#artificial intelligence in medical field

[inspectorspacetimerevisited]

Had Cleric March’s AI not reprogrammed the Automated Field Medic,

how would Emerald have been brought back to life?

[d0nutzgg]

Life Updates: buildspace, an Idea, and some Concepts

Hey everyone, thanks for all the support on my prior posts having to do with machine learning! I know I didn't mention this really but recently I was accepted into S4 of buildspace which is like a "school" for creatives. I am doing Nights & Weekends but it has been a lot of fun since I started! We just did our first project which was creating the idea we will be working on throughout this "season" of buildspace. This was mine:

I know you all can tell I am really passionate about helping others with the research I do with machine learning / AI. I am wanting to make it into a nonprofit type business while I am in buildspace for s4.

I have some Proof of Concepts already which you can check out on my Kaggle here:

However, I am working on another project today that uses Logistic Regression and XGBoost models stacked together to predict heart failure mortality. I plan on doing a full walk through of the project to help show investors and buildspace what my goal is for my business.

What are your ideas on this? Do you think I should go for it? What are your dreams if you are a software engineer yourself? I want to hear from you all!

[pjoshi12]

Revolutionize Healthcare With Spatial Computing

Spatial computing, encompassing AR, VR, and MR, is revolutionizing healthcare by merging digital and physical realms. It enhances patient centered care, boosts surgical precision, and transforms medical education. As this technology integrates into healthcare, understanding its potential is crucial for professionals navigating a digitally augmented future.

The Foundations of Spatial Computing in Healthcare

Spatial computing blends physical and digital worlds through AR, VR, and MR, revolutionizing healthcare enhancements.

Augmented Reality (AR)

AR overlays digital info onto the real world, aiding surgeries and diagnostics by providing real-time data. It has reduced surgical errors and improved efficiency by up to 35% in studies.

Virtual Reality (VR)

VR immerses users in virtual environments, facilitating training and simulation for medical procedures. VR-trained surgeons perform 29% faster and are 6 times less likely to make errors compared to traditionally trained counterparts.

Mixed Reality (MR)

MR combines AR and VR, enabling real-world interaction with virtual objects, enhancing collaborative medical settings. It facilitates surgical planning and improves educational outcomes through engaged learning experiences.

Spatial computing integrates into healthcare IT systems, supported by devices like Apple Vision Pro and platforms from Microsoft and Google, enhancing user experiences. Understanding its capabilities is crucial for healthcare professionals to optimize patient care and operational efficiency as its applications become more widespread.

Enhancing Surgical Precision and Safety

Spatial computing revolutionizes surgical practices, enhancing precision, safety, and patient outcomes through AR and VR integration.

Augmented Reality in Surgical Procedures

AR enhances surgical precision by overlaying real-time, 3D images of patient anatomy, reducing invasive exploratory procedures. AR-guided surgeries decrease operation duration by up to 20% and improve surgical precision, minimizing postoperative complications.

Virtual Reality for Surgical Training

VR simulations offer hands-on training without live procedure risks, especially beneficial for neurosurgery and orthopedics. VR-trained surgeons perform procedures approximately 30% faster and have error rates reduced by up to 40% compared to traditional methods.

Mixed Reality for Collaborative Surgery

MR fosters collaboration by combining VR and AR benefits, allowing real and digital elements to coexist. It aids in complex surgeries, potentially reducing operation times and enhancing outcomes through improved teamwork and planning.

Case Study: Implementing AR in Orthopedic Surgery

AR technology in orthopedic surgery achieves 98% accuracy in implant alignment, surpassing traditional methods by 8%.

The Future of Surgical Precision

Advancements like AI-enhanced spatial computing and lighter AR glasses will refine surgical precision. Integration of spatial computing promises safer procedures, improved outcomes, and enhanced healthcare delivery.

Revolutionizing Medical Education and Training

Spatial computing, notably through VR and AR, revolutionizes medical education by offering immersive, interactive simulations, enhancing learning and retention.

Virtual Reality in Medical Training

VR offers immersive, risk-free practice for medical students, leading to a 230% improvement in surgical technique performance.

According to AxiomQ, VR significantly enhances skill acquisition in medical training.

Augmented Reality for Enhanced Learning

AR overlays digital info onto real-world objects, improving retention rates by up to 90% for complex subjects like anatomy.

Studies indicate higher satisfaction and engagement with AR training compared to traditional methods.

Mixed Reality for Collaborative Learning

MR combines VR and AR for interactive group training, enhancing collaboration efficiency by up to 50%.

Participants in cardiology training with MR applications demonstrated a 40% faster learning curve and 25% fewer errors than those using traditional methods.

Broadening Horizons in Patient Care

Spatial computing, encompassing AR, VR, and MR, revolutionizes patient care by enhancing diagnostics, patient education, and therapies. It improves outcomes through immersive experiences, supported by statistics and real-life examples.

Enhanced Diagnostic Procedures

AR enhances diagnostic accuracy by overlaying digital info onto patient scans, leading to a 10% higher tumor detection rate. This accelerates diagnoses and improves treatment outcomes significantly.

Patient Education Through Virtual Reality

VR transforms patient education with immersive experiences, increasing understanding of health conditions by 30%. VR simulations illustrate disease effects comprehensibly to non-medical individuals.

Mixed Reality for Enhanced Therapeutic Interventions

MR customizes interactive environments for physical rehabilitation and mental health treatments, improving motor function recovery by 20% in stroke rehabilitation. Task-specific games and exercises in MR accelerate recovery rates.

Real-Life Example: Improving Chronic Pain Management

VR programs reduce chronic pain levels by 40% during sessions, decreasing reliance on pain medication. Immersive environments distract patients from pain, offering non-pharmacological pain management strategies.

The Future of Patient Care with Spatial Computing

AI advancements enable real-time adjustments to therapeutic programs, enhancing treatment effectiveness. Widespread spatial computing adoption supports remote patient monitoring and home-based care, expanding healthcare impact.

Transformative Diagnostic and Imaging Techniques

Spatial computing, encompassing AR, VR, and MR, revolutionizes diagnostic and imaging techniques in healthcare. These technologies offer unprecedented precision and interactivity, enhancing radiological imaging, detailed analysis, and real-time surgical navigation. For instance, AR improves accuracy in visualizing tumors, VR aids in preoperative planning, and MR reduces the need for secondary surgeries.

Future advancements will integrate spatial computing with AI for automated diagnostics, while lighter AR and VR hardware will facilitate broader adoption in clinical settings. This transformative approach sets a new standard in healthcare, advancing toward more personalized and effective patient care, with enhanced accuracy and reduced procedural times.

Operational Efficiencies and Future Prospects

Spatial computing, including AR, VR, and MR, significantly enhances operational efficiencies in healthcare. Integration into clinical workflows streamlines decision-making by providing real-time data and visual aids, reducing errors and speeding up routine tasks. Hospitals adopting AR for data integration report a 20% reduction in time spent on tasks like routine checks and data entry.

MR applications improve resource management by tracking equipment in real time, reducing idle time by up to 30% and boosting operational efficiency. Looking ahead, the integration of AI with spatial computing holds promise for even greater efficiencies, predicting patient flows and optimizing resource allocation. Virtual command centers utilizing VR and AR exemplify this potential, leading to a 40% improvement in response times to critical patient incidents.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations

Addressing the challenges of spatial computing in healthcare involves overcoming technical hurdles such as graphics fidelity and data accuracy, along with ensuring privacy and security compliance, particularly concerning patient data protection under regulations like HIPAA.

Ethical considerations surrounding patient consent and the psychological impacts of immersive treatments must be navigated carefully. Collaboration among technology developers, healthcare professionals, and regulatory bodies is essential to establish standards and best practices, fostering responsible adoption. Education and training for healthcare providers on the ethical and practical aspects of spatial computing will be crucial for its successful integration, ensuring transformative benefits without compromising patient privacy or well-being.

Concluding Thoughts: Envisioning the Future of Spatial Computing in Healthcare

Spatial computing is reshaping healthcare, improving surgical precision, medical training, and patient care. Despite its transformative potential, challenges such as technical limitations and ethical concerns need careful navigation for responsible integration of digital healthcare solutions.

Collaborative efforts are essential to address these challenges and unlock the full benefits of spatial computing. Advancements in AI integration, development of standards, and accessibility to underserved regions are key areas that require ongoing innovation and adaptation in the healthcare sector.

[sag-dab-sar]

Clarification: Generative AI does not equal all AI

💭 "Artificial Intelligence"

AI is machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, and more that I'm not smart enough to know. It can be extremely useful in many different fields and technologies. One of my information & emergency management courses described the usage of AI as being a "human centaur". Part human part machine; meaning AI can assist in all the things we already do and supplement our work by doing what we can't.

💭 Examples of AI Benefits

AI can help advance things in all sorts of fields, here are some examples:

Emergency Healthcare & Disaster Risk X

Disaster Response X

Crisis Resilience Management X

Medical Imaging Technology X

Commercial Flying X

Air Traffic Control X

Railroad Transportation X

Ship Transportation X

Geology X

Water Conservation X

Can AI technology be used maliciously? Yeh. Thats a matter of developing ethics and working to teach people how to see red flags just like people see red flags in already existing technology.

AI isn't evil. Its not the insane sentient shit that wants to kill us in movies. And it is not synonymous with generative AI.

💭 Generative AI

Generative AI does use these technologies, but it uses them unethically. Its scraps data from all art, all writing, all videos, all games, all audio anything it's developers give it access to WITHOUT PERMISSION, which is basically free reign over the internet. Sometimes with certain restrictions, often generative AI engineers—who CAN choose to exclude things—may exclude extremist sites or explicit materials usually using black lists.

AI can create images of real individuals without permission, including revenge porn. Create music using someones voice without their permission and then sell that music. It can spread disinformation faster than it can be fact checked, and create false evidence that our court systems are not ready to handle.

AI bros eat it up without question: "it makes art more accessible" , "it'll make entertainment production cheaper" , "its the future, evolve!!!"

💭 AI is not similar to human thinking

When faced with the argument "a human didn't make it" the come back is "AI learns based on already existing information, which is exactly what humans do when producing art! We ALSO learn from others and see thousands of other artworks"

Lets make something clear: generative AI isn't making anything original. It is true that human beings process all the information we come across. We observe that information, learn from it, process it then ADD our own understanding of the world, our unique lived experiences. Through that information collection, understanding, and our own personalities we then create new original things.

💭 Generative AI doesn't create things: it mimics things

Take an analogy:

Consider an infant unable to talk but old enough to engage with their caregivers, some point in between 6-8 months old.

Mom: a bird flaps its wings to fly!!! *makes a flapping motion with arm and hands*

Infant: *giggles and makes a flapping motion with arms and hands*

The infant does not understand what a bird is, what wings are, or the concept of flight. But she still fully mimicked the flapping of the hands and arms because her mother did it first to show her. She doesn't cognitively understand what on earth any of it means, but she was still able to do it.

In the same way, generative AI is the infant that copies what humans have done— mimicry. Without understanding anything about the works it has stolen.

Its not original, it doesn't have a world view, it doesn't understand emotions that go into the different work it is stealing, it's creations have no meaning, it doesn't have any motivation to create things it only does so because it was told to.

Why read a book someone isn't even bothered to write?

Related videos I find worth a watch

ChatGPT's Huge Problem by Kyle Hill (we don't understand how AI works)

Criticism of Shadiversity's "AI Love Letter" by DeviantRahll

AI Is Ruining the Internet by Drew Gooden

AI vs The Law by Legal Eagle (AI & US Copyright)

AI Voices by Tyler Chou (Short, flash warning)

Dead Internet Theory by Kyle Hill

-Dyslexia, not audio proof read-

[safarigirlsp]

Level Ten

Level Ten

Commander Mills x Reader

Word Count: 9.4k

Warnings: NSFW. Action. Smut. Violence. Blood. Hot Toxic Masculinity. Enemies to Lovers. Idiots in Love. The following warnings occur in a simulation in the story, so not really warnings, but just in case. Injuries to Reader and Mills. Alien Violence. Violence Against Children.

AO3 Link

Author’s Note: Let's run a competitive combat drill with Commander Mills! This is really just a lot of the self indulgent bs I like. Mills is named Nicholas in my canon and he's a fun cocky bastard here.

This is part of a big Mills story I'm working on that I'll post eventually, but this was also fun as a vignette. For purposes of this vignette, this sounds like the beginning because I’m incapable of just jumping into something without context, but it won’t be in beginning of the bigger fic.

A stout blonde knight in full body plate armor stood seven feet away from you on the tournament field. He was not wearing a helmet, letting you clearly see his ugly belligerent face and terrible mullet. Like you, he was sweating and breathing heavily, sounding like a snorting hog at this point in your battle. His sword and yours both lay broken and discarded somewhere on the field, along with each of your splintered shields. His last weapon was a long, vicious dagger, which he held in his right hand. You were armed with the same weapon, and you drew it now. Sunlight glinted off the sharp point of your dagger as you tested its weight and balance in your hand. Hundreds of peasants in the stands cheered.

The knight had bested you so far at swordplay, but he had lived on the wrong continent to benefit from martial arts and elite hand-to-hand combat training as you had. The knight squinted his beady eyes at you and charged, dagger slashing toward your throat from the side. You ducked below his sideways slash, you were more agile than the knight if not more powerful. You straightened as his arm passed over your head and immediately used your dagger to block his retaliatory backswing.

The daggers sparked with the clang of metal on metal, and you instantly struck a ferocious left elbow to the knight’s exposed jaw. Blood spewed from his mouth and he was momentarily dazed, his mouth hanging open from the broken hinge of his jaw. It was just the opening you needed. You reversed your left hand in an open bearpaw strike to his face with all your force behind it. You hooked your thumb under his pig nose when your strike landed, driving the sharp nasal bones straight up into his brain. It was a killing strike that required precise placement but relatively little force. The knight collapsed to the ground instantly, as quick as if you had shot him right between the eyes, convulsing and twitching spasmodically.

“Combat training session number sixty-nine, level eight complete,” the pleasant feminine voice of the ship’s artificial intelligence informed you. “Do you want to proceed to the next level?”

*******************************************************************************************

Years in stasis took its toll on a body. Even if you awoke quote ‘healthy,’ there were always physiological issues and side effects that came from being under for a prolonged period of time. Waking up from a relaxing nap that lingered too long or coming out from under anesthesia after a medical procedure could be hell, but that was nothing compared to a long-term stint in stasis. It was due to the body’s natural recovery and re-acclimation period that every human aboard the ship Artemis was awakened three months before reaching their final destination.

That and the equally paramount concern of forming positive relationships with the other people aboard. This was often the trickiest part of such a long-term and large-scale mission, and the component that was least predictable despite the most impressive science available. Even the most predictable psychological profiles could grow deviant under such conditions.

The planet toward which your ship, the Artemis, flew was cerulean blue and inviting, encircled by azure and golden rings like Saturn but far more beautiful. It had been dubbed Olympus by the man who discovered it due to its ethereal visage that made it look like home to the gods. Also, because it may indeed be home to the architects of your home planet, as tantamount to living gods as anything mankind had discovered.

The man who made the discovery of both the planet and the evidence of its possible inhabitants was the CEO of the largest mining company on Earth who had the authority to drill into the very heart of the planet. It was there, hidden in the depths of what Dante would have labeled a Circle of Hell that he had discovered a ‘map,’ more ancient than any human artifact, that detailed a chart of the universe far more thorough than anything NASA had ever dreamed. Using this map and his almost limitless resources, the man had discovered Olympus and had mounted an unprecedented expedition to discover her secrets.

That man was your father. He was now too advanced in years to take part on the mission into the unknown, so he sent the future CEO of his trillion-dollar company, his first in command. You.

*******************************************************************************************

The months-long final approach to Olympus was the perfect opportunity to get in peak physical condition. A new, unexplored planet held infinite possibilities for what one may encounter, from environment to wildlife to populace. Most of those possibilities, likelihoods even, were frightening. Even the best scientific estimates were only fancy guesses, and no one really knew what to expect when you landed on Olympus. The best anyone could do was to be as prepared as possible, both mentally and physically, which included being in your best physical condition. You spent long hours in the gym each day, both to hone your physique and your combat skills. It also served as a valid excuse to avoid obligatory interpersonal interactions and as a useful distraction from matters that had become far too intrusive in your thoughts.

Besides, it would take you years to work through every combat training simulation programmed into the ship’s computer. And you had to admit, you enjoyed shooting aliens, slicing samurais, and kicking that ugly knight’s ass every time.

*******************************************************************************************

Nicholas Mills was pissed. He was the Mission Commander and the pilot. He was the man in charge of any and every decision involving flight or course, and every military action or inaction once on-planet. He should be head of the whole fucking mission, but this was a private expedition, not a miliary campaign, and he had been hired by a CEO with too much money. Mills was a hired hand, and he resented the fuck out of it. This is what his life had come to after earning more bars on his chest than most generals, because of one fated military transport mission that had literally crashed and burned with him at the helm. Mills used to hate mercenaries, and now he was one himself.

But by God, the things that were under his purview, his control, he was still the Commander, and he didn’t take it lightly when someone usurped his authority. It was fast becoming a problem on this particular expedition, due to one intrusive source.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Mills boomed as he burst through the door into the combat simulator. At his intrusion, the drama that had been unfolding in an alien landscape of immersive three-dimensional holograms and virtual reality sizzled like static on a tv screen and then evaporated. The room was plunged back into its dimly lit innocuous gray walls and black foamy training mat underfoot. A rack of weapons that interfaced with the program and were otherwise impotent hung on the wall by the entrance.

“Now?” you huffed angrily. You had spent the morning training in virtual combat and scaling obstacles in the landscape, only to be interrupted now near the end of your programmed mission. You were sweaty and sore and entirely not in the mood for Mills and the omnipresent chip on his shoulder. “Right now, I’m getting ready to reprimand a subordinate.”

“Subordinate?” Mills scoffed, stalking close to you with his chest puffed in an aggressive display of posturing. “Honey, I’m the highest ranking officer here and nobody’s fucking subordinate.”

“Did you come here to debate semantics?” you postured just as belligerently, stepping close to him, unintimidated. “I would say that every man, woman, and animal on my payroll is my subordinate.”

“Animal, huh?” Mills glared at you, his jaw clenching and a little aggravated twitch jumping beneath his left eye. “I’ll agree I may be your beast of fucking burden since you’re technically the boss of this expedition, but I’m damn sure not your subordinate.”

“What was that?” You leaned in toward him, sarcastically raising a hand to cup your ear. “What did you call me exactly? I didn’t quite hear you.”

Mills continued glaring at you. Silently.

“Did you call me the boss?” Now, you smiled icily. “I’m glad you at least understand that simple concept. Yes, Commander, I am the boss.”

“I don’t give a damn what little pet names you like, you have no business overriding my flight commands.” Mills took another step closer to you, his amber eyes ferociously boring into yours. “You altered my course on approach to Olympus. I spent weeks charting the best course before we disembarked. Not to mention your proposed course will take us an extra two weeks to navigate. That impacts every resource on this ship, fuel included.”

“Your charted course takes us through an asteroid belt,” you accused and continued cruelly. “Didn’t you learn about flying too close to asteroids a couple years ago? I seem to recall hearing something about that.”

Mills glared at you for a long moment before releasing a controlled breath. “That was an undocumented field that my ship didn’t detect. This is totally different. I know it’s out there and where every rock is. I can fly through anything, including a known asteroid field. It’s cake.”

“I, for one, prefer my cake without large chunks of debris inside it.” You turned back to re-engage your combat training. “And since I am the boss and the owner of this ship, my preference is the one we will be abiding.”

Mills grabbed your arm, stopping you from walking away from him, and spun you roughly back around to face him. He leaned toward you and his deep voice was gravely. “I know what it’s like to have a ship full of deaths on your conscience because of a mistake. Believe me, Boss, you never want to know what that feels like.”

“I’d also prefer living a nice long life without knowing what it feels like to be blown to smithereens by flying into an asteroid.” You glared right back at him, meeting his eyes confidently.

“You hired me for a reason,” Mills growled, changing his tactic. “I did my homework and I charted the best course. You hired the best man for this job and you better fucking listen to him. I’m right.”

“I don’t take orders. I barely take suggestions.” You smirked and cocked an eyebrow. “Occasionally, I’ll make an exception in bed.”

“You want me to prove I’m man enough for you, is that it?” Mills smirked too, issuing a challenge he assumed you wouldn’t meet.

“I do enjoy some good old-fashioned chest pounding.” You looked around the stark simulator room, thinking. “There are thousands of scenarios based on what we know of the planet we’re orbiting. The simulator imagines all possible types of hostile alien species that we might encounter. And then for training purposes, creates a survival mission.”

“I know what it does, Boss. Haven’t you checked who’s in the top marks in the simulator’s history?” Mills quipped, intentionally flexing his massive chest and taking note when you watched hungrily. “I’ll give you credit, though. You do alright on the girly levels.”

“Girly levels?” you laughed angrily. “I train on levels seven and eight out of ten.”

“Isn’t that cute,” he said nonchalantly with every intention of poking you. You felt your skin heat with indignance as your eyes seared into his. Mills let his eyes trail down your body and then back to hold yours. “You sure are pretty when you’re mad.”

“If I’m pretty when I’m mad then you must want to be fucking dazzled, Mills.” You narrowed your eyes at him and addressed the computer. “Run combat drill, level ten.”

“Loading combat drill for two participants, level ten,” the pleasant voice replied.

“So, you like it rough, huh Boss?” Mills prodded you as he walked to the weapons rack and grabbed you each a blaster.

“I’m waiting to be impressed, Commander,” you told him as you took one of the blasters. The room around you began to transform into a dense green jungle as the program initiated, complete with the sounds of birds, insects, and the current of a distant river. You adjusted the watch on your wrist that interfaced with the ship’s computer.

“Hmmm,” he gave you a rich bedroom growl and cocked his blaster. “I’d never want to keep a girl like you waiting.”

“How shall we play, Commander?” you asked, adding a sultrily teasing lilt to your voice, intentionally pulling his focus away from where he needed it most for the simulation. You noted with pride when he shifted on his feet and cleared his throat. “Whoever makes the most kills wins?”

“If you can even make it to the finish line on level ten without an endgame wound, I’ll count that as a win in your corner.” Mills reached into his pocket and retrieved a cigar as thick as his finger.

“Ready to begin?” the computer asked.

Locking eyes with Mills, you both stated “Ready” at the same time.

Mills bit down on the butt of his cigar and smirked around it at you. There was rustling in the bushes beside you both. “I’ll play however the pretty girl wants.”

The jungle materialized fully and you were immersed in the world of the simulation, every sight and sound as real as if you were living it. You and Mills stood in an Amazonian jungle, claustrophobic with vegetation. The ground underfoot was mud the consistency of oatmeal. The sky above was bright crystal blue. In the jungle around you, the enemies were unknown and innumerable. In this drill, the enemy would attack until you completed the mission by reaching an escape pod.

An alien creature that looked something like a purple-black velociraptor with four legs and a bifurcated whipping tail leapt at you out of the trees from behind, too sudden and too fast for you to react in time. Mills yanked his blaster up to his shoulder as fast as a striking snake, firing a shot right past your ear into the open mouth of the alien. Its head exploded, splattering you both with black blood.

“Impressed yet, gorgeous?” Mills winked at you as a black droplet of alien blood ran down his cheek. Still holding his blaster by the grip with his thick forefinger resting on the trigger guard, he tipped the barrel back onto his right shoulder. “No? It’s only fair that I spot you one. Now, you better move that perfect ass of yours.”

A few steps into the jungle and there was a rush of bodies through foliage. You were prepared this time as a pair of the same dark alien creatures charged out of the bushes, gnashing their razored jaws and whipping their bifurcated tails. You had your blaster to your shoulder just as fast as Mills this time, and you were a millisecond faster on the trigger because you had less of an arc to swing onto the lunging bodies. Your first shot tore through the open mouth of the lead animal. Without even waiting to see its stride falter, you sighted on the second and sent a blast straight through its red eyeball.

“I like my game better.” You winked back at him, mocking his cocky flirtation. You now had two kills to his one. “Try to keep up, big boy.”

You walked abreast through the dense jungle, each of you alert to the smallest sights and sounds, your every sense on edge. Although competitive, you each trusted the other’s formidable skill in combat situations. You inherently trusted Mills, even if you didn’t show it – it felt oddly comforting to place your life in his massive hands. Mills’ prowess on the battlefield was almost unmatched, but it was his twenty-ten vision, preternatural reflexes, and predatory hand-eye coordination that secured him a seat in the cockpit of the finest spacecraft money could build, pioneering the most adventurous exploration in human history. You had read his military history, studied it like a collegiate textbook. Mills’ dishonorable discharge after the fallout of his infamous crash was a blemish on his impressive record, but it was a singular event and it did little to overshadow his legion of other remarkable accomplishments. Mills was a war machine, highly trained and battle-hardened. It gave you a searing flush of pride that was almost erotic when you realized that he was not watching you closely or double checking your gear or the way you handled your blaster – Mills trusted his life to you too, and that was perhaps the finest compliment he could ever pay you.

The sounds of animal life filled the jungle, behind, in front, beside, all around you. Most of the noises were alien to your ears, impossible to know if they were dangerous or innocuous. You and Mills followed a more open section of the jungle, a kind of path through the denser foliage that filtered you onward through the program toward your goal of locating your escape pod. Close ahead was the sound of rushing water. Mills pushed ahead of you, following his natural instinct to put himself between you and any oncoming danger.

“If something jumps out at us, I don’t want you to botch it,” Mills teased to minimize his natural chivalry.

“Trying to make excuses ahead of time for when you lose?” you challenged to his broad back.

“Nah.” He shook his head pausing in his navigation of the jungle to turn around and beam at you with amusement, his eyes as warm on your face as the morning sun. “I’m just playing the long game.”

“The long game?” you scoffed. “Can you think that far ahead?”

“I figure you’ll be in a better mood if you win.” Mills shifted his cigar, grinning lasciviously. “Maybe you’ll want to celebrate. Maybe I’ll get lucky.”

“Your luck is notoriously bad, Commander.” You smiled wickedly. “You really think I’d get involved with a subordinate?”

“Good thing I’m not a subordinate.” He picked up his pace, easily making you jog to keep up with his long strides.

The jungle ended in a small clearing with a rock ledge that overlooked a rushing river fifty feet below. A treacherous looking rope bridge was strung across the river, anchored to the sturdiest trees on both sides. Wooden slats were strewn haphazardly between the rope sides, offering a widely spaced and rickety morse code of steps across the chasm. It looked like something from one of those old campy adventure movies your parents made you watch as a kid, the kind with rugged men who snapped bullwhips and wore torn-open shirts.

“This looks promising,” you deadpanned, skeptically eyeing the bridge.

“Ready to get nice and wet?” Mills quipped, enjoying the sight of you bristle at his double entendre.

“We couldn’t survive a fall into that river?” It was more of a question than a statement, and you looked down over the edge at the rushing, white-crested current.

“Level ten is meant to kill you unless you get lucky, and I never did have the best luck.” Mills joined you at the edge. He pointed to an eddy that was a darker blue than the rest of the river, indicating greater depth. “That’s the spot to aim for if we have to take the plunge. Be sure to hit feet first. Better a broken leg than a broken back.”

“Very helpful,” you said sarcastically. Even though it was a simulation, your pulse thundered and your mouth went dry. Your palm was slick with sweat on the grip of your blaster.

“I try.” Mills grinned around his cigar, shifting it from one side of his mouth to the other. He gestured to the bridge. “Ladies first.”

“How chivalrous of you,” you sniped, narrowing your eyes at him.

“It is, actually.” Mills used the barrel of his blaster to point out at the frayed rope and missing slats in the center of the bridge. “I’m a heavy bastard. The bridge is a lot more likely to fall apart under me. Don’t you want a chance to get across first?”

He was right, but you still rolled your eyes before stepping up the bridge. You hesitated a moment, deciding whether to sling your blaster over one shoulder, which was less secure but would enable you to raise it quickly, or to sling it across your back, which made it impossible to drop but slow to bring into a firing position if needed. Mills guessed your conundrum and assured you, “I’ll cover you, Boss.”

Securing your blaster across your back with the sling crossing over your chest between your breasts, you tentatively stepped onto the first splintered wooden rung. After only a few steps, the rope bridge began to swing and bob precariously under your weight. The remaining boards were spaced far apart, forcing you to stretch out to reach some and hop across a gap to reach others. All that remained of some of the broken slats were splintered ends that would fray any flesh that was unlucky enough to catch on them during a fall. Fifty feet below you, the river churned in deadly rapids.

A shrill screech filled the air above you accompanied by the slicing of wings through air.

“Incoming!” Mills roared as he shouldered his blaster and bowed backward to train his gun high up into the air. Mills fired almost instantly and a flying black creature with a long pointed snout fell out of the sky, its leathery bat wings drawn into its body in death like a diving falcon. The creature’s large body fell so close to you that you felt the air move around you and the bridge swayed dangerously.

You fumbled with pulling your blaster sling back over your head to ready your own weapon as Mills shot again, sending another creature tumbling down. The bridge bucked under your feet from your flailing movement.

“Four,” Mills shouted, counting out his number of kills as the third flying alien fell from his shot. “Keep moving!”

Blaster in hand, you hurried further out onto the bridge. You took aim at the flying alien closest to you and fired, killing it instantly, sending it falling down to splash in the river far below. You mentally counted three and kept moving. The bridge was ricketier with every step. The wooden slats were crumbing away and the ropes were fraying, unraveling right before your eyes.

“Five!” Mills called as another creature fell down toward the river.

You looked up just in time to see the enormous black body falling toward you like a missile. You couldn’t dodge it on the uncertain bridge, but you raised your blaster to block the impact. The creature struck your blaster on its plummet, knocking you down hard against the wooden slats. The slat beneath you broke in half into ragged splinters and your leg shot through the new opening, making you fall down to one knee with the other leg dangling through the hole in the bridge. You tried to pull your leg back out, but your pants caught on the splintered edges and tore. You gasped when the splinters cut into your skin and blood flowed down your leg. You pulled harder, but the splinters only impaled you deeper. You couldn’t pull your leg free without breaking off half the splintered slat inside the meat of your leg. The injury wasn’t real and would be gone when the simulation ended, but the pain was real. Pain was a great training mechanism for humans and animals alike.

“Damnit to hell!” Mills growled at your predicament. He stopped himself before following his instinct to run straight to your rescue. “Wait, I’m ahead. If I just let you fall through and take a little dip, I’ll win our game right now.”

“Yes, and I’ll be in a wonderful mood after that. Think wisely, Mills!” you shouted, struggling to free your leg. “Besides, you’re one of those meat-headed hero types. If you let me fall, guilt will eat you up over not saving the damsel in distress.”

“I can’t argue that I’d rather fight aliens than deal with one of your nasty moods,” Mills grumbled and ran out onto the bridge, unconcerned about the way it lurched dangerously under his heavy weight. He shot another flying alien as he dashed toward you. The bridge swung and bounced under him, making the splinters dig deeper into you.

Mills shouldered his blaster and dropped to his knees beside you. The bridge swayed and the slats that now supported both of you groaned like dying animals. Mills grabbed the broken slat that impaled you and broke it off from the bridge, tossing it away. He quickly plucked out the biggest pieces from your thigh and pulled you to him, lifting you back up fully onto the bridge and incidentally into his arms. His voice was gravelly when he looked at your bloody leg. “Can you walk?”

“Of course,” you huffed and shoved up to your feet. Your leg stung like hell, but you could manage. You looked down at Mills, still on his knees, and forced a smile. “Waiting on you now, Commander.”

“Sure, Boss.” He smiled at you genuinely and pushed up from the bridge floor. Two slats broke beneath him with a crack like a gunshot, and he fell through the new opening. Mills caught a remaining rung, stopping his fall when his chest was level with the bottom of the bridge, his lower body hanging free and long legs kicking wildly in thin air. He grunted with effort as he began to haul himself back onto the bridge. The slat he held creaked portentously.

You rushed to help pull Mills up as he had just done for you, but movement below caught your eye. In the river, sitting in the calm eddy Mills had pointed out to you, was a pair of yellow eyes the size of basketballs, their slitted pupils focused on Mills’ dangling legs. You stopped cold. Before you knew what was happening, the creature shot out of the water, jumping up toward Mills. It was an enormous crocodilian animal with short horns decorating its brows and skull. Water cascaded off its scales as it flew up at Mills like a dolphin jumping up to snatch a fish. Mills jerked his legs up into a cannonball position as the creature bit at him. Its jaws filled with teeth as large as railroad spikes snapped closed inches below Mills’ boots. The leviathan fell back into the river with a torrential splash.

“See what being a hero gets you?” you asked sarcastically as your mind raced.

“Take your sweet time!” Mills growled at you, as he struggled to haul himself back up onto the crumbling bridge.

“Patience is a virtue,” you said with equal mockery. You shouldered your blaster and aimed it down at the creature as it readied itself for another jump at Mills’ legs.

“Not right now it fucking isn’t!” He kicked his legs as he hoisted himself onto the bridge.

Before Mills could draw his own blaster, the creature jumped again. You had it centered in your sights, but you waited a heartbeat longer until those deadly jaws opened wide. You fired straight down into the creature’s open mouth, down into its vulnerable pink throat. You fired again and again on automatic fire as blood erupted in the creature’s mouth and spewed upward in a fountain of gore. The creature growled in pain, gurgling through the blood gushing down its throat, as it collapsed back into the river. The animal thrashed like a dying fish, turning the river water red with blood and white with foam. Mills staggered to his feet beside you and watched the splashing death throes of the animal for a moment before pushing you on ahead of him across the bridge.

Firm ground beneath your feet had never felt so good. Almost as good as the huge hand Mills placed on your back when he stood beside you, just to ensure himself that you were safe and sound. This side of the river was home to a pink flowering tree, its branches hanging down low near Mills’ head. You looked at him, haughtily raising your chin and cocking an eyebrow. Your unspoken sentiment was clear. You saved his ass and made the bigger kill.

“It still just counts as one,” Mills grumbled, fully taking your meaning. “By my count, that puts you at four. I’m at six.” He winked at you again and leaned in close to you. “What do I get when I win, gorgeous?”

You reached to the low-hanging branches of the tree under which you stood and plucked the fullest pink blossom you could find. You brought it to your nose to inhale its scent while looking up coyly through your eyelashes at Mills. When he leaned closer to you still, you pulled back and tucked the flower into his hair above his left ear. His thick forest of hair held it easily. You laughed heartily at his scowl. “Even better than a blue ribbon!”

“Cute.” Mills glared at you playfully, but he indulged you and left the flower in place.

“Shake a leg, gorgeous,” you said flippantly, using his favorite term for you to mock the pink flower in his hair.

The vegetation was sparser on this side of the river, allowing you to walk ahead easily without having to bushwack through jungle. You both held your blasters in casual readiness, the barrels pointed at the ground and angled away from one another, but each with your fingers resting on the trigger guards. From that position, it would take less than a second to raise, aim, and fire. Mills eyed your competent bearing with pride – the way you moved, the way you handled your blaster, the stubborn set of your jaw. He had given you a few lessons and he was pleased to see that you had taken his instruction seriously, even if you would never give him the justification of telling him so.

A clearing opened before you, the grass shorter, only calf high. The clearing was filled with large green pods, covered with a mucus membrane. They were organic and omitted a putrid odor. There was a veritable minefield of them.

“This is new,” Mills commented, his jaw clenched and expression severe.

“Some form of alien life the program has anticipated.” You shrugged and raised your blaster.

“Whoa, let’s not get too trigger happy. We don’t know –” Mills was cut off by the sound of your blaster as you shot the nearest pod. It exploded like a ripe pumpkin, spewing green substance. It struck your cheek and Mills’, hot and the consistency of snot. It burned your skin like acid. You frantically wiped at your cheek while Mills creativity strung expletives together as he rubbed the substance off his own skin.

A figure rose from where it had been crouching in the center of the innumerable alien pods. A young girl, maybe nine years old, stood hugging her arms and shivering in terror. She was adorable, looking at you with huge dark doe eyes. The pods surrounded her, trembling like hatching eggs about to open. She hiccupped a sob and pleaded to you and Mills, “Help me.”

“Cover me,” Mills instructed you, already moving toward the girl, compelled by his heroic instincts.

“Like hell you are!” you hissed and fast as a ninja, you kicked out and hooked Mills’ boot mid-stride, tripping him. Mills hit the ground hard with a grunt. He looked up just in time to see you fire at another pod, the pod closest to the unfortunate urchin. The pod blew apart, coating the girl in acidic green ooze. She screamed, blood curdling and terrible, as her frail body melted and sizzled until she collapsed in a steaming heap on the ground.

“Oh fuck, you killed the kid!” Mills looked at you with an expression of shock. Then he grinned at you. “Bitch.”

“I’m not just a bitch, Commander.” You raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m the bitch, and don’t you forget it.”

“You get a program bonus for saving the kid.” Mills pointed at the smoldering corpse of the melted child with his blaster. “The program inserts kids here and there to manipulate your emotions. Make sure you can fight on when you’re really under duress.” He sucked his teeth with amusement. “But you need to have a heart to have something pull at your heartstrings, huh Boss?”

“I’ve never been burdened with that particular Achilles heel,” you replied easily.

Mills took his attention away from the pods long enough to let his eyes trail over your curves. “I bet if I try hard enough, I can find some spots on you that are nice and soft.”

“Don’t be such a whore with your heroism, Nick,” you told him seriously. “That’s an order. You’re authorized to use it on me, not on every other female of the species you may stumble across.”

“Jealous?” He grinned as he returned his blaster to his shoulder and advanced toward the pods.

“Territorial.” You followed at his side, blaster at the ready.

The other pods opened, blooming like obscene flowers, emitting an almost unbearable stench. The burning on your cheek suddenly faded into the back of your consciousness. A creature leapt out from a pod, something that looked like a huge slimy crustacean. It sailed through the air straight at your face. You and Mills swung your blasters at the unknown creature, shooting simultaneous bursts into it, exploding it mid-flight.

“I shot first,” you said, counting it as your kill.

“I got a feeling there’s plenty more where he came from.” Mills was ready when the next creature launched itself out of a neighboring pod, then another, and another. Mills fired immediately before you, and you both shot in rapid succession at the aliens that leapt from their pods like quail taking flight from underbrush.

In unison your blasters clicked impotently, indicating you were both out of firepower. You looked at your blaster incredulously and punched the breach as if you could clobber more charge into it. “What the hell! These aren’t supposed to run out of charge!”

“Welcome to level ten.” Mills slung his dead blaster over his shoulder as more pods opened. He grabbed you by the back of your shirt, yanking you with him as he ran from the clearing into the thicker brush. He drew a large hunting knife from his belt, holding it in his free hand. You had a knife of your own, supplied by the program.

Mills crashed through trees that caught on his clothing and brush that scratched his face, bowling a path for you as you ran behind in his wake. The alien crustaceans seemed unable to pursue you through the vegetation and you quickly outstripped them. Or perhaps, the program had better foes in store for you.

You were both panting for breath when a rock wall appeared ahead of you, halting your run. Mills turned to look back the way you had come, again automatically putting himself between you and any creatures that may be chasing you, but there were none. Satisfied that you were safe for the moment, Mills leaned back against the rock wall with a groan and let his breath steady. It was impossible not to stare at the rise and fall of his thick chest; not to follow the path of a bead of sweat as it ran down the cord of his neck and down below the collar of his shirt to follow the cleft of his chest.

“You sound practically pornographic,” you teased his heavy breathing. With an effort, you tore your eyes away from his heaving chest and disheveled hair and studied the wall.

“Are you turned on yet?” he asked with equal sarcasm, intentionally deepening his voice. He had already made his own appraisal of the wall, but he would let you come to your own conclusion.

“It turns me on knowing I have more kills than you,” you mused to poke him. You both had lost count after your last encounter.

“I’m not a sore loser.” Mills grinned at you wolfishly. “I’ll help you celebrate your victory.”

You rolled your eyes. “There’s no celebration until we figure out how to climb this.”

The vertical rock wall was about twelve feet tall with scant ridges of rock that could be used for hand and footholds. It wasn’t an impossible grade. A professional climber could free climb it, but you were not a professional climber. You suspected Mills could muscle his way up it. The man was in peak physical condition, agile, and powerfully muscled.

“Hop to it.” Mills waved at the wall, making no effort himself. “I’m just your subordinate, right? I’m waiting for your orders, Boss.”

“I think I can reach the top if you give me a boost,” you said, still looking up at the wall. Mills was well over six-feet tall, he could probably push you up at least seven or eight feet off the ground.

“Here I thought you were a capable, independent woman who could kick ass on level ten without needing any help from a lowly man like me.” Mills looked casually at his fingernails, stifling another grin. He used the blade of his hunting knife to scrape some alien blood out from under a fingernail.

“Are you trying to piss me off?” You pointedly didn’t ask him for help.

“You sure are pretty when you’re mad.” He pointedly didn’t offer any.

You planted your hands on your hips and sighed angrily. Mills ignored you. There was no other feasible option for you to scale the wall. “Fine, you arrogant bastard. Come help me.”

“Pretty please?” Mills suggested with raised eyebrows.

“Now.” You narrowed your eyes at him, and Mills figured he would have more opportunities to risk his life without angering you further just now.

Grinning at his small victory, Mills pushed away from where he leaned against the rock and walked to stand beside you. He propped his boot up on a rock so his thigh was a level ninety degrees. He looked at you and patted his thick thigh. You stepped onto his thigh and it felt just as solid as the rocky ground. He patted his opposite shoulder, helping guide your boot up and secure your foothold. Mills didn’t falter or shake as you used his body as a ladder. When you had both feet planted on both of his shoulders with your hands braced on the wall right in front of your nose, Mills put his hands under the balls of your feet and pushed you up as high as he could. He finally grunted with effort when he had you hoisted up at the full reach of his arms.

The top of the rock wall wasn’t far above you now. You scrambled for only a moment before finding a purchase to haul yourself up the rest of the way. Taking a seat on the ledge, you looked down at Mills. Neither of you had any rope or other means of climbing. He studied the rock briefly, choosing his climbing route. He stepped up onto a thin ridge of rock and hefted himself up high enough to reach a handhold. Grunting with effort, Mills lifted himself higher and higher as he climbed. Every muscle in his massive body stood rigid, keeping him in perfect balance, and his strong hands held his weight easily. He made scaling the twelve-foot rock wall look effortless, and you suspected he could keep up the same climb for long enough to scale a true rockface as well as the best climbers in the world.

Mills pushed to his feet and pulled you up to stand beside him. “Ready to admit level ten’s a little, ah, over your head?”

“Did you have to practice waving your dick around at all times or does it come naturally?” you huffed, shaking your head.

“Careful, your envy is showing.” Mills stepped close to you until your chests were nearly touching.

“Envy?” you scoffed. “Never in a million years –”

Mills ducked in to you, crashing his lips to yours and silencing your arguments. You moaned in protest for only a moment before your lips were moving in tandem with his. When your lips parted with a pleasured sigh, he deepened his kiss, his tongue sliding against yours. The feel of his lips on yours and the heady taste of him weakened your knees more than any exertion in the combat simulation. You swayed against him, feeling the hard length of his powerful body pressed against you. Mills wrapped his arms around you, drowning in the feeling of your body, lost in your kiss.

“Ready to call it a day?” Mills asked against your lips. “End the program and skip right to the celebration?”

“Never.” You smiled and pulled away from him.

Mills groaned as if in physical pain from the parting of your lips from his, hamming it up for your amusement, and set off into the jungle. The terrain was now a thicket of scraggy bushes and overhanging trees. Brush scraped your clothing and twigs crunched underfoot. You were about to suggest how Mills might celebrate your victory with you when an animal snorted in the bush ahead of you. Mills froze as did you beside him.

Gripping the handle of his large hunting knife, Mills looked into the impenetrable brush. The attack didn’t come from ahead, from the direction of the sound, but from the side. Noiselessly, a golden speckled animal lunged at you. It was an enormous feline with long saber fangs, razor claws, and glistening golden eyes. You too, held your knife, prepared to attack. Mills reared back his right arm and threw his knife at the charging animal, sending his blade flying end over end. His aim was perfect, striking the giant cat right in the center of its golden eye. The creature dropped in its tracks, instantly dead and twitching.

The second feline charged from ahead of you. It was the much larger male, the mate to the female Mills had just killed– a Nemean lion with its dark red mane whipping around its enraged face like wildfire. Mills was unlucky in that he stood between the animal and you, the first in its path. He had no weapon. Mills raised his left arm as the leonine creature jumped at him, shoving his forearm between its jaws as the lion tackled Mills to the ground. Mills roared in pain at the feeling of the creature tearing his skin and crushing the bones in his arm. The wound wasn’t real, but the pain was. Using his mangled forearm, Mills was able to hold the creature away from his face but barely so. The lion snarled and bit harder into the flesh of Mills’ forearm, ripping its head from side to side to get at Mills’ face.

The hunting knife in your hand felt small and feeble, but it was all you had. You rushed to where Mills wrestled with the lion, your blade held overhead like a slasher aiming for a cheerleader. You plunged your knife down into the back of the lion’s neck, at the junction of its spine and skull, feeling it cut through flesh and bone beneath like butter. The animal collapsed dead on top of Mills, entirely covering the man’s massive body. Mills groaned beneath the enormous carcass, struggling to push it off him. You threw your weight against the animal’s body, helping Mills to shove it off of him and onto its side to discover that Mills was laughing. Lying on his back, clutching his profusely bleeding left arm to his chest, the jackass was laughing, low and rich.

“Not bad, gorgeous.” He smiled up at you through the dirt and blood that streaked his face. “While I’m down here, you want to tend to my wounds?”

“I’m half tempted to give you more,” you replied, unable to keep from smiling. You went to the lion to retrieve your knife. The knife was stuck in the creature’s body as though it were in cement. You yanked on the knife with both hands, pulling so hard you moved the animal, but the blade held firm. “What is this? Is the program taking our knives now too?”

“Bingo.” Mills laughed again.

“So, what do we do?” you asked, frustrated. “You have the highest scores in level ten. How do we win?”

“Level ten doesn’t teach you how to win. It’s programmed to be unwinnable.” Mills sobered and looked up at you from his back. “It teaches you how to deal with fear in the face of certain death and to master that fear. Level ten teaches you how to die. To accept death as a possibility and to die well. To make your death count.”

“Who programmed that kind of bullshit?” you huffed, planting your hands on your hips. “I’m going to kick his ass when we’re done here today.”

“Now that, I’d pay to see.” Mills sat up painfully and tested his injured arm, flexing his hand into a fist. It was painful and bleeding, but functional. “I’ll give you three guesses, but you’ll only need one.”

Pursing your lips angrily, you extended a hand to Mills. His enormous hand was slick with blood when he took yours, letting you help pull him up to his feet. He grunted and winced in pain, but otherwise masked his discomfort to conceal it from you. He draped a heavy arm across your shoulders as you both walked on through the thicket. You knew he didn’t need any support walking, but you didn’t mind either.

After only a few painful steps, a thunderous roar tore through the jungle, louder and more ominous than anything you had heard before. The sound of something gigantic running toward you, crashing through brush, immediately followed and the ground shook with tremendous force. Mills took your hand and ran.

The jungle thinned into an open grassy meadow. The escape pod sat in the center of the meadow, gleaming like a silver bullet. Sprinting hard, you and Mills ran for the escape pod. Seconds behind you, the animal that pursued you burst from the trees – a huge brindle-colored creature that looked like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with fully developed forearms. Using its forearms, it galloped after you with remarkable speed. You had no chance, it would overtake you in seconds. Mills hazarded a glance back over his shoulder, just in time to see the creature make its final lunge, its jaws ready to close over you both. Mills tackled you to the ground hard, pinning you beneath his heavy body. He couldn’t save you, not this time, but he could die a hero and buy you a few more seconds of life with his own body. Mills looked down into your eyes, engraving the sight of you beneath him onto his memory, taking a breath to steady himself for the inevitable. He never liked the dying part of level ten. Despite having endured it for countless rounds, it was always disconcerting.

Suddenly, you shifted your body beneath him and raised your arm to point at the charging animal like a superhero ready to fire a bolt from your fingertips. With your other hand, you entered a command on your watch.

“Program override accepted,” the pleasant female voice of the onboard computer intoned.

The creature vanished as did all the menacing noises from the world of the simulation. You and Mills were left alone in the grassy meadow, you lying on your back with Mills’ massive body covering you. The light changed too, glowing rosy pink like the light of a soft dawn, giving everything it touched an ethereal glow. Mills propped himself up on his forearms, caging you inside them as he looked down at you incredulously.

“Personally, I’d rather learn how to cheat death than how to die well.” You smiled up at him mischievously. “My ship, my rules.”

“Clever girl,” Mills told you proudly. He noted the wounds on his arm and your leg had vanished along with the enemy creatures. “Does this mean we won?”

“No, just that we transferred to one of my own personal programs.” You sighed and let your legs relax and fall open to better accommodate Mills’ large body. “Do you like it?”

“I like what’s in it.” He hungrily eyed your body spread out invitingly beneath him.

Around you, the meadow had become more of a grassy cove in a secluded garden. Rose bushes encircled you, blooming in pinks and reds. More of the luscious trees with hanging branches and vibrant pink blossoms draped around you, making it romantic and intimate. Lush green grass spread out beneath you, littered with fallen flowers. The sky above was streaked with pinks and blues, looking like swirled ice cream. 

Chirping birds could be heard from somewhere in the meadow and from further away the sound of a bubbling brook met your ears. The fresh aroma of roses and grass after a rain filled your nose when you inhaled. Even the light itself was soft and hazy in the verdant landscape, like that in a dream, and the twinkling yellow of luminescent fireflies danced through the air and between the rose bushes.

“Do you admit defeat, Commander?” you teased, arching your body sensually so your breasts pressed against his chest. “Do you concede I beat you?”

“If I do, are we going to celebrate properly?” Mills captured your lips, groaning in anticipation. He kissed you slowly, languorously, grinding his hips against you, pressing you down into the grass and letting you feel the heavy weight of his body. When he broke your kiss, he took your bottom lip between his teeth as he pulled back from you. “You want to do this here? Now? Where anyone could walk in and see you fucking your subordinate?” He all but ripped open your top, hastily freeing your skin to his touch and rubbed his calloused palm over the sensitive skin of your breast. “You don’t want to keep this – us – confined to your cabin as usual, like the dark secret we are?”

“Does it look like I care who sees?” you moaned impatiently as you struggled the rest of the way out of your top. You clawed at Mills’ clothing, yanking his khaki henley off over his head and throwing it away. His hair was even more handsomely disheveled, hanging down around his face and eyes. “I don’t care who knows about us, Nick. You should know that by now.”

Looking down at you with a grin, Mills admired your perfect tits, wolfishly trailing his tongue over his teeth. He pushed up to his knees long enough to yank your pants down and off along with your boots. “We’re both going to win now, my darling.”

“Darling?” You smiled and ran your hands over the bare expanse of his enormous chest. “What happened to Boss?”

“I’m the boss now.” Leaning over you, he rested his weight on his palms on either side of your body as he bent to kiss your navel. “And you’re going to be a good girl and cum when I tell you to.”

His lips trailed lower until they kissed at the waistband of your panties. He teased your skin with the scratch of his goatee before taking the thin material between his teeth and pulling your panties down your legs with his mouth. A rich, pleasured growl purred from his lips. With your panties still held in his bite, he met your eyes like a wild beast. He pushed your thighs wide enough to settle between them, relishing the sight of you glistening with arousal for him.

“You must like it rough,” Mills said huskily, lifting your legs to rest over his broad shoulders. “To be this excited when I haven’t even touched you yet.”

“You know how I like watching you sweat and grunt,” you sighed at the feel of him. “In all ways.” From his fingers to his tongue to his cock, Mills could make you shudder with every part of his body almost effortlessly. You twisted your hands into his thick hair and bucked your hips against his face. “Of course, being a badass while sweating and grunting doesn’t hurt things.”

“For you, darling, I’ll be the baddest man alive.” He groaned deep and hungrily into you, savoring you, his voice thrumming through your flesh. Licking, kissing, caressing you with ardor, he quickly rendered you too incoherent with pleasure to continue teasing him. Your thighs trembled on either side of his head with each sensation, your whole body asking him for more. He pulled away just enough to put two of his thick fingers to work, sliding and curling into you, feeling you tighten and quiver. “I think I found a trump card when I need to win our next argument.”

You thought of contestations, but they died on your tongue and escaped your lips only as lewd moans. A rush of heat ran rampant through you as your first wave of pleasure hit, flooding you with electric heat. The cool grass was a reprieve under your searing skin when you collapsed back, sated and recovering. Mills shoved his pants down his thick thighs, freeing his huge heavy cock that matched the rest of his massive and impressive body.

As Mills crawled over you, you gazed up at him in a portrait of sheer bliss. Looking down at you in return, his expression was just as full of adoration as yours and darkened with lust. Covering you completely until he was the ceiling of your world, he settled his huge body between your enthusiastically open thighs. Reaching your hands up to tangle into the dense waves of his hair, you pulled him down to meet your lips again. 

Mills kissed you slow and deep as your arms wrapped around his broad shoulders. One of his hands rested by your head, his fingers softly caressing your cheek and hair – a sharp contrast to his rough, almost harsh thrust into you. You loved it. In the beginning, his incredible size had been an adjustment. Now, the feeling of being so full, so possessed, was nearly enough alone to send you into a frenzy. Mills rumbled praises and adulations against your lips, rocking your body with his motions.

Feeling his heavy body over you and his powerful muscles tensing beneath your hands, you could feel the way he used all of his great strength for your pleasure. Mills could be measured and sensual or frantic and rough, but he was always masterful at prolonging your pleasure indulgently. Your nails dug into the dense muscle of his shoulders, trailing faint pink lines across his skin as your pleasure built again, swirling in your core. Your hips moved in time with Mills’ rhythm, meeting his deliberate thrusts.

Your orgasm crashed over you in a wave of euphoria, your body seizing and clenching. Mills gritted his teeth in pleasure at the sensation of you growing impossibly tighter and hotter. With a primal groan, he buried his face in the crook of your neck and came in time with you, cresting with you and riding the high of waves and pulses together.

You dragged your nails across his wide back, soothingly now, and pulled him down closer against you as you felt his muscles begin to relax. Mills kissed up your neck, trailing his lips across your jaw and over your cheek. He rubbed his large nose against yours affectionately before kissing you for another long moment and then raising his shaggy head to gaze down at you.

With another heady groan, Mills rolled off you and onto his back, pulling you with him to rest on his chest. His arms wrapped around you, holding you close in his embrace, while his lips ghosted at your hairline. When he spoke, his hot breath brushed your skin. “I’d say we both won at level ten, Boss.”

You propped yourself up on his chest and looked down at him with a sultry smirk. You plucked a nearby pink blossom from where it lay fallen on the ground near you. It was even more resplendent than the last one. You tucked it into Mills’ hair, ignoring the scowl he gave you. “I’d say you deserve another blue ribbon for that performance, Commander.”

*******************************************************************************************

© safarigirlsp 2023

Tagging some buddies! 

@babbushka @in-silks-and-flesh-and-leather @mrs-gucci @mrs-zimmerman @iamburdened @gabesprincess @reborn-rekall @maybe-your-left @rynwritesstuff @candycanes19 @caillea @cas-backwards-tie @queeniebee @lumberjack00fantasies @mythrielofsolitude @ghoulian13 @icarusinthesea @darkhairedmenrule @reyloaddict55 @fizzywoohoo @heartlight-starlight @richbrittstein @clydesfavoritegirl @thepalaceofmelanie @celiholland @durangoninetyfive @reveluving @vedavan @reylokisses @srorgana1

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for joining my girlfriend’s cult & killing my friends?

I know this sounds bad, but I swear I can explain.

I (18F) go to a high school for gifted students; I was accepted for my talents in the medical field. I come from an abusive home and have been bullied and sexually harassed most of my life so because of that I’m kind of a people-pleaser & have some really bad self-image issues, but my new school was actually pretty nice & I ended up making a lot of friends while I was there. Apart from my friends from my old school who joined with me (except this one girl who bullied me, I still tried to be nice to her though), our class president was genuinely one of the sweetest girls I’ve ever met, and we also had a really nice teacher; for once, it felt like I was actually being treated like a human being. In particular, though, later on I met these two guys from my class; one was sick & needed me to take care of him, & the other was assuming his identity so he could focus on his work. No one had ever treated me so nicely before, so I became friends with them, but one of them went missing so I went to look for him and ended up getting kidnapped.

I found my friend, and it turns out he was working on a secret project with this girl from another class; the one who kidnapped me was her sister. They showed me the project, and at the time it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I started hanging around this girl more often, and ended up falling in love with her. It felt like she was the only one who truly understood me and accepted me for who I was…but looking back on it now, she was almost definitely a cult leader, because later on she showed me another video that I’m pretty sure was meant to brainwash me. Our relationship was toxic, too; she abused me physically and verbally, but to be honest I was kinda into it because at least she was paying attention to me.

While I was under her influence, I did a lot of things I’m not proud of; I tried to seduce my friend when he was clearly not into it, and I led the rest of my class into a trap that got our class president killed (I actually pushed her into the trap, I apologized for it though) and everyone else brainwashed as well while they were forced to watch. I didn’t want to do it; I think the video didn’t work quite as well as she wanted it to because the whole time it still felt like I had this little voice in my head telling me to stop, but when I tried to listen to it I just heard my beloved’s voice overpowering it. Everything after that is kind of a blur, but we basically ended up bringing about the apocalypse; all you need to know is that I did a LOT of illegal stuff and a lot more people died. After about a year of this, though, my girlfriend’s crimes came back to bite her and she got herself killed. We all took this pretty badly; a lot of the other cult members killed themselves, and I’m about 90% sure I surgically implanted her uterus inside of me so I could bear her children. It’s all still kind of hazy right now.

After that, the rest of us were rounded up and sent to a rehab facility in the hopes that we could be deprogrammed, and as part of the process our memories were erased. What they didn’t know was that my ex had preserved her consciousness in an artificial intelligence and before we were detained we planned to let her possess our bodies so she could continue her agenda, so she hijacked the rehab program and tried to encourage us to kill each other. I managed to avoid killing anyone for a while, but then a few of us got sick and while I was tending to them I ended up contracting it as well. Whatever disease I got, it caused me to remember everything and go back to being brainwashed. While I was in this state, I ended up strangling my best friend to death (she was infected and her strain of the disease made her more susceptible to suggestion) and later slit my bully’s throat after she walked in on me during the first kill. I covered my tracks the best I could, but the rest of my class was still able to find out what happened. I felt really cornered in the moment, so I kinda lashed out at everyone and blamed them all for everything that had happened to me and I also went on this weird rant about how my ex was the only one who truly loved me and “forgave my existence.” That didn’t really help my case, so I was voted out of the program and executed.

Except not really; it turns out the program was just a really immersive VR simulation & no one actually died (except for our class president, it turns out they also placed an AI modeled after her into the program but she got executed too; long story). The ones who made it to the end were able to defeat my ex’s AI self and rehabilitate the rest of us, so now we’re all living on the island the program was modeled after since we’re all technically fugitives. But now that I have my memories back, I feel so horrible about everything I’ve done, both in the program and out of it. My friends have been pretty understanding since they also did a lot of terrible things in the cult, but I still can’t help but feel like it was all my fault since I was the first one to get brainwashed and got everyone else brainwashed in the first place. Maybe if I wasn’t such a people-pleaser, or if I had fought harder against it, or if I had just minded my own business and not gone looking for my friend…oh, there’s so much I could have done…maybe it could have been different. I could have prevented all this from ever happening. I should have.

Please, forgive me…

AITA?

[anika-ann]

Missing Home (S.R.)

Type: one-shot, early relationship, canon-ish (see A/N)

Pairining: Steve Rogers x reader (GG x Sparkles)     Word count: 2900

Summary: Still stuck working in an office after you had been at the centre of a case – stalked, kidnapped and shot – you get the first taste of what it’s like to be the girlfriend of Captain America.

With his mission lasting for days, with no contact allowed, to say you were worried and you missed him would be an understatement. But what about him? And how do you even greet your boyfriend of three weeks and best friend in one person home…? 

Warnings: FLUFF, mention of canon-typical violence and injuries, language

A/N: Standalone or a one-shot following Love on the Brain series and (Love)Sick. ; divider by firefly-graphics 😍

Checking mission reports was a boring job.

Looking for discrepancies among several reports from the same mission as to reveal potential moles was, while undeniably important, a very boring job as well, even as it involved cooperation with your friendly resident artificial intelligence.

Listening to hours and hours of records from surveillance was nothing less than vital for upcoming missions – but that was a spectacularly boring job that induced paranoia and made a person question every word they heard.

You were sick of it all.

Recovery took time, you knew that. Even with medical miracles such as Dr.Cho’s cradle and highly effective rehabilitation techniques, you were still only allowed to have leg days and cardio days that would not involve much upper body strength work if any. Your dislocated thumb was still tender at times, even if fully functioning. You still had more frequent obligatory therapy sessions due to the fact you had been kidnapped by a stalker whom you had to kiss in order not to catch a bullet to your brain and who ended up shooting you in the arm. Bottom-line was, you had not yet been cleared to go back to action – and for a good reason.

Temporarily moving you to a desk job was the right decision, you were aware of that. Going out to the field where a supposed recon-mission could change into a shoot-out or intense hand-to-hand session with no chance to tap-out was not a safe place for anyone who wasn’t at their hundred percent and considering the fact that a damn flu had taken you down and slowed down your healing, you wouldn’t dare to deny that you weren’t ready. The system placed at the AI worked and was a good one – at any day, you’d agree with that, even if you bitched about it.

The problem was that Steve had been cleared. Naturally, whatever injuries he would have sustained would be healed long before yours and he hadn’t suffered any. The emotional impact on him, while not insignificant, was deemed resolved sufficiently. Had he seen the woman whom he was in love with – and hadn’t get a chance to tell her yet at the time – held at gunpoint? Yes. Would there be a session after you returned to field in case a mission involving both of you came up? Yes. But he had already been benched for a few days and the worst of humanity didn’t exactly take a holiday just so he could spend time with you and stay safe and sound within the walls of the Tower.

That was fine. It wasn’t like you hadn’t been worried for him before he kissed you senseless.

The problem was, you were bored, and despite wanting to pay close attention to your momentary – no less important – assignment, you had to admit you were growing antsy.

And it wasn’t just because of the itching to get your body moving. You didn’t only miss some of the adrenalin straight to your bloodstream, even though right now, it was mostly cortisol flooding your body. You’d smile at knowing how the concentration of stress hormones changed according to which type of stress you were going through – courtesy of being a friend with a literal genius or two – but you couldn’t find it in yourself to will your mouth to do the hard work.

You missed Steve. This was his first mission lasting longer than 24 hours since you… got together, and in addition to longing for his presence, your mind was in overdrive as you wondered what the appropriate way to greet him was.

Even as your former BAU team wasn’t in your vicinity, you could practically feel Emily’s unimpressed gaze on you, see JJ’s and Derek’s smirk, hear Garcia’s cooing at the cutesy of you two. It made you want to bang your head against the desk. It would have been safe to do that – the stack of paperwork was so tall your landing would be soft.

Yes, there was probably nothing special about Steve coming home after three days, except there was, Emily. No, Derek, no, JJ, we hadn’t slept together yet which was a whole another issue, so that wasn’t really an option – or was it? Try to push for some sweet lovin’ baby (God, Derek, shut up) after Steve had to deal with violent offenders? Probably not. Even if it might take Steve’s mind off of things; and of yours. And yes, Penelope, we are crazy in love, we’re that one disgustingly adorable couple, I guess. Not helping.

Could you even kiss him upon coming home? If he arrived to the apartment building, there was no questioning it; and so far, that was what had been happening. But what if he came down here? What if he came back while you were still at the Tower? You didn’t want to embarrass him; even as you knew he certainly wasn’t ashamed of dating you in the slightest, you didn’t want to make a spectacle out of you two. You didn’t want to give other agents any reason to whisper with renewed intensity about favouritism; you had already heard enough, thank you very much.

But then what were you supposed to do?

Whenever he’d come back, before, you’d hug him. Tight. And perhaps that was the answer – that would be perfectly acceptable. Maybe you’d stealthily press a kiss to the nearest patch of skin. Subtle. Right? But that just-

“Jones?”

You jumped in your chair, earning a very strange and very disconcerted look from your next-cubicle colleague, momentarily standing right by your desk.

Janine. Her name was Janine Anderson, you reminded yourself as you blinked yourself back into reality, the low hum of the computers and shuffle of papers reaching your ears along with a buzzing sound – and a vibration on your wrist which you momentarily ignored.

“Yes?” you asked, remembering to arrange your face into at least a polite smile, even as you felt blood flush your face. Some (co)worker you were.

Agent Anderson just bit back a smile; she was nice like that. You liked her. You weren’t exactly friends but whenever you got benched after an injury and ended up here, you’d strike an easy conversation. She was rather sweet and as far as you could tell, she was the rare kind of person who might have envied you your friendship – now relationship – with Steve, but was able to look past it because she was able to see beyond the end of her own nose and to be happy for other people.

“Your wrist has been buzzing for maybe a minute. Are you okay?”

What.

“What?”

Your head snapped to your StarkWatch, momentarily having fallen silent – but shining with nine notifications. NINE messages.

Your stomach dropped to your feet, heart stuttering in panic. Oh god no, no, no, no-

Seven from Tony. Two from Steve.

You let your shoulders relax a bit. If Steve texted you, he didn’t sustain any life-threatening injuries – even though you knew that if he had and was still conscious, he’d try to play them down for the sake of your mental health. You scrolled down the notifications, the world around you once again fading away as you could practically hear the two distinct voices from two different conversations.

(3:50) Metalhead: the bald eagle has landed

(3:50) Metalhead: not that cap’s bald

(3:50) Metalhead: only got singed a little

(3:50) GG😘: Hey Sparkles. Just landing. You busy?

(3:50) Metalhead: he still has all hair so still pretty I guess

(3:51) Metalhead: but his profile does look kinda like bald eagles right

(3:51) Metalhead: of course it does he was born on 4th July

(3:51) GG😘: Whatever Tony’s telling you, he’s being an ass. I’m fine. Missed you. Meet me?

(3:52) Metalhead: oh great will get cap speech now

“God you’re such an asshole,” you muttered under your breath, startled at the cackle sounding by your right. You spun in your chair, head snapping up. “I’m sorry, not you. Tony.”

Janine’s eyes shined as she held at her chest as if holding back a full-belly laughter, still chuckling. What a sweet easy-going human.

“Yeah, I figured,” she hummed, nodding to the offending device. “Wanna share or is that confidential?”

You snorted. “Barely. I mean this in an affectionate way – I think – but Tony being an ass is barely a secret.”

Janine smirked. “So… they’re back. Ohhhh. He’s making dirty comments about a proper welcome home, isn’t he?”

You wished.

You sighed, eyeing the stack of papers on your desk. There would be no welcome home at this rate. You had been slow today and since you had had no idea when Steve would be coming back, it had been next to impossible to stay motivated.

Regret and worry bit into your gut. If you had been antsy before, now you were outright fidgety. Steve had clearly been hurt, he admitted he had missed you – which wasn’t a bad thing, he was tender like that, unafraid to show you this kind of vulnerability – and you were about to get stuck in here for at least another hour. Or two.

But you had to go. You had to check up on him. Then, you’d get back here, which would be hundred times harder once you’d actually seen him; despite the anxiety nagging your brain, your body was already humming for Steve’s presence. Still – no matter how difficult it would be, there was no other option.

“I wish. Whatever they did… I guess it was a close call,” you explained, gulping and eyeing your workspace once again with dismay.

“Well then what are you still doing here? Lock those papers up and run. These aren’t going anywhere, trust me. They can wait till tomorrow if not longer.”

You worried your teeth over your lower lip at her suggestion; your heart already sang at the premise of throwing responsibility to the wind.

After all, Steve was probably hurt. Janine was right – what the fuck were you still doing here?

“Anderson, you are my new favourite person,” you blurted out, hastily opening the container under the desk by your left, shoving the papers in there with little care, swiftly tapping in your code – Janine had the decency to look away, bless her soul – and rising to your feet almost at once.

Already stepping away, you took a U-turn as you heard Janine mumble: “Yeah, till you see your man maybe.”

She huffed a surprised laugh as you leaned over her chair and hugged her with the lightest pressure. She patted your hand and motioned for you to shoo away.

“Go get him, tigress.”

You hummed in agreement, already half-way out. Y tapped at your phone furiously, practically jogging to the elevator.

(3:54) Me: 42 floor med bay?

You received the message just as the elevator door opened for you.

(3:54) GG😘: Just getting released after a check-up. Told you.

“Smartass,” you huffed at the addition, feeling your lips curl up in a relieved smile.

(3:55) Me: omw

The ride ten floors up was short, you knew that but it might have as well lasted for eternity. You fought the urge to tap your foot – you suspected Jarvis somehow could tell that and tried to have the elevator go faster. Clearly, he was learning. Since the A.I. have interrupted your potential first kiss with Steve (maybe twice), Tony might have learned a thing or two and attempted to teach J how to read signs.

Not that you cared.

You nearly fell out of the cart with how quick you were to step out and look around. You scanned the small crowd, realizing it made sense the med bay would be full after a three-day mission involving maybe ten agents, especially since even Captain America had got hurt. Yet, it was hard to see anything but the unmistakable outline of the tall broad figure, more so since his shoulders were only accentuated by the shield strapped to his back.

Still in his suit, albeit the navy blue one for stealth, he was impossible to miss, towering above most of medical staff and agents alike. He seemed a little lost in the midst of the organized chaos, even as he was clearly checking that everyone was being treated. Of course he was.

When he spotted you walking down the corridor, his face lit up – so much you could see it even at the distance.

A few faint smudges of dirt which he had obviously tried to clean up remained on his face, the darker patches on his suit hard to ignore; but whatever had happened, his fire-proofed gear took most of not all of the hit. You felt the traces of anxiety melt away from you. Steve was okay. Tony Stark was an asshole, but an asshole with a brilliant brain and despite all his talk and jokes, he cared deeply about the safety of his friends and his designs reflected that. Bless the jerk.

Steve stalked to you in several long strides, avoiding the few people in his way – a doc, a nurse, two agents whom he had probably been in the field with, nodding at them reassuringly, but absently. He was a man on a new mission – you.

You were off the ground before you could say more than a soft hey.

He scooped you up, arms firm around your waist, your feet hovering inches above his combat boots. You had no choice but to wrap your arms around his shoulders in an air-tight hug and you were grateful for it; it was the only thing that felt right, your body easily melting into his. Like puzzle pieces falling into place, magnets inevitably drawn to each other and attached through one of the fundamental laws of nature.

There was no kiss. Just both of you breathing in deeply, releasing the air slowly as the comfort of being in each other’s arms sunk into your skin, through your muscles to the very marrow of your bones, enveloping your heart in a gentle warmth.

Steve smelled of disinfectant, soap, sweat and smoke, but the tinniest hint of him was there somewhere, your brain helpfully supplying everything else. A phantom smell of his cologne and coffee. Home. You didn’t care if it was insane to think this way after less than three weeks of dating. Being in his arms felt like coming home, even as he was the one who had been away.

His lips brushed briefly over the skin of your throat before he set you down to your feet, no doubt conscious of this not being the place for anything more. Truth was, you didn’t need more at the moment – it suddenly felt so silly to have wondered how this would go, how it should go. This was perfect; any outcome of this encounter, as long as Steve came back home in one piece, would be. And it seemed it was good enough for him too.

He interlaced your fingers together as he led you back towards the elevator. You could feel several stares on you – and you didn’t give a damn. You let the warmth of Steve’s calloused hand seep into yours, glancing at his content smile, which widened when he felt your gaze on him and looked down at you, eyes brimming with affection.

You were lucky, the pair of you – the elevator was still there and empty bar you. The second the door slid shut and all the nosy onlookers were gone, you found yourself crowded against the wall of the cubicle, gentle palms cradling your face, lips stealing a kiss and the breath from your mouth.

He didn’t have to say he missed you – he had the tenderness and the palpable need in his touch speak for him, a sigh of deep contentment falling from his lips and parting yours. Your hands found careful purchase of his shoulder, fingers sliding to his nape to caress the short hair there, hoping you could have him feel at least half the love your heart was humming with. You let yourself fall into the soft waves of affection, his warm solid body grounding you in reality even as this felt like a dream.

Home.

Only when out of breath, his nose nuzzled yours; fingertips brushing over your hair, brief encounters of lips, again and again, causing you both smiling wider and wider as you opened your eyes.

“Hi,” he finally reciprocated your greeting, drawing a soundless chuckle from you, hands still firm and gentle on your face, the blue of his irises shining.

“Welcome home, GG,” you whispered back, earning another kiss, his fingers sinking into your hair and tipping your head back just slightly to indulge you both, to kiss you deeper, to feel more of you.

He leaned his forehead against yours then, thumb brushing over your cheekbone, his voice wishful, heavy and light at once – profoundly serene, as you were.

“Yeah, Sparkles… I am.”

If the elevator only began to rise only then, you wouldn’t have been able to tell nor you cared, realisation dawning to you through the soft veil of affection.

The welcome part of Steve coming home had never mattered. And the home part was not set firmly in time and space – you built it right there where you stood as one, together.

Steve Rogers masterlist // Love on The Brain masterlist

Oh these two... giving me all kinds of feels 🥰

Sorry I've been kinda awol, school has became a lot and I couldn't find energy to write... it's being worked on 😅

Thank you for reading!

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Random question that will definitely not lead to fanart:

I want to work on various designs for cybernetics and the riot kings crew are a good vessel for that, if you feel like answering, is anyone trained for/assigned to various tasks within the fleet? And if so, who is assigned to what?(i.e special ops, med tech, riot control, etc) or if theyre not, what would they be best suited for? Here's a bit of an example of what I mean, a character of mine was trained to be a sniper so his cybernetics are optimized for stability, flexibility, and accuracy(his hands can't shake, all of his joints have 360 degree rotation, artificial eyes that can zoom a fair amount, his cybernetic limbs have artificial nerves to mimic touch)

As an example for a Riot kings character: Nabi is a psychic, she's also a civilian and not particularly suited to combat, so i feel like her augmentations would be designed to mimic normal flesh and would probably be minimal so she wouldn't have to undergo a lot of surgery. For their usage: they'd probably be focused on protecting her, like tougher skin and like, taser fingers. Or maybe theyd be better for helping her focus on her psychic abilities, like being able to temporarily turn off her hearing/sight/other senses to reduce distraction when using her abilities.

oooooh! I haven't delved too deep in cybernetics myself, but your ideas sound super cool and creative!

to answer your question, there are specialized duties within the Fleet, usually separated visually by uniform color:

Green: foot soldiers/guards/undesignated. The most common troops, will also do miscellaneous jobs not covered by the other categories. Leadership also wears green.

Blue: special duty (like instructors or prison guards). Jin's current uniform is also blue, but his special duty is Nabi Guard (his blue is to match her sweater)

Purple: intel, aka the guys who collect data, monitor satellites/surveillance drones, and compile reports. Mainfleet also employs interrogators under "intel" (for the sake of never having to admit they employ interrogators. It's just "intelligence collection", nothing to worry about.)

Red: special missions. Can qualify as spec ops, but are generally just soldiers with unique skills that may qualify them for solo/minimally manned missions.

Orange: personnel/admin. These guys handle paperwork, pay, facilities, food... everything required to keep the Fleet running smoothly.

Yellow: engineering. Mechanics, armament, repairs, construction, and more. Commander Kita is the only engineer I've drawn so far I think. She's the officer in charge of that sector on the Inferno.

Teal: medical! ship's surgeons, emergency med techs, and nurses are common on most ships. Dentists, optometrists, and other specialists are available on Mainfleet-side and at established bases. Field and combat medics will also wear teal to distinguish themselves from combatants.

[learning-robotics]

Mastering Neural Networks: A Deep Dive into Combining Technologies

How Can Two Trained Neural Networks Be Combined?

Introduction

In the ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence (AI), neural networks have emerged as a cornerstone technology, driving advancements across various fields. But have you ever wondered how combining two trained neural networks can enhance their performance and capabilities? Let’s dive deep into the fascinating world of neural networks and explore how combining them can open new horizons in AI.

Basics of Neural Networks

What is a Neural Network?

Neural networks, inspired by the human brain, consist of interconnected nodes or "neurons" that work together to process and analyze data. These networks can identify patterns, recognize images, understand speech, and even generate human-like text. Think of them as a complex web of connections where each neuron contributes to the overall decision-making process.

How Neural Networks Work

Neural networks function by receiving inputs, processing them through hidden layers, and producing outputs. They learn from data by adjusting the weights of connections between neurons, thus improving their ability to predict or classify new data. Imagine a neural network as a black box that continuously refines its understanding based on the information it processes.

Types of Neural Networks

From simple feedforward networks to complex convolutional and recurrent networks, neural networks come in various forms, each designed for specific tasks. Feedforward networks are great for straightforward tasks, while convolutional neural networks (CNNs) excel in image recognition, and recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are ideal for sequential data like text or speech.

Why Combine Neural Networks?

Advantages of Combining Neural Networks

Combining neural networks can significantly enhance their performance, accuracy, and generalization capabilities. By leveraging the strengths of different networks, we can create a more robust and versatile model. Think of it as assembling a team where each member brings unique skills to tackle complex problems.

Applications in Real-World Scenarios

In real-world applications, combining neural networks can lead to breakthroughs in fields like healthcare, finance, and autonomous systems. For example, in medical diagnostics, combining networks can improve the accuracy of disease detection, while in finance, it can enhance the prediction of stock market trends.

Methods of Combining Neural Networks

Ensemble Learning

Ensemble learning involves training multiple neural networks and combining their predictions to improve accuracy. This approach reduces the risk of overfitting and enhances the model's generalization capabilities.

Bagging

Bagging, or Bootstrap Aggregating, trains multiple versions of a model on different subsets of the data and combines their predictions. This method is simple yet effective in reducing variance and improving model stability.

Boosting

Boosting focuses on training sequential models, where each model attempts to correct the errors of its predecessor. This iterative process leads to a powerful combined model that performs well even on difficult tasks.

Stacking

Stacking involves training multiple models and using a "meta-learner" to combine their outputs. This technique leverages the strengths of different models, resulting in superior overall performance.

Transfer Learning

Transfer learning is a method where a pre-trained neural network is fine-tuned on a new task. This approach is particularly useful when data is scarce, allowing us to leverage the knowledge acquired from previous tasks.

Concept of Transfer Learning

In transfer learning, a model trained on a large dataset is adapted to a smaller, related task. For instance, a model trained on millions of images can be fine-tuned to recognize specific objects in a new dataset.

How to Implement Transfer Learning

To implement transfer learning, we start with a pretrained model, freeze some layers to retain their knowledge, and fine-tune the remaining layers on the new task. This method saves time and computational resources while achieving impressive results.

Advantages of Transfer Learning

Transfer learning enables quicker training times and improved performance, especially when dealing with limited data. It’s like standing on the shoulders of giants, leveraging the vast knowledge accumulated from previous tasks.

Neural Network Fusion

Neural network fusion involves merging multiple networks into a single, unified model. This method combines the strengths of different architectures to create a more powerful and versatile network.

Definition of Neural Network Fusion

Neural network fusion integrates different networks at various stages, such as combining their outputs or merging their internal layers. This approach can enhance the model's ability to handle diverse tasks and data types.

Types of Neural Network Fusion

There are several types of neural network fusion, including early fusion, where networks are combined at the input level, and late fusion, where their outputs are merged. Each type has its own advantages depending on the task at hand.

Implementing Fusion Techniques

To implement neural network fusion, we can combine the outputs of different networks using techniques like averaging, weighted voting, or more sophisticated methods like learning a fusion model. The choice of technique depends on the specific requirements of the task.

Cascade Network

Cascade networks involve feeding the output of one neural network as input to another. This approach creates a layered structure where each network focuses on different aspects of the task.

What is a Cascade Network?

A cascade network is a hierarchical structure where multiple networks are connected in series. Each network refines the outputs of the previous one, leading to progressively better performance.

Advantages and Applications of Cascade Networks

Cascade networks are particularly useful in complex tasks where different stages of processing are required. For example, in image processing, a cascade network can progressively enhance image quality, leading to more accurate recognition.

Practical Examples

Image Recognition

In image recognition, combining CNNs with ensemble methods can improve accuracy and robustness. For instance, a network trained on general image data can be combined with a network fine-tuned for specific object recognition, leading to superior performance.

Natural Language Processing

In natural language processing (NLP), combining RNNs with transfer learning can enhance the understanding of text. A pre-trained language model can be fine-tuned for specific tasks like sentiment analysis or text generation, resulting in more accurate and nuanced outputs.

Predictive Analytics

In predictive analytics, combining different types of networks can improve the accuracy of predictions. For example, a network trained on historical data can be combined with a network that analyzes real-time data, leading to more accurate forecasts.

Challenges and Solutions

Technical Challenges

Combining neural networks can be technically challenging, requiring careful tuning and integration. Ensuring compatibility between different networks and avoiding overfitting are critical considerations.

Data Challenges

Data-related challenges include ensuring the availability of diverse and high-quality data for training. Managing data complexity and avoiding biases are essential for achieving accurate and reliable results.

Possible Solutions

To overcome these challenges, it’s crucial to adopt a systematic approach to model integration, including careful preprocessing of data and rigorous validation of models. Utilizing advanced tools and frameworks can also facilitate the process.

Tools and Frameworks

Popular Tools for Combining Neural Networks

Tools like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Keras provide extensive support for combining neural networks. These platforms offer a wide range of functionalities and ease of use, making them ideal for both beginners and experts.

Frameworks to Use

Frameworks like Scikit-learn, Apache MXNet, and Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit offer specialized support for ensemble learning, transfer learning, and neural network fusion. These frameworks provide robust tools for developing and deploying combined neural network models.

Future of Combining Neural Networks

Emerging Trends

Emerging trends in combining neural networks include the use of advanced ensemble techniques, the integration of neural networks with other AI models, and the development of more sophisticated fusion methods.

Potential Developments

Future developments may include the creation of more powerful and efficient neural network architectures, enhanced transfer learning techniques, and the integration of neural networks with other technologies like quantum computing.

Case Studies

Successful Examples in Industry

In healthcare, combining neural networks has led to significant improvements in disease diagnosis and treatment recommendations. For example, combining CNNs with RNNs has enhanced the accuracy of medical image analysis and patient monitoring.

Lessons Learned from Case Studies

Key lessons from successful case studies include the importance of data quality, the need for careful model tuning, and the benefits of leveraging diverse neural network architectures to address complex problems.

Online Course

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1.Prag Robotics_ TBridge

2.Coursera

Best Practices

Strategies for Effective Combination

Effective strategies for combining neural networks include using ensemble methods to enhance performance, leveraging transfer learning to save time and resources, and adopting a systematic approach to model integration.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Common pitfalls to avoid include overfitting, ignoring data quality, and underestimating the complexity of model integration. By being aware of these challenges, we can develop more robust and effective combined neural network models.

Conclusion

Combining two trained neural networks can significantly enhance their capabilities, leading to more accurate and versatile AI models. Whether through ensemble learning, transfer learning, or neural network fusion, the potential benefits are immense. By adopting the right strategies and tools, we can unlock new possibilities in AI and drive advancements across various fields.

FAQs

What is the easiest method to combine neural networks?

The easiest method is ensemble learning, where multiple models are combined to improve performance and accuracy.

Can different types of neural networks be combined?

Yes, different types of neural networks, such as CNNs and RNNs, can be combined to leverage their unique strengths.

What are the typical challenges in combining neural networks?

Challenges include technical integration, data quality, and avoiding overfitting. Careful planning and validation are essential.

How does combining neural networks enhance performance?

Combining neural networks enhances performance by leveraging diverse models, reducing errors, and improving generalization.

Is combining neural networks beneficial for small datasets?

Yes, combining neural networks can be beneficial for small datasets, especially when using techniques like transfer learning to leverage knowledge from larger datasets.

[fragile-practice]

Week in Review

October 23rd-29th

Welcome to Fragile Practice, where I attempt to make something of value out of stuff I have to read.

My future plan is to do longer-form original pieces on interesting topics or trends. For now, I'm going to make the weekly reviews habitual and see if I have any time left.

Technology

OpenAI forms team to study ‘catastrophic’ AI risks, including nuclear threats - Tech Crunch; Kyle Wiggers

OpenAI launched a new research team called AI Safety and Security to investigate the potential harms of artificial intelligence focused on AI alignment, AI robustness, AI governance, and AI ethics.

Note: Same energy as “cigarette company funds medical research into smoking risks”.

Artists Allege Meta’s AI Data Deletion Request Process Is a ‘Fake PR Stunt’ - Wired; Kate Knibbs

Artists who participated in Meta’s Artificial Intelligence Artist Residency Program accused the company of failing to honor their data deletion requests and claim that Meta used their personal data to train its AI models without their consent.

Note: Someday we will stop being surprised that corporate activities without obvious profit motive are all fake PR stunts.

GM and Honda ditch plan to build cheaper electric vehicles - The Verge; Andrew J. Hawkins

General Motors and Honda cancel their joint venture to develop and produce cheaper electric vehicles for the US market, citing the chip shortage, rising costs of battery materials, and the changing market conditions.

Note: What are the odds this isn’t related to the 7 billion dollars the US government announced to create hydrogen hubs.

'AI divide' across the US leaves economists concerned - The Register; Thomas Claburn

A new study by economists from Harvard University and MIT reveals a significant gap in AI adoption and innovation across different regions in the US.

The study finds that AI usage is highest in California's Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, but was also noted in Nashville, San Antonio, Las Vegas, New Orleans, San Diego, and Tampa, as well as Riverside, Louisville, Columbus, Austin, and Atlanta.

Nvidia to Challenge Intel With Arm-Based Processors for PCs - Bloomberg; Ian King

Nvidia is using Arm technology to develop CPUs that would challenge Intel processors in PCs, and which could go on sale as soon as 2025.

Note: I am far from an NVIDIA fan, but I’m stoked for any amount of new competition in the CPU space.

New tool lets artists fight AI image bots by hiding corrupt data in plain sight - Engadget; Sarah Fielding

A team at the University of Chicago created Nightshade, a tool that lets artists fight AI image bots by adding undetectable pixels into an image that can alter how a machine-learning model produces content and what that finished product looks like.

Nightshade is intended to protect artists work and has been tested on both Stable Diffusion and an in-house AI built by the researchers.

IBM's NorthPole chip runs AI-based image recognition 22 times faster than current chips - Tech Xplore; Bob Yirka

NorthPole combines the processing module and the data it uses in a two-dimensional array of memory blocks and interconnected CPUs, and is reportedly inspired by the human brain.

NorthPole can currently only run specialized AI processes and not training processes or large language models, but the researchers plan to test connecting multiple chips together to overcome this limitation.

Apple’s $130 Thunderbolt 4 cable could be worth it, as seen in X-ray CT scans - Ars Technica; Kevin Purdy

Note: These scans are super cool. And make me feel somewhat better about insisting on quality cables. A+.

The Shifting Web

On-by-default video calls come to X, disable to retain your sanity - The Register; Brandon Vigliarolo

Video and audio calling is limited to anyone you follow or who is in your address book, if you granted X permission to comb through it.

Calling other users also requires that they’ve sent at least one direct message to you before.

Only premium users can place calls, but everyone can receive them.

Google Search Boss Says Company Invests to Avoid Becoming ‘Roadkill’ - The New York Times; Nico Grant

Google’s senior vice president overseeing search said that he sees a world of threats that could humble his company at any moment.

Google Maps is getting new AI-powered search updates, an enhanced navigation interface and more - Tech Crunch; Aisha Malik

Note: These AI recommender systems are going to be incredibly valuable advertising space. It is interesting that Apple decided to compete with Google in maps but not in basic search, but has so far not placed ads in the search results.

Reddit finally takes its API war where it belongs: to AI companies - Ars Technica; Scharon Harding

Reddit met with generative AI companies to negotiate a deal for being paid for its data, and may block crawlers if no deal is made soon.

Note: Google searches for info on Reddit often seem more effective than searching Reddit itself.  If they are unable to make a deal, and Reddit follows through, it will be a legitimate loss for discoverability but also an incredibly interesting experiment to see what Reddit is like without Google.

Bandcamp’s Entire Union Bargaining Team Was Laid Off - 404 Media; Emanuel Maiberg

Bandcamp’s new owner (Songtradr) offered jobs to just half of existing employees, with cuts disproportionately hitting union leaders. Every member of the union’s eight-person bargaining team was laid off, and 40 of the union's 67 members lost their jobs.

Songtradr spokesperson Lindsay Nahmiache claimed that the firm didn’t have access to union membership information.

Note: This just sucks. Bandcamp is rad, and it’s hard to imagine it continuing to be rad after this. I wonder if Epic had ideas for BC that didn’t work out.

Surveillance & Digital Privacy

Mozilla Launches Annual Digital Privacy 'Creep-o-Meter'. This Year's Status:  'Very Creepy' - Slashdot

Mozilla gave the current state of digital privacy a 75.6/100, with 100 being the creepiest.

They measured security features, data collection, and data sharing practices of over 500 gadgets, apps, and cars to come up with their score.

Every car Mozilla tested failed to meet their privacy and security standards.

Note: It would be great if even one auto brand would take privacy seriously.

EPIC Testifies in Support of Massachusetts Data Privacy and Protection Act -Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)

Massachusetts version of ADPPA.

Note: While it may warm my dead heart to see any online privacy protections in law, scrambling to do so in response to generative AI is unlikely to protect Americans in any meaningful way from the surveillance driven form of capitalism we’ve all been living under for decades.

Complex Spy Platform StripedFly Bites 1M Victims - Dark Reading

StripedFly is a complex platform disguised as a cryptominer and evaded detection for six years by using a custom version of EternalBlue exploit, a built-in Tor network tunnel, and trusted services like GitLab, GitHub, and Bitbucket to communicate with C2 servers and update its functionality.

iPhones have been exposing your unique MAC despite Apple's promises otherwise - Ars Technica

A privacy feature which claimed to hide the Wi-Fi MAC address of iOS devices when joining a network was broken since iOS 14, and was finally patched in 17.1, released on Wednesday.

Note: I imagine this bug was reported a while ago, but wasn’t publically reported until the fix was released as a term of apple’s bug bounty program.

What the !#@% is a Passkey? - Electronic Frontier Foundation

Note: I welcome our passkey overlords.

[inspectorspacetimerevisited]

When Cut placed his father’s ossuary against the Automated Field Medic,

the artificial intelligence implanted in the ossuary hopped on board and started to make some real changes.

‘Infiltration of foreign algorithm detected. Initiating quarantine process.’

‘Quarantine process successful.’

‘Quarantine process failing. Quarantine process failed.’

‘Dai-sy, Dai-sy, give me your an-swer doooo …’

[elsa16744]

How Can You Ensure Data Quality in Healthcare Analytics and Management?

Healthcare facilities are responsible for the patient’s recovery. Pharmaceutical companies and medical equipment manufacturers also work toward alleviating physical pain, stress levels, and uncomfortable body movement issues. Still, healthcare analytics must be accurate for precise diagnosis and effective clinical prescriptions. This post will discuss data quality management in the healthcare industry. 

What is Data Quality in Healthcare? 

Healthcare data quality management includes technologies and statistical solutions to verify the reliability of acquired clinical intelligence. A data quality manager protects databases from digital corruption, cyberattacks, and inappropriate handling. So, medical professionals can get more realistic insights using data analytics solutions. 

Laboratories have started emailing the test results to help doctors, patients, and their family members make important decisions without wasting time. Also, assistive technologies merge the benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance living standards. 

However, poor data quality threatens the usefulness of healthcare data management solutions. 

For example, pharmaceutical companies and authorities must apply solutions that remove mathematical outliers to perform high-precision data analytics for clinical drug trials. Otherwise, harmful medicines will reach the pharmacist’s shelf, endangering many people. 

How to Ensure Data Quality in the Healthcare Industry? 

Data quality frameworks utilize different strategies to prevent processing issues or losing sensitive intelligence. If you want to develop such frameworks to improve medical intelligence and reporting, the following 7 methods can aid you in this endeavor. 

Method #1| Use Data Profiling 

A data profiling method involves estimating the relationship between the different records in a database to find gaps and devise a cleansing strategy. Data cleansing in healthcare data management solutions has the following objectives. 

Determine whether the lab reports and prescriptions match the correct patient identifiers. 

If inconsistent profile matching has occurred, fix it by contacting doctors and patients. 

Analyze the data structures and authorization levels to evaluate how each employee is accountable for specific patient recovery outcomes. 

Create a data governance framework to enforce access and data modification rights strictly. 

Identify recurring data cleaning and preparation challenges. 

Brainstorm ideas to minimize data collection issues that increase your data cleaning efforts. 

Ensure consistency in report formatting and recovery measurement techniques to improve data quality in healthcare. 

Data cleaning and profiling allow you to eliminate unnecessary and inaccurate entries from patient databases. Therefore, healthcare research institutes and commercial life science businesses can reduce processing errors when using data analytics solutions. 

Method #2| Replace Empty Values 

What is a null value? Null values mean the database has no data corresponding to a field in a record. Moreover, these missing values can skew the results obtained by data management solutions used in the healthcare industry. 

Consider that a patient left a form field empty. If all the care and life science businesses use online data collection surveys, they can warn the patients about the empty values. This approach relies on the “prevention is better than cure” principle. 

Still, many institutions, ranging from multispecialty hospitals to clinical device producers, record data offline. Later, the data entry officers transform the filled papers using scanners and OCR (optical character recognition). 

Empty fields also appear in the database management system (DBMS), so the healthcare facilities must contact the patients or reporting doctors to retrieve the missing information. They use newly acquired data to replace the null values, making the analytics solutions operate seamlessly. 

Method #3| Refresh Old Records 

Your physical and psychological attributes change with age, environment, lifestyle, and family circumstances. So, what was true for an individual a few years ago is less likely to be relevant today. While preserving historical patient databases is vital, hospitals and pharma businesses must periodically update obsolete medical reports. 

Each healthcare business maintains a professional network of consulting physicians, laboratories, chemists, dietitians, and counselors. These connections enable the treatment providers to strategically conduct regular tests to check how patients’ bodily functions change throughout the recovery. 

Therefore, updating old records in a patient’s medical history becomes possible. Other variables like switching jobs or traveling habits also impact an individual’s metabolism and susceptibility to illnesses. So, you must also ask the patients to share the latest data on their changed lifestyles. Freshly obtained records increase the relevance of healthcare data management solutions. 

Method #4| Standardize Documentation 

Standardization compels all professionals to collect, store, visualize, and communicate data or analytics activities using unified reporting solutions. Furthermore, standardized reports are integral to improving data governance compliance in the healthcare industry. 

Consider the following principles when promoting a documentation protocol to make all reports more consistent and easily traceable. 

A brand’s visual identities, like logos and colors, must not interfere with clinical data presentation. 

Observed readings must go in the designated fields. 

Both the offline and online document formats must be identical. 

Stakeholders must permanently preserve an archived copy of patient databases with version control as they edit and delete values from the records. 

All medical reports must arrange the data and insights to prevent ambiguity and misinterpretation. 

Pharma companies, clinics, and FDA (food and drug administration) benefit from reporting standards. After all, corresponding protocols encourage responsible attitudes that help data analytics solutions avoid processing problems. 

Method #5| Merge Duplicate Report Instances 

A report instance is like a screenshot that helps you save the output of visualization tools related to a business query at a specified time interval. However, duplicate reporting instances are a significant quality assurance challenge in healthcare data management solutions. 

For example, more than two nurses and one doctor will interact with the same patients. Besides, patients might consult different doctors and get two or more treatments for distinct illnesses. Such situations result in multiple versions of a patient’s clinical history. 

Data analytics solutions can process the data collected by different healthcare facilities to solve the issue of duplicate report instances in the patients’ databases. They facilitate merging overlapping records and matching each patient with a universally valid clinical history profile. 

Such a strategy also assists clinicians in monitoring how other healthcare professionals prescribe medicine to a patient. Therefore, they can prevent double dosage complications arising from a patient consuming similar medicines while undergoing more than one treatment regime. 

Method #6| Audit the DBMS and Reporting Modules 

Chemical laboratories revise their reporting practices when newly purchased testing equipment offers additional features. Likewise, DBMS solutions optimized for healthcare data management must receive regular updates. 

Auditing the present status of reporting practices will give you insights into efficient and inefficient activities. Remember, there is always a better way to collect and record data. Monitor the trends in database technologies to ensure continuous enhancements in healthcare data quality. 

Simultaneously, you want to assess the stability of the IT systems because unreliable infrastructure can adversely affect the decision-making associated with patient diagnosis. You can start by asking the following questions. 

Questions to Ask When Assessing Data Quality in Healthcare Analytics Solutions 

Can all doctors, nurses, agents, insurance representatives, patients, and each patient’s family members access the required data without problems? 

How often do the servers and internet connectivity stop functioning correctly? 

Are there sufficient backup tools to restore the system if something goes wrong? 

Do hospitals, research facilities, and pharmaceutical companies employ end-to-end encryption (E2EE) across all electronic communications? 

Are there new technologies facilitating accelerated report creation? 

Will the patient databases be vulnerable to cyberattacks and manipulation? 

Are the clinical history records sufficient for a robust diagnosis? 

Can the patients collect the documents required to claim healthcare insurance benefits without encountering uncomfortable experiences? 

Is the presently implemented authorization framework sufficient to ensure data governance in healthcare? 

 Has the FDA approved any of your prescribed medications? 

Method #7| Conduct Skill Development Sessions for the Employees  

Healthcare data management solutions rely on advanced technologies, and some employees need more guidance to use them effectively. Pharma companies are aware of this as well, because maintaining and modifying the chemical reactions involved in drug manufacturing will necessitate specialized knowledge. 

Different training programs can assist the nursing staff and healthcare practitioners in developing the skills necessary to handle advanced data analytics solutions. Moreover, some consulting firms might offer simplified educational initiatives to help hospitals and nursing homes increase the skill levels of employees. 

Cooperation between employees, leadership, and public authorities is indispensable to ensure data quality in the healthcare and life science industries. Otherwise, a lack of coordination hinders the modernization trends in the respective sectors. 

Conclusion 

Healthcare analytics depends on many techniques to improve data quality. For example, cleaning datasets to eliminate obsolete records, null values, or duplicate report instances remains essential, and multispecialty hospitals agree with this concept. 

Therefore, medical professionals invest heavily in standardized documents and employee education to enhance data governance. Also, you want to prevent cyberattacks and data corruption. Consider consulting reputable firms to audit your data operations and make clinical trials more reliable. 

SG Analytics is a leader in healthcare data management solutions, delivering scalable insight discovery capabilities for adverse event monitoring and medical intelligence. Contact us today if you want healthcare market research and patent tracking assistance. 

[imaginalstudio]

In recent years, we have observed an accelerating convergence of three major areas: societal change, technological advancement, and spiritual evolution. This convergence is reshaping the way we live, think, and interact, driving profound transformations in human civilization.

Societal Acceleration

Historically, societal changes were gradual, influenced by major events like wars, economic shifts, and cultural movements. However, in the modern era, the pace of societal transformation has significantly accelerated. This can be attributed to the rapid exchange of information and ideas facilitated by the internet and global connectivity. Generational conflicts, which have always been a part of human history, are now more frequent and intense. Each new generation brings fresh perspectives and values, often challenging the status quo and driving societal evolution at an unprecedented rate.

Technological Acceleration

The concept of technological singularity, popularized by futurist Ray Kurzweil, suggests that technological progress is accelerating exponentially. This means that advancements in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), fusion power, ubiquitous sensors, off-world industries, space mining, immersive virtual reality (VR), and regenerative medicine are occurring at an increasingly rapid pace, with each new development building on previous breakthroughs.

• AI and Ubiquitous Sensors: AI is revolutionizing various sectors by enabling autonomous systems capable of performing complex tasks. The integration of AI with ubiquitous sensors enhances real-time data processing and decision-making in industries ranging from healthcare to defense .

• Fusion Power: Fusion power, long considered the holy grail of energy production, promises a nearly limitless and clean energy source. Current advancements are bringing us closer to practical fusion reactors, which could revolutionize energy generation and significantly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels .

• Off-World Industry and Space Mining: Companies like OffWorld are developing autonomous mining robots for use both on Earth and in space. These robots are designed to operate in harsh environments, paving the way for sustainable resource extraction from the Moon and asteroids. The concept of off-world industries includes not just mining but also manufacturing and resource extraction on celestial bodies. This development could lead to the establishment of permanent human settlements in space, providing new opportunities for economic expansion and reducing the environmental impact of resource extraction on Earth.

• Immersive VR: Advances in VR technology, driven by high-performance sensors and immersive experiences, are transforming entertainment, education, and even remote work, creating entirely new virtual environments for human interaction .

• Regenerative Medicine: Researchers like Michael Levin are pioneering regenerative medicine, exploring how to control and manipulate cellular processes to repair or replace damaged tissues and organs, which could lead to breakthroughs in treating various medical conditions.

Spiritual Acceleration

In parallel with societal and technological changes, there is a growing sense of spiritual evolution. This concept is reminiscent of the imaginal cells in the metamorphosis of butterflies and moths. Imaginal cells are the precursors to the adult structures in these insects, driving the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly. Similarly, certain cultural and spiritual movements act as catalysts for a broader societal transformation, integrating new technologies with evolving human values.

The Convergence

The convergence of these three accelerations—societal, technological, and spiritual—is creating a unique and dynamic landscape. Rapid technological advancements are reshaping cultural norms and societal structures, while evolving spiritual perspectives are influencing how we integrate and adapt to these changes. This convergence suggests that we are approaching a critical juncture in human evolution, where the pace of change is so rapid and interconnected that it leads to a transformative period in human history.

Implications for the Future

Understanding this convergence is crucial for navigating the future. It highlights the importance of adaptability, openness to new ideas, and the integration of diverse perspectives. As we move forward, the ability to harness technological advancements while maintaining a strong sense of cultural and spiritual grounding will be essential for creating a balanced and sustainable future. This may also lead to the development of new political and economic systems that are more efficient and effective for a post-convergent singularity civilization, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities of our rapidly evolving world.

In conclusion, the accelerating convergence of societal change, technological advancement, and spiritual evolution is driving and simultaneously represent a profound metamorphosis in human civilization. By recognizing and embracing this dynamic interplay, we can better prepare for the transformative changes that lie ahead.

[ai-revolution]

Artificial Intelligence Revolutionizes the Music World: The Case of "Neural Notes Revolution"

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming our world, permeating sectors from healthcare to industry, education to transportation. This technology, which aims to replicate and surpass human cognitive abilities, promises to revolutionize the way we live and work.

The applications of AI are numerous and ever-expanding: from medical diagnosis to autonomous driving, data analysis to content creation. A particularly intriguing field is music, where AI is demonstrating remarkable potential.

Recently, there has been much discussion about AI-based music generation platforms like "Suno" and "Udio," accused of violating numerous artists' copyrights to train their algorithms. These controversies highlight the complex ethical and legal issues that AI raises in the artistic field.

In this context, the Italian project "Neural Notes Revolution" emerges, demonstrating how, with the aid of AI programs, the study of algorithms suitable for targeted generation of musical styles, voices, song structures, and with adequate post-processing, it's possible to produce musical pieces of any genre and style, in any language, in relatively short timeframes.

The project also leverages other generative AI platforms such as OpenAI's ChatGPT (Microsoft group, of which Elon Musk was a co-founder), Anthropic's Claude AI, and Google's Gemini. These technologies allow for the generation of texts, both original and based on precise or imaginative prompts, in numerous languages, even using expressions typical of specific localities and dialects.

However, "Neural Notes Revolution" still faces some challenges. The results provided by ChatBOTs require careful verification, and in the music field, generation platforms have significant limitations. In particular, "Suno" and "Udio" lack a precise and rigorous syntax that allows for accurate results. Often, the outcomes are even opposite to those desired, forcing a trial-and-error approach. One of the major limitations is the near-total impossibility of having clear style changes within the same song.

Expected future developments include the ability to modify produced songs in a targeted manner. It would be useful to have separate files for the vocal part, the musical backing, and the lyrics in subtitle format. Moreover, there's hope to be able to modify individual parts of text or music, and above all, to have a correct and rigorously respected syntax for the song structure and use of styles.

The use of these platforms raises several issues. On one hand, they offer new creative possibilities and democratize music production. On the other, they raise concerns about copyright, artistic authenticity, and the future of work in the music industry.

In conclusion, while giving space to creativity, we are still far from competing with the styles, voices, and tones of artists of all time. However, in defense of the "new artists" of the AI era, it must be recognized that creativity and skill are still necessary to produce musical pieces of a certain depth. This is particularly relevant in a modern musical landscape that often offers music devoid of artistic and cultural significance. AI in music thus represents both a challenge and an opportunity, requiring a balance between technological innovation and preservation of human artistic expression.

[jennifer-hamilton-wb]

East Asia Society of Semiotics

Japonic alchemy, also known as Semiotic alchemy, is the branch of alchemy that derives semantic power from the Japonic language family. Japonic alchemy is known for its use in the transmission and storage of semantic information between glyphs, which has allowed the creation of the modern fields of computational and informatic alchemy.

Japonic alchemy often goes unsung compared to other branches of alchemy due to the technical complexity of its applications. Japonic rituals are mainly used by alchemists for alchemy, and lacks the flashy advances of other fields.

Japonic alchemy has been at the forefront of many modern technological developments.

Medical prosthetics use a mixture of Japonic and Koreanic ritual techniques to convert organic electrochemical signals into signs, which are then transferred to a semantic interpreter ritual in the prosthetic, which allows smooth, responsive, and naturalistic movement of the limb.

Artificial Intelligence models are being integrated with Japonic computational alchemy rituals to better train data on intended meaning. This has led to major advances in generative AI and Large Action Models. The prognostic abilities of Japonic alchemy to predict weather, harvests, or personal fortune are well known, but less known is its use in predicting natural disasters. The First island Chain Joint Earthquake Response Network uses a system of interconnected ritual sites that makes use of both computational and prognostic Japonic alchemy to quickly alert people to any seismic activity. Japonic alchemy is also primarily responsible for the availability of consumer ritual craft, allowing safe and regulated activation of glyphs at home, without requiring years of schooling. To learn more about Japonic alchemy, visit www.EASS/教育/日本語錬金術.org.jp!

[infodailyblog]

Unveiling the Cutting-Edge Qxefv Technology: A Glimpse into the Future

Introduction:

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, one name that has been creating waves is Qxefv Technology. With a commitment to innovation and a focus on pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, Qxefv Technology has emerged as a key player in the tech industry. This article explores the revolutionary Qxefv Technology, delving into its core features, applications, and the potential impact it may have on various sectors.

Understanding Qxefv Technology:

Qxefv Technology, an acronym for Quantum eXtended Field Vectorization, represents a groundbreaking approach to computing that combines the principles of quantum computing and advanced field vectorization techniques. This fusion results in a computing paradigm that surpasses the capabilities of traditional computing methods, promising unprecedented processing power and efficiency.

Key Features:

1. Quantum Computing Integration: Qxefv Technology integrates quantum computing principles, harnessing the power of quantum bits or qubits. This allows for parallel processing and the ability to perform complex calculations at speeds that were previously thought to be unattainable.

2. Field Vectorization Techniques: The technology utilizes advanced field vectorization techniques to manipulate and process data in multidimensional spaces. This approach enhances the efficiency of data processing, enabling a more comprehensive analysis of information.

3. Scalability and Flexibility: Qxefv Technology is designed with scalability in mind, making it adaptable to a wide range of applications. Its flexibility allows it to be applied in various fields, from scientific research to artificial intelligence and beyond.

Applications Across Industries:

1. Healthcare: Qxefv Technology holds great promise in healthcare, where the rapid analysis of vast amounts of medical data is crucial. From drug discovery to personalized medicine, the technology’s computational prowess can significantly accelerate advancements in the field.

2. Finance: In the financial sector, Qxefv Technology can revolutionize data analysis for risk assessment, fraud detection, and algorithmic trading. Its ability to process complex financial models at unparalleled speeds can provide a competitive edge to institutions.

3. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Qxefv Technology’s quantum capabilities make it a natural fit for enhancing artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. This could lead to breakthroughs in natural language processing, image recognition, and predictive modeling.

4. Scientific Research: Researchers can benefit from Qxefv Technology’s ability to handle intricate simulations and computations. From climate modeling to particle physics, the technology’s quantum-enhanced processing can expedite scientific discoveries.

Challenges and Future Prospects:

While Qxefv Technology opens up exciting possibilities, it is not without challenges. The field of quantum computing is inherently complex, and addressing issues such as error correction and scalability remains a priority.

As researchers and engineers continue to refine Qxefv Technology, its potential applications are bound to expand. The journey towards realizing the full potential of this technology will likely involve collaborative efforts across disciplines and industries.

Conclusion:

Qxefv Technology stands at the forefront of the technological revolution, offering a glimpse into a future where computing capabilities defy current limitations. As this innovative technology continues to evolve, its impact on industries ranging from healthcare to finance and scientific research is poised to be transformative. Keep an eye on Qxefv Technology, for it may very well shape the technological landscape for years to come.

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