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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 months ago

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Announcing the Picks and Shovels book tour

This week only, Barnes and Noble is offering 25% off pre-orders of my forthcoming novel Picks and Shovels.

My next novel, Picks and Shovels, is officially out in the US and Canada on Feb 17, and I'm about to leave on a 20+ city book-tour, which means there's a nonzero chance I'll be in a city near you between now and the end of the spring!

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865908/picksandshovels

Picks and Shovels is a standalone novel starring Martin Hench – my hard-charging, two-fisted, high-tech forensic accountant – in his very first adventure, in the early 1980s. It's a story about the Weird PC era, when no one was really certain what shape PCs should be, who should make them, who should buy them, and what they're for. It features a commercial war between two very different PC companies.

The first one, Fidelity Computing, is a predatory multi-level marketing faith scam, run by a Mormon bishop, a Catholic priest, and an orthodox rabbi. Fidelity recruits people to exploit members of their faith communities by selling them third-rate PCs that are designed as rip-off lock-ins, forcing you to buy special floppies for their drives, special paper for their printers, and to use software that is incompatible with everything else in the world.

The second PC company is Computing Freedom, a rebel alliance of three former Fidelity Computing sales-managers: an orthodox woman who's been rejected by her family after coming out as queer; a Mormon woman who's rejected the Church over its opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment, and a nun who's quit her order to join the Liberation Theology movement in the struggle for human rights in America's dirty wars.

In the middle of it all is Martin Hench, coming of age in San Francisco during the PC bubble, going to Dead Kennedys shows, getting radicalized by ACT UP!, and falling in love – all while serving as CFO and consigliere to Computing Freedom, as a trade war turns into a shooting war, and they have to flee for their lives.

The book's had fantastic early reviews, with endorsements from computer historians like Steven Levy (Hackers), Claire Evans (Broad-Band), John Markoff (What the Doormouse Said) and Dan'l Lewin (CEO of the Computer History Museum). Stephen Fry raved that he "hugely enjoyed" the "note perfect," "superb" story.

And I'm about to leave on tour! I have nineteen confirmed dates, and two nearly confirmed dates, and there's more to come! I hope you'll consider joining me at one of these events. I've got a bunch of fantastic conversation partners joining me onstage and online, and the bookstores that are hosting me are some of my favorite indie booksellers in the world.

BOSTON (Feb 14): Boskone, 4PM, Westin Boston Seaport District

BOSTON (Feb 14): Brookline Booksmith with KEN LIU, 7PM, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline

VIRTUAL (Feb 15): YANIS VAROUFAKIS, sponsored by Jacobin and hosted by David Moscrop, 10AM Pacific, 1PM Eastern, 6PM UK, 7PM CET

MENLO PARK (Feb 17): Kepler’s Books with CHARLIE JANE ANDERS, 7PM, 1010 El Camino Real

LOS ANGELES (Feb 18): Diesel Bookstore with WIL WHEATON, 630PM, 225 26th Street, Santa Monica

SEATTLE (Feb 19): Third Place Books with DAN SAVAGE, 7PM, 17171 Bothell Way NW Lake Forest Park

TORONTO (Feb 23): Another Story, 630PM, 315 Roncesvalles Ave

NYC (Feb 26): The Strand with JOHN HODGMAN, 7PM, 828 Broadway

PENN STATE (Feb 27): Kern Auditorium, 7PM, 112 Kern Building

DOYLESTOWN (Mar 1): Doylestown Bookshop, 12PM, 16 S Main St

BALTIMORE (Mar 2): Red Emma’s, 2PM, 630PM, 3128 Greenmount Ave

DC (Mar 4): Cleveland Park Library with MATT STOLLER, 630PM, 3310 Connecticut Ave NW

RICHMOND (Mar 5): Fountain Bookstore with LEE VINSEL, 6PM, 1312 E Cary St

AUSTIN (Mar 10): First Light Books, 7PM, 4300 Speedway/43rd

BURBANK (Mar 13): Dark Delicacies, 6PM, 822 N. Hollywood Way

SAN DIEGO (Mar 24): Mysterious Galaxy, 7PM, 3555 Rosecrans

BELFAST (Mar 24) (remote): Imagine! Festival with ALAN MEBAN, 7PM UK

CHICAGO, Apr 2: Exile in Bookville with PETER SAGAL, 7PM, 410 S Michigan Ave, 2nd floor

BLOOMINGTON, Apr 4: Morgenstern Books, 6PM, 642 N Madison St

PDX, Jun 20 (TBC): Powell’s Books (date and time to be confirmed)

I'm also finalizing plans for one or two dates in NEW ZEALAND at the end of April, as well as a ATLANTA date, likely on March 26.

I really hope you'll come out and say hello. I know these are tough times. Hanging out with nice people who care about the same stuff as you is a genuine tonic.

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

https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/06/picks-and-shovels-tour/#19-cities-plus-plus

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big-snack · 11 months ago

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Porcus Isle Part I

Dom had always been larger than life. Standing at an impressive 6'5" and built like a linebacker, he was the kind of guy who turned heads wherever he went. But beyond his imposing physique, Dom was known for his easy-going nature and infectious smile.

Dom worked at a tech company downtown, San Diego, often putting in long hours. Despite his demanding job, he always found time for his true passion: exploring the vibrant food scene in San Diego. From taco trucks in Barrio Logan to high-end restaurants in La Jolla, Dom's weekends were filled with culinary adventures, always in search of the next great bite.

But Dom's favorite place was a small, unassuming diner near the beach. It was there, over a stack of pancakes and a steaming cup of coffee, that he found a sense of peace. The diner was a hidden gem, known only to a few locals, and Dom had been coming there since he moved to Socal. The owner, Jack, greeted him like family, and the regulars always had a seat ready for him. The whole diner was run by and frequented by big men. Dom felt right at home with these guys.

One sunny Saturday morning, as Dom was savoring his breakfast, a new face walked into the diner. He was a tall, built man with sharp features and immense confidence. He took a seat at the counter, glancing around the diner as if taking it all in. Like he was appreciating all the men. "Hey stud, you find what you're lookin' for?" Jack asked...

Intrigued, Dom decided to introduce himself.

"Hey there, first time here?" Dom asked, flashing his friendly smile.

The man looked up, meeting Dom's gaze with a curious look. "Yeah, just moved to San Diego a few weeks ago. Name's Alex," he replied, extending his hand.

"Welcome to the best diner in town, Alex. I'm Dom," he said, shaking Alex's hand firmly. "What brings you to San Diego?"

Alex chuckled. "A bit of everything, really. New job, new city, looking for a fresh start. I'm a software engineer."

Dom's eyes lit up. "No kidding! I'm in tech too. It's a great field, but it can be pretty demanding. This diner is my escape from all that stress."

As they talked, Dom and Alex found they had more in common than just their profession. They shared a love for video games and a passion for good food. Dom offered to show Alex around the city's best eateries, and Alex eagerly accepted.

Their friendship grew quickly, and soon, weekends were spent exploring San Diego's food scene together. Whether it was sampling street tacos, enjoying a craft beer at a local brewery, or having a quiet meal at the diner, Dom and Alex's bond became a craving for both men.

One evening, after a particularly grueling week at work, Dom and Alex decided to unwind at a new barbecue joint that had just opened in North Park. The restaurant was buzzing with energy, the scent of smoked meats wafting through the air.

As they dug into a platter of ribs and brisket, Dom looked at Alex and asked, "So, how's the new job treating you?"

Alex wiped his hands on a napkin, leaning back in his chair. "It's been challenging, but in a good way. The team's great, and the projects are interesting. It’s just... sometimes I miss having a bit more of a work-life balance."

Dom nodded. "I hear you. That’s why it’s important to have nights like this, to just relax and enjoy good company and good food."

Alex smiled. "Speaking of good company, thanks for showing me around, Dom. Moving to a new city can be pretty overwhelming, but you've made it feel like home.", "Anytime, man" Dom replied, raising his glass.

As the night wore on, their conversation shifted to their mutual love for video games. Alex mentioned an upcoming release he was excited about, and Dom suggested they set up a game night. This became the perfect way to unwind after eating out.

One evening, after a particularly intense gaming session and drinks, Dom and Alex found themselves talking about their interests. Alex expressed his admiration for Dom's physique and said he's looking to join a gym. "All this eating is starting to fill me out." Alex jiggled his belly. Dom's eyes darted to his bloated stomach. "Damn man. I didn't even realize." Dom was stupified.

He had always been focused on his own weight, but he hadn't noticed the changes in Alex.

"Yeah, it's been creeping up on me," Alex admitted, a bit embarrassed. "I've been so caught up in work and our food adventures that I haven't made time for the gym. Do you think you could help me out?"

Dom smiled, feeling a surge of excitement at the prospect. "Of course! I'd love to help you. Dom had no idea why the thought of Alex's weight gain turned him on.

That night in his dark room. He thought about that moment. His belly jiggled like it was no longer a part of him. There was no visibility of his ribs. His arms filled out his shirt sleeves more. His face softened up. Dom had never masterbated to a guy before. He stopped for a second to think about it.

It was late. He was alone. No one could judge him if he stared to look up what he was fantasizing about. He pulled up Google and started with image searches. 'Fat belly': 'fat belly guy'; 'beer belly'; 'beer belly men'.

That night he spent a few hours looking at fat guys. The bellies started small, but the longer he searched the bigger they got. He glanced at a picture of a man 600 pounds. His belly was covering his lap in bed. Every single ounce of his body jiggled from the slightest shallow breath from being overstuffed. The guy leaned back on his bed and his head disappeared. The big bulbous crescent shape stood at least 4 feet high; he imagined.

Dom hit his climax and started to cum. His body filled with chills, made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. "I need to see this in person" he screamed and then he slumped back in his seat. He had some clarity and was worried about what he'd just done. "Why the hell did I do that?"

The next day he saw Alex at the diner, for brunch, and had a new appreciation for his body. "You know, after you mentioned it, I thought more about your physique." Dom shared. "Oh really? What is it you appreciate?" Alex said flirtatiously. "Um, well, I mean you're pretty beefy. That's a popular body type." He said nervously. "Beefy implies that I've been working out. I'm all jello, buddy."

The entire restaurant is quieter than normal. Dom didn't notice, but all the men in the diner were listening.

Dom could feel a twitch in his pants. "Ugh, shit, not this again." Alex was blushing. Dom was intently looking at Alex's body well beyond what was normal. "Something tells me you like it." He said with a smirk.

Dom smiled nervously. "I mean, you could say I appreciate the way you look." Dom was getting hot. "I need to use the restroom" Dom said. "Perfect, I'll go with you" Alex responded. Dom struggled to stand up straight.

They walked to the bathroom. "I feel like we're both flustered." Alex said. "Oh yeah, I guess it pretty obvious. I'm not sure what's going on lately", Dom replied.

Instantly and without hesitation the locked bodies and started making out. Dom's hands caressed Alex's newly sprouted love handles. Alex pulls back from Dom's lips and whispers, "You did this to me."

The door handle turns and someone walks in. They separate and the man said, "Are you that clueless, Dominick? We have all been dropping you hints for a while now.

"Is this like a chubby chaser establishment?"

The man responds "You mean the diner between a bear bar and a leather shop? Of course that's what it is. We managed to get you to gain 20 pounds man."

"Holy shit!" Dom exclaimed. "No wonder I love this place. Fat men make me horny. I can't believe I just said that out loud." Panic washed over him. "It's ok Dom. Nothing has changed." Alex reassured him.

"You were a part of this?" Dom questioned.

"Not really, you spoke to me first. I was coming here because I knew what I wanted. It took me a while to realize you had no idea what was going on. I thought you were playing hard to get"

"Dude I just found out I might be gay, I don't have the bandwidth to come to terms with a fetish."

"Great tech pun" Alex replied.

They both started laughing. When Dom rejoined the room it was like he was seeing it all for the first time. Some men had their large sack of flesh bulging out of their shirts.

"All right you guys. Dom knows what's going on." Alex announced.

That day was the moment Dom knew that Alex was the one.

---

The next part flashes forward

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ultraviolet-divergence · 2 months ago

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Trump administration directs spy satellite agencies to surveil US-Mexico border (Reuters)

Reuters could not determine whether the effort, which has not been previously reported, would gather imagery of U.S. territory. While laws generally restrict U.S. spy agencies from surveilling citizens and other legal residents, they allow immigration authorities to conduct physical searches "within a reasonable distance from any external boundary of the United States." Regulations have defined this as 100 air miles from the border, opens new tab– an area including cities such as San Diego and El Paso. "If they follow the law, these agencies should only collect on the other side of the border in foreign territory," said Paul Rosenzweig, a lawyer who specializes in national security and privacy law. "But how they implement that, and if they do, are legitimate oversight questions."

There's no world where the "digital wall" they are trying to build (see below) doesn't hasten the conjoining of the NROs spy satellite outputs and the booming market of domestically-operating private surveillance technology firms, many of which are building out border surveillance networks.

Multiple defense contractors - new and legacy ones alike - are in talks with various government agencies to aid the border-security work, building on existing deals they have, said the two sources aware of the initiative. A “digital wall” to augment the border’s physical one would be the goal, said one of the sources. For instance, data analytics provider Palantir (PLTR.O), opens new tab powers the so-called Maven Smart System for the Pentagon, via contracts it won last year valued at about $580 million. Maven pulls together data and uses AI to speed up target identification for intelligence analysts. Palantir has long worked with the Department of Homeland Security as well. Anduril, a defense tech startup, designs sensor towers and related software. Last fall, the company announced it had deployed 300 autonomous versions of these towers for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, detecting and tracking objects of interest through radar and other technology. In recent months, Palantir, Anduril, Elon Musk's SpaceX and other newer contractors have discussed a consortium to jointly bid for U.S. defense deals and outcompete the Beltway's legacy players, according to a source familiar with the matter.

#surveillance #borderworlds #tech hell

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thesapphireprincess · 2 years ago

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Software Engineer 👩🏾‍💻

I recently learned that you can become a Software engineer without a degree. I found a free Introduction to software engineering course on YouTube. It was created by a computer science professor and he goes over everything that a beginner needs to know and what is learned in a full semester. I also found these free Harvard courses and after you complete them you can purchase a verified certificate. The certificate will look so good an a resume and it will show that you know the material.

💌 Being a Software Engineer isn’t the only option for a high paying job without a degree. This is just the one I am choosing.

There are so many resources online but after this I will most likely enroll into a software engineering boot camp since this is what most people do. I found that there are a lot of software engineers who do not have a degree but are still making a ton of money because the work is so valuable. I learned that you can get almost any 6 figure high paying job without a degree except in the medical field. This job will not be replaced by AI which is a relief.

The starting salary for an entry level position is around 70-80k in the United States as of June 2023. Even 60k would be great but there are people making 100-250k a year as a software engineer. The people who work at the big companies make even more than that.

This is a great way to set up your financial future. Imagine being able to save $1000-$2000 a month. Imagine where you’ll be at in 10 years. You can even use this as a starting base to set your life up financially. You’ll be able to afford to live anywhere in the world especially if you get a remote job. Places like San Diego, New York, London or Hawaii. You can afford the cost of living. You can afford to live in any of the major cities and have a really comfortable life. You will have lots of money that you’ll be able to multiply. You’ll actually be able to save up for a house and have actual money to invest. So many opportunities will be available to you. You can live below your means in the best way possible.

Personally I’ve always wanted to live by the beach in a city. By this time next year I’ll be living in a new city with a great high paying job. My current job will look amazing on my resume because I work side by side with engineers and technicians on a daily basis at a reputable company so I can totally jazz up my resume to sound really good. Which totally counts as ✨experience✨. I’ve been working here for a couple of years now which will look even better because it shows longevity.

I definitely plan on moving to San Diego or Hawaii next year when my lease is up. I will update y’all in a week on my progress.

#level up #self improvement #software engineering

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partisan-by-default · 5 months ago

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Federal prosecutors say the practice amounts to “an unlawful information-sharing scheme” and some lawmakers throughout California are moving to curb it. San Diego’s city council president is the latest to do so, proposing to prevent local apartment owners from using the pricing software, which he maintains is driving up housing costs.

San Diego’s proposed ordinance, now being drafted by the city attorney, comes after San Francisco supervisors in July enacted a similar, first-in-the-nation ban on “the sale or use of algorithmic devices to set rents or manage occupancy levels” for residences. San Jose is considering a similar approach.

And California and seven other states have also joined the federal prosecutors’ antitrust suit, which targets the leading rental pricing platform, Texas-based RealPage. The complaint alleges that “RealPage is an algorithmic intermediary that collects, combines, and exploits landlords’ competitively sensitive information. And in so doing, it enriches itself and compliant landlords at the expense of renters who pay inflated prices…”

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roncy89 · 2 years ago

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3 Books Every Twenty-Something Should Read (By a Twenty-Something)

(In no particular order)

The Defining Decade by Dr. Meg Jay

This book has been my go-to for various points of my college (and now post-grad) career. Whenever I felt that I was "lost" or had a "mid-life crisis", this book always came to the rescue.

In this book, Meg Jay goes through how to best use your 20s. Whether that be through relationships, hobbies, education and career choices. She also expands on the concept of developing identity capital which is a collection of things that make you, you. One of my favourite quotes by Meg is, "“Twentysomething is like airplanes, planes just leaving New York City-bound somewhere west. Right after takeoff, a slight course change is a difference between landing in either Seattle or San Diego. But once a plane is nearly in San Diego, only a big detour will redirect it to the northwest.”

2. Quit Like a Millionaire by Bryce Leung and Kristy Shen

This is a personal finance book that details how a Canadian couple, Bryce and Kristy, retired in their thirties. Both working as software engineers, they sought to buy a home in Toronto but found that getting into the housing market was out of reach. Instead, they opted to use the money that could have gone towards a house into the stock market where they were both able to retire and travel the world.

Reading this opened my eyes to the various possibilities and routes to financial independence. One that isn't defeatist about the current housing market, but rather optimistic about other possibilities!

3. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

The writer, Naval Ravikant, is the founder of various companies in Silicon Valley and wrote a guide to building wealth and emotional well-being unlike anything else I've seen. Most books I read surrounding generating wealth are pretty redundant, but what I found by reading this book was that everything written was unique yet so simple.

#personal development #books #book reviews #naval #naval ravikant #the almanack of naval ravikant #kristy shen #bryce leung #fire #personal finance #fire movement #financial independence #the defining decade #meg jay #defining decade #book #roncy89

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poipoipoi-2016 · 10 months ago

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In fairness, US company. So it was a Thursday evening rollout.

But yeah, I'm very very very curious to see what the root causing is here. You push a global update, no waves, that basically yeets every computer running your software into oblivion and as we're seeing, significant ongoing impact afterwards.

Because they were doing Kernel patching as part of their job in "Being an anti-virus company". Which for non-techies, is roughly equivalent to the company that builds half your roads changing certain physical laws and redefining what concrete is by accident 20 years after they put the concrete down.

So either it was a very subtle hidden bug that exposed itself (... everywhere) months or years after deployment. Or there was a very very good reason that your anti-virus company decided to test in Prod. Which suggests there was a virus?

/Or they were... much more incompetent than their scale and maturity would suggest and had just been globally yolo-ing updates for years?

//At this level, you do not do global rollouts either. So it's the San Diego fireworks show except the fireworks were full of nerve gas.

idk if people on tumblr know about this but a cybersecurity software called crowdstrike just did what is probably the single biggest fuck up in any sector in the past 10 years. it's monumentally bad. literally the most horror-inducing nightmare scenario for a tech company.

some info, crowdstrike is essentially an antivirus software for enterprises. which means normal laypeople cant really get it, they're for businesses and organisations and important stuff.

so, on a friday evening (it of course wasnt friday everywhere but it was friday evening in oceania which is where it first started causing damage due to europe and na being asleep), crowdstrike pushed out an update to their windows users that caused a bug.

before i get into what the bug is, know that friday evening is the worst possible time to do this because people are going home. the weekend is starting. offices dont have people in them. this is just one of many perfectly placed failures in the rube goldburg machine of crowdstrike. there's a reason friday is called 'dont push to live friday' or more to the point 'dont fuck it up friday'

so, at 3pm at friday, an update comes rolling into crowdstrike users which is automatically implemented. this update immediately causes the computer to blue screen of death. very very bad. but it's not simply a 'you need to restart' crash, because the computer then gets stuck into a boot loop.

this is the worst possible thing because, in a boot loop state, a computer is never really able to get to a point where it can do anything. like download a fix. so there is nothing crowdstrike can do to remedy this death update anymore. it is now left to the end users.

it was pretty quickly identified what the problem was. you had to boot it in safe mode, and a very small file needed to be deleted. or you could just rename crowdstrike to something else so windows never attempts to use it.

it's a fairly easy fix in the grand scheme of things, but the issue is that it is effecting enterprises. which can have a looooot of computers. in many different locations. so an IT person would need to manually fix hundreds of computers, sometimes in whole other cities and perhaps even other countries if theyre big enough.

another fuck up crowdstrike did was they did not stagger the update, so they could catch any mistakes before they wrecked havoc. (and also how how HOW do you not catch this before deploying it. this isn't a code oopsie this is a complete failure of quality ensurance that probably permeates the whole company to not realise their update was an instant kill). they rolled it out to everyone of their clients in the world at the same time.

and this seems pretty hilarious on the surface. i was havin a good chuckle as eftpos went down in the store i was working at, chaos was definitely ensuring lmao. im in aus, and banking was literally down nationwide.

but then you start hearing about the entire country's planes being grounded because the airport's computers are bricked. and hospitals having no computers anymore. emergency call centres crashing. and you realised that, wow. crowdstrike just killed people probably. this is literally the worst thing possible for a company like this to do.

crowdstrike was kinda on the come up too, they were starting to become a big name in the tech world as a new face. but that has definitely vanished now. to fuck up at this many places, is almost extremely impressive. its hard to even think of a comparable fuckup.

a friday evening simultaneous rollout boot loop is a phrase that haunts IT people in their darkest hours. it's the monster that drags people down into the swamp. it's the big bag in the horror movie. it's the end of the road. and for crowdstrike, that reaper of souls just knocked on their doorstep.

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bishhnubanerji · 12 hours ago

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Logistics Specialist, Associate

Job title: Logistics Specialist, Associate Company: Qualcomm Job description: supply chain management. This includes coordinating, routing, and preparing trade documents for domestic and international… LCT (Logistics Compliance Tool). Obtains approvals from STPI (Software Technology Parts of India)/SEZ (Special Economic… Expected salary: Location: San Diego, CA Job date: Sat, 19 Apr 2025 06:13:18…

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bitcot · 2 years ago

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San Diego Software Development Company

BitCot is a top software development company in San Diego. Our goal is to bring your ideas to life by providing creative solutions to businesses of all sizes. Our team of skilled software developers is enthusiastic about making advanced software to meet your needs. We are dedicated to delivering high-quality and affordable solutions that improve your business operations, delight your customers, and help your business grow. Whether you are a startup or a big company, we can assist you in taking your business to the next level with our custom software development services.

For more information visit our website: https://www.bitcot.com/software-development-san-diego/

#software development company san diego #san diego software development

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hayleymedbil · 23 hours ago

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Top Medical Billing Companies in California: Streamline Your Practice's Revenue Today!

Top ⁤Medical ‌Billing Companies in California: Streamline Your Practice’s Revenue‌ Today!

In the ever-evolving world of healthcare, ‌medical⁣ billing plays a crucial role in ensuring that healthcare providers get paid promptly for thier services. With the complexities of coding, compliance regulations, and insurance claims, ‍it’s vital to partner with⁢ the right⁣ medical billing company to enhance your practice’s ⁤financial health.⁢ This article ⁤outlines the ‍top medical billing companies in California that can ⁤help streamline your practice’s revenue cycle⁢ management.

Why Choose a Medical Billing Company?

Outsourcing medical billing can ⁣provide numerous benefits‍ for your ‍practice. Here ⁤are a few key reasons:

Increased Revenue: Professional billing⁣ companies often‌ achieve higher collection rates than ⁢in-house teams.

Time Savings: By outsourcing, your staff‍ can‌ focus more on patient care rather than⁢ administrative tasks.

Expertise: Billing ⁢professionals stay ⁢updated with ‍regulations, ensuring compliance and reducing claim denials.

Access to Technology: billing companies utilize advanced software that can further enhance efficiency and reporting.

Top Medical Billing Companies in California

Here’s a look at some of the leading medical⁣ billing companies⁢ in California:

Company Name

Services Offered

Location

Years in Business

BillingParadise

End-to-end medical billing, coding, and practice management

San‌ Francisco, CA

15+

eCatalyst⁣ Healthcare Solutions

Revenue cycle management, coding, compliance

Los Angeles,‌ CA

10+

Zywave

Medical billing, claims‌ processing, analytics

San Diego, CA

MedBillingExperts

Coding,⁢ billing, denial management

Fresno, CA

12+

AdvancedMD

Integrated billing system, telehealth support

Riverside, ‍CA

20+

Benefits‍ of ‌Working with Top Medical Billing⁣ Companies

Collaborating with reputable ⁢medical‍ billing companies can bring several advantages:

1.‍ Improved Cash flow

Timely submission ‌and follow-up on claims enhance revenue ‌cycle management,�� resulting in better⁣ cash ⁢flow.

2. ⁤Reduced claim Denials

Experienced billing‍ teams ⁢are proficient in ensuring that claims are submitted accurately,leading to fewer ⁤denials.

3. Custom Solutions

Many top billing companies‌ offer tailored solutions to meet the specific needs of your practice.

4. ⁢Enhanced Reporting and Openness

With regular reports, practices can track‍ their financial‌ performance ‌and identify areas for ⁤improvement.

Practical Tips for Choosing a Medical Billing Company

Selecting the right medical billing company is crucial for your practice’s success. Consider the following tips when ‌making ‌your ⁢choice:

Assess ‌Experience: Look for ⁢a company with ‌a proven track record in your specific medical specialty.

check References: Ask for ‌testimonials or case studies from current clients ⁣to gauge their satisfaction.

Evaluate Technology: Ensure the company uses cutting-edge technology for efficient billing processes.

understand Fee Structures: Compare⁣ pricing models and ensure ⁢transparency in their fees.

Real-life Case Study

To illustrate the benefits ⁢of using a medical billing company, consider the case of Smith Family Practice, located‌ in Sacramento, CA. After struggling with claim denials and slow ⁢payments, they decided to collaborate with BillingParadise.

Within six months, Smith Family Practice experienced a significant turnaround:

Claim Denial Rate: Reduced from 20% to 5%.

Monthly ‍Revenue: Increased by⁣ 30%.

Staff Efficiency: Clinicians could spend 20% ⁤more time with ‍patients.

conclusion

Choosing⁤ the right medical billing company ‌in california is essential for optimizing your practice’s financial health.⁣ By partnering with a reliable, expert team, you ⁤can⁤ enhance your ⁢revenue cycle ⁤management, reduce claim denials, and focus ⁤more on patient care. Evaluate your options carefully,and consider the‍ companies mentioned in this article to find the best fit ‌for your practice’s unique needs.‌ Streamline your practice’s revenue today—because your focus should be on helping patients, not on billing hassles!

youtube

https://medicalcodingandbillingclasses.net/top-medical-billing-companies-in-california-streamline-your-practices-revenue-today/

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mostlysignssomeportents · 2 years ago

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"Open" "AI" isn’t

Tomorrow (19 Aug), I'm appearing at the San Diego Union-Tribune Festival of Books. I'm on a 2:30PM panel called "Return From Retirement," followed by a signing:

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/festivalofbooks

The crybabies who freak out about The Communist Manifesto appearing on university curriculum clearly never read it – chapter one is basically a long hymn to capitalism's flexibility and inventiveness, its ability to change form and adapt itself to everything the world throws at it and come out on top:

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ch01.htm#007

Today, leftists signal this protean capacity of capital with the -washing suffix: greenwashing, genderwashing, queerwashing, wokewashing – all the ways capital cloaks itself in liberatory, progressive values, while still serving as a force for extraction, exploitation, and political corruption.

A smart capitalist is someone who, sensing the outrage at a world run by 150 old white guys in boardrooms, proposes replacing half of them with women, queers, and people of color. This is a superficial maneuver, sure, but it's an incredibly effective one.

In "Open (For Business): Big Tech, Concentrated Power, and the Political Economy of Open AI," a new working paper, Meredith Whittaker, David Gray Widder and Sarah B Myers document a new kind of -washing: openwashing:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4543807

Openwashing is the trick that large "AI" companies use to evade regulation and neutralizing critics, by casting themselves as forces of ethical capitalism, committed to the virtue of openness. No one should be surprised to learn that the products of the "open" wing of an industry whose products are neither "artificial," nor "intelligent," are also not "open." Every word AI huxters say is a lie; including "and," and "the."

So what work does the "open" in "open AI" do? "Open" here is supposed to invoke the "open" in "open source," a movement that emphasizes a software development methodology that promotes code transparency, reusability and extensibility, which are three important virtues.

But "open source" itself is an offshoot of a more foundational movement, the Free Software movement, whose goal is to promote freedom, and whose method is openness. The point of software freedom was technological self-determination, the right of technology users to decide not just what their technology does, but who it does it to and who it does it for:

https://locusmag.com/2022/01/cory-doctorow-science-fiction-is-a-luddite-literature/

The open source split from free software was ostensibly driven by the need to reassure investors and businesspeople so they would join the movement. The "free" in free software is (deliberately) ambiguous, a bit of wordplay that sometimes misleads people into thinking it means "Free as in Beer" when really it means "Free as in Speech" (in Romance languages, these distinctions are captured by translating "free" as "libre" rather than "gratis").

The idea behind open source was to rebrand free software in a less ambiguous – and more instrumental – package that stressed cost-savings and software quality, as well as "ecosystem benefits" from a co-operative form of development that recruited tinkerers, independents, and rivals to contribute to a robust infrastructural commons.

But "open" doesn't merely resolve the linguistic ambiguity of libre vs gratis – it does so by removing the "liberty" from "libre," the "freedom" from "free." "Open" changes the pole-star that movement participants follow as they set their course. Rather than asking "Which course of action makes us more free?" they ask, "Which course of action makes our software better?"

Thus, by dribs and drabs, the freedom leeches out of openness. Today's tech giants have mobilized "open" to create a two-tier system: the largest tech firms enjoy broad freedom themselves – they alone get to decide how their software stack is configured. But for all of us who rely on that (increasingly unavoidable) software stack, all we have is "open": the ability to peer inside that software and see how it works, and perhaps suggest improvements to it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBknF2yUZZ8

In the Big Tech internet, it's freedom for them, openness for us. "Openness" – transparency, reusability and extensibility – is valuable, but it shouldn't be mistaken for technological self-determination. As the tech sector becomes ever-more concentrated, the limits of openness become more apparent.

But even by those standards, the openness of "open AI" is thin gruel indeed (that goes triple for the company that calls itself "OpenAI," which is a particularly egregious openwasher).

The paper's authors start by suggesting that the "open" in "open AI" is meant to imply that an "open AI" can be scratch-built by competitors (or even hobbyists), but that this isn't true. Not only is the material that "open AI" companies publish insufficient for reproducing their products, even if those gaps were plugged, the resource burden required to do so is so intense that only the largest companies could do so.

Beyond this, the "open" parts of "open AI" are insufficient for achieving the other claimed benefits of "open AI": they don't promote auditing, or safety, or competition. Indeed, they often cut against these goals.

"Open AI" is a wordgame that exploits the malleability of "open," but also the ambiguity of the term "AI": "a grab bag of approaches, not… a technical term of art, but more … marketing and a signifier of aspirations." Hitching this vague term to "open" creates all kinds of bait-and-switch opportunities.

That's how you get Meta claiming that LLaMa2 is "open source," despite being licensed in a way that is absolutely incompatible with any widely accepted definition of the term:

https://blog.opensource.org/metas-llama-2-license-is-not-open-source/

LLaMa-2 is a particularly egregious openwashing example, but there are plenty of other ways that "open" is misleadingly applied to AI: sometimes it means you can see the source code, sometimes that you can see the training data, and sometimes that you can tune a model, all to different degrees, alone and in combination.

But even the most "open" systems can't be independently replicated, due to raw computing requirements. This isn't the fault of the AI industry – the computational intensity is a fact, not a choice – but when the AI industry claims that "open" will "democratize" AI, they are hiding the ball. People who hear these "democratization" claims (especially policymakers) are thinking about entrepreneurial kids in garages, but unless these kids have access to multi-billion-dollar data centers, they can't be "disruptors" who topple tech giants with cool new ideas. At best, they can hope to pay rent to those giants for access to their compute grids, in order to create products and services at the margin that rely on existing products, rather than displacing them.

The "open" story, with its claims of democratization, is an especially important one in the context of regulation. In Europe, where a variety of AI regulations have been proposed, the AI industry has co-opted the open source movement's hard-won narrative battles about the harms of ill-considered regulation.

For open source (and free software) advocates, many tech regulations aimed at taming large, abusive companies – such as requirements to surveil and control users to extinguish toxic behavior – wreak collateral damage on the free, open, user-centric systems that we see as superior alternatives to Big Tech. This leads to the paradoxical effect of passing regulation to "punish" Big Tech that end up simply shaving an infinitesimal percentage off the giants' profits, while destroying the small co-ops, nonprofits and startups before they can grow to be a viable alternative.

The years-long fight to get regulators to understand this risk has been waged by principled actors working for subsistence nonprofit wages or for free, and now the AI industry is capitalizing on lawmakers' hard-won consideration for collateral damage by claiming to be "open AI" and thus vulnerable to overbroad regulation.

But the "open" projects that lawmakers have been coached to value are precious because they deliver a level playing field, competition, innovation and democratization – all things that "open AI" fails to deliver. The regulations the AI industry is fighting also don't necessarily implicate the speech implications that are core to protecting free software:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/04/remembering-case-established-code-speech

Just think about LLaMa-2. You can download it for free, along with the model weights it relies on – but not detailed specs for the data that was used in its training. And the source-code is licensed under a homebrewed license cooked up by Meta's lawyers, a license that only glancingly resembles anything from the Open Source Definition:

https://opensource.org/osd/

Core to Big Tech companies' "open AI" offerings are tools, like Meta's PyTorch and Google's TensorFlow. These tools are indeed "open source," licensed under real OSS terms. But they are designed and maintained by the companies that sponsor them, and optimize for the proprietary back-ends each company offers in its own cloud. When programmers train themselves to develop in these environments, they are gaining expertise in adding value to a monopolist's ecosystem, locking themselves in with their own expertise. This a classic example of software freedom for tech giants and open source for the rest of us.

One way to understand how "open" can produce a lock-in that "free" might prevent is to think of Android: Android is an open platform in the sense that its sourcecode is freely licensed, but the existence of Android doesn't make it any easier to challenge the mobile OS duopoly with a new mobile OS; nor does it make it easier to switch from Android to iOS and vice versa.

Another example: MongoDB, a free/open database tool that was adopted by Amazon, which subsequently forked the codebase and tuning it to work on their proprietary cloud infrastructure.

The value of open tooling as a stickytrap for creating a pool of developers who end up as sharecroppers who are glued to a specific company's closed infrastructure is well-understood and openly acknowledged by "open AI" companies. Zuckerberg boasts about how PyTorch ropes developers into Meta's stack, "when there are opportunities to make integrations with products, [so] it’s much easier to make sure that developers and other folks are compatible with the things that we need in the way that our systems work."

Tooling is a relatively obscure issue, primarily debated by developers. A much broader debate has raged over training data – how it is acquired, labeled, sorted and used. Many of the biggest "open AI" companies are totally opaque when it comes to training data. Google and OpenAI won't even say how many pieces of data went into their models' training – let alone which data they used.

Other "open AI" companies use publicly available datasets like the Pile and CommonCrawl. But you can't replicate their models by shoveling these datasets into an algorithm. Each one has to be groomed – labeled, sorted, de-duplicated, and otherwise filtered. Many "open" models merge these datasets with other, proprietary sets, in varying (and secret) proportions.

Quality filtering and labeling for training data is incredibly expensive and labor-intensive, and involves some of the most exploitative and traumatizing clickwork in the world, as poorly paid workers in the Global South make pennies for reviewing data that includes graphic violence, rape, and gore.

Not only is the product of this "data pipeline" kept a secret by "open" companies, the very nature of the pipeline is likewise cloaked in mystery, in order to obscure the exploitative labor relations it embodies (the joke that "AI" stands for "absent Indians" comes out of the South Asian clickwork industry).

The most common "open" in "open AI" is a model that arrives built and trained, which is "open" in the sense that end-users can "fine-tune" it – usually while running it on the manufacturer's own proprietary cloud hardware, under that company's supervision and surveillance. These tunable models are undocumented blobs, not the rigorously peer-reviewed transparent tools celebrated by the open source movement.

If "open" was a way to transform "free software" from an ethical proposition to an efficient methodology for developing high-quality software; then "open AI" is a way to transform "open source" into a rent-extracting black box.

Some "open AI" has slipped out of the corporate silo. Meta's LLaMa was leaked by early testers, republished on 4chan, and is now in the wild. Some exciting stuff has emerged from this, but despite this work happening outside of Meta's control, it is not without benefits to Meta. As an infamous leaked Google memo explains:

Paradoxically, the one clear winner in all of this is Meta. Because the leaked model was theirs, they have effectively garnered an entire planet's worth of free labor. Since most open source innovation is happening on top of their architecture, there is nothing stopping them from directly incorporating it into their products.

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/leaked-google-memo-admits-defeat-by-open-source-ai/486290/

Thus, "open AI" is best understood as "as free product development" for large, well-capitalized AI companies, conducted by tinkerers who will not be able to escape these giants' proprietary compute silos and opaque training corpuses, and whose work product is guaranteed to be compatible with the giants' own systems.

The instrumental story about the virtues of "open" often invoke auditability: the fact that anyone can look at the source code makes it easier for bugs to be identified. But as open source projects have learned the hard way, the fact that anyone can audit your widely used, high-stakes code doesn't mean that anyone will.

The Heartbleed vulnerability in OpenSSL was a wake-up call for the open source movement – a bug that endangered every secure webserver connection in the world, which had hidden in plain sight for years. The result was an admirable and successful effort to build institutions whose job it is to actually make use of open source transparency to conduct regular, deep, systemic audits.

In other words, "open" is a necessary, but insufficient, precondition for auditing. But when the "open AI" movement touts its "safety" thanks to its "auditability," it fails to describe any steps it is taking to replicate these auditing institutions – how they'll be constituted, funded and directed. The story starts and ends with "transparency" and then makes the unjustifiable leap to "safety," without any intermediate steps about how the one will turn into the other.

It's a Magic Underpants Gnome story, in other words:

Step One: Transparency

Step Two: ??

Step Three: Safety

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ih_TQWqCA

Meanwhile, OpenAI itself has gone on record as objecting to "burdensome mechanisms like licenses or audits" as an impediment to "innovation" – all the while arguing that these "burdensome mechanisms" should be mandatory for rival offerings that are more advanced than its own. To call this a "transparent ruse" is to do violence to good, hardworking transparent ruses all the world over:

https://openai.com/blog/governance-of-superintelligence

Some "open AI" is much more open than the industry dominating offerings. There's EleutherAI, a donor-supported nonprofit whose model comes with documentation and code, licensed Apache 2.0. There are also some smaller academic offerings: Vicuna (UCSD/CMU/Berkeley); Koala (Berkeley) and Alpaca (Stanford).

These are indeed more open (though Alpaca – which ran on a laptop – had to be withdrawn because it "hallucinated" so profusely). But to the extent that the "open AI" movement invokes (or cares about) these projects, it is in order to brandish them before hostile policymakers and say, "Won't someone please think of the academics?" These are the poster children for proposals like exempting AI from antitrust enforcement, but they're not significant players in the "open AI" industry, nor are they likely to be for so long as the largest companies are running the show:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4493900

I'm kickstarting the audiobook for "The Internet Con: How To Seize the Means of Computation," a Big Tech disassembly manual to disenshittify the web and make a new, good internet to succeed the old, good internet. It's a DRM-free book, which means Audible won't carry it, so this crowdfunder is essential. Back now to get the audio, Verso hardcover and ebook:

http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org

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

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

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

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

#pluralistic #llama-2 #meta #openwashing #floss #free software #open ai #open source #osi #open source initiative #osd #open source definition #code is speech

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#IFTTT #Digital More

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The Importance of Having a Spokesperson During a Crisis

Introduction

Imagine this: your business wakes up to a crisis — a data breach, a product failure, or a viral social media scandal. Your phone’s buzzing, employees are panicking, and the media’s knocking. Who’s going to step up and speak for you? That’s where a spokesperson comes in, someone who can calm the chaos with clear, confident words.

A crisis can feel like your world’s falling apart, but a spokesperson keeps things together. They’re your voice, talking to reporters, customers, and your team, making sure everyone hears the same message. Without one, you’re risking a mess — mixed signals, angry stakeholders, and a damaged reputation.

I’ve seen businesses crumble because no one took charge of the narrative. 9FigureMedia, a standout among pr firms san diego, trains spokespersons to handle crises like pros, whether you’re a local startup or a big player.

Why you need a spokesperson: They speak for you, keeping your message clear and trustworthy.

What happens without one: Confusion takes over, and your reputation takes a hit.

How PR firms help: 9FigureMedia crafts plans and trains your team to face the storm.

Picture your business in the headlines for the wrong reasons. Can you afford to wing it? This article walks you through why a spokesperson matters, what makes them effective, and how to prepare for the worst.

Understanding Crisis Communication

A crisis is any event that shakes your business — think a faulty product, a workplace accident, or a cybersecurity hack. Crisis communication is how you respond, and it’s all about getting the right message out fast. Your spokesperson is the one delivering that message, talking to the media, your team, and your customers.

What’s crisis communication? It’s about managing your response to keep trust intact.

Why it’s critical: Your words shape how people see you — mess up, and you’re in trouble.

Real crises: Think of a restaurant with a food safety issue or a tech firm hit by a data breach.

I once worked with a small business owner whose company faced a customer complaint that went viral. Without a spokesperson, the owner tried to respond on social media, but his words came off as defensive. The story blew up on Reuters World News, and sales tanked.

A trained spokesperson could’ve turned things around with a calm, clear response. Your spokesperson makes sure everyone’s on the same page, avoiding chaos.

Their role: They answer questions, update stakeholders, and keep your message steady.

Why consistency is key: Mixed messages make you look disorganized and untrustworthy.

How to start: Create a crisis plan with your spokesperson’s role clearly defined.

Ask yourself: If a crisis hits tomorrow, who’s speaking for you? A spokesperson keeps your business steady when everything else feels shaky.

Qualities of an Effective Spokesperson

Your spokesperson needs to be someone people trust, who stays cool under pressure and connects with your audience. It’s not just about talking — it’s about showing you care and know what you’re doing.

Trustworthiness: People believe someone who seems honest and knowledgeable.

Calmness: They don’t crack when reporters fire tough questions.

Empathy: They show they understand how the crisis affects people.

Media know-how: They give clear answers and avoid traps.

In 2019, a tech company I advised faced a software glitch that left customers frustrated. Their VP, trained by one of the top b2b tech pr firms, went on TV and explained the issue in plain language, promising quick fixes. Customers appreciated the honesty, and the company bounced back fast. B2b tech pr firms are great at teaching spokespersons to handle tricky tech crises without losing the audience in jargon.

Why training counts: Without it, even a smart leader can fumble under pressure.

Who to pick: Choose someone senior, like a CEO or director, who speaks well.

How to prepare: Practice with mock interviews and real-world scenarios.

I remember coaching a nervous CEO before a press conference about a product recall. We spent hours practicing, and by the time she faced the cameras, she was confident and clear. That preparation saved her company’s reputation. Ask yourself: Is your spokesperson ready to face a room full of reporters, or do they need help?

The Strategic Role of a Spokesperson in Crisis Management

Your spokesperson isn’t just talking — they’re steering your business through the crisis. They deliver messages that match your values, handle media pressure, and rebuild trust.

Create clear messages: They make sure every statement reflects your plan.

Deal with media: They answer questions without getting sidetracked.

Build confidence: They show honesty and care, winning back stakeholders.

Take the 2010 case of a car company dealing with a faulty part. The CEO stepped up as spokesperson, giving daily updates and outlining fixes. The approach, backed by a PR team, kept customers informed and loyal. Your spokesperson needs to do the same — speak clearly and act fast.

How to stay on message: Work with a PR team to craft a crisis playbook.

Why timing matters: Waiting too long lets rumors take over.

How to handle tough moments: Practice pivoting to your key points.

I once helped a startup navigate a social media crisis after a bad product launch. Their spokesperson, a young founder, learned to focus on solutions, not excuses, during media interviews. That focus turned negative coverage into a story of accountability. Ask yourself: Can your spokesperson turn a crisis into a chance to show your values?

Challenges of Not Having a Spokesperson

No spokesperson? You’re asking for trouble. Without one, your crisis response can fall apart fast.

Mixed messages: Different people saying different things confuses everyone.

Media slip-ups: Untrained speakers might say something that makes things worse.

Lost trust: People stop believing in you if no one speaks clearly.

In 2021, a retail company faced a workplace scandal but had no spokesperson. Employees posted conflicting statements online, and the media, including Reuters World News, ran with the chaos. Sales dropped 20% in a month. A spokesperson could’ve kept things under control with one clear voice.

How to avoid chaos: Pick one person to speak for your business.

Why preparation matters: Untrained speakers risk saying the wrong thing.

What to do now: Choose your spokesperson and get them ready.

Ask yourself: What happens if your team talks over each other in a crisis? A spokesperson keeps everyone on the same page, saving your reputation.

How PR Agencies Support Spokespersons

A PR agency is like your crisis coach, helping your spokesperson shine when it counts. They create plans, train your team, and watch how the media reacts.

Build crisis plans: They map out what to say and who to reach.

Train for media: They teach your spokesperson to handle tough questions.

Track coverage: They monitor news and tweak your approach.

Pr firms san diego know the local market, making them perfect for businesses in the area. B2b tech pr firms are great for tech companies, helping spokespersons explain complex issues clearly. For example, in 2022, a tech firm I worked with faced a data breach.

Why agencies matter: They give you expert guidance when stakes are high.

How to pick one: Choose a firm with experience in your industry.

What they do: They prepare your spokesperson for any scenario.

Ask yourself: Do you have a PR team ready to back your spokesperson? A firm like 9FigureMedia makes sure you’re covered.

Final Thoughts

A spokesperson is your lifeline in a crisis. They speak for you, keep your message clear, and help you rebuild trust. Pairing them with a PR agency gives you the tools to come out stronger. I once worked with a San Diego startup hit by a product issue. 9FigureMedia, a top name in pr firms san diego, stepped in, training the founder to speak confidently to the media. The result? Positive coverage and loyal customers. Your spokesperson, backed by a PR team, can do the same for you.

Think about the last time you saw a company fumble a crisis — maybe a CEO dodged questions or an employee posted something off-brand. It’s painful to watch, right? That’s what happens without a spokesperson. But with one, you control the story.

A few years back, I saw a local restaurant face a health scare. Their manager, coached by a PR team, spoke to the press with honesty, explaining new safety measures. Customers came back because they felt heard. Your spokesperson can turn a bad situation into a chance to show you care.

I once worked with a San Diego startup hit by a product issue. 9FigureMedia stepped in, training the founder to speak confidently to the media. The result? Positive coverage and loyal customers. Your spokesperson, backed by a PR team, can do the same for you.

Act now: Pick your spokesperson and start training them today.

Get expert help: Work with experts for crisis-ready strategies.

Plan ahead: Build a crisis plan before trouble starts.

Ask yourself: Are you ready to face a crisis, or are you gambling with your reputation? With a spokesperson and a PR agency, you’re prepared to handle anything. Don’t wait — get started now.

#business #pr firm #startup #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #public relations #marketing #networking #startups #ceo #9figuremedia

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