#that Virtual Detective suggestion was on POINT

[msfenriss]

Rayati, honored readers

When I was a baby lesbian in the 80s I frequented the legendary bookstore Lambda Rising, which was located in the rather upscale gayborhood of DuPont Circle in DC. My favorite part of that store was the rack of zines made by queers of all kinds for various queer niches. I picked one up called Artemis, which purported to be for women who like women who look like women. I thought “that kind of sounds like me,” and I avidly read and reread it. It was clear that the community who made this zine were UK-based, and I was a pretty miserable teenager on the east coast of the US, struggling with more than my own share of stuff, so nothing more came of it.

About 10 years later, it was the mid-90s and I was using gopher to read Usenet. I kid you not! That is how ancient I am. I confess that I was poking around a number of groups at that time that fell into the “alt.sex” category. One day there appeared a message on the femdom group about a Feminine Empire where only girls were allowed, and that I must jump through the “shimmering portal” quickly as it would close in short order. There was a URL, which was a thing of which I had only become aware within a year or so of that fateful afternoon.

The site was called Femmeworld, and it was an absolute delight! I won’t go into any detail here about that site, as several very intelligent and competent blogesses here on Tumblr have done that. I learned about blondes and brunettes, and I was struck with a bolt of revelation that I was a brunette, and that explained me! I made sense! Of course I understood that this was all within a fantasy world and that there was no such thing as an Aristasian brunette, but it revealed to me that other women had these feelings and experiences, and had thought about and discussed it enough to invent a fictional designation.

To cut to the chase, here were these women, some of whom were enby, but also female essentialist. They were anti-patriarchal, but anti-feminist. Advocates of complete state welfare (see the “colleges” that girls can choose to live in) but entirely anti-socialist, and in fact monarchical. And of course one can’t hear about “blondes and brunettes” without immediately detecting at least a bit of racism. When questioned about that, they always insisted that in lands where girls were dark-skinned, the blondes simply had hair of silver or white, and honestly it’s a trivial point, and could I please drop the subject?

I won’t go into an extensive discussion of the implications here, but I am sensitive to them. I was raised in an actively anti-racist white family. I always strive to be aware of racism and white supremacy wherever I go in the real world and the virtual. I can only tell you that because all of my interactions were virtual, it would be hard for me to absolve the Aristasians of any such allegations, but I can say that the welcoming, vulnerable, friendly nature of these ladies suggests that hate of any kind would be quite alien to them. There were a couple of girls in Second Life whose avatars appeared to be Black, and they were accepted with as much joy and enthusiasm as all other girls present. More than that I can’t say.

For another 10 years, I popped in and out of Aristasian spaces. I contributed to forums, and even took part for a short time in an online schoolgirl RP by email. Some time in the mid aughts, it was announced that an Aristasian Embassy would be established in the virtual world of Second Life. I immediately started an SL account so I could go there (and how I spent the next 15 or so years in SL is a whoooole other narrative that isn’t particularly relevant.) I attended a couple of balls at the Embassy, and was very graciously complimented on my gown. I was present for Operation Bridgehead, but was privy to very little inside information about the disagreements that ensued. If I knew anything about that, I would not share it here. Despite any philosophical differences with these ladies, I have great respect and affection for them, and would be unwilling to air their dirty laundry, so to speak.

I was privileged to get to know Sushuri Madonna, who was at that time the undisputed leader, at least of the contingent that could be found in SL. She was entirely delightful, intelligent, and kind, and had an extremely delicate nature. Despite my best efforts not to offend, I am sure my most carefully curated speech had to seem terribly coarse to her. We exchanged some email, and she was kind enough to offer editorial assistance with a few bits of Aristasian fiction I was toying with. What little I learned about her personally, I will of course not disclose, but I felt that we were friends, and I cared for her very much. I hope she is still alive and well, and that the demise of the persona called Cure Dolly does not indicate her real life death.

Thank you for reading, and I would very much welcome discussion on the topic from anyone interested.

[ashknife]

Blossom

This is for the @inklings-challenge. I didn't have the benefit of running this through my writing group for critique and editing, so it is exceptionally rough. It's done, but it needs work. Something to do when I graduate in May. :) If you have suggestions or criticism to make, I would greatly appreciate it.

>/-u:bl0$$0m >/-p:*************** User authenticated. Welcome, bl0$$0m. TaurOS 7.2.9 rev.2 update available. See UPDATE -README for details. bl0$$0m>/-jack a2.82.71.89.82.fe -in/quiet Initializing peripherals. VineTech Helm Visor XG51 detected. VineTech Glide Gloves XG51 detected. VineTech Chest Mount Expansion XG51 detected. Please wait...... 9.8 PB allocated. Entering TaurNet...... Welcome, user bl0$$0m.

Visuals initializing.

A small room appears in her sight. It is covered in vines and foliage. A square fountain in the middle, covered in lily pads, provides water to this lush little garden.

Audio initializing.

The sound of trickling water gently pelts her ears. A breeze whooshes above, rustling the plants and calling attention to the windchimes above.

Sensories initializing.

She feels the cool breath of the wind caress her skin. The sun filtering in from above counters with its warmth. The dichotomy is pleasing. The scent of the plants fills her nostrils. She almost sneezes; she is thankful she doesn’t. The mess would have been a pain to clean up.

Controls initialized. Happy exploring.

She moves her body around the garden. Walking around is almost like walking around the dark room she is really seated in. It’s close enough to be disconcerting. No matter how many times she’s done this, she has to take a few minutes to reorient herself to the virtual environment. She performs a few stretches and exercises while she’s at it. There will be a lot of activity today.

“Hey, get your bearings yet?” Spencer’s disembodied voice crackled slightly.

“Almost. You’re breaking up a little,” Blossom replied.

“Can’t help it. There’s a massive storm outside. Let me know when you’re ready. Red is on standby,” Spencer said.

“Yo,” Redjack said. “I see you’re in one of the VineTech gardens.”

“It came with the gear,” she said.

“Did you get the XG51 set? Nice!” Spencer said.

“That’s right, boys. Only quality goods for this girl,” she said.

“That pocket garden is nice. If we weren’t already linked, I’d never know it was there. Is it true? Can you link that room anywhere?” Redjack said. Blossom smiled a little. Even she enjoyed the new car smell.

“I tried putting it just outside the library subbasement. I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” Blossom said.

“Which door?”

“A-51.”

“Ok, I’m watching. On your mark, Blossom.”

“Security is light down there, but be on your guard,” Spencer said.

“Got it,” she replied. “3…2…1…”

She opened the door out into a large, dusty lobby. Dust kicked up from the floor in a visible wave emanating from the opening portal.

“Oh, wow. I think you’re the first to disturb the air here in a long time,” Redjack commented.

“You said light security, Spence. Do you think it’s still around?” Blossom asked.

“Sensors don’t need to physically patrol an area to scan it. Some gremlins can remain inert for decades before being activated,” Spencer replied.

“Don’t let my guard down,” she said.

“Exactly. People have died from less,” Spencer said.

Blossom carefully stepped into the lobby. To her left was a large set of stairs leading up to the ground floor. A couple of dim rays from the cyberworld above pierced through, illuminating parts of a utilitarian directory in front of a big desk. Circulation, Preservation, and Housekeeping were to the right.

“This desk looks like a reception area for the basement offices,” Blossom said. “I can see some of the directory. Preservation is to my right. Is that where the archives are?”

“Not necessarily, but it’s a good place to start,” Spencer said.

“Not to alarm, but going off of Spence’s point earlier, there are a couple of inert gremlins under the desk. I’m prepping some weapon data just in case. What would you like?” Redjack said.

“The usual,” she said.

“On it,” he replied.

“Any sentries close by?” Spencer said.

“Three blocks down,” Redjack said.

“I’ll look. You’re clear to walk to that point,” Spencer said.

“Got it,” Blossom said. She advanced down the dark hallway with short, purposeful steps. She looked side-to-side with as much caution. Though the hallways were mostly bare, that did not mean they were empty. More than once, she was ambushed by cleverly camouflaged data gremlins, dangerous anomalies residing in the depths of cyberspace. They are pockets of corrupted data left down here for months, decades, or even centuries. Having been overlooked for so long and thus no programs to handle garbage collection, the corruptions evolved into some sort of animalistic state with a monstrous appearance. The depths of cyberspace are home to dangers such as this. It takes professional hackers like Blossom and her crew to brave and survive those depths to retrieve lost data. Hacker is one of the most respected professions on Taurus Rho.

Blossom crept to the end of the hall, where a pair of steel doors painted the same cream as the walls blocked her path. If Spencer was right, the sentries would be on the other side of the doors, so she relaxed a bit and took in her surroundings. She had seen the upper floors of this library before with rows of heavy wooden shelves with numerous imaginative posters begging patrons to read, read, read. There was colorful carpet to complement the colorful walls and numerous streamers hanging from the ceiling. It felt open, lively, and inviting. It was hard to believe that these lower levels were part of the same building. The offices, technical processing, and archives lived down here, so the design was far more utilitarian. Perhaps if she had a chance, she would peek into an office. Surely the librarians who worked here had lively desks.

“Hard to believe that this was a lively place twenty years ago, huh?” Redjack said.

“The first digital library,” she said.

“It had a good run, but now there are five bigger ones above and plans for even more. It didn’t take long for people to forget it,” he said.

“Red, how deep do you think cyberspace is?”

“Well, Nighthawk claimed to have been ten kilometers below, and that was when this library was in its final days. That makes that now, what, twelve?”

“How deep was that depot? The deepest we made?”

“Five.”

“I remember the cliffside there. I could see down a long ways.”

“I imagine it could be twenty, thirty, or more deep. Humanity has been on Taurus Rho for several centuries, and technology keeps expanding.”

“We can make it deeper, I bet. Deeper than even the great Nighthawk.”

“Yeah. One step at a time, anyway. What’s the word, Spencer? You’ve been quiet for a while.”

“Yeah, sorry, I’m confused. These scanners are VineTech,” Spencer said.

“VineTech? But, they’re a startup. They haven’t been around for even five years,” Blossom said.

“Weapon inbound,” Redjack interrupted.

A somewhat ornate spear materialized in front of Blossom, who took it, twirled around, and struck at a pair of gremlins in one fluid motion. The spearhead connected to the skull of the vaguely humanoid anomaly. It hissed and quivered violently before collapsing to the ground. Its buddy lunged at Blossom. She sidestepped the attack and jabbed the spear into its side, where it collapsed in a strange pile.

“Executing garbage collection,” Spencer said.

A dim light briefly engulfed the gremlin corpses. The corrupted data dispersed, leaving behind a couple of scraps of paper. Blossom picked them up and looked at them.

“This scrap is part of an old newspaper,” she said, crumpling it and tossing it behind her. “But this one, it appears to be an encrypted note. I’m uploading it to you, Spence.”

The other scrap disappeared from her hand in a small shower of white sparkles.

“Got it. So, those sentries are recent products from VineTech. Stealth Series 1 Beta. They’re supposed to be hard to detect.”

“Someone doesn’t want us down here,” Blossom said.

“It’s a good bet that someone knows we’re here. Should we abort?” Spencer said.

“Can you move that room?” Redjack asked.

“Yes, I can,” Blossom said. “Tried it the other day around my space.”

“The client gave us a detailed description of the record they want from the archives. If she hurried, she can get to it and then hop through a side door back into her safe space,” Redjack said.

“That’s risky,” Spencer said.

“I get the feeling there won’t be another chance,” Blossom said.

“If someone laid that trap for us, then there’s little use for stealth. I’ll scan the area for the target. You should see it on your HUD soon, Blossom,” Spencer said.

“Activating systems. Let’s make some noise,” Redjacked yelled.

The dark hallways lit up almost brighter than day. Blossom grunted as she brought her arm over her eyes. As her eyes adjusted, she saw a red targeting reticle appear down behind the doors.

“Archives are next to preservation, as you guessed. Run!” Spencer said.

Menus darted across Blossom’s vision as she selected a slew of commands to augment her abilities. Her destination was only a couple hundred meters down; she would be fine expending a large amount of data to get there quickly, especially if she had to run for her life. As if to confirm that, the sounds of machinery and crashing echoed from above the lobby stairs. 

Blossom cursed as her spear glowed an eerie green color. With a practiced slash, she cut down the doors in front of her. She jumped past them and sprinted down the hall. Within seconds, she reached a set of doors leading into Preservation. She kicked the doors in to see a large room with shelves of boxes, chemicals, and plastic sleeving. Down the hall where she came from, she could see an Enforcer, a humanoid-shaped program designed by the military to help police the public areas of cyberspace.

“Blossom…” Spencer started.

“I know!” Weaving her spear around, she burst through Preservation, cutting through the tables and shelves before slicing down another set of doors. This led to a small warehouse with mostly empty shelves. There were several gremlins, all of whom were agitated by the sudden change in environment. In the middle of that was the target record. Hearing the crashing behind her, Blossom leaped forward, over the gremlins and shelves, and landed two aisles away from the record. The Enforcer exploded through what was left of those doors and charged forward, but the gremlins found it more interesting than Blossom.

“Precious seconds bought. There’s a door down the aisle where the record is found. Grab it and go!” Spencer said.

More menu options floated in front of Blossom as she ran to the correct aisle and rushed to the record. It appeared to be an old journal of some kind. She pocketed it and ran for the door. Light flickered behind it, and it opened to her private garden. The sound of struggle between the Enforcer and the gremlins quieted down. She was out of time. With a final burst of speed, she leaped for the door and slammed it behind her. The door bulged with a fist-like shape. Furiously, she entered commands. Soon, the bulge returned to normal as her garden transported her to somewhere safe. She pulled the journal out.

“The memoirs of Jackson A. Miller is ours,” she said.

Both men exhaled.

“Good job, Blossom,” Redjack said.

“Another narrow escape, thanks to your upgrades,” Spencer said. “Guess I should do the same, yeah? I’ll meet you at the normal place.”

“Sure thing.”

A pair of wired, sleek gloves pulled a similarly styled helmet off. The young woman gasped for fresh air and then sat there while her pulse and breathing slowly returned to normal. Every close call unnerved her. If the Enforcer had gotten a hold of her like it did those gremlins…well, this room would have been quite the mess for someone to clean up.

She stood up, slid the chest mount off, and hung the pieces of the XG51 into their sanitation station. She ambled to the bathroom and looked at the mirror. Her undershirt was drenched with sweat, and her black hair was also drenched and matted. She ran her fingers down her dried face and stared at her brown eyes for a few moments. She sniffed and wrinkled her nose.

“This is going to be the death of you, Laura,” she told her reflection.

A shower and some fresh clothes later, Laura stepped out of her apartment into the city streets. As much as she didn’t care for the inner parts of Prime City, she was glad for the opportunity to get out and distance herself from the virtual reality suit. The storm Spencer complained about had just passed over this part of the city, so there was a little freshness in the air. Her dark grey beanie, scarf, coat, slacks, and boots blended with the overcast sky, the city buildings, and many of her fellow pedestrians. She trotted to keep pace with the crowd, warily watching while keeping her face down. A pair of earbuds quietly played music from children’s show Duck the Rabbit; they were also a type of hearing aid. They saved her more than a few times from nosy reporters and angry strangers.

A quarter-hour stroll through the city streets brought her to a little cafe, La Fleur Petit. An eccentric old lady crazy about fungus ran the place, which was enough to scare off most people who weren’t regulars. It was a cozy spot that served a delicious cup of coffee and a large, warm waffle. Laura could smell the waffles the entire walk down. She opened the door and stepped in.

A wrinkled raisin of a woman sat at the register hunched over in a somewhat comatose pose. It wasn’t clear if she was contemplating the mysteries of the universe or was asleep. An eye peeked to see who it was, and then she burst into life.

“Oh, you can’t hide from me, sweetie! I know which blossom those eyes belong to,” she said.

“Good evening, Madame Sophie,” Laura said. Sophie grabbed Laura’s cool hand and stared seriously into her eyes.

“Still so formal after all these years. One day, young lady. One day, you will call me Grandma or Toots or something.” She cackled. Laura couldn’t help but smile as the old lady dragged her to her normal table. There was a guest waiting for her, as expected.

“Waffle and coffee?” Sophie asked.

“Yes, please.”

“I’ll return shortly.”

Laura sat at the table and faced her guest, who was dressed similarly. They sat in silence until Sophie returned with fresh coffee in mushroom-shaped mugs. She sat a mug in front of Laura and another in front of the guest.

“Your orders will be ready in a few. Relax and enjoy!” She bowed and walked back to the counter, singing an old tune using mushroom names as lyrics. Laura’s guest lifted his mug.

“The fields are white unto harvest,” he said.

“But the laborers are few,” she said, lifting her mug. They loosened their scarves and savored a sip.

“Sophie makes good coffee. I wonder where she sources it,” the man said.

“See? Like that, dearie!” Sophie called from the counter. Laura laughed.

“I don’t know, but she’s earned a few secrets,” she said.

“Do you have the journal?” he said.

“Here.” Laura produced a small drive and handed it over. He looked it over and placed it in a pouch.

“That was a close call. Did that punch get in your garden?”

“About two feet, I think. It…I…do you know something, Spence? I think we were targeted.” Spencer nodded.

“Here’s a copy of that note.” He pulled out a folded scrap of paper. “Decrypted,” he added.

Laura took and unfolded it.

Flowers wither. -M

She looked up.

“I don’t know who we angered, but somehow we did,” Spencer said.

“Any ideas? Past clients? Jobs?” she asked.

“I think it might actually have been this job. Jackson A. Miller was an old general, someone the deposed General Blackheart looked up to. Our client was really good at hiding his information, but I still managed to dig up some info. A librarian who was personal friends with the same Mason Blackheart, Apollo DeGreen. Seems he might be doing a favor for his old buddy.”

“General Blackheart was deposed seven years ago and disappeared soon after. Wouldn’t this be someone acting on an old grudge?”

“Maybe, but then they seemed to know who you are. That they sent an Enforcer after you meant they were someone high up. Very few people get to command those. I just don’t know who M is.”

He stared intently at her. She stared back. Sophie arrived with plates of waffles and sausage.

“Oh, Sophie, I could eat this every day,” Spencer said.

“How nice of you to say, but you already get my best discount,” Sophie replied as she placed the food down for her guests. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

Laura stared for a bit longer, and then she looked at the scrap again. Something caught her eye. There was a tiny bit of writing underneath the note.

“Hey, there’s an address here,” she said, handing the note back.

“You’re right,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “You know something.”

“Yeah, but I can’t crack. Not yet. Trust me a little longer,” she said, taking in a bite of waffle. If only she could hold that warm, fluffy moment forever.

“You were almost killed,” he said, holding his first bite in.

“I…yeah. That unnerved me, but I have to face the danger. We need to go to that address.”

“This is clearly a trap.”

“I know.”

“But you want to go?”

“I have to. It’s…important.”

“The ever-nebulous quest of yours?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t think I could take it if you were silenced.”

“You say that every time.”

“And I mean it every time. You’re a person, too. Red and I care about you. We’re a great team. We could keep this going for years to come.”

“Spence…”

“I know better than to try to talk you out of this, but if this goes south, we’re gonna have to lay low for a while.” Laura sighed.

“Thank you, Spence. Just trust me a little longer, and then you’ll learn all you want.”

“You’re a hard nut to crack, Blossom.”

“I have to be. Look, she made these look like shiitake.”

They ate and chatted for a while longer before leaving.

The door to Laura’s apartment opened quietly. She stepped in and closed the door just as carefully. She stepped into the kitchen and stripped the gear off of her head, placing them on the table. She inhaled sharply and brought her fist down on the table, jolting everything on it. She screamed in frustration.

She knew who M was. M was the Matriarch, the name her aunt used in cyberspace. Her real name was Anastasia Plumer. She was the governing regent of Sector Prime, one of the most populous sectors on the planet. She obtained the position by exposing the corruption of the previous regent and that of his advisors. Evidence of that corruption extended to her father, General Mason Blackheart. The general embezzled funds for his family and used his position to cover for a number of Laura’s missteps, including a failed attempt to sexually assault her own cousin, Lance Plumer. In an act of goodwill, Anastasia pardoned their crimes when General Blackheart stepped down in the face of his charges.

Charges that Laura knew were completely fabricated. Anastasia and Lance had powerful and skilled friends. All it took was a little sample of Laura’s DNA that she unwittingly provided. From that, they could recreate nearly every detail about her, including her voice and mannerisms. It was groundbreaking technology, the kind that Taurus Rho was known for. The people behind this brought that technology to market under the name VineTech.

Anastasia was calling Laura out, and Laura had no choice but to follow along. It was the only way she could get close enough to find something, anything, to exonerate herself and her father. She was right: this might really be the death of her.

“Let me get this straight: we’re infiltrating an address left behind by someone who tried to kill you?” Redjack asked.

“Yes,” Spencer and Blossom answered.

“You know, I need to find my way to Prime City so I can smack you both upside the head,” Redjack said.

“It’s been a while since the last time,” Blossom said.

“It has, and if this mission goes to pot, it won’t be happening ever again,” Redjack said.

“Don’t be all glum, Red. If this mission goes well, Blossom said she would spill the beans,” Spencer said.

“Wait, really? Like, we can finally know your name and all that?” Redjack said.

“Yeah. I have a feeling we’ll find something big here,” Blossom said.

“If you make it. I mean, given what we know, they could be going after me and Spence when this is over.”

“If this is our end, then let it be something noteworthy. I mean, we are trying to be greater than Nighthawk, right?” Spencer said.

“Now or never,” Blossom said.

“Right,” Redjack said. “I see you attached your garden to that address. I can have a weapon placed right outside for you. You’ll need it: the place is crawling with gremlins.”

“The place looks like an abandoned vacation home that sunk into the depths. Records of who it once belonged to seem to have been corrupted. Maybe one of those gremlins has them,” Spencer said.

“I can block some doors and funnel the gremlins down a corridor. That should help you dispatch them,” Redjack said.

“Alright. Reserve some data for a hasty retreat,” Blossom said. “I’d rather this not be the end if I can help it.”

“Already on it,” Redjack said.

“Okay, on my mark,” Blossom said. “3…2…1…”

Blossom burst through the door, grabbing the spear dropped next to it. One thrust, two, and then three inflicted fatal wounds on as many gremlins.

“Starting garbage collection,” Spencer said.

“Funneling enemies. They should be coming out of the door to the left,” Redjack said.

“How many?” Blossom asked.

“About thirty.”

Blossom sighed, inhaled deeply, and slammed the butt of the spear on the ground.

“Bring it!” she said, readying the spear for the first to come out.

Come out they did. As the door burst open, two gremlins popped out. Meanwhile, the doorway appeared to shrink down to a third of its size, forcing further gremlins to have to squeeze through.

“That should hold for a while. Take them out,” Redjack said.

Blossom stabbed the two in front of her, and then she charged at the doorway, running through another. She stood in front of it, stabbing at each one trying to get through to her. With Spencer clearing the corrupted data, there was plenty of room for the remaining gremlins to make their way to Blossom. By the time the last fell, she yawned with boredom.

“I expected more,” she said.

“Don’t let your guard down, lady,” Spencer said. He grunted. “Nothing useful. They were all made of bits and bobs. I think they were all made recently.”

“What are we looking for, anyway?” Redjack asked.

“I don’t know, exactly. Evidence of some kind,” Blossom said.

“You’re risking your life for something vague?”

“This time, yes. I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I’ll know what it is when I find it.”

“Okaaay…” Redjack said. “Well, you are in the den of a mansion. Your garden is attached to a door that goes outside. The door to the left of that, where you just killed gremlins, leads further into the mansion. On the opposite side, you should see some double doors that lead out into a courtyard. There is a bridge that goes over a pond to an island that houses a small tower. I don’t know about you, but I think I would have fun at this place. You, aside from the monster infestation.”

Blossom gasped. She knew this place.

“The tower. It’s got to be in the tower.”

“How do you know?” Spencer said.

“I just…I just do. Are there any enemies out there?”

“None that I see,” Redjack said. There just seem to be a couple of spotlights. How odd.”

“Huh…yeah, they’re just spotlights. Nothing out of the ordinary there,” Spencer said.

The ground shook. A guttural scream echoed through the mansion.

“That…oh, that one is huge. And he’s above you,” Redjack said.

“I don’t like this, Blossom. You’re being pushed there. You know there is trap of some kind somewhere,” Spencer said.

“I’ll deal,” she said, approaching the courtyard doors. They were large enough to allow a small vehicle in. A plank of wood resting on metal braces barred the door from opening. Blossom lifted the plank and set it aside. She then twisted the second brace from the right, revealing a small hole inside the door. She retrieved a key, which she inserted into the keyhole. There was a loud click, and then the doors swung open.

“Huh…” Spencer said.

“I couldn’t see that. Where exactly are we?” Redjack said.

“It’s–” Blossom started. Another heavy scream cut her off.

“Tell us later. Go!” Redjack said.

Blossom ran out into the courtyard. It was a simple grassy yard with a large pond in the middle. In the middle of the pond stood a small tower rising about three stories. A rough path of large stones connected the door to a wooden bridge that crossed the pond. The stone path continued on the island to the tower.

Blossom made it halfway to the bridge when a large, dark mass poured itself out of the courtyard door like a thick oil. Once out, it wriggled violently until it could form a pair of arms, a pair of eyes, and a pair of eyes. The gremlin was easily the size of an elephant, and its core was darker than any night sky Blossom had ever seen.

Blossom bolted to the bridge just as the gremlin chased after her. The ground under the gremlin suddenly gave way as if it was as viscous as the creature.

“Thanks, Red,” Blossom said as she stepped on the bridge. Just a few more steps, and she would be on the island, and then the tower, and then whatever was held in it.

Then the spotlights lit up.

Blossom cried out as she did her best to shield her eyes from their glare.

“Don’t tell me…” Spencer said.

“Oh. Oh, no!” Redjack said. “There’s no way!”

Blossom was not the only one who cried out. The gremlin screeched in pain. It scrambled like a panicked bug back to the mansion.

“We’re too high up to see any of these,” Spencer said. “How is this possible?”

There were four spotlights, each attached to the fence around the courtyard. Their intense light focused on Blossom. Wherever she blindly stumbled, they followed her. The large beams grew brighter and more focused. A thin beam of the whitest light shot from each spotlight and hit Blossom’s head. She seized up, held up only by her twitching muscles and the lights which bore into her.

“I’m going in,” Spencer said.

“Are you nuts?! We’ve never dealt with the Lights of Truth!” Redjack said.

“If I know my lore, they’ll only be focused on her. If I don’t, well, it was worth a shot. We can’t jack her out until she’s free of them, which means one of us has to pull her out.”

Redjack cursed.

“I knew you’d understand,” Spencer said.

The lights intensified, drilling into Blossom’s mind. Her body contorted in awful angles, and her cries sounded inhuman. Streams of silver poured out of her head. There were hundreds of them, and they threatened to corrupt the space around them and form gremlins. However, in the light, they instead stabilized and turned into windows showing pictures, objects, scenes, and even ideas and feelings.

“There’s a ton of data coming through. You’ll have to jack in on my mark,” Redjack said.

“Got it,” Spencer replied. “What’s going on?”

“It’s…her. Everything about her. Everything.”

“What? That’s it?”

“I don’t think you understand, Spence. You should see this.”

“Okay.”

“Opportunity’s coming. 3…2…1…”

A  shower of light by the courtyard door heralded Spencer’s entrance. The lights around him were nearly too much to take in, but they were not nearly as intense as they were on the bridge. Silver streams continued to wrest themselves out of Blossom’s mind, turning in to data streams. Scenes of school, trips, military parades, family, especially…

“General Mason Blackheart?” Spencer said. The deposed general factored into several memories.

“Blossom is…Laura Blackheart? Have we been working with the general’s daughter this whole time?” Redjack said.

“This was the regent’s vacation home! Red, where is all this data going?”

Redjack gasped and cursed. “It’s going somewhere in downtown Prime. I can’t contain any of this! Get her out!”

Spencer approached the bridge. The heat of the lights was unbearable, but that was nothing compared to Laura’s writhing body. It contorted just the right way for him to reach his arms in and hook them around her shoulders. He pulled her as close as her body and the attached lights would allow.

“Got a boost for me?” Spencer said.

“I’ll try, buddy,” Redjack said. “Here goes…”

Spencer yanked. Redjack’s boost was more than he expected, for he flew back into the mansion with Laura in tow. It was enough to disconnect her from the lights, which immediately powered down. She quivered in exhaustion and gasped for breath.

“Throw her in the garden. I'll jack her out,” Redjack said.

Spencer dragged Laura to the door hosting her private garden. He was unable to enter it, so he gathered her into his arms like he was carrying a large sack.

“I’m sorry, but I hope this will be less painful than what you just went through,” he said.

He swung her twice before letting go a third time. She flew a few feet into the garden, landing hard on the ivy-covered ground. Spencer winced.

“I’m so sorry, Blossom,” he said, closing the door.

Laura screamed as she yanked the XG51 off. She clawed at her head, which felt like it had been drilled into hundreds of times. She stumbled out of her chair, choking out sobs, clutching her chest, and using the wall to hold herself up. Eventually, she made it to the bathroom, where she allowed herself to trip down to the toilet. She vomited into it. When nothing more could come out, she collapsed on the floor. She tried to wrap the rug around her. She pulled the towels off the drying rack to wrap around her, and then she tried to reach for the clean ones shelved above the rack. Eventually, she stopped reaching and cried herself to sleep.

“Welcome! Oh! Oh…” Sophie hurried around the counter and grabbed Laura’s hands. It had been two days since her mind was invaded. She existed on the bathroom floor for most of that, but something within willed her to get up, clean up, and take the stroll to La Fleur Petit. She wore two layers of clothing under her coat and wrapped her scarf extra tight. The wet, red rings around her eyes made her look threatening. She tried to say something to Sophie.

“Shh, hush now. Come, your friends are waiting. I will make something special for you.”

Waiting? She didn’t tell anyone she would be there. Yet, there were two men dressed like her. Of course. Who else could it have been? They were already enjoying their coffee in mushroom-shaped mugs. A fresh mug was waiting for her. Sophie helped her sit, and she was off into the kitchen.

“The fields are ripe to harvest,” Spencer said.

“But…the laborers…” Laura answered, choking up. She breathed in slowly and collected herself.

“Are few,” she finished. She loosened her scarf a little, trying to have just enough room to drink her coffee and nothing more. The two men removed their scarves completely, loosened their coats, took off their caps, and relaxed. Spencer leaned forward.

“So, we, uh, saw everything,” he said. Laura nodded cautiously.

“To be honest, I thought all this effort to be secretive and hidden was a novel schtick, You know, an edgy kind of roleplay that was sort of our trademark thing. I mean, why do we need to hide? We’re hackers. We do the dangerous work of finding things in the deep so that nobody else has to, right? But, now I understand. I know why we needed to be secretive. Why you were always so hidden. You had to be,” Spencer said.

“The regent was after you,” Redjack continued. “She tried to mine, well, you. She learned about Spence and I.”

‘I put you danger. We have to lay low. I shouldn’t have…” Laura said.

“Yeah, we’re in danger. Or would have been,” Redjack said. He pushed a folded piece of paper to her. Laura took and unfolded it. She looked up. On the note was an image of a hawk’s head.

“Apparently Nighthawk is still in business, and he took enough shine to us to divert most of the data heading to the lady regent,” Spencer said.

Tears fell as a great weight lifted from Laura’s shoulders.

“I…I’m so grateful!” she blurted. Spencer stood up.

“For better or for worse, the time for secrets is behind us. My name is James Smith. My grandfather, Spencer O’Toole, was a hacker and someone I admired greatly.” He held out his hand. Redjack stood and offered his hand, as well.

“I, well, there’s nothing meaningful to Redjack. My name is Jack Redman. I just thought it sounded cool. Computers are sort of my dig, you know?”

Laura stood and took her scarf off.

“Laura Blackheart. I’m pleased to meet you both.” She shook each of their hands, and they sat back down.

“Oh, finally! You’re practically family now!” Sophie snuck up to the table with three steaming bowls, placing them before each person.

“Sophie, we didn’t order any soup,” Spencer said.

“Don’t worry! Today’s meal is on the house. The soup is my special recipe: a broth made from several different mushrooms! It’s the perfect remedy for cold, troubling days. I’ll be back later with your meals.” Sophie scooted off.

“That was generous of her,” Redjack said, lifting the bowl to his face. Spencer and Laura did the same.

“Cheers,” they said, and drank. The soup filled Laura with an otherworldly warmth, a feeling of calm in the midst of a raging storm. The earthy, peppery mushrooms felt oddly of home. There was joy, and longing, and peace.

Laura opened her eyes, suddenly aware she had almost drifted asleep. Spencer and Redjack, by the look on their faces, had similar reactions.

“What a masterpiece,” Spencer finally said. Silently, they sipped their soups until their bowls were empty. As if on cue, Sophie returned to collect their bowls and place out their entrees: a massive feast of eggs, bacon, and sausage piled on top of her mushroom-shaped waffles.

“I don’t know what you’ve suffered, but I’ll be dead before I let anyone walk over my children like that. Next time it happens, you point ol’ Sophie at ‘em. I’ll tan their hides so hard, they’ll wish I actually knocked them into next month.” Sophie walked back to the kitchen muttering other unsavory things she wanted to do. The three sat there for a moment, and then they erupted in laughter before digging in.

“We need to go back,” Laura said.

“I know you just got drilled in the head, but seriously?” Spencer said.

“Yes. Seriously. Aunt Anastasia baited a trap, but I never found the bait,” Laura said.

“The Lights of Truth are ancient traps. I can see how a rich and powerful person like the regent managed to get some moved to her old vacation home without destroying half of cyberspace, but there isn’t much known about them. I don’t know any way to disable them,” Redjack said.

“But Nighthawk does,” Laura said.

“Oh, right. He did claim to have a way to get through them. But we have no way to contact him,” Spencer said.

“If we caught his attention before, maybe we can catch it again,” Laura said.

“What if we don’t?” Redjack asked.

“Then we look for a way around. They activated when I got part way across the bridge. What if we went under it, or over the island, or through the ground? The tower, it’s important. She had that built for her kids and us cousins. It’s a big playhouse,” she answered.

“Well, those are possibilities,” Redjack conceded.

“What if the bait turns out to be a ruse?” Spencer asked.

“Well, I guess we lay low and learn from our mistakes,” Laura said.

“I think I heard something about Omega Phi looking for something like us hackers. Ever thought about moving off-world?” Redjack said.

“Let’s consider that after we deal with the task at hand,” Spencer said.

Laura stared at an empty mug.

“Grandma, can I have some more coffee?” she called out.

Sophie burst through the kitchen door with a full carafe of coffee and the widest grin.

“You make this old woman so happy, dear!”

A few days had passed before Blossom stepped back into the mansion’s den. It seemed whatever damage occurred during his last visit was repaired.

“Auntie is pretty diligent at maintaining her abandoned property,” she observed.

“That’s a bad sign,” Spencer said.

“Let’s go through with it, anyway. We may get lucky,” she said.

“Just in case, I have a program ready to jack you out in case the lights target you again. It’s going to hurt, but not like what you endured,” Redjack said.

“Okay. Let’s do this,” she said, stepping towards the courtyard doors. She immediately stopped and drew a sharp breath.

“Whoa! Who is that?” Redjack said. Although difficult to see in the dim lighting, there was a man standing in front of the courtyard doors. His dark raiment melded well with the shadows, but the helmet on his head was shaped like a hawk.

“Is that…?” Spencer started.

“Laura,” the man said sternly. Her knees gave out, and she fell on them. Her lips quivered and tears formed.

“That was reckless, the other day. I taught you better,” the man continued.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…I had to…”

“How can you possibly surpass the great Nighthawk with such rookie mistakes?” he demanded.

“I never thought I would get to meet Nighthawk, and now he’s scolding us. I don’t think anything can surprise me anymore,” Redjack said.

“Anastasia isn’t satisfied. She wants us gone. I didn’t think I would have another opportunity!” Blossom pleaded to Nighthawk.

“Sometimes patience requires decades. You can’t expose anything if you lose control and get yourself killed for it,” Nighthawk countered. “And your teammates! Did you not think of them? Didn’t you ignore their warnings?”

Blossom punched the ground in frustration. Nighthawk walked to her.

“Get up,” he said. “Get up. Eyes up and forward. Face me.”

Blossom obeyed, standing to her feet and facing Nighthawk with eyes filled with defiance. Nighthawk grabbed her chin and chuckled softly.

“You’re as stubborn as ever. I’ve missed you, daughter.”

“Nighthawk is…” Spencer said. The sound of his headset hitting a wall replaced the rest of his statement.

“Tell me this is the last surprise we have to deal with. We can’t handle anymore,” Redjack said. Blossom could almost hear his facepalm.

“Where have you been?” Laura said.

“I’m sorry. I had to disappear, like you,” Nighthawk said. He cupped his hands around her head, and then he pulled her into an embrace.

“I missed you,” she said, hugging him back.

She could feel him pull his mask off. There was a shake, and then she felt something like a warm, fuzzy blanket cover her. She pulled back  to see a cloak covering her. Her father fastened the clasp at her neck and pulled the hood over her head. He waved a hand, revealing a mirror. In the reflection stood an older version of the father she knew. He leaned on a cane, and his hair and beard were grayer, but age could not erase the pride and intention in which he carried himself. Laura then noticed the ears on the hood and the little duck bill. She laughed, facepalmed, and sang.

“Duck, Duck the Bunny is his name

Helping the children is his game!”

General Blackheart walked around his daughter and tidied the wrinkles and debris off of the cloak. He joined in the song with his gruff, baritone voice.

“When evil rears its ugly head,

Duck will fly in and make it dead.

He saves the world as you can see

Duck is right here for you and me!”

“That was an awful show,” General Blackheart said.

“Yeah, but it kind of stuck,” Laura said.

General Blackheart looked Laura over once more, and then he sighed.

“I’m old and harsh. You suffered greatly from those lights. I hope you can forgive an old man for fearing for his little girl,” he said.

“I’m twenty-seven, Dad.”

“I’m almost 70. You will always be little to me. Now, we have some business to take care of, don’t we?”

Ruffled noises come from Spencer’s headset, followed by a long breath.

“General, do you plan on funding a long vacation for all of us when this is done?” he asked.

“I’ll do that and more if you succeed. How would you folks like to work with the great Nighthawk? I’ll teach you things you never thought possible,” General Blackheart replied.

“I’m ears,” Redjack said.

“You’re really helping us?” Laura said.

“Of course. I can’t have Anastasia harming my little blossom again,”

“What’s the plan?” Spencer said.

“Blossom is going to walk across the bridge and take whatever artifact is in the tower,” Nighthawk said as he pulled on a new hood.

“We tried that last time, and it didn’t work,” Redjack said.

“True, but last time you didn’t have all the necessary tools,” Nighthawk said.

“This cloak,” Blossom said.

“Right. I devised cloaks like this specifically to get past the Lights of Truth. They were a government experiment designed to mine the thoughts of the populace. As you’ve seen, they have painful results, and they were the refined, production versions,” Nighthawk said.

“So, you learned about them while you were actually General,” Spencer said.

“Right. That sort of clearance turned around and made me a legend, though you are the only ones outside my team to know this. Having the archived schematics of old, powerful weapons helped us to devise countermeasures,” Nighthawk said.

“Not to alarm anyone, but that giant gremlin is still there. How has he not seen us yet?” Redjack said.

“Let’s just say I know a few ways to obtain control of my space. I will upload some of those to you,” Nighthawk said. “The rest I cannot give you without causing you trouble.”

“What will the cloak do?” Spencer asked.

“It will reflect the light back to the source, causing it to mine itself. It won’t be destroyed, but it will be kept busy in a recursive loop for several minutes. Unfortunately, they will not be available to keep our friend upstairs at bay. That’s where I come in. I need you gentlemen to back me up while I keep him busy. With a little luck, we can take it out and recover a bit of treasure for ourselves,” Nighthawk said.

“What’s in the tower?” Blossom asked.

“I don’t know, but it will be on you to recover whatever is up there. I imagine Anastasia will have something else planned for you,” Nighthawk said. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I saw some of the memories drilled out of you. There was one in particular that caught my attention,” he said. A window appeared, showing a garden in Prime City.

“Wait a minute. Isn’t this where Laura supposedly assaults the regent’s son?” Spencer said.

“Look,” Nighthawk said.

A younger Laura walked down the starlit garden path. She wore a simple dress with golden feathers adorning her shoulders. Walking next to her was her cousin, Lance Plumer, who wore the ceremonial uniform of a colonel of the Prime Sector army. Earlier that day, new officers graduated from officer school, and Lance was one of the top graduates. The party that night was in their honor. Laura naturally attended the party, being the daughter of General Mason. It had been years since she and Lance saw each other, so this party was an excellent opportunity to catch up.

They ambled through the spacious garden for what seemed like hours before they stopped in a secluded corner. The journey was well-remembered. The words and sounds, however, were muffled. Laura barely remembered them. That is, until a certain point. Lance brought his hand up to Laura’s face.

“You really blossomed into a beautiful woman, Laura,” he said.

“Oh, stop it,” she laughed. “I’m still the same kid you ran around with.”

“Maybe we can do something more,” he said. His hand lowered, but before he got anywhere, she grabbed a hold of it. He thrust his other arm at her face, which she dodged and then bit. He yanked that arm back while she held on to the other, spinning under it and using the momentum to flip him onto the ground. She spat in his face and stormed off.

Nighthawk brought up a different window. “This is footage from the security camera,” he said.

The same scene played out, but from a perspective about ten feet away. When Laura stormed off, Lance produced a couple of vials from his coat and collected Laura’s spittle.

“That was much easier than I thought,” he said as he got up. He dusted himself off, looked around, and walked away.

“That…that…” Blossom started.

“It’s hard to know what was and wasn’t fabricated,” Nighthawk said. “So, I just wanted you to know, if this doesn’t work out, and we get separated again, know that I know the truth and have always believed it to be, even when we were being played.”

“If I hadn’t spat on him!” Blossom stormed to the courtyard door.

“Operation start, boys,” Nighthawk said.

Soon, the door swung open, and Blossom stomped her way to the bridge and over it. The spotlights lit up, again blinding her. However, she hid under her cloak while her sight recovered. The cloak lit up, producing a reflective barrier in the shape of Duck the Bunny. With a loud quack, the lights were reflected back to the spotlights. The spotlights shook violently and flickered as they tried to mine the minds that weren’t there.

“You know, she’s going to kill you for that,” Spencer said.

“Won’t be the first time. It’s a father’s job to embarrass his children,” Nighthawk said.

“Bogey is active. Look alive!” Redjack said.

Blossom huddled under her cloak while the sting dissipated from her eyes. When her vision recovered, she resumed her tirade to the island, and then up the path. She planted her foot squarely on the tower door, knocking it over. She climbed the steps as Nighthawk evaded the gremlin outside. The second floor contained four beds. Beside each was a bedstand equipped with a lamp, a few books, and a small shelf of toys. She crossed the room and ascended the next set of stairs. At the top of the stairs was a final door. She stopped for a moment, took a few deep breaths, and composed herself. And then, she knocked.

“Come in,” Anastasia answered.

Blossom stepped in. The room inside was much larger than it should have been. There was a fire roaring in the fireplace across from the door. A tea kettle sat over it. A rug lay in front of the fireplace. To either side of the rug were a pair of comfy chairs. A table with teacups and cookies sat in between them. Anastasia Plumer sat in the one on the right.

“Have a seat,” the regent said.

Blossom sat in the other chair. Anastasia pulled the teapot from the fire, filled the teacups, and placed the pot back on the fire. Blossom took her cup and sipped on it. Chamomile.

“Snickerdoodles?” she asked.

“Yes,” her aunt replied. Blossom took one and nibbled on it silently for a few moments.

“Why haven’t you killed me?”

“I still can.”

“But you haven’t.”

“I can’t.”

The fire crackled loudly.

“Regent DeSpain was a crooked man. I don’t regret exposing him. Removing him from power, and those who profited with him, was necessary for the health of the sector,” Anastasia said.

“What did that have to do with me and father?”

“As his daughter, you should understand how much he values loyalty and duty. If his leader was in danger, no matter how much he actually despised the man, Mason would still take bullets for him.”

“This all was a form of protection?”

“Would you prefer prison and execution?”

“Why did you have Lance…do…argh!”

“Laura, I could never apologize enough for what he did. I instructed him to recover some form of DNA from you. He chose how to do it. The smear campaign was badly handled.”

“You don’t say!” Blossom shot up, ready to throw a punch.

“The Lance on TV is also fabricated. Did you know that?”

“What?”

“The real Lance is doing time in Barghest. That is the penalty for sexual assault, isn’t it?”

“I…didn’t…” She deflated back into her chair. They sat in silence for a while longer.

“You have to expose my crimes,” Anastasia finally said.

“I don’t understand,” Blossom said.

“Mason is fully discredited, but he can live on as Nighthawk. In fact, I think in some ways he prefers it.” At that moment, the large gremlin crawled passed their windows. Shortly after, Nighthawk flew past with some kind of energy weapon in hand, cackling like madman.

“Point.”

“You also have an interest in bringing me down, and it is easy to disprove the false evidence implicating your ‘crimes.’ I brought down Regent DeSpain in the name of justice, and I still believe in that enough to know that I need to step down and leave the regency to someone capable of ruling with clean hands.”

Laura sighed.

“I just wanted my life back,” she said.

“I’m sorry. The old flower has long since withered, but you have already blossomed into a new one. Do this, and you can at least be free to pursue it with your team.”

“What will happen to you?” Laura asked.

“I will probably end up in a cell next to Lance. Either that or I can make my escape to Omega Phi. I hear they need hackers.”

An ear-piercing squeal came from outside.

“Ha ha! We have vanquished the beast!” Nightwing cried out.

“Well, there’s the key to unlock the evidence. Here’s the rest,” Anastasia said. She produced a small lockbox and handed it to Blossom.

“You are not merely the daughter of Mason Blackheart. You are Laura Blackheart, the Blossom of the Depths. My traps have harmed you, but you have lived and learned from them. Now, let us finish staining our family name so that we can reconcile and find peace.”

Anastasia got up, curtsied, and exited in a shower of sparkles. The room phased out and was replaced with a smaller, empty room covered in dust.

“Blossom! Blossom! Are you there?” Spencer called out. Redjack and Nightwing were busy chanting cheers and victory fanfares.

“I’m here. I have it. I have what we came for,” she said.

Over the next few years, the Prime Sector underwent several rounds of political upheaval until the government reformed around a new regent. Careful checks and balances were installed to ensure the validity of the government. Although Laura Blackheart was exonerated of her crimes in the public eye, she remained below the radar. Some believe they can see her entering a hole-in-the-wall cafe, but they are never sure if it’s actually her. Even her clients are not quite sure. The Blossom of the Depths guards her secrets well.

[theknightofivanhoe]

Justice League: Question’s Hard Drive Ch 2: Table for Two

Table of Contents

The journey in Question’s shiny royal blue 1960s Pontiac GTO was spent in deathly silence. Question himself focused on the road leading through the dimly-lit labyrinth of streets. Not a word was said between him or Huntress who sat looking out of the window. Right now Question’s mission had quite literally gone from infiltrating an office building in order to discover ties between CADMUS and Lex Luthor, to satisfying his scantily-clad, fiery-tempered vigilante girlfriend with a proper date in order to discover ties between CADMUS and Lex Luthor. Question was, Question was asking himself, which eating place could Huntress agree on without it being a front for the Court of Owls for instance? With all the connections that rattled through the detective’s head, the options were few.

“So, did you have a place in mind?” Question’s hushed inquiry pierced Huntress’ virtually unknown train of thoughts and she inclined her striking, tan face towards him. “The Princess of Mars club includes some rooftop tables.” she suggested, smirking romantically as she propped her elbow on the windowsill of her door and rested her head on her fist. “We can gaze up at the stars while we -.” “That’s a negative.” This terse response from the detective caught Huntress off guard. “I’m sorry?” she asked once she had processed this refusal. “That restaurant likely lets people on its roof so the Church of Blood has a vantage point to kidnap innocent families.” Question warned as he drove on. Huntress just pinched the bridge of her slim nose in despair. “Can we please not have another one of your idiot conspiracy theories again, Q? I’m worn out from tonight’s mission.” “Well I’ve got mountains of information to search if we’re going to connect CADMUS to Luthor.” Question replied intently. “Q, all I’d like is for us to just take it easy first, just for tonight.” Huntress protested. “Learn to work hard...and play hard.” She finished this with a devilish grin spreading on her lips, eyebrows bobbing up and down under her mask. This, along with how Huntress crossed her naked legs, was enough to send Question’s heart racing and remind him why their bond grew so strong since he joined in her pursuit of crime lord Steven Mandragora.

“So, how does some jazz and pasta at Brando’s Pastaria sound?” Huntress asked again. “That has Snaky Doyle’s name on it.” Question objected, but Huntress scoffed. “Snaky my butt! Anyway if you spot anything wrong, let your girl handle it.” “Like how you handled Black Canary?” Question shot back rather wryly. That got Huntress spluttering indignantly. “How about you don’t mention that blond bimbo in the middle of our date?” “I’m just saying - ” “Alright, one last try before I smash your head through the windshield; Corleone and Brazzi’s. And enough with your idiot conspiracies.” Huntress ended this with a certain amount of threat to her voice, facing the roadway again. “We went past the only lane that would have taken us there.” Question plainly told her. “...and?” Huntress asked, glaring at her bizarre admirer through the corner of her eye. “And there’s a good chance Corleone and Brazzi’s is a front for a sect of Kobr-” “Q!” “Okay, okay, Corleone and Brazzi’s it is!” The detective immediately backpedalled when Huntress sharply rounded on him again. The Pontiac was taken in an immediate u-turn now that the decision had been made. “Sometimes I wonder how…” Huntress muttered with a palm to her forehead. “Eccentric charm…” Question reminded her, focusing through his blank mask on the new route. This made Huntress smirk, her smokey dark eyes fixed on him and she propped her chin on her fist again. “Can’t argue with that…”

Corleone and Brazzi’s was not too shabby, a vast multi-storey restaurant in a thriving part of Hub city with classical-style pillars, statues and plants in large urns. Buzzing with relatively mild activity, the restaurant had men in tuxedos eating and drinking with ladies in elegant gowns and gentle piano music twinkling in the background over all the polite chatter. “Name…?” a moustached man standing over the guest list, the restaurant host, asked the figure that stepped up to him. “Question.” came the low, mysterious voice that caused the host to pause and look up at the visitor in the blue fedora and trench coat. “Questio - I’m sorry, I don’t quite foll - AAH!” He nearly leapt a foot in the air at the sight of a face that looked like nothing but skin, with no eyes, nose or mouth to speak of! Rooted to the spot as Question himself just fixed him with an eyeless stare, the host shivered all over. Other staff and guests stopped what they were doing in confusion and shock at what they heard. But the figure in the fedora lowered his head so the brim obscured his face before everyone else could also get a glimpse. The host, to whom Question had shown his masked face, could only stand up against his desk staring at him in pure fear. What was he to do?

“Don’t mind my date, sweetie.” A raven-haired woman appeared at Question’s side, smiling reassuringly. Out of her mask, gloves and boots and now wearing a gloss-black high-neck, sleeveless minidress with a pair of fashionable stiletto sandals and a black satchel slung on her shoulder, Helena lay a hand on Question’s shoulder while coiling her other arm snugly around his lower torso. “It’s not often Q-utie here ‘faces’ life at its fullest, is it, baby doll?” “…Table for two, please?” Underneath his mask, Question didn’t seem to take Helena’s teasing very well. “Name of Question and Helena…” Still nervous at this seemingly faceless man, the moustached host decided they didn’t look like they would cause any harm, hopefully. “Uhh…yes, yes, uh, certainly, Mr - uh - Question - uh - sir… We have - ah - ah, Table 5, it’s right - right by - by the window…you can hear the pianist pretty clearly, uh, sir…” he stammered, shakily writing on his list. His nervousness made it hard to jot the letters down. “You’re a peach, hun.” Helena commented in a sultry way, gently pulling Question along by his waist as her stilettos clicked across the waxed floor tiles.

“‘Faces life?’ Seriously?” Question hissed under his hat’s brim as they waded past the slightly apprehensive guests who he had to keep from seeing his mask. “Come on, Q! Is a sense of humour too conspiratorial for you too?” asked Helena who strutted beside him enjoying how people glanced at how gracefully she moved, not to mention her choice of attire. “It was Christmas cracker-tier.” Question said indignantly, “In fact, Christmas crackers are being looked into in connection with the - ” “What about the boys checking me out?” Helena interrupted his conspiracy-based rambling with a sly look. “You looking into that?” The minidress she now wore over her leotard didn’t show off her legs quite as much as the latter, but its hem was still short to the point of dangerous, earning some glances from some of the well-dressed men at tables the couple went past. Question noticed one man turn his head in Helena’s direction, his shoulders clenching threateningly. Pulling away from Helena’s arm, he towered over the man in the tuxedo, looking rather intimidating even as his hat’s brim hid his blank mask. “Ah…” the man uttered, trying no to shrink in his chair. “Saw something on the floor - uh, dropped something - my bit of bread - thought I’d dropped my bread…” he blabbered, immediately turning to the meal he was having. “Strange. I didn’t notice any bread on the floor…” Question nearly growled his words out, before Helena pulled him away to prevent an escalation. “Not now, baby doll…” Another man snuck a glance at her, only to get a clap round the head from the woman sitting next to him!

A reminder; Huntress is pretty sensitive to any mentions of Black Canary after their first battle in 'Double Date.'

Chapter 1

Chapter 3

[zerogate]

On the last day of his life, shortly before being forced to drink poison for failing to believe in the state-endorsed gods and for corrupting youth, Socrates engaged in a final dialogue with his students. This teaching, reported by Plato in Phaedo, is focused mostly on the nature of the soul but includes a comment about the relationship between pleasure and pain.

After a prison guard has removed his chains, Socrates purportedly noted, “How singular is the thing called pleasure, and how curiously related to pain, which might be thought to be the opposite of it… he who pursues either of them is generally compelled to take the other. They are two, and yet they grow together out of one head or stem.”

This philosophical observation, recorded around 350 B.C.E., astutely predicted the experimental insights of the nineteenth-century French physiologist Claude Bernard. Bernard is credited as the first to note that moving between opposite biological states enables our bodies to maintain stability in the face of disruption—anything from a sudden change in the weather to a bad grade on a paper or a death in the family.

[...]

Working with his student John Corbit, Solomon suggested that any and every stimulus that perturbs the way we feel is actively counteracted by the nervous system in order to return to homeostasis. The stimulus could be a drug but also good or bad news, falling in love, or skydiving.

In their opponent-process theory, Solomon and Corbit made the case that feeling states are maintained around a “set point” just as body temperature and water balance are. They proposed that any feeling, including “good,” “bad,” “happy,” “depressed,” or “excited,” for example, represents a disruption of the stable feeling state that we perceive as “neutral.” Specifically, the opponent-process theory posits that any stimulus that alters brain functioning to affect the way we feel will elicit a response by the brain that is exactly opposite to the effect of the stimulus. As Newton might succinctly put it: who goes up, must come down.

Say our brain detects an external stimulus that produces either pleasant or unpleasant feelings. According to Solomon and Corbit, in either case the brain responds by counteracting those feelings. For instance, suppose that you have a medical test that indicates cancer. It’s very likely, in such a case, that initial feelings of panic or despair give way to a general state of worry as you grapple with myriad implications. These less intense feelings endure while your test results look bad. However, if things change, perhaps a biopsy comes back clear, rather than return to your original state, you would likely experience a period of elation—in effect, a mirror image of the despair you had felt. This pattern of change in affective experience is elicited by any event that pushes the brain beyond its neutral set point.

Though we’re usually unaware of affective homeostasis at work, most of us will recognize this pattern in the feeling states surrounding romantic love. It’s typical to experience dramatic affective changes as you “fall in love,” because this overwhelmingly pleasurable state imbues even routine experiences with sparkly joy. In the beginning of a love affair, the pattern of brain activity recorded by an fMRI is virtually indistinguishable from that showing the effects of cocaine.

We eventually adapt to this state of bliss and find our feet back on the ground. As long as the stimulus (our lover) remains present, things feel just fine—a new normal. But if our lover wants a break or otherwise opts out of the relationship, an opponent process results in heartbreak. It can take months or years—depending on the intensity and duration of the partnership—to get back to a neutral feeling state.

Having a set point enables meaningful interpretation of a stream of ceaselessly changing input. Sustained feelings in either direction impede our ability to perceive and thus respond to new information, so the nervous system imposes transience. This means that if something truly wonderful happens—you meet Prince or Princess Charming—the elation will not last. On the other hand, even the most terrible calamity won’t result in perpetual despair. This is also true with more mundane stimuli: we can probably all relate to the letdown after returning home from a great vacation, or to the flood of relief after a near accident on our commute.

-- Judith Grisel, Never Enough

[quirkwizard]

Conceal - It allows the user to hide their presence, making them virtually invisible! When they activate their quirk, they'll pick a target or a group of people for it and the affected won't be able to see them. However, this doesn't effect anyone who enters the area/room after activation. If someone who can see them points them out the effect is lost and they become visible once again to them. The effects are also lost if they speak or make a noise loud enough for someone to notice them.

I think that something like that could work, but it really needs some reworking and fleshing out. As it is, it works as a concept, but details seem missing. Things like how many people they can target, how long it lasts, how good the effect is. The wording only implies that it is visual perception and nothing else. The biggest problem is balancing. I get wanting to balance something like this since it can be really powerful, but I think that you have taken it too far with the drawbacks. It can only work on a certain number of people, and it's easily broken, either by the user revealing themselves or someone spotting them. It just seems like it would be really hard to use in what is already a niche ability. If even some minor issue comes up, like the user bumping something or another person comes in, then they can't use it anymore. It effectively comes out to being a worse "Invisibility", trading out the reliability of it for letting the user keep their clothes on. I would suggest reworking the power in a different direction, reworking parts of it to make it more balanced. For example, you could keep the idea of concealing the user but broaden its scope by muffleing their sounds, scents, and visibility to others. It doesn't completely eliminate them, and they can still be detected by those with exceptional perception, but it can help them sneak around without being noticed, and it isn't limited to certain people. 

[incandcouk]

Inc & Co - Role of AI in Finance Business

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming the finance industry by automating tasks, improving decision-making, and enhancing customer experiences. Here’s how shared by team Inc & Co AI is playing a crucial role in finance:

1. Automating Processes

Robotic Process Automation (RPA): AI-powered bots handle routine tasks like data entry, compliance checks, and report generation, freeing up human resources for more strategic roles.

Fraud Detection: AI systems can analyze vast amounts of transaction data in real-time, identifying unusual patterns and flagging potential fraudulent activities more accurately and quickly than traditional methods.

2. Enhancing Decision-Making

Risk Management: AI models can predict market trends, assess credit risk, and evaluate investment opportunities by analyzing historical data, market indicators, and economic signals. This helps in making more informed and timely financial decisions.

Algorithmic Trading: AI-driven algorithms can execute trades at optimal speeds and times by analyzing market data, news, and even social media sentiment, often outperforming human traders.

3. Improving Customer Experience

Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: AI-powered chatbots provide 24/7 customer support, handle inquiries, and assist with transactions, making banking services more accessible and efficient for customers.

Personalized Financial Advice: AI analyzes individual customer data to offer personalized financial advice, investment recommendations, and product suggestions, leading to more tailored and effective financial planning.

4. Compliance and Regulatory Support

RegTech: AI helps financial institutions comply with regulations by automating the monitoring of transactions for compliance issues, identifying regulatory changes, and ensuring that institutions adhere to the latest legal standards.

AML and KYC: AI enhances Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) processes by accurately and efficiently verifying customer identities, screening for suspicious activities, and maintaining up-to-date compliance records.

5. Credit Scoring and Lending

Alternative Credit Scoring: AI models assess creditworthiness using non-traditional data sources such as social media activity, payment histories, and even smartphone usage patterns, enabling lenders to reach a broader customer base, including those without conventional credit histories.

Loan Decision Automation: AI accelerates loan processing by automating the evaluation of loan applications, considering a wide range of data points, and reducing the time and bias in decision-making.

6. Portfolio Management

Robo-Advisors: AI-driven robo-advisors manage investment portfolios by automatically rebalancing assets based on an investor’s risk tolerance, goals, and market conditions, providing a cost-effective alternative to human financial advisors.

Predictive Analytics: AI tools analyze market data to forecast asset performance, helping portfolio managers make more informed investment choices and optimize returns.

7. Cybersecurity

Threat Detection: AI strengthens cybersecurity by identifying and mitigating threats in real-time, protecting sensitive financial data from cyberattacks, and ensuring the integrity of financial transactions.

Anomaly Detection: AI systems monitor networks for unusual activity that may indicate a security breach, allowing for swift intervention and damage control.

Conclusion

AI’s role in the finance business is pivotal, driving efficiency, innovation, and customer satisfaction. As AI technology continues to evolve, its integration into the finance industry will likely expand, offering even more advanced tools for managing risk, optimizing operations, and enhancing financial services.

Follow team Inc & Co for more such posts!

[magnetoitsolutionsuk]

The Role of AI in E-commerce: Improving Customer Experiences

When talking about e-commerce website development services, AI has become a revolutionary power throughout businesses. As innovation advances, artificial intelligence changes how we shop online by further developing personalisation, working on activities, and enhancing user experience. 

From intelligent product suggestions and virtual assistants to stock management and fraud detection, AI-powered arrangements empower associations to give smooth, customised experiences while driving advancement in the competitive e-commerce sector. Let us look at how AI is reshaping the entire e-commerce landscape in detail. 

How Are Businesses Using AI in E-commerce?

If you are planning on hiring an e-commerce website development agency for your e-commerce store, let us first look at how other firms use AI for their businesses. Below are some of the ways companies use AI in e-commerce: 

Customisation

E-commerce sites can utilise AI to tailor their clients' shopping experiences based on their buying history, tastes, and behaviour. It further develops client faithfulness. Yet, it likewise improves the probability of acquiring extra exchanges. AI can also examine web index searches to attract new clients.

Improved Customer Service

Chatbots fueled by AI are brilliant devices for e-commerce stores to convey 24/7 customer support. Chatbots and virtual assistants can assist with robotising client care requests, purchasing, and answering questions. It also decreases customer service professionals' stress and provides consumers a more simplified experience. 

Price Optimisation

Like perfecting the sales processes, AI may optimise pricing to ensure that firms earn the highest possible sales margins. Seasonal fluctuations in some products, as well as supply chain concerns, may have an impact on product prices. Artificial Intelligence might represent all this, taking into account real-time dynamic pricing.

Improve Consumer Segmentation

Artificial Intelligence can assess many information points to convey knowledge about the most unsurprising customer propensities, buying conduct, and inclinations for every classification. It empowers e-commerce retailers to adapt marketing messages and advancements for each divided group, bringing about more sales and revenue - and a more customised shopping experience. 

Better Logistics 

AI can work on every part of the supply network and satisfaction process. From stock management to adjustable delivery choices to computerised request satisfaction, e-commerce stores use Artificial Intelligence to diminish waste and get items to clients. 

More Precise Predicting 

Forecasting - whether for deals, requests, item expenses, or something different can become a challenge. What can improve prediction is information, which Artificial Intelligence can use to get better knowledge. 

How to Implement AI for Online Stores?

Before investing in e commerce website development london , knowing how to implement them for an e-commerce store is essential. Below are the steps to implement AI for web-based stores.

Determine Specific Use Cases

Before deploying AI, e-commerce organisations should check their business needs and determine how the innovation could help. By laying out the organisation's needs, owners might verify that the AI system they pick relates to their objectives.  

Use Third-Party Expertise 

Try not to enter into this venture. To avoid regular blunders, draw on the experience of the people who have gone before you. Execution, integration, and optimisation are tough, so employing experts might be prudent for this outcome in better navigation.  

Use Internal Supporters 

Utilising Artificial Intelligence — or any innovation — is more viable when your workers acknowledge it. Distinguish internal supporters who will get the news out about how this will help the organisation and workers to increment buy-in. 

Why Should Organisations Consider the Use of Artificial Intelligence? 

Below are the reasons why firms should use AI for web-based stores: 

Improved Targeting in Marketing and Advertising

Artificial Intelligence can mine information to figure out which sort of client you're focusing on and how to best draw in with them. Better buyer personas can further develop advertising, item depictions, and deals. 

Customer Engagement

AI can assist firms with better comprehension of online buyers and what persuades them to make a move. It will likewise impact how the organisation contacts its existing consumers later on. Consumer support and satisfaction are normal regions where AI helps online shops and further develops client experience.  

Enhanced Automation 

Executing automation involves boosting your business. Distinguishing normal tasks that should be possible by a digital solution empowers employees to zero in on more impactful work that helps the association. AI can likewise open up new automation methods, helping with unmanageable jobs.  

What Are Some Examples of Using AI in E-commerce?

Below mentioned are some examples of using AI in e-commerce: 

Shopify

The Shopify ecommerce platform utilises AI technology to work on the skills of its users, permitting them to make better store encounters while improving backend processes. Shopify experts developers  can leverage the platform's advanced AI generative tool for creating enthralling item descriptions and a variety of AI plug-ins that offer consumers customized purchasing recommendations.  

eBay

This platform offers AI solutions that work on the skill of tasks for purchasers and dealers. eBay uses Artificial Intelligence to assist with item classification by using text and picture models, which considers item labelling for increased accessibility. This procedure permits sellers to list their items in the appropriate segments, guaranteeing that customers can find what they need. 

Alibaba

Alibaba's ecosystem has an incredible number of active users worldwide, which necessitates the employment of advanced AI technologies such as ML and cloud AI functions to improve the shopping experience. 

As a result, Alibaba has executed the Recommendation System Framework (RSF). Alibaba's Recommendation System Framework (RSF) is a cutting-edge artificial intelligence system that optimises traffic flow and makes individualised product recommendations to customers. The RSF monitors client action and makes tailored suggestions in no time, guaranteeing that buyers see the most applicable and needed items at the time of contact.

Closure

To sum up, the usage of e-commerce website development services in the e-commerce industry has changed how organisations approach design and promotion. AI procedures and calculations have empowered predictive analytics, successful client segmentation, and modified marketing strategies. This tool allows organisations to develop consumer loyalty, increment transformations, and maximise marketing spending. 

Artificial Intelligence will continue to grow in e-commerce as innovation accelerates, offering new opportunities for businesses seeking to prosper online. Thus, if organisations desire to stay serious and provide excellent consumer experiences, they can use AI for their e-commerce store.

Author Bio : - 

Pritesh is the Director of Sales for the US, UK and European markets for Magneto IT Solutions. He advises clients on their technology strategy, providing insights into the future of digital commerce for B2C and b2b commerce solution and mid-market and enterprise accounts. He has significant experience in the jewellery and luxury goods industry and enjoys consulting on digital transformation projects. He has over 15 years experience performing various roles from consulting through to delivery.

[likitakans]

How AI is the Key Differentiator in Analytics Products and Services

In the rapidly evolving healthcare industry, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a game-changer, transforming the way healthcare analytics products and services operate. As data becomes increasingly central to healthcare, the ability to analyze and act on this data with speed and precision has never been more critical. AI is not just enhancing healthcare analytics; it is redefining what is possible, offering unprecedented opportunities for innovation and efficiency.

The Power of AI in Healthcare Analytics

AI brings to healthcare analytics the ability to process vast amounts of data quickly and accurately, enabling healthcare providers to make informed decisions in real time. Traditional data analysis methods often fall short in handling the complexity and volume of healthcare data. AI, with its advanced algorithms and machine learning capabilities, can analyze diverse data sets—from patient records to imaging studies—with a level of detail and speed that humans cannot match.

For example, AI can sift through millions of data points to identify patterns and correlations that would otherwise go unnoticed. This capability is particularly valuable in predictive analytics, where AI can forecast potential health outcomes based on historical data, helping clinicians to intervene early and improve patient outcomes.

AI as a Differentiator in Healthcare Products

AI's role as a differentiator in healthcare products is most evident in its ability to provide personalized healthcare solutions. AI-powered analytics tools can tailor treatments and interventions to the individual needs of patients, taking into account their unique medical histories, genetic profiles, and lifestyle factors. This personalized approach not only improves patient outcomes but also enhances patient satisfaction, as individuals receive care that is specifically designed for them.

Moreover, AI-driven healthcare products are increasingly integrating with wearable technology, allowing for continuous monitoring of patients and real-time data collection. This integration enables a proactive approach to healthcare, where potential issues can be identified and addressed before they become serious problems.

Transforming Healthcare Services with AI

In addition to enhancing products, AI is revolutionizing healthcare services. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are becoming commonplace in patient care, offering 24/7 support and freeing up healthcare professionals to focus on more complex tasks. These AI tools can handle routine inquiries, schedule appointments, and even provide basic medical advice, improving efficiency and accessibility in healthcare services.

AI is also making waves in diagnostic services. AI algorithms are being used to analyze medical images, such as X-rays and MRIs, with remarkable accuracy, often surpassing human radiologists in detecting certain conditions. This not only speeds up the diagnostic process but also reduces the likelihood of errors, leading to better patient care.

The Future of AI in Healthcare Analytics

As AI continues to evolve, its impact on healthcare analytics products and services will only grow. The next frontier for AI in healthcare is likely to involve even more sophisticated predictive analytics, where AI will not only identify potential health risks but also suggest personalized interventions to mitigate those risks. Additionally, AI will play a crucial role in the development of new drugs and therapies, accelerating the research and development process and bringing life-saving treatments to market faster.

However, the widespread adoption of AI in healthcare also comes with challenges, particularly around data privacy and ethical considerations. Healthcare organizations must navigate these challenges carefully to fully realize the benefits of AI while protecting patient rights.

Outcome

Artificial Intelligence is undoubtedly the key differentiator in healthcare analytics products and services. Its ability to analyze vast amounts of data, provide personalized solutions, and enhance healthcare services makes it an indispensable tool in the modern healthcare landscape. As AI technology continues to advance, its role in healthcare will only become more prominent, paving the way for a future where healthcare is not only more efficient but also more personalized and accessible for all.

[pediatoday]

AI's Impact on Industry Transformation: A New Era of Innovation

First of all, Artificial Intelligence's Ascent

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more than just a sci-fi idea; it is a potent instrument that is already changing business practices globally. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the capacity of machines to learn from data, make judgments, and carry out operations that typically call for human intelligence. AI is fostering innovation, increasing productivity, and opening up new opportunities in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, and finance. This article examines the advantages and difficulties of artificial intelligence as it transforms a number of industries.

The Genius Wave (Download)

AI in Healthcare: Increasing Efficiency and Patient Care

1. Early Diagnosis and Identification of Diseases

The potential of AI to identify illnesses early and increase diagnosis accuracy is one of the technology's most important effects on healthcare. AI-powered systems are able to recognize symptoms of diseases like cancer by analyzing medical images such as MRIs, CT scans, and X-rays. AI, for instance, is capable of more accurately identifying breast cancer in mammograms than certain human radiologists, which could result in earlier and more efficient treatment.

To aid physicians in making more accurate diagnoses, artificial intelligence (AI) is also being used to analyze electronic health records (EHRs). AI can reduce the likelihood of misdiagnosis by analyzing a patient's symptoms, medical history, and test results. This allows AI to suggest potential diagnoses that doctors might not have thought of.

2. Tailored Care Programs

AI is making personalized medicine possible, where patients' treatment regimens are customized for them. Artificial intelligence (AI) can make targeted treatment recommendations based on a patient's genetic composition, lifestyle, and medical background. AI can assist physicians in selecting the most appropriate medications and treatments for each patient, minimizing the trial-and-error process that frequently accompanies cancer care. This method is particularly helpful in the treatment of cancer.

3. Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Medical Assistants

AI is also improving the accuracy and safety of surgeries. Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robotic surgery systems help surgeons complete difficult procedures more accurately. By analyzing data from prior surgeries, these robots can enhance their technique and improve patient outcomes, resulting in quicker recovery times. 

Virtual health assistants represent yet another AI-driven advancement in the medical field. These aides can plan appointments, respond to inquiries from patients, and send medication reminders, which lessens the workload for medical professionals and raises patient satisfaction.

AI in Finance: Boosting Protection and Streamlining Processes

1. Detection and prevention of fraud

Artificial Intelligence is a critical tool in the finance industry for fraud detection and prevention. Massive volumes of transaction data can be instantly analyzed by AI algorithms, which can then be used to spot odd patterns that might point to fraud. AI can flag a transaction for additional investigation, for instance, if a credit card is suddenly used for an unusually large purchase or in a foreign country. This could potentially stop fraud before it starts.

The Genius Wave (Download)

2. Trading Algorithms

Financial markets are being revolutionized by AI thanks to algorithmic trading. In a split second, AI-driven algorithms can make trading decisions by instantly analyzing news, social media, and market data. AI has a major advantage over human traders because of its speed and accuracy, which increases returns on investment. Additionally, AI is able to adjust to shifting market conditions and keep getting better at trading.

3. Tailored Financial Guidance

Financial advice is becoming more individualized and accessible thanks to AI. AI-powered robo-advisors examine a client's goals, financial status, and risk tolerance before offering personalized investing advice. With their round-the-clock availability and frequently cheaper fees than traditional financial advisors, these AI-powered platforms have increased accessibility to financial planning for a wider range of people.

4. Bots for customer support and chat

Chatbots driven by AI are transforming financial customer service. These chatbots are capable of doing a variety of jobs, such as helping with transactions and responding to simple questions, giving clients immediate assistance. Financial institutions can lower operating costs and raise customer satisfaction by automating repetitive tasks.

AI in Retail: Changing the Way People Shop

1. Tailored retail encounters

AI is revolutionizing the retail sector by giving consumers personalized shopping experiences. Retailers employ artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to evaluate consumer data, including past purchases and browsing patterns, and make product recommendations based on personal preferences. By showing customers products they are more likely to purchase, personalization improves customer satisfaction while also boosting revenue.

2. Management of Inventory and Optimization of the Supply Chain

In the retail sector, artificial intelligence is enhancing supply chain and inventory management. Retailers can optimize inventory levels and cut waste by using AI-powered tools that can more accurately predict product demand. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can detect supply chain bottlenecks and recommend improvements by evaluating data from suppliers, warehouses, and transportation networks. This guarantees that products are available when and where customers need them.

3. Mixed Reality and Virtual Try-Ons

Thanks to AI, augmented reality (AR) and virtual try-ons are growing in popularity in the retail sector. Before making a purchase, customers can use these technologies to see how furniture, accessories, or even clothing will look on them or in their homes. By offering a more engaging shopping environment, Virtual try-ons with AI capabilities lower returns and boost customer satisfaction.

The Genius Wave (Download)

4. Computerized Customer Support

Chatbots driven by AI are revolutionizing retail customer service. These chatbots offer round-the-clock assistance by responding to inquiries from customers, helping with orders, and even managing returns. Retailers can save operating expenses and guarantee that customers receive assistance in a timely manner by automating customer service.

AI in Manufacturing: Improving Production Quality and Efficiency

Initial Predictive Maintenance

Artificial Intelligence is transforming manufacturing maintenance procedures. AI algorithms are used in predictive maintenance to examine machine and equipment data and forecast when components are likely to break. Through early detection of possible problems, manufacturers can schedule maintenance at the most advantageous moment, minimizing downtime and increasing equipment longevity.

2. Inspection of Quality

AI is also enhancing manufacturing quality control. Artificial intelligence (AI) enabled systems are able to inspect products in real time, spotting flaws or irregularities. This enables producers to resolve problems right away, cutting waste and guaranteeing that goods live up to high standards.

3. Optimization of the Supply Chain

Another area in which AI is changing manufacturing is supply chain optimization. AI is capable of analyzing data from production lines, suppliers, and logistics to find inefficiencies and recommend fixes. This results in lower costs, quicker production times, and a more flexible supply chain.

4. Robotics and Automation

AI-powered robots are being used more and more in manufacturing to carry out risky and repetitive tasks. These robots can collaborate with people to perform more precise assembly, welding, and packaging duties.and swiftness. Manufacturers can lower labor costs, boost productivity, and enhance safety by automating these tasks.

Using AI to Create Safer and Smarter Mobility Solutions in Transportation

1. Self-Driving Cars

One of the most well-known uses of AI in transportation is autonomous or self-driving cars. In order to navigate roads, avoid obstacles, and make decisions in real time, these vehicles use artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to analyze data from sensors, cameras, and GPS. Autonomous vehicles hold promise for mitigating traffic accidents and congestion, while also improving accessibility to transportation for individuals incapable of operating a motor vehicle.

The Genius Wave (Download)

2. Traffic Control

AI is also being utilized to enhance city traffic control. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can forecast traffic patterns and optimize traffic signals to lessen congestion by evaluating data from traffic cameras, sensors, and GPS. Shorter travel times, less emissions, and smoother traffic flow are the results of this.

3. Vehicle Predictive Maintenance

AI is being utilized in transportation for predictive maintenance, just like it is in manufacturing. AI-powered systems are able to keep an eye on a car's health, anticipating when parts will break and planning maintenance before problems get serious. This increases the longevity of vehicles and lowers the chance of breakdowns.

4. Optimization of Logistics and Ride-Sharing

Through route optimization and supply-side matching, artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the ride-sharing and logistics sectors. AI is used by ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft to match drivers with passengers in real-time, cutting down on wait times and increasing driver income. Artificial intelligence (AI) in logistics can optimize delivery routes, saving fuel and guaranteeing on-time delivery of goods.

AI in Education: Improving Instruction and Customizing It

1. Customized Education

By customizing course materials to each student's needs, artificial intelligence is increasing the personalization of education. AI-powered platforms are able to assess a student's areas of strength and weakness and provide exercises and content that are specifically designed to improve learning outcomes. Regardless of their preferred method of learning, this individualized approach guarantees that students get the help they require to succeed.

2. Computerized Tutoring Programs

AI is revolutionizing education through the use of intelligent tutoring systems. These systems give students immediate feedback and direction while they solve problems by utilizing AI algorithms. Intelligent tutoring systems can accelerate students' understanding of difficult concepts by providing individualized support.

The Genius Wave (Download)

3. Automating Tasks Related to Administration

AI is also beneficial to educators because it can automate administrative processes like scheduling and grading. AI-powered technologies can grade essays, assignments, and multiple-choice exams more quickly and accurately than human graders, freeing up teachers to concentrate more on teaching. AI can also assist with scheduling by optimizing class schedules and analyzing student availability.

4. Improving Easily Accessible Information

AI is enhancing educational accessibility by offering resources to assist students with disabilities. For instance, real-time transcription of lectures by AI-powered speech recognition software facilitates comprehension for students who are hard of hearing or deaf. AI can also translate text into speech, which makes written materials more accessible to visually impaired students.

AI's Difficulties and Ethical Issues

Although AI has numerous advantages, there are also serious drawbacks and moral dilemmas. that require attention:

1. Displacement from Work

The possibility of AI replacing jobs is one of the biggest worries. Many traditional jobs may become obsolete as AI and automation proliferate, resulting in unemployment and economic inequality. Investing in education and training programs that assist workers in adjusting to new roles in the AI-driven economy is crucial in addressing this.

2. Security and Privacy

Massive volumes of data are necessary for AI to work well. But this makes security and privacy issues more relevant. Businesses need to make sure that they are managing data sensibly and guarding against security breaches. Strong ethical standards and laws are necessary because there are worries about the possibility that AI will be used to manipulate or spy on people.

The Genius Wave (Download)

3. Fairness and Bias

AI programs are only as good as the training data they use. Biased data will lead to biased results from the AI. Unfair treatment in domains such as lending, hiring, and law enforcement may result from this. For developers to guarantee that AI is applied justly and fairly, it is imperative that they acknowledge and counteract these biases.

In summary: AI's Role in Industry Futures

Industries are changing in ways that were unthinkable even a few decades ago thanks to artificial intelligence. It is increasing accuracy, boosting productivity, and opening up new opportunities in a number of industries. But these developments also bring with them important problems and moral issues that need to be resolved. AI is becoming more and more important for businesses, governments, and society to cooperate in order to minimize its risks and maximize its potential. AI has a bright future ahead of it, and its influence on various industries will only increase, bringing in a new era of advancement and innovation.

[photon-insights]

AI For Wealth Managers — Photon Insights

As we move forward in 2024, wealth managers cannot afford to ignore the potential of AI. The wealth management industry is reaching a breaking point due to increasing client expectations and competition. AI can be implemented as a strategic enabler for wealth managers to improve efficiency and elevate client experience so that they can open up new revenue pools easily.

Therefore, AI tools should be a top priority for wealth managers in 2024. Wealth management is about providing personalized financial advice and investment strategies to clients. Wealth management advice is generally based on individual goals, risk tolerance, and market situations. Photon Insights AI for Wealth Managers delivers customized, data-driven suggestions based on real-time data, making this goal achievable.

The Photon Insights AI tool for financial analysis is highly efficient in analyzing large data pools. This data can be retrieved from both structured and unstructured channels, providing intelligent insights. Soon AI will become a must-have tool to enable wealth managers to gain a 360-degree view of their clients, allowing them to understand financial patterns, potential risk profiles, etc.

Using the power of AI, advisors can offer suggestions based on real-time data, highly-tailored advice, and actionable insights to their clients. Moreover, AI can predict life-changing events and pivot points for clients by providing proactive advice in areas like tax optimization, estate planning, financial strategies, etc. A proactive and personalized strategy like this can cultivate client relationships and provide satisfaction.

Improving Client Interaction and Engagement

Consumers (including digital-first and digital-only clients) want seamless, omnichannel experiences from their financial service providers. Photon Insights provides an innovative technology-based solution to better communicate with clients across multiple touchpoints using AI-powered client-facing tools and intelligent advisors.

AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants offer instant, 24/7 access to portfolio details, financial advice summaries, FAQs, and more. These AI assistants leverage natural language processing to understand client queries and provide relevant information, advice better fund management tips. The conversational AI experience feels natural and intuitive for clients.

In professional life, AI tools enable wealth managers to provide hyper-personalized client reviews by automatically analyzing each client’s portfolio performance, financial situation, and other events. AI can surface key insights and recommend action points. This AI-driven prep work ensures client meetings are efficient, valuable, and focused squarely on their specific needs and concerns.

Additionally, wealth managers can leverage AI for automated, multichannel client communications to share timely thought leadership content, portfolio reports, investment insights, and more. These targeted client-centric communications boost engagement and reinforce the value of the advisor relationship.

Streamlining Operations and Back-Office Efficiencies

On the operations side, AI offers wealth managers a huge opportunity to drive efficiency and reduce costs across functions like compliance, risk management, and client onboarding.

AI can automatically detect anomalies, fraudulent activities, and excessive risk exposure to help in compliance and risk management. AI can identify potential violations by continuously monitoring transactions, communications, trades, and more. This automated monitoring reduces the compliance burden while bolstering risk controls.

Photon Insights AI document processing solutions streamline the process of parsing client documents, tax forms, and more from various structured and unstructured sources. The AI tool intelligently reads and extracts relevant information from these documents, classifying key data points and seamlessly populating internal systems. Thus, accelerating the process of client onboarding and new account setup.

For repetitive manual back-office tasks, AI tools offer significant productivity gains. The AI tool can automate processes like transferring data between systems, reconciling accounts, generating standard reports, and more with great speed. By automating repetitive operational tasks with AI tools, wealth managers can focus their human capital on higher-value, client-facing activities that truly elevate the customer experience.

Driving New Revenue Streams

Innovative wealth managers will capitalize on AI to unlock new revenue opportunities in 2024 and beyond. AI tools excel at generating personalized, data-driven insights, advice summaries, and recommendations. Wealth managers can monetize these valuable insights through premium research, investment products, or subscription advice services, effectively “productizing” their expertise.

Additionally, some wealth managers are using AI to create market-tailored, scalable investment strategies to attract new clients. By leveraging AI to continuously analyze market conditions, portfolio performance, and economic factors, wealth managers can dynamically adjust AI-driven portfolio models with final human oversight.

Photon Insights AI for wealth managers offers a path to transform their business models to be more scalable, tech-driven, and customized for each client, catering to specific needs and generating new revenue sources.

The Time to Embrace AI is Now

As wealth management is shifting towards a more digitized and democratized landscape, firms adopting AI early will gain major competitive advantages. Photon Insights AI has immense potential to enhance the client experience, streamline operations, mitigate risks, and uncover new revenue models. This is done by implementing trustworthy, ethical, and secure AI systems that require upfront investments, promoting

quality data management practices,

technology modernization,

employee training,

and careful governance models.

Acting now and adopting AI for Wealth Management in 2024 will ensure that wealth managers generate multiple revenue sources. They can capitalize on these tremendous opportunities by improving their business and thriving in this rapidly evolving industry. The time to embrace AI is now. Schedule a quick demo with Photon Insights and explore all its features.

[jcmarchi]

Ethical Considerations When Developing AI for Emotion Recognition

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/ethical-considerations-when-developing-ai-for-emotion-recognition/

Ethical Considerations When Developing AI for Emotion Recognition

Artificial intelligence for emotion regulation is one of the latest technological advancements in the machine learning field. Although it shows great potential, ethical issues are poised to affect its adoption rate and longevity. Can AI developers overcome them? 

What Is Emotion Recognition AI? 

Emotion recognition AI is a type of machine learning model. It often relies on computer vision technology that captures and analyzes facial expressions to decipher moods in images and videos. However, it can also operate on audio snippets to determine the tone of voice or written text to assess the sentiment of language.

This kind of algorithm represents fascinating progress in the field of AI because, so far, models have been unable to comprehend human feelings. While large language models like ChatGPT can simulate moods and personas convincingly, they can only string words together logically — they can’t feel anything and don’t display emotional intelligence. While an emotion recognition model is incapable of having feelings, it can still detect and catalog them. This development is significant because it signals AI may soon be able to genuinely understand and demonstrate happiness, sadness or anger. Technological leaps like these indicate accelerated advancement.

Use Cases for AI Emotion Recognition

Businesses, educators, consultants and mental health care professionals are some of the groups that can use AI for emotion recognition.

Assessing Risk in the Office

Human resource teams can use algorithms to conduct sentiment analysis on email correspondence or in-app chats between team members. Alternatively, they can integrate their algorithm into their surveillance or computer vision system. Users can track mood to calculate metrics like turnover risk, burnout rate and employee satisfaction.

Assisting Customer Service Agents

Retailers can use in-house AI customer service agents for end users or virtual assistants to resolve high-stress situations. Since their model can recognize mood, it can suggest de-escalation techniques or change its tone when it realizes a consumer is getting angry. Countermeasures like these may improve customer satisfaction and retention. 

Helping Students in the Classroom

Educators can use this AI to keep remote learners from falling behind. One startup has already used its tool to measure muscle points on students’ faces while cataloging their speed and grades. This method determines their mood, motivation, strengths and weaknesses. The startup’s founder claims they score 10% higher on tests when using the software.

Conducting In-House Market Research 

Businesses can conduct in-house market research using an emotion recognition model. It can help them understand exactly how their target audience reacts to their product, service or marketing material, giving them valuable data-driven insights. As a result, they may accelerate time-to-market and increase their revenue. 

The Problem With Using AI to Detect Emotions

Research suggests accuracy is highly dependent on training information. One research group — attempting to decipher feelings from images — anecdotally proved this concept when their model achieved a 92.05% accuracy on the Japanese Female Facial Expression dataset and a 98.13% accuracy on the Extended Cohn-Kanade dataset.

While the difference between 92% and 98% may seem insignificant, it matters — this slight discrepancy could have substantial ramifications. For reference, a dataset poisoning rate as low as 0.001% has proven effective at establishing model backdoors or intentionally causing misclassifications. Even a fraction of a percentage is significant.

Moreover, although studies seem promising — accuracy rates above 90% show potential — researchers conduct them in controlled environments. In the real world, blurry images, faked facial expressions, bad angles and subtle feelings are much more common. In other words, AI may not be able to perform consistently.

The Current State of Emotion Recognition AI

Algorithmic sentiment analysis is the process of using an algorithm to determine if the tone of the text is positive, neutral or negative. This technology is arguably the foundation for modern emotion detection models since it paved the way for algorithmic mood evaluations. Similar technologies like facial recognition software have also contributed to progress. 

Today’s algorithms can primarily detect only simple moods like happiness, sadness, anger, fear and surprise with varying degrees of accuracy. These facial expressions are innate and universal — meaning they’re natural and globally understood — so training an AI to identify them is relatively straightforward. 

Moreover, basic facial expressions are often exaggerated. People furrow their eyebrows when angry, frown when sad, smile when happy and widen their eyes when shocked. These simplistic, dramatic looks are easy to differentiate. More complex emotions are more challenging to pinpoint because they’re either subtle or combine basic countenances.

Since this subset of AI largely remains in research and development, it hasn’t progressed to cover complex feelings like longing, shame, grief, jealousy, relief or confusion. While it will likely cover more eventually, there’s no guarantee it will be able to interpret them all.

In reality, algorithms may never be able to compete with humans. For reference, while OpenAI’s GPT-4 dataset is roughly 1 petabyte, a single cubic millimeter of a human brain contains about 1.4 petabytes of data. Neuroscientists can’t fully comprehend how the brain perceives emotions despite decades of research, so building a highly precise AI may be impossible.

While using this technology for emotion recognition has precedent, this field is still technically in its infancy. There is an abundance of research on the concept, but few real-world examples of large-scale deployment exist. Some signs indicate lagging adoption may result from concerns about inconsistent accuracy and ethical issues.

Ethical Considerations for AI Developers

According to one survey, 67% of respondents agree AI should be somewhat or much more regulated. To put people’s minds at ease, developers should minimize bias, ensure their models behave as expected and improve outcomes. These solutions are possible if they prioritize ethical considerations during development.

1. Consensual Data Collection and Utilization 

Consent is everything in an age where AI regulation is increasing. What happens if employees discover their facial expressions are being cataloged without their knowledge? Do parents need to sign off on education-based sentiment analysis or can students decide for themselves?

Developers should explicitly disclose what information the model will collect, when it will be in operation, what the analysis will be used for and who can access those details. Additionally, they should include opt-out features so individuals can customize permissions. 

2. Anonymized Sentiment Analysis Output 

Data anonymization is as much a privacy problem as it is a security issue. Developers should anonymize the emotion information they collect to protect the individuals involved. At the very least, they should strongly consider leveraging at-rest encryption. 

3. Human-in-the-Loop Decision-Making

The only reason to use AI to determine someone’s emotional state is to inform decision-making. As such, whether it’s used in a mental health capacity or a retail setting, it will impact people. Developers should leverage human-in-the-loop safeguards to minimize unexpected behavior. 

4. Human-Centered Feedback for AI Output

Even if an algorithm has nearly 100% accuracy, it will still produce false positives. Considering it’s not uncommon for models to achieve 50% or 70% — and that’s without touching on bias or hallucination issues — developers should consider implementing a feedback system. 

People should be able to review what AI says about their emotional state and appeal if they believe it to be false. While such a system would require guardrails and accountability measures, it would minimize adverse impacts stemming from inaccurate output. 

The Consequences of Ignoring Ethics

Ethical considerations should be a priority for AI engineers, machine learning developers and business owners because it affects them. Considering increasingly unsure public opinion and tightening regulations are at play, the consequences of ignoring ethics may be significant.

[proceduralcaves]

Source notes: Explicit Generation of 3D Models of Solution Caves for Virtual Environments

(Boggus & Crawfis, 2009)

Type: Journal Article

Keywords: Synthetic Environments, Caves, Phreatic Passage, Vadose Passage, and Combination Passage

Relevance: 3/5

The authors endeavour to create virtual caves by understanding and observing how they are formed in reality. Their method produces different 3D models based on two types of cave passages, that can then be combined to form larger systems.

The paper begins by briefly mentioning some computer games (the abstract mentions movies in relation to virtual environments but the researchers' focus seems to be on games), Dig Dug, Tomb Raider and Halo. They proceed to discuss the need for, and merits of, procedural generation of content due to the increasing complexity of 3D environments in games and the power of algorithmic methods, as well as the relative paucity of research on the generation of caves.

A definition of caves is given as "natural voids underground that are large enough for a person to enter". The type of cave being recreated is a solution cave, formed when rock is dissolved by acidic water. A process which can take several thousands of years, and which requires there to be "sufficient groundwater recharge to dissolve rock and enough drainage of the solution to remove sediment from the area". It is solution caves that speleothems (mineral formations) are often found in, a result of precipitation after the formation of the main cave passages. As speleothems are visually interesting, recognisable as cave features and found in most examples of computer game caves, the Masters project and its technical artefact will also focus on solution caves.

Referenced are examples of polygonal models created using spatial data of caves from surveys. Such examples are insufficiently detailed and inflexible for computer games but may be worth referencing to illustrate the challenges of 3D cave generation. The same can be said in terms of the cost and time investment — and again, static nature of — cave models based on spatial data obtained by laser and ultrasound scanning, which (Boggus & Crawfis, 2009) also mention.

Two types of cave passages are described, phreatic and vadose. Phreatic passages are rounded and horizontal in shape, widened in all directions. Vadose are vertical slots formed by rapidly moving and descending water.

The technique used to model these passages involves extruding one Bezier curve (a smooth, continuous curve created using "control points" as parameters to a formula) along the trajectory of another.

For phreatic passages, the following curves are used:

The curve on the right is extruded along the curve on the left (representing the flow of water). The resulting surface is copied and reflected to create both the ceiling and floor of the passage. A quadratic equation is used to create curves of differing heights and widths that can then be extrudede.

Vadose passages are created in a similar manner. The curve on the right is "swept" along the curve on the left to create one wall, before repeating with the trajectory curve reflected. The tops and bottoms of each wall are then connected.

Combination passages are created by sweeping cross sections along trajectory curves or by combining models of separate passages and eliminating clipping vertices and vertices from one passage that are inside the cavity of another.

The paper concludes by presenting textured models and suggesting that cave features and surface details could be created through techniques such as bump mapping and displacement mapping.

The method used is simple and computationally inexpensive. It makes it easy to create varied surfaces and passage shapes. However, a lot of work is required to join passages and create larger systems. There is no detailed information on generating speleothems. Features such as collision detection and texturing are not covered, nor is parameterisation or customisation of the models outside of altering the input curves. It is relevant to include as an example of a basic method for generating virtual caves and because it uses a unique technique.

[fitqworkout]

Train Smarter, Not Harder: How Pose Detection Workout Apps Enhance Your Fitness Journey

The world of fitness is constantly evolving, and technology is playing an increasingly important role in helping us achieve our goals. One exciting development in recent years is the emergence of pose detection workout app. These innovative apps utilize sophisticated technology to analyze your movements and provide real-time feedback on your form. This can be a game-changer for anyone looking to get the most out of their workouts, prevent injuries, and improve their overall fitness.

How Pose Detection Works

At the heart of these apps lies a technology called pose estimation. Pose estimation utilizes computer vision algorithms to track key points on the human body in real-time. When you perform an exercise, the app's camera captures your movement, and the pose estimation software identifies specific points like your elbows, knees, and hips. By analyzing the position and movement of these key points, the app can determine whether you're performing the exercise correctly.

Benefits of Pose Detection Workout Apps

There are numerous benefits to using a pose detection workout app. Here are a few key advantages:

Improved Form: Proper form is essential for maximizing the effectiveness of your workout and minimizing the risk of injury. Pose detection apps can help you ensure you're performing each exercise with the correct technique by providing real-time feedback on your posture and alignment.

Personalized Coaching: Many pose detection apps offer personalized coaching features. Based on your performance, the app can suggest modifications or progressions for exercises, tailoring your workout program to your specific needs and fitness level.

Injury Prevention: By ensuring proper form throughout your exercises, pose detection apps can help prevent injuries caused by incorrect technique. Early detection of form deviations allows you to adjust your movements before they lead to pain or strain.

Increased Motivation: Real-time feedback and progress tracking features in these apps can be incredibly motivating. Seeing your form improve and tracking your workout progress can help you stay on track and reach your fitness goals.

Accessibility: Pose detection workout apps offer a convenient and accessible way to get personalized fitness coaching. You can use the app virtually anywhere, eliminating the need for expensive gym memberships or personal trainers.

Who Can Benefit from Pose Detection Workout Apps?

These apps are beneficial for a wide range of individuals, regardless of their fitness level or experience. Here are a few specific groups that can greatly benefit from pose detection technology:

Beginners: Newcomers to fitness can use these apps to learn proper exercise form from the start, building a strong foundation for their fitness journey.

Experienced Athletes: Even seasoned fitness enthusiasts can benefit from feedback on their form, helping them refine their technique and potentially reach new fitness plateaus.

People Recovering from Injuries: These apps can be an invaluable tool for individuals recovering from injuries. The real-time feedback ensures they perform exercises correctly, aiding in safe and effective rehabilitation.

Choosing the Right Pose Detection Workout App

With a growing number of pose detection workout apps available, it's important to choose one that aligns with your specific needs and preferences. Here are some factors to consider when making your selection:

Features: Look for an app that offers features like real-time feedback, personalized coaching, workout tracking, and a library of exercises.

Ease of Use: Ensure the app is user-friendly and has a clear and intuitive interface. Consider the app's setup process and how easy it is to navigate.

Cost: Many apps offer free trial periods, allowing you to test them out before committing. Consider your budget and the subscription options available.

Sum up

Pose detection workout apps represent a significant advancement in the fitness industry. With the ability to provide real-time feedback on your form, personalize your workouts, and help prevent injuries, these apps offer a powerful tool for anyone looking to enhance their fitness journey. Whether you're a beginner just starting out or an experienced athlete seeking to refine your technique, a pose detection workout app can be a valuable addition to your fitness routine.

[prerna-razobyte]

Liver Function Test in Jaipur - How to be Sure That Your Liver is Healthy?

The liver is one of those organs you can’t really spare without paying the consequences, which is why it is important to preserve it. Currently MOMA hospital in Jaipur provides full-spectrum and high-quality Liver Function Test (LFT) in Jaipur to diagnose and check the functioning of your liver. In as much as it is a Liver Function Test, it is a package of blood tests intended to assess the concentration of enzymes, proteins and other substances that are manufactured in the liver. These are important tests that you need to take in order to know the capacity of your liver to function appropriately and to identify liver diseases as early as possible. Key components of our LFT include: Key components of our LFT include: Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) Test: Measures the quantity of ALT enzymes, this is expected to be high when there is damage to the liver cells. Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) Test: Measures AST enzyme levels, another factor which points to the amount of health in liver. Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) Test: Detects prothrombin level, increases in which may suggest liver or bile duct problems. Albumin Test: Assesses the liver function by determining the synthesis of albumin, which is a major protein in the blood. Bilirubin Test: Calculates bilirubin that may be increased and this may be a sign of liver diseases. Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT) Test: Used as a diagnostic tool for identifying both bile duct disorders and alcoholic liver disease. The team of highly qualified and skilled medical professionals dealing in Jaipur make use of sophisticated technology and methods for diagnosis to give correct results. From basic tests where symptoms like jaundice, fatigue, and abdominal pain, and other indicators of liver problems are present, to routine check-ups where liver health is of concerns, we present the LFT with an assessment. We understand the importance of patient comfort and give our focus at Raj Jones facility at Jaipur accordingly. To ensure the client gets the quality of recommendations they deserve, we avail consultation services that give explanations of the results provided and recommendations on how the liver health can be enhanced. Many of us could be oblivious of the fact that we have damaged our liver till the point it is virtually beyond repair Now is the best time to book for Liver Function Test and begin the process of restructuring your life and preventing many things that are fatal.

[webstep-technologies]

What Is the Future of AI in Digital Marketing?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing every sector, and digital marketing is no exception. As AI technologies continue to evolve, they are transforming the landscape of digital marketing in unprecedented ways. From predictive analytics to personalized customer experiences, AI is reshaping how businesses connect with their audiences. In this blog post, we will explore the various ways AI is influencing digital marketing and what the future holds.

1. Predictive Analytics

Current Trends: Predictive analytics involves using historical data, machine learning, and statistical algorithms to predict future outcomes. In digital marketing, this translates to understanding consumer behavior, identifying trends, and forecasting sales.

Future Prospects:

Enhanced Data Processing: As AI algorithms become more sophisticated, they will be able to process larger datasets in real-time, providing marketers with timely insights.

Better Customer Segmentation: Improved predictive models will allow for more precise segmentation, enabling highly targeted marketing campaigns.

Proactive Marketing Strategies: With better predictions, marketers can anticipate customer needs and proactively deliver solutions, improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

2. Personalization at Scale

Current Trends: Personalization is key to effective digital marketing. AI enables businesses to tailor content and recommendations based on individual user behavior and preferences.

Future Prospects:

Dynamic Content Generation: AI will drive the creation of dynamic, personalized content that changes in real-time based on user interactions.

Advanced Customer Profiles: AI will help build more comprehensive customer profiles by integrating data from various sources, leading to hyper-personalized marketing.

Real-time Personalization: With the ability to analyze data instantly, AI will allow for real-time personalization, ensuring that users always receive the most relevant content.

3. Enhanced Customer Experience

Current Trends: AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are already improving customer service by providing instant, 24/7 support.

Future Prospects:

Intelligent Virtual Assistants: These will become more conversational and context-aware, offering more human-like interactions.

Automated Customer Journey Mapping: AI will map customer journeys in real-time, identifying pain points and optimizing the customer experience.

Sentiment Analysis: Advanced sentiment analysis will allow businesses to gauge customer emotions and respond appropriately, enhancing customer satisfaction.

4. Content Creation and Curation

Current Trends: AI is increasingly being used to generate and curate content, from automated news articles to personalized content recommendations.

Future Prospects:

AI-generated Content: As natural language processing (NLP) improves, AI will be able to create more sophisticated and engaging content, including blogs, social media posts, and even video scripts.

Content Optimization: AI will continuously analyze the performance of content and suggest improvements to enhance engagement and conversion rates.

Visual Content Creation: AI tools will enable the creation of visually appealing graphics and videos, tailored to specific audiences and platforms.

5. Programmatic Advertising

Current Trends: Programmatic advertising uses AI to automate the buying of ads, targeting specific audiences more efficiently.

Future Prospects:

Improved Ad Targeting: AI will refine targeting algorithms to ensure ads reach the most relevant audiences, maximizing ROI.

Ad Fraud Detection: AI will enhance its capabilities in detecting and preventing ad fraud, ensuring ad spend is used effectively.

Predictive Bidding: AI will predict the best times and channels to place ads, optimizing ad spend and improving campaign performance.

6. Voice Search Optimization

Current Trends: With the rise of smart speakers and voice assistants, optimizing for voice search is becoming increasingly important.

Future Prospects:

Natural Language Understanding: AI will improve its understanding of natural language, making voice search more accurate and reliable.

Voice Commerce: As voice search becomes more integrated into shopping experiences, businesses will need to optimize their content and strategies for voice commerce.

Conversational Marketing: AI will enable more interactive and conversational marketing approaches, engaging users through voice-enabled devices.

7. Ethical AI and Data Privacy

Current Trends: As AI becomes more prevalent, concerns around data privacy and ethical use of AI are growing.

Future Prospects:

Transparent AI: There will be a push for more transparent AI systems that allow users to understand how their data is being used.

Ethical Guidelines: The development of industry-wide ethical guidelines for AI use in digital marketing will become more standardized.

Enhanced Data Security: AI will play a critical role in enhancing data security, protecting user information from breaches and misuse.

Conclusion

The future of AI in digital marketing is incredibly promising. As AI technologies continue to advance, they will bring about more sophisticated, efficient, and personalized marketing strategies. Businesses that embrace AI will be better equipped to meet the evolving needs of their customers, stay ahead of the competition, and drive growth in an increasingly digital world. Whether through predictive analytics, personalization, or enhanced customer experiences, AI is set to transform digital marketing in ways we are only beginning to understand.

At the forefront of this transformation is WEBSTEP, a company committed to leveraging AI to deliver cutting-edge digital marketing solutions. By integrating the latest AI technologies, WEBSTEP helps businesses harness the power of AI to optimize their marketing efforts, engage their audiences more effectively, and achieve unparalleled growth. Embracing AI with a partner like WEBSTEP will ensure that businesses are not just keeping up with the future of digital marketing, but leading the way.

[likitakans]

Breakthrough Alert: How High-Tech Tools Are Revolutionizing Early Disease Detection in Healthcare!

The unprecedented speed at which technology is advancing in this day and age is causing a revolution in the healthcare industry. The combination of cutting-edge technologies and medical knowledge is ushering in a new era of early disease identification with the potential to improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and save many lives. Let's now examine the latest medical devices that are revolutionising early illness detection and shaping the future of healthcare. 

1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

AI-Powered Diagnostics

Early disease detection is undergoing a revolution, and machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are driving this change. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms can spot patterns and abnormalities that human eyes might overlook by sifting through enormous volumes of data from imaging studies, lab results, and medical records.

Case in Point: Cancer Detection

Early cancer detection has been remarkably successful with AI-driven tools. For instance, DeepMind at Google has created an AI system that is more accurate than radiologists at identifying breast cancer in mammograms. By continuously enhancing their diagnostic abilities through thousands of images, these systems are able to detect abnormalities earlier and with greater accuracy.

2. Wearable Health Tech

Continuous Monitoring

Smartwatches and fitness trackers are examples of wearable health devices that have developed from basic step counters to complex health monitors. These gadgets have the ability to continuously monitor vital signs, including electrocardiograms (ECGs), blood oxygen levels, and heart rate.

Real-Time Alerts

Modern wearables can notify users of anomalies that may point to the early stages of conditions like hypertension, sleep apnea, or atrial fibrillation. Users' prognosis is greatly improved if they detect these signals early and seek medical attention before the condition worsens.

3. Genomics and Personalized Medicine

Genetic Screening

New avenues for personalized medicine have been made possible by genomic technologies. Doctors are able to determine a person's genetic predisposition to certain diseases and suggest early interventions or preventive measures based on this information.

Tailored Treatments

The genetic profile of tumors can inform customized treatment regimens for diseases like cancer. Physicians can select more beneficial and less hazardous targeted therapies than conventional ones by knowing the genetic mutations causing a particular cancer.

4. Advanced Imaging Technologies

High-Resolution Imaging

Innovations in imaging technologies, such as high-resolution MRI and CT scans, enable doctors to detect diseases at much earlier stages. These tools provide detailed images of the body's interior, allowing for the identification of minute abnormalities that could indicate the onset of disease.

Functional Imaging

Techniques like Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans offer functional imaging, showing how tissues and organs are functioning in real time. This can be crucial for detecting early signs of diseases like Alzheimer’s, even before significant symptoms appear.

5. Liquid Biopsy

Non-Invasive Testing

Liquid biopsy is a revolutionary technique that involves analyzing a blood sample to detect cancer. This non-invasive method can identify cancer-related mutations and other biomarkers from circulating tumor DNA, allowing for early detection and monitoring of cancer without the need for tissue biopsies.

Early Cancer Detection

Liquid biopsies are particularly promising for early cancer detection and monitoring recurrence. They offer a less invasive and more convenient alternative to traditional biopsies, enabling more frequent testing and earlier intervention.

6. Telemedicine and Remote Patient Monitoring

Virtual Consultations

Telemedicine has surged in popularity, providing patients with remote access to healthcare services. This is particularly beneficial for early disease detection, as it enables timely consultations, follow-ups, and monitoring without the need for in-person visits.

Remote Monitoring

Remote patient monitoring systems collect health data from patients in their homes, transmitting it to healthcare providers for continuous assessment. This is especially useful for chronic disease management and early detection of complications.

Conclusion

The integration of high-tech tools in healthcare is revolutionizing early disease detection, leading to more accurate diagnoses, personalized treatments, and better patient outcomes. As these technologies continue to advance, the potential for even earlier and more precise detection of diseases will only grow, heralding a new era in medical care. The future of healthcare is here, and it is brighter and more promising than ever, thanks to the power of high-tech innovation.