. He tried to shake his sleep off and was about to ask again when she said:

“It kicked.”

For a moment he thought she was startled out of a dream, too. “What?”

“The grub. Just kicked.”

He stilled to process this as his mind went blank. “What does that mean?” was his nervous question. He had barely been around for Eliza’s pregnancy and obviously he hadn’t shared a tent with Abigail or had had extensive conversations about her day to day condition, so to say that his knowledge in the matter was massively lacking was an understatement. In his head he calculated how quickly he can prepare the cart, throw her in the back and how fast he can fly to Saint Denis. Polio had said that the clinic had a doctor sleeping there for after hours in case of emergencies, but had also given Arthur his card with his home address. Then it occurred to him that he could just run over to the hut and wake up Abigail. He threw his legs off the bed and was about to do that when her chuckle in the dark surprised him.

“It’s fine.” She searched for and found his hand. “Polleux said they sometimes do that. Means they’re getting stronger.”

He woke up all the way when she guided his hand to her belly and held it there. His heart staggered and he was stupefied that this major barrier was being lifted for him right here, right now, just like that. Moments later he felt it: a tap, gentle but unmistakable, like a bird flapping open a wing in his palm. He exhaled a huff of surprise and moved to sit closer behind her left shoulder. They stilled and waited, then it happened again. That breathlessness came over him again and his head swam.

“We sure this is fine?” he whispered, cautious. I need to read a damn book or somethin’ he thought to himself.

“Yeah. It’s a good thing. Like the heartbeat.” He heard the grin in her voice and took a shuddering breath as his shoulders relaxed.

He circled his palm over the thin cotton of her nightgown, and kissed her shoulder, then her neck. “Does it hurt?”

“A little,” she mumbled. “But mostly it just feels weird.”

Her head turned to him and he moved his hand off her belly to gently grip her chin as he leaned over her shoulder to kiss her, slow and deep.

“I’m a little scared,” she said quietly when he broke it. Her eyelashes whispered against his cheek.

What he thought was ‘Sounds nice, because I’m fucking terrified’, but what he said was “Gonna be fine.”

She sighed and lied back down and he adjusted to lie behind her but kept his hand on her bump. He felt the kick twice more, then nothing.

Conflicting emotions washed over him. A healthy dose of contentment but also that old, familiar guilt that had reared its head years later and refused to duck back down. Then guilt for feeling guilt - for letting the past mar the present.

He had missed all this with Isaac, had abandoned him to grow alone, unheard as he tapped his wing out to the world. But the deeper truth was that even now, with the wisdom of hindsight, he couldn’t see himself doing this with Eliza and he felt guilt for that, too. His relationship with Savigne had a nasty way of retrieving the past. Like cleaning under the bed and finding a dead mouse. Now that the present had caught up to the past, he couldn’t shake that shadow that kept chasing him. He hadn’t loved Eliza - hell, without the booze in his veins, he had barely liked her, but he kept thinking if maybe he could have, if he had tried. Wasn’t that hard to like someone, was it? You just had to look at the good and ignore the bad - like looking around a scar, as Hosea had said. Why was it so easy with Savigne and had felt impossible with Eliza?

He loved it when Savigne needed him, but when Eliza had - and understandably so - he had found it stifling. He loved lying here, but the notion of doing the same with Eliza had turned his stomach and other than that drunken fucking, he had never attempted to share a bed with her again. Even when he visited and she had offered, then had practically begged him, he had stubbornly chosen to camp outside. To discourage her from thinking this was more than it was, he had told himself but deep in his gut, he had enjoyed the cruelty of it. And when the rejection had soured him to her with each visit, he had enjoyed that too. It had validated his feelings for her - of course he didn’t like her when she was so vile to him, but all the while he was the reason for that vileness.

Why? This many years later, looking at it from this far away, he sensed it had been a feeble attempt to distance himself of both the foolishness of that drunk fucking and the consequences of it. His attempt to unsee his own his mistakes and the consequences of his mistakes. Wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t served him all those drinks, would it? Nevermind that he had ordered those drinks. Wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t flirted with him (he had done the flirting), wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t invited him to that barn (he had done the inviting), wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t seduced him (he was the one who had gotten handsy), wouldn’t have happened if he had pulled out but how could he pull out if he was drunk and he was drunk because she had served him all those drinks. On and on the circle went but the result was the same: she had done this and now she wanted him to suffer for it and by god, he wasn’t gonna. As if getting pregnant by a man who didn’t care for her wasn’t the bigger suffering. As if growing big alone while being pushed out of town wasn’t suffering. As if going through pregnancy alone and ostracized, giving birth alone, raising a child alone, watching a sullen man come and go as he pleased to throw a few dollars on the table and acting all magnanimous about it wasn’t the real suffering.

There was that shame again. So much shame. Like that dead mouse that had been stinking up the room for years and now revealed: a mountain of naked, stomach turning shame. What was the point of doing anything right when none of that could ever undo the wrong he did? There was no redemption for him and never would be. Ever. What was the point of any of it?

He shifted a little and Savigne, now asleep, stirred against him. And then he thought because I have to save that one person in town and hope that’s enough. Wasn’t going to be enough, nothing was going to be enough, but he sensed that the tiny pin that massive board was balanced on, that tender hope was the point.

The idea soothed him and he splayed his hand on her belly as took a deep breath.

My yesterdays will follow me like a shadow and there ain’t no gettin’ rid of a shadow. But if I keep my face to the sun, they’ll remain to my back and can’t darken my todays.

Here’s hoping, anyway.

[lboogie1906]

Robert Frederick Smith (December 1, 1962) is a businessman, philanthropist, chemical engineer, and investor. He is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners.

In high school, he applied for an internship at Bell Labs but was told the program was intended for college students. He persisted, calling each Monday for five months. When a student from M.I.T. did not show up, he got the position, and that summer he developed a reliability test for semiconductors. He earned a BS in chemical engineering from Cornell University. He became a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha. He received his MBA from Columbia University with concentrations in finance and marketing.

He worked at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Air Products & Chemicals, and Kraft General Foods as a chemical engineer, where he registered two US and two European patents. He worked for Goldman Sachs in technology investment banking, first in New York City and then in Silicon Valley. He advised on mergers and acquisition activity with companies such as Apple and Microsoft. He was included in Vanity Fair’s New Establishment List, which is an annual ranking of individuals who have made impactful business innovations.

He founded Vista Equity Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm of which he is the principal founder, chairman, and chief executive. He is credited with generating a 30 percent rate of return for his investors from the company’s inception to 2020. Vista Equity Partners was the fourth largest enterprise software company after Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP, including all their holdings. Vista has invested in companies such as STATS, Ping Identity, and Jio. Vista Equity Partners had closed more than $46 billion of funding.

He was named Private Equity International’s Game Changer of the Year for his work with Vista.

The 2019 PitchBook Private Equity Awards named Vista Equity Partners “Dealmaker of the Year”. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphaphialpha

[luceliv]

skyliv master post! [the ship not my account lol]

although she wasn’t my introduction to selfshipping, and at first i was actually too nervous to even consider her, i am so corny when it comes to liv. in a good and bad way.

idk what to describe this post as, its a mix of tag descriptions and lore summary! hope that makes sense lol

@kayakoto-enterprises you wanted to be tagged helloo!!!

s/i info: Lucielle Ross! 25 year old mutant who’s recently graduated from Xavier’s with a masters in wildlife biology (Specifically marine life but Xavier’s didn’t have a separate course for that). Mutation caused her to be born with those seal features, her main power being that she can transform if she has her pelt and is at water. She’d followed Olivia’s work throughout university, and had briefly met her, but they finally properly met when Luce signs up as a mutant volunteer for Alchemax.

In this universe, the collider has barely reached its target funding, meaning construction hasn’t even started. Fisk still funds Alchemax (not for his family) but Liv is still finishing up other projects. One project in particular, what Lucielle volunteered to help with, is an addition to security systems that detects the X gene in people. It was supposed to just be one appointment, maybe some DNA samples and advice on the device, but since Luce was the first volunteer Liv figures there wouldnt be any harm in suggesting weekly meetings. For science of course!

She’s swearing she won’t get attached, after all Kingpin just offered a few billion dollars to start more research on multiverse theory. But. whoops. seals r cute and she thinks this woman is too

Their relationship is weird (/j i just like to poke fun at them) built off mutual fascination in each other and the reassuring sense that they can take this slow. Liv is still doctor octopus, so there’s some tension with her being in that line of work (there’s been at least one incident w that metal chair). One loving the other is like breathing to them, even from different ways of life they found themselves bound from the start, stuck together like suction cups

a seal and an octopus, a lamb and a cat, the ocean and the cliffs, magics and technology, they’re an odd mixture but they fit together just fine

main au list: sky-spider [spidersona x Doc Ock], fantasy [ocean princess x alchemist], march hare [villainsona nd doc ock!]

fun fact liv is eventually discouraged to ruin her life by devoting it to the collider in particular. she’s still a hard worker, maybe spot can be a villain hmm.. idk.

tags: #liv gifs [gifs, pretty obvious], #🪶🧪 [general- any art, writing, or rbs that make me think of her nd me], #fantasy au [self explanatory, a few drabbles on my most developed au], #sky spider [also self explanatory, anything with my spidersona], #phoca vitulina [anything with my selkie/mutant s/i], #tender buttons [my first fic! older posts, but it includes the full thing on a drive], #🐚 [any of my writing posts abt liv], #⚗️ [my newest lore fanfic! regarding my mutant s/i]

playlist: right here! on apple music. either going by vibes or specific to meanings, i just really like these songs, and i feel like they’d both like these tracks

[fortunatelyfreearcade]

**From PCI DSS to HIPAA: Ensuring Compliance with Robust IT Support in New York City**

Introduction

In contemporary digital world, organisations are a growing number of reliant on science for their operations. This dependence has caused a heightened focus on cybersecurity and compliance specifications, specifically in regulated industries like healthcare and finance. For services working in New York City, wisdom the nuances of compliance frameworks—specifically the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)—is quintessential. Navigating those policies requires potent IT give a boost to, which encompasses everything from community infrastructure to documents management.

With the rapid advancement of technological know-how, organizations ought to additionally remain abreast of high-quality practices in details technologies (IT) give a boost to. This article delves into how organizations can ensure that compliance with PCI DSS and HIPAA thru triumphant IT processes whilst leveraging materials from accurate providers like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and others.

Understanding PCI DSS What is PCI DSS?

The https://brooksxaoj631.over.blog/2025/04/navigating-cybersecurity-in-the-big-apple-essential-it-support-solutions-for-new-york-businesses.html Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a group of safety principles designed to look after card tips all the way through and after a economic transaction. It was once proven by using significant credit card enterprises to fight growing times of fee fraud.

Why is PCI DSS Important?

Compliance with PCI DSS enables groups defend touchy economic recordsdata, thereby modifying visitor trust and slicing the possibility of info breaches. Non-compliance can bring about intense consequences, such as hefty fines or maybe being banned from processing credit score card transactions.

Key Requirements of PCI DSS Build and Maintain a Secure Network: This carries fitting a firewall to preserve cardholder knowledge. Protect Cardholder Data: Encrypt kept files and transmit it securely. Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program: Use antivirus utility and develop protect structures. Implement Strong Access Control Measures: Restrict entry to in basic terms people that want it. Regularly Monitor and Test Networks: Keep observe of all get admission to to networks and aas a rule look at various protection tactics. Maintain an Information Security Policy: Create insurance policies that cope with defense necessities. Exploring HIPAA Compliance What is HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets the ordinary for conserving sensitive sufferer know-how in the healthcare trade. Any entity that offers with blanketed well being know-how (PHI) have got to adjust to HIPAA regulations.

Importance of HIPAA Compliance

HIPAA compliance no longer handiest protects affected person privateness however also guarantees more suitable healthcare outcome with the aid of permitting maintain sharing of affected person data between permitted entities. Violations can cause titanic fines, prison results, and wreck to popularity.

" style="max-width:500px;height:auto;">

Core Components of HIPAA Compliance Privacy Rule: Establishes countr

[quickpay1]

Best Payment Gateway In India– Quick Pay

In today's digital era, businesses of all sizes need a reliable, secure, and efficient payment gateway to process online transactions. Whether you're running an e-commerce store, a subscription-based service, or a brick-and-mortar shop expanding to digital payments, choosing the right payment gateway can significantly impact your success. Among the many options available, Quick Pay has emerged as one of the best payment gateways in the industry.

This article explores the features, benefits, security measures, and why Quick Pay is the preferred choice for businesses worldwide.

What is Quick Pay?

Quick Pay is a cutting-edge payment gateway solution that facilitates seamless online transactions between merchants and customers. It offers a secure and user-friendly interface, allowing businesses to accept payments via credit cards, debit cards, mobile wallets, and bank transfers. Quick Pay supports multiple currencies and integrates with various e-commerce platforms, making it a versatile choice for businesses operating locally and globally.

Key Features of Quick Pay

1. Multi-Channel Payment Support

One of the standout features of Quick Pay is its ability to support multiple payment channels, including:

Credit and debit card processing (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc.)

Mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, etc.)

Bank transfers and direct debit

QR code payments

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services

This flexibility ensures that businesses can cater to customers' diverse payment preferences, thereby enhancing the checkout experience and improving sales conversion rates.

2. Seamless Integration

Quick Pay offers seamless integration with major e-commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and BigCommerce. Additionally, it provides APIs and plugins that allow businesses to customize payment processing according to their specific needs. Developers can easily integrate Quick Pay into their websites and mobile applications without extensive coding knowledge.

3. High-Level Security & Fraud Prevention

Security is a top priority for any payment gateway, and Quick Pay excels in this area with:

PCI DSS compliance (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)

Advanced encryption technology to protect sensitive data

AI-driven fraud detection and prevention mechanisms

3D Secure authentication for an extra layer of security

By implementing these security measures, Quick Pay minimizes fraudulent transactions and enhances customer trust.

4. Fast and Reliable Transactions

Speed and reliability are crucial in online payments. Quick Pay ensures that transactions are processed swiftly with minimal downtime. It supports instant payment processing, reducing wait times for merchants and customers alike. Businesses can also benefit from automated settlement features that streamline fund transfers to their bank accounts.

5. Competitive Pricing & Transparent Fees

Unlike many payment gateways that have hidden charges, Quick Pay provides transparent pricing models. It offers:

No setup fees

Low transaction fees with volume-based discounts

No hidden maintenance or withdrawal charges

Custom pricing plans for high-volume merchants

This cost-effective approach makes Quick Pay a preferred choice for startups and large enterprises alike.

6. Recurring Payments & Subscription Billing

For businesses offering subscription-based services, Quick Pay provides a robust recurring payment system. It automates billing cycles, reducing manual efforts while ensuring timely payments. Customers can set up autopay, making it convenient for them and improving customer retention rates for businesses.

7. Multi-Currency & Global Payment Support

In an increasingly globalized economy, accepting international payments is vital. Quick Pay supports transactions in multiple currencies and offers dynamic currency conversion. This allows businesses to cater to international customers without dealing with complex exchange rate issues.

Benefits of Using Quick Pay

1. Enhanced Customer Experience

Quick Pay ensures a smooth checkout experience by providing multiple payment options and a user-friendly interface. Faster payment processing reduces cart abandonment and boosts customer satisfaction.

2. Improved Business Efficiency

With automated invoicing, seamless integration, and real-time transaction tracking, businesses can streamline their payment operations, saving time and resources.

3. Higher Security & Reduced Fraud Risk

With its state-of-the-art security measures, Quick Pay minimizes risks associated with fraud and data breaches. This enhances business credibility and customer trust.

4. Increased Sales & Revenue

Supporting multiple payment options and international transactions helps businesses tap into a broader customer base, leading to higher sales and revenue growth.

How to Set Up Quick Pay for Your Business?

Setting up Quick Pay is a straightforward process:

Sign Up – Visit the Quick Pay website and create an account.

Verify Business Details – Submit the required business documents for verification.

Integrate Quick Pay – Use APIs, plugins, or custom scripts to integrate Quick Pay into your website or app.

Configure Payment Options – Select the preferred payment methods you want to offer customers.

Go Live – Once approved, start accepting payments seamlessly.

Why Quick Pay Stands Out Among Competitors

While several payment gateways exist, Quick Pay differentiates itself with:

Superior security measures compared to standard gateways.

Faster payouts than many competitors, ensuring businesses receive funds quicker.

Customer-friendly interface making it easier for both merchants and users.

Scalability, accommodating businesses from small startups to large enterprises.

Conclusion

Quick Pay is undoubtedly one of the best payment gateway in India available today. Its blend of security, efficiency, affordability, and ease of use makes it an ideal choice for businesses across various industries. Whether you run an e-commerce store, a SaaS business, or a global enterprise, Quick Pay ensures smooth, secure, and hassle-free payment processing.

By choosing Quick Pay, businesses can enhance customer experience, reduce fraud risks, and boost revenue. With seamless integration, multi-currency support, and advanced features, Quick Pay is the go-to payment gateway for modern businesses looking for a reliable and future-proof payment solution.

Are you ready to streamline your payments and take your business to the next level? Sign up for Quick Pay today!

[digitaldetoxworld]

Top 10 Emerging Tech Trends to Watch in 2025

 Technology is evolving at an unprecedented tempo, shaping industries, economies, and day by day lifestyles. As we method 2025, several contemporary technology are set to redefine how we engage with the sector. From synthetic intelligence to quantum computing, here are the important thing emerging tech developments to look at in 2025.

Top 10 Emerging Tech Trends In 2025

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Evolution

AI remains a dominant force in technological advancement. By 2025, we will see AI turning into greater sophisticated and deeply incorporated into corporations and personal programs. Key tendencies include:

Generative AI: AI fashions like ChatGPT and DALL·E will strengthen similarly, generating more human-like textual content, images, and even films.

AI-Powered Automation: Companies will more and more depend upon AI-pushed automation for customer support, content material advent, and even software development.

Explainable AI (XAI): Transparency in AI decision-making becomes a priority, ensuring AI is greater trustworthy and comprehensible.

AI in Healthcare: From diagnosing sicknesses to robot surgeries, AI will revolutionize healthcare, reducing errors and improving affected person results.

2. Quantum Computing Breakthroughs

Quantum computing is transitioning from theoretical studies to real-global packages. In 2025, we will expect:

More powerful quantum processors: Companies like Google, IBM, and startups like IonQ are making full-size strides in quantum hardware.

Quantum AI: Combining quantum computing with AI will enhance machine studying fashions, making them exponentially quicker.

Commercial Quantum Applications: Industries like logistics, prescribed drugs, and cryptography will begin leveraging quantum computing for fixing complex troubles that traditional computer systems can not manage successfully.

3. The Rise of Web3 and Decentralization

The evolution of the net continues with Web3, emphasizing decentralization, blockchain, and user possession. Key factors consist of:

Decentralized Finance (DeFi): More economic services will shift to decentralized platforms, putting off intermediaries.

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) Beyond Art: NFTs will find utility in actual estate, gaming, and highbrow belongings.

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs): These blockchain-powered organizations will revolutionize governance systems, making choice-making more obvious and democratic.

Metaverse Integration: Web3 will further integrate with the metaverse, allowing secure and decentralized digital environments.

4. Extended Reality (XR) and the Metaverse

Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) will retain to improve, making the metaverse extra immersive. Key tendencies consist of:

Lighter, More Affordable AR/VR Devices: Companies like Apple, Meta, and Microsoft are working on more accessible and cushty wearable generation.

Enterprise Use Cases: Businesses will use AR/VR for far flung paintings, education, and collaboration, lowering the want for physical office spaces.

Metaverse Economy Growth: Digital belongings, digital real estate, and immersive studies will gain traction, driven via blockchain technology.

AI-Generated Virtual Worlds: AI will play a role in developing dynamic, interactive, and ever-evolving virtual landscapes.

5. Sustainable and Green Technology

With growing concerns over weather alternate, generation will play a vital function in sustainability. Some key innovations include:

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): New techniques will emerge to seize and keep carbon emissions efficaciously.

Smart Grids and Renewable Energy Integration: AI-powered clever grids will optimize power distribution and consumption.

Electric Vehicle (EV) Advancements: Battery generation upgrades will cause longer-lasting, faster-charging EVs.

Biodegradable Electronics: The upward thrust of green digital additives will assist lessen e-waste.

6. Biotechnology and Personalized Medicine

Healthcare is present process a metamorphosis with biotech improvements. By 2025, we expect:

Gene Editing and CRISPR Advances: Breakthroughs in gene modifying will enable treatments for genetic disorders.

Personalized Medicine: AI and big statistics will tailor remedies based on man or woman genetic profiles.

Lab-Grown Organs and Tissues: Scientists will make in addition progress in 3D-published organs and tissue engineering.

Wearable Health Monitors: More superior wearables will music fitness metrics in actual-time, presenting early warnings for illnesses.

7. Edge Computing and 5G Expansion

The developing call for for real-time statistics processing will push aspect computing to the vanguard. In 2025, we will see:

Faster 5G Networks: Global 5G insurance will increase, enabling excessive-velocity, low-latency verbal exchange.

Edge AI Processing: AI algorithms will system information in the direction of the source, reducing the want for centralized cloud computing.

Industrial IoT (IIoT) Growth: Factories, deliver chains, and logistics will advantage from real-time facts analytics and automation.

Eight. Cybersecurity and Privacy Enhancements

With the upward thrust of AI, quantum computing, and Web3, cybersecurity will become even more essential. Expect:

AI-Driven Cybersecurity: AI will come across and prevent cyber threats extra effectively than traditional methods.

Zero Trust Security Models: Organizations will undertake stricter get right of entry to controls, assuming no entity is inherently sincere.

Quantum-Resistant Cryptography: As quantum computer systems turn out to be greater effective, encryption techniques will evolve to counter potential threats.

Biometric Authentication: More structures will rely on facial reputation, retina scans, and behavioral biometrics.

9. Robotics and Automation

Automation will hold to disrupt numerous industries. By 2025, key trends encompass:

Humanoid Robots: Companies like Tesla and Boston Dynamics are growing robots for commercial and family use.

AI-Powered Supply Chains: Robotics will streamline logistics and warehouse operations.

Autonomous Vehicles: Self-using automobiles, trucks, and drones will become greater not unusual in transportation and shipping offerings.

10. Space Exploration and Commercialization

Space era is advancing swiftly, with governments and private groups pushing the boundaries. Trends in 2025 include:

Lunar and Mars Missions: NASA, SpaceX, and other groups will development of their missions to establish lunar bases.

Space Tourism: Companies like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic will make industrial area travel more reachable.

Asteroid Mining: Early-level research and experiments in asteroid mining will start, aiming to extract rare materials from area.

[nividawebsolutions]

How iOS Development Companies Leverage Design to Enhance User Experience

In the fast-paced world of mobile app development, user experience (UX) has become a critical factor in determining the success of any iOS application. Whether it’s a simple utility app or a complex enterprise solution, the design and usability of an app directly impact its user engagement, retention, and overall success in the market. iOS development companies are increasingly focusing on leveraging design to enhance the user experience, ensuring that apps are not only functional but also intuitive, visually appealing, and easy to navigate.

In this blog, we will explore how iOS development companies, particularly the Best iOS Development Companies in Gujarat, are using design principles to enhance user experience, and why design plays such a pivotal role in the development of iOS applications.

The Role of Design in iOS Development:

Design is much more than just the visual appearance of an app. It encompasses how users interact with the app, how intuitive and seamless their experience is, and how easy it is for them to accomplish their goals. A well-designed app creates a positive first impression, builds trust, and encourages users to return. On the other hand, poor design can lead to frustration, confusion, and ultimately, app abandonment.

For iOS development companies, design is a strategic element that influences the app’s usability, functionality, and overall performance. The Best iOS Development Company in Gujarat understands the importance of user-centered design and works to integrate it into every stage of the app development process, from concept to launch.

1. User-Centered Design Approach:

The foundation of great UX design is a user-centered approach. This means designing the app with the end-user in mind, ensuring that their needs, preferences, and behaviors are considered throughout the development process. iOS development companies use various tools and techniques, such as user research, personas, and journey mapping, to gain a deep understanding of the target audience.

By focusing on the needs of users, the Best iOS Development Companies in Gujarat can create apps that are intuitive and easy to use. They conduct user testing to gather feedback and make design improvements, ensuring that the app’s interface is as user-friendly as possible.

2. Simplifying Navigation:

One of the most crucial aspects of iOS app design is navigation. A seamless navigation system ensures that users can easily find what they’re looking for without feeling lost or frustrated. iOS development companies leverage design principles such as hierarchy, consistency, and simplicity to create intuitive navigation systems.

The use of standard iOS design patterns, such as tab bars, navigation bars, and swipe gestures, ensures that users can easily navigate through the app. By adhering to these familiar patterns, iOS developers can create an experience that feels natural and intuitive, reducing the learning curve for new users.

3. Visual Aesthetics and Branding:

The visual design of an app is the first thing users notice when they open it. A clean, aesthetically pleasing design creates a positive first impression and establishes the app’s credibility. iOS development companies focus on creating visually stunning interfaces that align with the brand’s identity and appeal to the target audience.

The use of colors, typography, and imagery plays a significant role in setting the tone and mood of the app. By adhering to Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines, iOS developers ensure that the app’s design is consistent with iOS standards, making it feel familiar and polished. The Best iOS Development Company in Gujarat pays close attention to detail, ensuring that every visual element is aligned with the overall user experience.

4. Optimizing Performance for Better UX:

While design is essential, it’s equally important to ensure that the app performs well. A beautifully designed app that is slow or buggy will lead to a poor user experience and drive users away. iOS development companies focus on optimizing app performance to ensure smooth, fast, and responsive experiences.

Design elements such as animations, transitions, and interactive elements are carefully optimized to ensure they don’t negatively impact the app’s performance. By leveraging the latest iOS development tools and technologies, Best iOS Development Companies in Gujarat ensure that the app runs smoothly on all supported devices, providing users with a seamless experience.

5. Responsiveness Across Devices:

With the wide variety of iOS devices available, including iPhones, iPads, and different screen sizes, it’s essential for iOS development companies to design apps that are responsive and adaptable to various devices. A responsive design ensures that the app looks and functions well on any screen size, whether it’s a small iPhone or a larger iPad.

Responsive design is achieved through techniques such as auto-layouts, flexible grids, and scalable assets. By focusing on creating apps that are responsive, iOS development companies ensure that users have a consistent experience, no matter what device they’re using.

6. Integrating Gestures and Touch Interactions:

iOS devices are known for their touch-based interfaces, and iOS development companies leverage this feature to create more interactive and engaging user experiences. Touch gestures, such as swiping, pinching, and tapping, are integrated into the app’s design to make it more intuitive and interactive.

By incorporating these touch interactions, Best iOS Development Companies in Gujarat create apps that feel natural and responsive to user input. These gestures enhance the overall user experience by making navigation and interactions more fluid and enjoyable.

7. Accessibility Considerations:

An often overlooked aspect of design is accessibility. iOS development companies are increasingly focused on making their apps accessible to users with disabilities. This includes ensuring that the app is usable by individuals with visual, auditory, or motor impairments.

By incorporating accessibility features such as VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, and high-contrast modes, iOS development companies ensure that their apps are inclusive and can be used by a wider audience. Accessibility considerations are not only a legal requirement in some regions, but also an essential part of creating a positive user experience for all users.

8. Continuous Improvement Through Feedback:

Design is an ongoing process, and iOS development companies understand the importance of continuous improvement. After the app is launched, developers gather feedback from users through reviews, analytics, and direct feedback. This feedback is used to make design improvements and updates, ensuring that the app evolves to meet user needs.

By adopting an iterative design process, Best iOS Development Companies in Gujarat can refine the app’s user experience over time, making it more intuitive, efficient, and enjoyable for users.

Conclusion:

In the world of iOS app development, design is a key driver of user experience. The Best iOS Development Companies in Gujarat leverage design principles to create apps that are not only visually appealing but also intuitive, responsive, and easy to use. By focusing on user-centered design, optimizing performance, and incorporating touch interactions, these companies ensure that their apps provide a seamless experience that keeps users engaged and coming back.

Whether you’re looking to develop a new app or improve an existing one, partnering with a top-tier iOS development company can help you create an app that stands out in a crowded market and delivers an exceptional user experience. Design is not just about making things look good; it’s about making them work better for the users.

[mobileappdevs3]

Top Reasons to Choose a Mobile App Development Company for Your Business Growth

Building a mobile app for your business isn't just a trend anymore—it's a necessity. Whether you're running a small startup or managing a growing enterprise, mobile apps have become a powerful way to connect with customers, streamline processes, and scale your business. Today, I want to share why working with a mobile app development company could be the smartest investment you make this year.

Why Mobile Apps Matter for Your Business

As someone who loves exploring the world of technology, I can confidently say that mobile apps are no longer a luxury—they’re a necessity. They help businesses connect with customers, streamline operations, and even generate revenue. Here's why:

Accessibility: Mobile apps give your customers 24/7 access to your products or services.

Enhanced User Experience: Custom apps offer intuitive interfaces and personalized experiences.

Increased Brand Visibility: Your app sits in your customers’ pockets, ensuring constant brand engagement.

Why Choose a Mobile App Development Company?

1. Expertise in Custom Application Development

Creating a mobile app isn’t just about coding; it’s about crafting an experience tailored to your business goals. A custom application development team specializes in designing apps that cater to your unique needs, whether you’re targeting iOS, Android, or both.

2. Cost-Effective Solutions

A professional mobile app development company in India can provide top-notch mobile app development services at a fraction of the cost compared to other regions. India has become a hub for custom application development thanks to its talented developers and competitive pricing.

3. End-to-End Support

From brainstorming app ideas to launching your app on the App Store or Google Play, companies like Mobulous Technologies, a top mobile app development company India, offer comprehensive support. Their services often include:

UI/UX design

App development

Quality assurance testing

Post-launch support and updates

4. Expertise in iOS and Android App Development

Whether you're targeting Apple users or the broader Android audience, partnering with an iOS app development company or an Android app development company ensures your app runs seamlessly across platforms.

Also Read: Top Reasons Why Businesses Choose Custom Mobile App Development

Why Mobulous Technologies Stands Out

When it comes to finding the best mobile app development company, I’ve found that Mobulous Technologies is a name that consistently stands out. Here’s what makes them special:

Top Mobile App Development Company: Recognized globally for delivering innovative apps.

Custom Application Development: Tailor-made solutions designed to suit your business needs.

Comprehensive Services in India: Offering mobile app development services in India that cover every stage of the development cycle.

How a Mobile App Development Company Drives Business Growth

Choosing the right mobile app development company is like finding the perfect business partner. Here’s how they contribute to your growth:

Faster Time-to-Market: Their experience helps you launch your app quickly.

High-Quality Development: With experts in custom application development, your app is built to perform.

Scalability: They ensure your app can grow with your business.

FAQs

Q:1. How do I choose the right mobile app development company?

Look for a company with a strong portfolio, positive client reviews, and expertise in both iOS app development and Android app development.

Q:2. Why should I consider an Indian mobile app development company?

India is home to some of the best mobile app development companies, offering high-quality services at competitive prices.

Q:3. What makes Mobulous Technologies a top choice?

Mobulous Technologies is a trusted name in the industry, known for its innovative solutions, expert developers, and commitment to client satisfaction.

Q:4. How long does it take to develop a mobile app?

The timeline depends on the complexity of the app, features required, and platform. Generally, a simple app takes 3–6 months, while more complex apps may take longer.

Q:5. What is custom application development, and why is it important?

Custom application development refers to building apps tailored to a business’s specific needs. It ensures your app aligns with your brand and meets your unique goals.

Q:6. Can a mobile app development company help with app marketing?

Yes! Many companies, including Mobulous Technologies, offer marketing support to help you promote your app effectively and reach your target audience.

Q:7. How do mobile apps enhance user engagement?

Mobile apps provide personalized experiences, push notifications, and direct access to services, keeping users engaged and boosting customer loyalty.

Q:8. Should I develop my app for iPhone, Android, or both?

It depends on your target audience. An iphone app development company can help you target Apple users, while an Android app development company is perfect for reaching a broader audience. Many businesses choose to develop for both platforms.

Q:9. Are mobile apps scalable for future growth?

Yes, when developed by a professional mobile app development company, apps can be designed with scalability in mind, allowing your business to grow without limitations.

Q:10. What are the costs associated with mobile app development?

The cost varies based on app complexity, design, features, and platforms. Indian companies like Mobulous Technologies are known for providing cost-effective yet high-quality solutions.

Q:11. Do mobile app development companies offer post-launch support?

Yes, most top companies, such as Mobulous Technologies, provide ongoing maintenance, updates, and support to ensure your app runs smoothly after launch.

Q:12. What technologies are commonly used in mobile app development?

Companies use various technologies like Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android, React Native, and Flutter for cross-platform apps. Discuss your requirements with your development team for the best choice.

Final Thoughts

In a world where mobile apps drive customer engagement and business success, partnering with the right mobile app development company is crucial. Whether you need custom application development or a trusted partner for mobile app development services in India, companies like Mobulous Technologies can help turn your ideas into reality.

[unpluggedfinancial]

The Year of Bitcoin: Why 2025 Could Be a Turning Point

The start of 2025 has set the stage for what may be Bitcoin’s most transformative year yet. The events of 2024, from significant corporate acquisitions to milestones in adoption, have positioned Bitcoin as a central player in the evolving financial landscape. With growing economic instability, technological advancements, and shifting narratives, Bitcoin is poised to reach new heights in both relevance and adoption.

Setting the Stage

In 2024, Bitcoin witnessed several pivotal moments. Institutional interest soared, adoption among individuals continued to grow, and countries started exploring Bitcoin as a hedge against economic uncertainty. As we enter 2025, the momentum is unmistakable. Bitcoin is no longer merely a speculative asset—it is becoming a cornerstone of financial innovation and security.

The Macro Environment

The global economy is in a state of flux. Rising inflation and growing distrust in fiat currencies have left governments and central banks scrambling for solutions. In this environment, Bitcoin’s fixed supply and decentralized nature offer a stark contrast to the instability of traditional systems. As more people recognize its value as a store of wealth, Bitcoin’s role in the global financial system is expanding.

Adoption Trends: A Billion-Dollar Vote of Confidence

December 2024 was a monumental month for corporate Bitcoin adoption. In just the first 10 days, U.S. companies invested a staggering $3.26 billion into Bitcoin.

MicroStrategy, the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, acquired 21,550 BTC worth $2.1 billion, bringing its total holdings to 423,650 BTC valued at $25.6 billion.

Marathon Digital, a leading Bitcoin mining firm, added 11,774 BTC for around $1.1 billion, boosting its total to 40,435 BTC worth $3.9 billion.

Riot Platforms, a Bitcoin infrastructure company, acquired 705 BTC worth $68.45 million.

These investments underscore the confidence U.S. companies have in Bitcoin as a long-term store of value. They also signal a broader shift in institutional attitudes toward Bitcoin as an essential financial asset.

A Historic Milestone: Bitcoin Enters the Nasdaq-100

In another major development, MicroStrategy joined the Nasdaq-100 Index on December 23, 2024, standing alongside titans like Apple, Microsoft, and Tesla. This milestone not only highlights MicroStrategy’s success but also validates Bitcoin’s integration into traditional financial systems.

Founded over 30 years ago as an enterprise software company, MicroStrategy transitioned into a Bitcoin powerhouse under the leadership of Executive Chairman Michael Saylor. Since 2020, the company has amassed over 423,000 BTC worth $42 billion, becoming the largest corporate holder of the scarce digital asset. Its inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 symbolizes Bitcoin’s growing credibility and mainstream acceptance.

The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

In a groundbreaking move, the incoming Trump administration has announced plans to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve. This initiative aims to position the United States as a leader in the digital asset space while safeguarding its financial future. By holding Bitcoin as a reserve asset, the government signals its confidence in Bitcoin’s long-term value and utility. Such a policy could set a precedent for other nations, accelerating global adoption and further solidifying Bitcoin’s status as a global store of value.

Technological Advancements

Bitcoin’s infrastructure continues to evolve. The Lightning Network, which facilitates instant and low-cost Bitcoin transactions, is gaining widespread adoption, enabling new use cases like micropayments and decentralized financial services. Upgrades like Taproot and innovations in Ordinals have also enhanced Bitcoin’s privacy, scalability, and functionality. These advancements are transforming Bitcoin from a simple store of value to a versatile tool for global commerce.

The Narrative Shift

Bitcoin’s narrative is evolving. Once seen primarily as a speculative investment, it is now recognized as a tool for financial sovereignty and inclusion. Younger generations, who grew up in an era of financial crises and technological disruption, are driving this shift. For them, Bitcoin represents not just an asset but a movement—a way to opt out of traditional systems and build a fairer, more transparent financial future.

Challenges to Watch

Despite its progress, Bitcoin faces significant challenges. Regulatory uncertainty remains a critical hurdle, with governments worldwide grappling with how to classify and regulate Bitcoin. Competing narratives, such as the rise of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), also pose a threat. Additionally, the debate over Bitcoin’s energy consumption continues, though proponents argue that it’s driving innovation in renewable energy.

Why 2025 Could Be the Year of Bitcoin

As we look ahead, it’s clear that 2025 holds immense potential for Bitcoin. With institutional adoption accelerating, technological innovations reshaping its utility, and the macroeconomic landscape driving demand, Bitcoin is on the brink of a new era.

For individuals and institutions alike, the message is clear: stay informed, get involved, and embrace Bitcoin as a cornerstone of the future financial system. The revolution is underway, and 2025 could be the year Bitcoin proves it is here to stay.

Take Action Towards Financial Independence

If this article has sparked your interest in the transformative potential of Bitcoin, there's so much more to explore! Dive deeper into the world of financial independence and revolutionize your understanding of money by following my blog and subscribing to my YouTube channel.

🌐 Blog: Unplugged Financial Blog Stay updated with insightful articles, detailed analyses, and practical advice on navigating the evolving financial landscape. Learn about the history of money, the flaws in our current financial systems, and how Bitcoin can offer a path to a more secure and independent financial future.

📺 YouTube Channel: Unplugged Financial Subscribe to our YouTube channel for engaging video content that breaks down complex financial topics into easy-to-understand segments. From in-depth discussions on monetary policies to the latest trends in cryptocurrency, our videos will equip you with the knowledge you need to make informed financial decisions.

👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated with our latest content. Whether you're a seasoned investor, a curious newcomer, or someone concerned about the future of your financial health, our community is here to support you on your journey to financial independence.

Support the Cause

If you enjoyed what you read and believe in the mission of spreading awareness about Bitcoin, I would greatly appreciate your support. Every little bit helps keep the content going and allows me to continue educating others about the future of finance.

Donate Bitcoin: bc1qpn98s4gtlvy686jne0sr8ccvfaxz646kk2tl8lu38zz4dvyyvflqgddylk

[dpfocu]

OpenAI’s 12 Days of “Shipmas”: Summary and Reflections

Over 12 days, from December 5 to December 16, OpenAI hosted its “12 Days of Shipmas” event, revealing a series of innovations and updates across its AI ecosystem. Here’s a summary of the key announcements and their implications:

Day 1: Full Launch of o1 Model and ChatGPT Pro

OpenAI officially launched the o1 model in its full version, offering significant improvements in accuracy (34% fewer errors) and performance. The introduction of ChatGPT Pro, priced at $200/month, gives users access to these advanced features without usage caps.

Commentary: The Pro tier targets professionals who rely heavily on AI for business-critical tasks, though the price point might limit access for smaller enterprises.

Day 2: Reinforced Fine-Tuning

OpenAI showcased its reinforced fine-tuning technique, leveraging user feedback to improve model precision. This approach promises enhanced adaptability to specific user needs.

Day 3: Sora - Text-to-Video

Sora, OpenAI’s text-to-video generator, debuted as a tool for creators. Users can input textual descriptions to generate videos, opening new doors in multimedia content production.

Commentary: While innovative, Sora’s real-world application hinges on its ability to handle complex scenes effectively.

Day 4: Canvas - Enhanced Writing and Coding Tool

Canvas emerged as an all-in-one environment for coding and content creation, offering superior editing and code-generation capabilities.

Day 5: Deep Integration with Apple Ecosystem

OpenAI announced seamless integration with Apple’s ecosystem, enhancing accessibility and user experience for iOS/macOS users.

Day 6: Improved Voice and Vision Features

Enhanced voice recognition and visual processing capabilities were unveiled, making AI interactions more intuitive and efficient.

Day 7: Projects Feature

The new “Projects” feature allows users to manage AI-powered initiatives collaboratively, streamlining workflows.

Day 8: ChatGPT with Built-in Search

Search functionality within ChatGPT enables real-time access to the latest web information, enriching its knowledge base.

Day 9: Voice Calling with ChatGPT

Voice capabilities now allow users to interact with ChatGPT via phone, providing a conversational edge to AI usage.

Day 10: WhatsApp Integration

ChatGPT’s integration with WhatsApp broadens its accessibility, making AI assistance readily available on one of the most popular messaging platforms.

Day 11: Release of o3 Model

OpenAI launched the o3 model, featuring groundbreaking reasoning capabilities. It excels in areas such as mathematics, coding, and physics, sometimes outperforming human experts.

Commentary: This leap in reasoning could redefine problem-solving across industries, though ethical and operational concerns about dependency on AI remain.

Day 12: Wrap-Up and Future Vision

The final day summarized achievements and hinted at OpenAI’s roadmap, emphasizing the dual goals of refining user experience and expanding market reach.

Reflections

OpenAI’s 12-day spree showcased impressive advancements, from multimodal AI capabilities to practical integrations. However, challenges remain. High subscription costs and potential data privacy concerns could limit adoption, especially among individual users and smaller businesses.

Additionally, as the competition in AI shifts from technical superiority to holistic user experience and ecosystem integration, OpenAI must navigate a crowded field where user satisfaction and practical usability are critical for sustained growth.

Final Thoughts: OpenAI has demonstrated its commitment to innovation, but the journey ahead will require balancing cutting-edge technology with user-centric strategies. The next phase will likely focus on scalability, affordability, and real-world problem-solving to maintain its leadership in AI.

What are your thoughts on OpenAI’s recent developments? Share in the comments!