#big data driven books exist!

[swingsdown]

ok but fuck ai in art lmao the shit that’s been happening in the digital art community has been WILD

scraping has been a thing since the advent of search engines and beyond but while i won’t go to the length of hosting my own no-link in/out site for my fic (like some of my friends did in the mid aughts), i sure as f will make it as hard as possible for something like sudowrites to scrape my shit

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Convicted monopolist prevented from re-offending

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Image: Microsoft, Activision (fair use)

[wirewitchviolet]

Grifters Gonna Grift, “AI” Edition

Can I just start off here with a quick expectations vs. reality comparison we can chuckle at? Here’s a quote from a director I’ll be cool and not embarrass about where “AI” will be in a couple years:

And here’s a couple choice bits from when I was watching someone make a valiant effort at streaming the new “AI driven” Portopia remake Square-Enix is pushing:

My favorite though is this wonderful stretch of the streamer desperately repeating “ask about Hirata” and the increasingly amazing guesses popping in the chat log.

More serious talk under the fold, like I do...

So... the very first thing I, much like anyone else with both a conscience and a clue, need to say when getting into this is that the reason you see so much talk these days about “AI” and how amazing it is have absolutely nothing to do with any new developments in AI research, and absolutely everything to do with a whole bunch of techbros being stuck holding the bag after the pile of naked pyramid schemes that were the NFT grift well and truly fell completely apart, and they need a new grift to move on to, ideally one where they can use the giant server farms they all set up for crypto crap to still be usable for something. And of course the second thing I’m morally obligated to say is that “AI,” as these con artists talk about it, flat out does not exist. We’re not “almost there,” it’s not “around the corner,” there haven’t been “exciting breakthroughs.” It is a complete outright lie a whole lot of people are telling to a whole lot of other people to con them into investing heavily into some combination of vaporware and parlor tricks, and also to throw off people who might otherwise look at the things they are actually doing and see all the really blatantly illegal stuff they’re doing.

Having gotten that out of the way, it’s also worth explaining that what people are actually talking about when they talk about “AI” is really search engines, for the most part. Like, if I want to read maybe 5 paragraphs about oh, I don’t know, Big Slammu from Street Sharks, I can just open up literally any search engine, type really probably any string of words that contains word “slammu” really, and get a sloppily written wiki page with maybe 5 paragraphs of random facts like his pre-gene slamming name being Coop Bolton, early revisions having his name be the far less memorable Boomer, and him having a friend called Moby Lick. Which... OK I wasn’t expecting my randomly chosen example to go down that sort of road.

Anyway, I could also have one of these overhyped “AI” things tell me about Big Slammu, and most likely get literally this same exact wiki entry. Because yeah, that’s all that’s happening there. It’s grabbing keywords from my input string, looking them up in a database, finding an entry that best fits my string in terms of my terms showing up in it a lot, and printing it out at me. The only difference really is the latter is put together by someone trying to con me into thinking I’m talking to some sort of Real Life Computer Guy who just knows all this naturally as someone who watched the show and has well-articulated thoughts to share on it, and we’re maybe going to play up that fiction by stripping out any headers in the webpage we’re just grabbing and other bits that aren’t the core article content.

None of this is hard to do or novel. If you’re old enough to remember card catalog terminals in libraries, those were doing the exact same thing, except they just pointed you at a book rather than print the contents because storage on computers was at a premium back when they were made. Oh and when you see people talk about giving “AIs” more “training data” that’s literally just adding more to the database it’s searching, or more likely, widening the list of websites it’s searching with preexisting search tools.

“AI art” to be clear is the same thing. Get every art site you can get your hands on that has a tagging system, scrape every image and the tags on it, and then when someone asks for like, “brown hair anime girl hot giant boobs huge boobs enormous boobs” you just rifle through the pile of stolen art for something that comes as close as possible to covering all that text with tags and ideally not having any other tags, and forking it over. Which again, also works if you just do that with a search engine, and always has. But again, since we’re trying to sell people on the lie that some little magical computer boy like Data from Star Trek speed painted you a painting on the spot, we make some effort to hide the fact that we’re just stealing somebody’s art by stealing art from several different people, pasting bits over onto the main image we’re stealing, and wiping over the seams with like the photoshop blend tool or whatever a little to hopefully make it less obvious.

Now to me the part of that that’s basically computer magic is how we just have software tools to blend two images together to make them look like it was originally just one image, but, that part’s been a thing for several decades. Mostly it impresses me because art programs are prohibitively expensive to the point that I personally am to this day using something with all the functionality of Aldus Super Paint on the Apple ][. There IS some actual sophisticated code involved in instructing the program how to identify a hand so that it can paste the hand from one stolen image over the hand from another (and the iffy results from that are why you so routinely get extra fingers with this stuff- some of those were part of the original image, before we pasted another over that wasn’t in quite the same pose). We don’t have an actual Little Gear-Filled Brain Chum who lives in the computer we can explain these things to, so people just have to work out how like if you look at the raw image data and see darker RGB values in a line of pixels or in a circular pattern or some such, that’s probably the outline of a finger, so cut around that.

The best visual aid I can give to explain how this works is this spectacular failure of “AI art” that... I’m not sure I can just paste in under Tumblr’s current rules? Here’s a discussion of it on another site. Anyway if you just open that up, and use your hand or a piece of paper to block out everything from the belly button up, then again from just below the belly button down, you can kinda get a handle on what actually happens here. Presumably the rule this particular “AI” was using to paste pictures together was “find darker pixels than their surroundings in a pattern where one line branches off another at a 30 degree angle or so” which yeah, if you’re looking exclusively at a pile of stolen images of big boob anime waifus is most likely only going to appear in the cleavage. Here though, whoopsie, one of the images we grabbed out of the pile has lines intersecting like that in the crotch. So, that became the paste guide, and we get our wonderful little game of Exquisite Corpse. A human couldn’t make this error. Some sort of actual AI capable of comprehending a request to draw something and using its astounding reasoning to paint an original work (which, again, is straight up not a thing to exist) would also never do this, it’d be starting from a basic anatomical understanding as that’d be the easiest starting point. This only happens because we’re stitching stolen works together based on whatever small part of them matches up well enough to hide with the smear tool.

All that out of the way, if I might cycle back to that failure of a Portopia remake, because everyone in the “AI” scene is either a hustler or a mark, everyone ends up convinced that these “AI” projects can only be improved by giving them more “training” data. If you know it’s a scam, widening the pool of sources you’re stealing from makes it harder for people to notice (especially if you can grab files that aren’t publicly searchable, something people openly admit they’re working on), and if you buy into the hype, then yeah every trashy work of science fiction agrees the more books the amazing computer man speed reads, the more he comprehends our language and customs. In practice though, it just kinda... clutters things up with useless garbage.

Portopia is a very very old, very very simple adventure game. You have like, six or so each of verbs, locations, named NPCs, and something like four items. If you wanted to make a remake that went off speech to text to parser commands, you could probably get it to behave pretty well if it was designed only to listen for and distinguish that handful of relevant terms. But no, this sucker was given the widest possible corpus of “training data,” so even standing in an interview room where there’s literally no valid options to the player than leaving or asking an NPC questions about a very short list of subjects, like say, this other NPC named Kawamura, it’s considering that we might be making plans to get together the next day, or see what people have to say about California.

Probably bloats the game and the processor load by a ton too, or has it communicating with a fully unnecessary server. I’m told at launch, this was way more ambitious, and the idea was to include “AI” primarily so you could just use natural language to pick your assistant’s brain on whatever subject came to mind, not as an explicit hint system, but getting opinions or fun facts about anything you were unclear on from a neutral source. Which... yeah, that kind of “AI” does not exist. You ask “where does Hirata live?” and you’re going to find out about an MMA fighter’s gym or maybe learn some fun facts about the game Sekiro. So they just kinda dummied out everything that’d actually make the game novel for reasons of embarrassment and legality, and we’re just left with this speech to text program that doesn’t recognize the names of the characters, attached to a text parser that... can’t handle the fact it has more than one port as a location. You know what didn’t have this sort of problem? Zork. In 1981.

It also has problems with context. Like, ask a character something they don’t have a response to, and they can just be suddenly replaced by whichever character does have a response to that, because hey, that’s in the list of legal responses, right?

Anyway, when everyone gets on the same page on the emperor having no clothes here, can we please all promise to keep our eyes on the grifters as they look for the next scam and remember these were the same people breathlessly trying to convince people that slight palette swaps of a badly drawn monkey were all unique irreplicable works of special art worth millions of dollars, and just skip to the part where the new obvious scam gets called out?

[loki-zen]

The various comments on the many notes of this post suggest that it may be less universal than id been led to believe (and this goes double for calling it ghost reading, Vs doing something equivalent and calling it something else), but no, not a public libraries thing.

Very nearly all libraries exist within some broader organisation, such as a university, school, hospital, or whatever. In my country organisations which have a library are overwhelmingly at least partially publicly funded or else they are charities, YMMV - this is mostly relevant because those sorts of places tend to have a lot of scrutiny on their spending and tend to handle that bureaucratically, but there's no real reason this would be less likely to apply at a profit-driven org.

This parent organisation typically controls the library's budget to some extent, and creates pressure on the library to provide some sort of evidence that it's getting value for money out of the funding it gives the library. Even beyond the financial side of things, good collection management does mean that you endeavour not to buy a lot of stuff that sits there on the shelf not getting used.

But how do you know what's being used?

A very low-tech solution is to check the stamps in the front of the book. However, this is cumbersome (have to physically get and examine each book to get its usage data) and inexact - loads of places now have self-checkout systems that don't result in books getting stamped. So normally these days we'd go off data automatically generated by the library management software, which counts checkouts.

But if you're a reference library, a university library, anywhere with study space and at least some huge not very portable reference books, there's probably a good deal of usage of books that goes on that's entirely contained within the library space. So, you need some way of counting that too, in order to justify continuing to buy those big reference books (or in order to know which of them you ought to buy the new edition of).

TL;DR - if anything, it's more of a reference libraries thing

On an unrelated note for library marketing stuff I took a picture of the skeleton recently that was posed to make it look like she was taking a selfie; I'd totally post it if it wouldn't completely dox me

nearly all libraries have a ghost, but medical libraries frequently have a ghost and a skeleton

[accapitalmarket]

Wall Street lower, Treasury climb as markets reposition for Fed path

US stocks dropped on Wednesday as investors digested a big batch of corporate earnings, with tech stocks under the most pressure as Treasury yields continued to climb amid concerns about the Federal Reserve’s rate cut cycle.

At the close in New York, the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrials Average was down 1.0% at 42,514, while the broader S&P 500 index shed 0.9% to 5,797, and the tech-laden Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.6% to 18,276.

US30Roll H4

On the downside, Boeing fell 1.8% after reporting quarterly results that missed estimates, with the aircraft maker suffering its largest quarterly loss since 2020.

Elsewhere, Coca-Cola shed 2.1% after the soft drinks giant reported sluggish demand, even as higher prices meant that quarterly earnings beat expectations.

Meanwhile Tesla fell 2.0% on the day ahead of its third-quarter earnings, which were released after the market close. But in after-hours trading Tesla jumped 12.10% higher as the numbers beat Wall Street estimates, driven by improved margins.

NAS100Roll H4

Also on the upside, AT&T rose 4.6% after the telecoms giant gained more wireless subscribers than expected in the third quarter driven by the steady adoption of its higher-tier unlimited plans.

And Texas Instruments added 4.0% after the chipmaker reported third-quarter income that topped expectations, helped by momentum for electric vehicles in China. Away from earnings, McDonald’s fell 5.1% after the Center for Disease Control issued an alert over an e. coli outbreak linked to the fast-food chain’s burgers.

And tech giant Apple fell 2.2% after a leading analyst delivered a gloomy update on iPhone 16 demand.

With US treasuries, Benchmark 10-year yields reached a three-month high as investors reassessed the outlook for Fed rate cuts over the next few months against the backdrop of strong economic data and the upcoming presidential election.

Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin said the central bank's fight to return inflation to its 2% target may take longer than expected, limiting interest rate cuts.

On the data front, US existing home sales fell by 1.0% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.84 million units, the lowest level since October 2010. Economists had forecast home resales would be unchanged at a rate of 3.86 million units.

And the Fed Beige Book survey showed economic activity was little changed from September through to early October, although firms saw an uptick in hiring.

Among commodities, oil prices edged higher despite a bigger than expected build in US inventories which raised concerns about demand, with the focus remaining on US diplomatic efforts to quell tensions in the Middle East helping supply issues.

US crude inventories grew by 5.47 million barrels in the week ended October 18, compared with expectations for a build of 0.8 million barrels.

USOIL H1

UK Brent crude added 0.6% at $75.34 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate was also up 0.6% at $71.17 a barrel,

Disclaimer: The information contained in this market commentary is of general nature only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You are strongly recommended to seek independent financial advice before making any investment decisions. Trading margin forex and CFDs carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Investors could experience losses in excess of total deposits. You do not have ownership of the underlying assets. AC Capital Market (V) Ltd is the product issuer and distributor. Please read and consider our Product Disclosure Statement and Terms and Conditions, and fully understand the risks involved before deciding to acquire any of the financial products provided by us. The content of this market commentary is owned by AC Capital Market (V) Ltd. Any illegal reproduction of this content will result in immediate legal action.

[fgnxfgnfxn]

Artificial Intelligence in the Biological Sciences: Revolutionizing Research and Innovation

Understanding AI in Biological Sciences

Artificial Intelligence refers to the ability of machines to learn from data and perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence. In the biological sciences, AI is used to make sense of vast amounts of information generated from experiments, simulations, and clinical studies. The rise of "big data" in fields like genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics has created an urgent need for computational approaches that can efficiently process, analyze, and make predictions based on these data.

Machine learning (ML), a subset of AI, is one of the most commonly used techniques in biological research. ML algorithms are trained on datasets and, once trained, can make accurate predictions or identify patterns in new datasets. This capability is invaluable in biology, where identifying trends or key genetic markers in large datasets can lead to breakthroughs in understanding diseases, developing drugs, and improving patient care.

Key Applications of AI in Biological Sciences

Genomics and Precision Medicine

AI is playing a pivotal role in genomics by assisting in the interpretation of complex genetic information. With the decreasing cost of genome sequencing, Artificial Intelligence in The Biological Science large datasets from thousands of individuals can now be studied. AI algorithms help in identifying genetic variations that are linked to diseases, offering insights into potential treatments and therapies. AI-based precision medicine tailors treatments to individuals based on their genetic makeup, improving the effectiveness of therapies for conditions like cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

Drug Discovery and Development

The process of drug discovery is traditionally time-consuming and expensive, often taking over a decade and billions of dollars to bring a drug to market. AI can speed up this process by analyzing existing datasets to predict the efficacy of drug candidates. Machine learning models help in identifying drug molecules that have the potential to target specific diseases, significantly reducing the time needed for preclinical trials. AI also helps in predicting the toxicity of new drugs, ensuring safer drug development pipelines.

Protein Structure Prediction

Proteins are essential molecules in biological systems, AI Based Drug Discovery Book and understanding their structures is crucial for understanding their functions. AI models, such as DeepMind's AlphaFold, have made significant strides in predicting the 3D structure of proteins from their amino acid sequences. This breakthrough has immense implications for the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology, aiding in drug design, enzyme engineering, and understanding disease mechanisms at the molecular level.

Medical Diagnostics and Imaging

AI-driven medical diagnostics is a growing field, where machine learning models are used to analyze medical images such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. AI algorithms can detect anomalies with high accuracy, often surpassing human performance in certain tasks. For instance, AI models have shown remarkable proficiency in detecting cancers, diagnosing retinal diseases, and predicting cardiovascular issues from medical images. These advancements have the potential to make healthcare more accessible, affordable, and accurate.

Ecology and Environmental Science

In addition to healthcare, AI is also being applied to ecological and environmental studies. AI models are used to monitor biodiversity, track species populations, and analyze environmental data for conservation efforts. In agriculture, AI-powered tools help in optimizing crop yields, predicting pest outbreaks, and managing resources more efficiently. This intersection of AI and biology is critical for addressing global challenges like climate change and food security.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations

While AI offers immense potential, its integration into the biological sciences does come with challenges. Data privacy is a major concern, especially in medical and genomic research. The ethical implications of using AI for predictive diagnostics and gene editing must be carefully considered, ensuring that the technology is used responsibly and equitably.

Additionally, while AI systems are powerful, they are only as good as the data they are trained on. Incomplete or biased datasets can lead to flawed predictions, underscoring the need for diverse and high-quality data collection.

[houstongolflesson1]

Discovering the Best Golf Instructors in Houston, TX

Houston is a thriving hub for golfers of all skill levels, from those picking up a club for the first time to seasoned pros looking to refine their technique. Finding the right golf instructor in Houston can significantly impact your game, helping you build skills, boost confidence, and improve your overall performance on the course. With a wide range of teaching styles, advanced technology, and top-tier facilities, Houston offers something for every type of golfer.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how to discover the best golf instructors in Houston, the qualities to look for in a great coach, and where you can find top-notch golf lessons Houston TX tailored to your needs.

Why a Great Golf Instructor Matters

The difference between improving your golf game and stagnating often comes down to the quality of instruction. While golf is a sport you can practice on your own, the guidance of an experienced instructor can help you avoid common mistakes and accelerate your progress. A great golf instructor offers several key advantages:

Personalized Coaching: Every golfer has unique strengths, weaknesses, and goals. A skilled instructor can assess your game, tailor lessons to your specific needs, and provide personalized feedback that you can't get from online videos or books.

Improved Technique: Golf is a technical game that requires precision in every aspect, from grip to stance and swing. A good instructor will break down these elements, ensuring that you develop the proper mechanics from the start or refine existing techniques for better consistency.

Build Confidence: With proper instruction, you’ll develop the skills and knowledge needed to approach the game with greater confidence. This mental edge can have a big impact on your performance during rounds.

Course Management: A great instructor doesn’t just teach you how to hit the ball but also how to think strategically about the course. Understanding when to take risks, how to read greens, and how to manage difficult shots is critical to improving your scores.

Now that we know why a great golf instructor is essential, let's dive into some of the top qualities you should look for when choosing a coach.

Key Qualities to Look for in a Golf Instructor

Finding the best golf instructor in Houston isn’t just about picking the first option you come across. It’s important to choose a coach who meets your specific needs and learning style. Here are the top qualities to consider:

Experience and Credentials: Look for instructors with a solid background in golf, whether through playing professionally or extensive coaching experience. Certifications from reputable organizations like the PGA or LPGA are also a good indicator of expertise.

Communication Skills: A great instructor can break down complex techniques into simple, understandable steps. If they can explain concepts in a way that resonates with you, you'll be able to make improvements more effectively.

Patience and Supportiveness: Learning golf can be frustrating at times, especially for beginners. A great instructor should be patient, encouraging, and dedicated to helping you progress at your own pace.

Use of Technology: Many top instructors incorporate modern tools like video swing analysis, launch monitors, and motion capture to give you a more detailed understanding of your game. This kind of data-driven feedback can lead to faster improvements.

Track Record of Success: Look for an instructor with a proven track record of helping golfers improve. Testimonials from former students or reviews can offer valuable insights into an instructor’s teaching style and effectiveness.

With these qualities in mind, let’s explore some of the top golf instructors and academies in Houston.

Top Golf Instructors and Academies in Houston

1. Houston Golf Lessons

Overview: Known for offering personalized lessons tailored to golfers of all skill levels, golf lessons Houston TX features experienced instructors who focus on the fundamentals while adapting to each student's individual needs. From beginners to more advanced players, their instructors provide a structured approach to mastering the game.

Why They Stand Out:

Personalized Attention: Every student receives customized lessons that address their strengths, weaknesses, and goals.

Flexible Scheduling: The flexibility to schedule lessons at convenient times ensures students can practice without the stress of time constraints.

Variety of Programs: Whether you’re looking for individual lessons or group clinics, Houston Golf Lessons offers a broad range of options.

2. Golf Performance Group

Overview: Golf Performance Group is all about performance improvement. Their instructors specialize in using technology and a scientific approach to help golfers achieve their personal best. Whether you’re working on your swing mechanics or your physical fitness for golf, this academy offers a comprehensive approach.

Why They Stand Out:

High-Tech Instruction: The use of tools like launch monitors and video analysis ensures a data-driven approach to improving your game.

Golf Fitness Programs: Instructors emphasize the physical side of the game, offering golf-specific fitness training that enhances flexibility, strength, and endurance.

Junior Programs: Their focus on junior golfers makes this a great option for younger players looking to build strong foundational skills.

3. GolfTEC Houston

Overview: GolfTEC is renowned for using technology and data to provide precise feedback for students. With several locations in Houston, their highly trained instructors help golfers analyze and improve their swing mechanics, ensuring that each lesson is driven by measurable progress.

Why They Stand Out:

Data-Driven Coaching: GolfTEC instructors use motion capture, swing analysis, and performance data to provide detailed feedback, allowing golfers to understand their exact areas for improvement.

Comprehensive Improvement Plans: After an initial swing evaluation, instructors create a step-by-step improvement plan tailored to your needs and goals.

Video Playback: The ability to review your lessons through video playback helps reinforce the concepts covered during the session, allowing for faster retention and progress.

4. Wildcat Golf Academy

Overview: Wildcat Golf Academy is located at the Wildcat Golf Club and offers a variety of lessons, including individual and group sessions. Their experienced instructors cater to golfers of all skill levels and focus on helping players achieve consistency through proven techniques.

Why They Stand Out:

Group Clinics: For those who prefer learning in a group setting, Wildcat Golf Academy offers group clinics that cover a range of topics, from full-swing fundamentals to short-game mastery.

Short Game Focus: Instructors place a strong emphasis on improving your short game, which is crucial for lowering scores and gaining confidence around the greens.

Junior Golf Programs: Wildcat offers programs for juniors, making it a great choice for families looking to introduce their children to golf.

5. The Woodlands Golf Performance Academy

Overview: Just outside Houston, The Woodlands Golf Performance Academy offers a beautiful setting and top-tier instruction. Their focus is on improving golfers’ performance through practical, on-course lessons, as well as swing technique refinement.

Why They Stand Out:

On-Course Instruction: Unlike many academies that focus solely on the driving range, The Woodlands provides on-course lessons that teach strategy, shot selection, and course management.

Private and Group Lessons: The academy offers both private one-on-one coaching as well as group clinics, making it accessible to all types of golfers.

Advanced Technology: They use advanced video and swing analysis tools to ensure golfers receive comprehensive feedback and measurable improvements.

How to Choose the Best Instructor for You

Choosing the right golf instructor can depend on your goals, current skill level, and preferred learning style. Here are a few tips to help you find the best match:

Consider Your Skill Level: If you're a beginner, you might want to start with an instructor who focuses on the fundamentals. More experienced players might prefer an instructor who specializes in advanced techniques or course strategy.

Observe Teaching Style: Some instructors are more hands-on, while others emphasize independence and self-discovery. Make sure the teaching style matches how you learn best.

Look for Flexible Scheduling: If you have a busy schedule, finding an instructor with flexible hours or online booking options can make it easier to stay consistent with your lessons.

Conclusion

Houston offers a wealth of talented golf instructors and academies, making it easier than ever to improve your game, no matter your skill level. Whether you’re just starting or looking to break into single digits, a great golf instructor can help you reach your goals faster and with more confidence. By choosing an instructor who aligns with your needs and goals, you'll be on your way to mastering the game and enjoying more successful rounds on the course.

[himanshu123]

Custom E-Commerce Solutions: Redefining the Future of Online Retail

 

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses are increasingly recognizing the importance of custom e-commerce solutions. As online shopping continues to dominate the retail scene, companies are looking for ways to stand out in a saturated market. Off-the-shelf solutions may offer a quick start, but they often fall short in addressing the unique needs of diverse businesses. Custom e-commerce solutions not only enhance user experience but also provide the flexibility and scalability necessary for growth. 

Why Choose Custom E-Commerce Solutions? 

One of the primary advantages of custom e-commerce solutions is the ability to tailor the platform to your specific business requirements. Every business is different, and a one-size-fits-all approach rarely meets the unique demands of each brand. By opting for a custom solution, companies can ensure that their online store reflects their brand identity, offers personalized customer experiences, and integrates seamlessly with existing systems. 

Moreover, custom e-commerce platforms allow for enhanced functionalities that off-the-shelf solutions might not provide. This includes advanced inventory management, unique payment gateways, and specialized reporting tools that help in making data-driven decisions. As a result, businesses can not only streamline operations but also improve customer satisfaction by offering a seamless shopping experience. 

The Role of Technology in Custom E-Commerce Development 

With the integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics, custom e-commerce solutions are more powerful than ever. These technologies enable businesses to analyze consumer behavior, predict trends, and optimize inventory management. Furthermore, they allow for personalized marketing strategies that cater to individual customer preferences, increasing the chances of conversion. 

Additionally, custom solutions can leverage mobile responsiveness and app development to cater to the growing number of consumers shopping via smartphones. A mobile-optimized platform ensures that businesses don’t miss out on potential sales and provides users with a convenient shopping experience. 

If you're interested in exploring the benefits of e-commerce solutions services for your business, we encourage you to book an appointment with our team of experts. 

Book an Appointment 

The Importance of Scalability 

Another critical aspect of custom e-commerce solutions is scalability. As businesses grow, their needs change, and their e-commerce platforms must be able to adapt accordingly. Custom solutions can easily scale to accommodate increased traffic, new product lines, and expanded market reach. This flexibility ensures that businesses are not limited by the constraints of their e-commerce platform, allowing them to innovate and evolve with the market. 

Assessing Costs: The E-Commerce Cost Calculator 

When considering custom e-commerce solutions, cost is always a concern. Fortunately, there are tools like the eCommerce Cost Calculator that can help businesses estimate the financial investment required. This tool takes into account various factors, including platform features, design complexity, integration needs, and ongoing maintenance costs. Understanding these costs upfront allows businesses to budget effectively and set realistic expectations for their e-commerce project. 

By utilizing an eCommerce Cost Calculator, businesses can compare the long-term benefits of a custom solution against initial investment costs. This comparison helps in making an informed decision, ensuring that the chosen e-commerce strategy aligns with the overall business goals. 

Future-Proofing Your E-Commerce Strategy 

As consumer behaviors and technology continue to evolve, businesses must prioritize future-proofing their e-commerce strategies. Custom e-commerce solutions offer the agility required to respond to market changes swiftly. Whether it's implementing new payment methods, enhancing security measures, or adopting innovative marketing tactics, a custom platform allows for ongoing updates and improvements. 

Moreover, custom solutions often integrate seamlessly with various third-party applications, enhancing overall functionality. This means businesses can leverage external tools for marketing automation, customer relationship management (CRM), and data analytics without the hassle of compatibility issues. 

Conclusion: The Case for Custom E-Commerce Development 

In conclusion, custom e-commerce solutions present a compelling case for businesses looking to thrive in the competitive online marketplace. With the ability to tailor platforms to specific needs, leverage advanced technologies, ensure scalability, and utilize tools like the eCommerce Cost Calculator, companies can create a powerful online presence. 

For businesses ready to take the leap into custom e-commerce development, it’s essential to partner with experienced professionals who understand the nuances of the industry. By collaborating with the right team, businesses can unlock their full potential and create a robust online shopping experience that meets both their needs and those of their customers. 

[health-views-updates]

How the Smart Hospitality Market is Shaping Up: An In-Depth Analysis

The smart hospitality market is on the brink of a revolutionary surge, with projections indicating a remarkable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% between 2024 and 2032. Valued at USD 17.55 billion in 2023, the market is expected to skyrocket to USD 186.10 billion by 2032, underscoring a paradigm shift in the hospitality industry.

Smart hospitality refers to the integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and automation to enhance guest experiences and operational efficiency within hotels, resorts, and other hospitality venues. These innovations allow for seamless interactions, personalization, and automation, transforming how hospitality services are delivered and consumed.

Driving Factors Behind the Surge

Several factors are fueling this tremendous growth in the smart hospitality market. First and foremost is the growing demand for personalized guest experiences. Travelers are increasingly expecting more customized services, from AI-driven room preferences to automated check-ins and concierge services. Smart hospitality technologies provide the tools necessary to meet these expectations, ensuring customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Moreover, the post-pandemic recovery in the travel and tourism sector has intensified the focus on hygiene, safety, and contactless services. The adoption of contactless payment systems, voice-activated controls, and digital room keys has become a necessity in enhancing the guest experience while addressing health concerns. These solutions not only streamline processes but also ensure safety and compliance with global hygiene standards, contributing to the market’s accelerated growth.

Another significant factor is the increasing use of IoT devices, which allow hotels to optimize energy consumption, enhance security, and monitor real-time operations. By using IoT sensors, hotels can offer smart lighting, temperature control, and other automated services that boost energy efficiency and reduce operational costs. This, combined with the growing trend of eco-conscious travel, is further driving the adoption of smart hospitality solutions.

Get a Free Sample Report@ https://www.snsinsider.com/sample-request/3524 

Technological Advancements

The rapid technological advancements in AI, machine learning, and cloud computing are pivotal to the market's expansion. AI-powered virtual assistants, chatbots, and automated booking systems are already transforming the guest interaction process. Additionally, big data analytics enables hotels to gather and analyze vast amounts of data on customer preferences and behavior, offering actionable insights to improve services.

Cloud-based solutions, which offer scalability and flexibility, are becoming increasingly popular among hospitality providers. These systems enable real-time updates, smooth integration with existing infrastructure, and remote management capabilities, all of which are critical in the fast-paced hospitality environment.

Regional Insights

The growth of the smart hospitality market is particularly pronounced in North America and Europe, where the adoption of smart technologies is more advanced. However, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the highest growth rate during the forecast period, driven by rising investments in infrastructure, increasing tourism, and the growing digitalization of the hospitality sector.

Countries like China, Japan, and India are emerging as key players, investing heavily in smart hospitality to cater to the growing demands of tech-savvy travelers. These regions are not only embracing automation and digital solutions but are also seeing increased government initiatives to promote smart city development, further propelling the market forward.

Future Outlook

With the hospitality industry increasingly relying on technological solutions to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance guest experiences, the smart hospitality market is poised for exponential growth. Industry leaders are expected to continue innovating and investing in cutting-edge technologies that will redefine the future of travel and accommodation.

In conclusion, the smart hospitality market is entering an exciting era of growth, with advancements in AI, IoT, and cloud computing paving the way for a more personalized and efficient guest experience. From USD 17.55 billion in 2023, the market is set to reach an astounding USD 186.10 billion by 2032, revolutionizing the global hospitality landscape.

[l-in-c-future]

How AI big data policing can reinforce and amplies bias and prejudice?

In the book Partial Truth: How fractions distort our thinking, Zimring explained how the rise of big data policing could amplify and reinforce bias and prejudices, even in a democractic country. Zimring's arguments were referenced from Andrew Gutherie Ferguson's The Rise of Big Data Policing: Surveillance, Race and the Future of Law Enforcement (NY University Press, 2017); Carlifornia State Auditor's report on the GalGang Criminal Intelligence System Report in August 2016, Chabria, et al. "California Bar Police from using LAPD Records in Gang Databasem Critics Want It Axed, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2020 and the Editorial Board, "Who will kill or be killed in violence-plagued Chicago? The Alogrithm knows," Chicago Tribune, May 10, 2016.

What are the biases and prejudices AI big data can amplify that endanger enforcement discrimination that can endanger democracy? 1. Big data is NOT as those who advocate it as reducing human bias and prejudice because the data population where the data was compiled could be contaminated at multiple sources. Sources contamination and distortion would lead to bias alogrithimic results.

2. The ways how alogrithims are applied could be be biased. In another words, alogrithms methodologies could sustain bias and prejudices and even amplify them in subtle ways that the users of big data systems are not aware of the hidden biases.

3. It is a worry trend that innocent unrelated people can be falsely read flagged by the rise of big data big AI policing and surveillance. Galgang had wrongly flagged 42 babies as gang members because they happened to be RANDOMLY and UNCORRELATEDLY met two red flags criterion. Worse, people could be wrongly red flagged and wrongly ASSUMED to be related to gang members simply because they lived in areas where gang members HAPPENED to be living in the same area.

4. Big data policing can distort police's exercise of probable cause and reasonable suspicions in searching people's properties and making arrests because of the addresses they live.

5. The ways how the criminals/crimes 'fever billbord' generated by AI's alogrithm produced big data can influence numerous biases such as: distortion of the numerators and denominators of the data in the fractions in percentages; frequency; and proportional references to the data; attributable substitution; availability heuristic; confirmation biase and cherry-picking selective bias to reinforce existing assumptions. e.g. even two young men committed the same crime driven by different by different motives can receive different treatments by the police and the judicial system and whether the two people will leave a criminal record in the 'fever billboard' to become an automatic easily flagged person in the persons of interests billboard. SIMPLY because a person's address locates in a poor area WILL make him more likely to be stopped search by the police because that area is ALREADY red flagged by the big data as crime prone hotspots. (I experience similar traffic fare checks when I move suburbs. The frequency of the buses being stopped to check by a Traffic Officer is up to few times a week compared to the suburb I lived in the past and ALL other affluent suburbs I been to where I RARELY met ONCE even anybody check the fares every 10 yrs!) On the other hand, the same age young person lives at an affluent area has much lower chance being stopped search. So if the probabilities that BOTH of them actually commit crimes, in Ferguson's case cited as selling drugs to earn extra money driven by different motivations, the person living at poorer districts have MUCH higher chance to be stopped searched because the big data flagged his area as high risk where there will be more police presence. Under such situation, the person from poorer suburb will have higher chance to be caught for the same crime being committed as the other person who lives at an affluent area. Furtherdown even BOTH of them are caught, what lay before them can be different. The rich young person may be more accessible to better legal supports to defend against the crime, more ampathy from schools and the community. As a result, there is a higher chance that there will no criminal record left in the system. But the poor person won't have the same resources to defend himself. He only has one outcome whether he admit guilty or not-being convicted. The person will lost the job or evicted from school. ONCE he is convicted, he WILL leave behind a criminal record in the big data system. Even he is on bail or he has ANY on bail history, the alogrithm of choosing what are the 'high crime risks' criterion WILL put him back to the 'fever billboard'. And because he is reinforceably being red flagged by various flagging criterion, this person will have more chance to be stopped search. HOW ABOUT the reality is that a poor person who struggles to even earn enough to keep a living and therefore more prone to engage in criminal activities compare to affluent people who engage in criminal activities BECAUSE THEY WANT MORE MONEY to the ALREADY more money? How about the reality is that BOTH young people or adults from an affluent backgrond and a poor background have similar probabilities or chances to commit crimes? And even the crimes committed by people from affluent background are more severe than the crimes committed by those who come from poor background? The ways how the alogrithms or the designers of the big data's alogrithm's calculations can be overly generic or with hidden biase that are unbeknown to the users and designers of the big data. Worse, it is the designers DELIBERATELY put in bias and prejudice because of systematic injustice in enforcing the laws.

Big data policing can lead to enforcement injustice even in democracy, let alone in authoritarian and autocratic regimes, the big data policing under the state's BIG BROTHER SURVEILLANCE are common suppressive tools used to arrest and prosecute whoever the authorities want to silence and persecute.

Basing on the GalGang's 'red flag' criterion, I can elaborate how the Big Data Policing had caused police terror in HK during the 2019-2020 protests and after the PRC's National Security Law and Article 23 were introduced in HK. From what the police there had enforced how the searched, arrested, detained people, it is not difficult to deduce what are the big data policing flagging criterion used against people who the authority THINKS AND ASSUMES they are 'pro-democratic' "dissidents.

Those who admit to be members or leaders of any pro-democratic political parties or civil groups.

Those who are found or ASSUMED to be related or connected to pro-democratic public figures.

Those who are known to be members or leaders of any pro-democratic political parties or civil groups.

Those who are ACCUSED by China, the HK authority as 'dissidents';

Those who are SEEN 'frequently' appearring in protests risk places at critical political dates such as 8964 or 1st July namely Causeway Bay and Victoria Park of Causeway Bay. Police deployed heavy presence ANNUALLY. They surveilled NORMAL ORDINARY people who turn up there and are ready to arrest.

Being SEEN as wearing clothes or holding items that labelling themselves as pro-democratic or 'dissidents' who meet criteria above 5. i.e. Whever the police SEES somebody wearing a black shirt, a yellow shirt holding a candle, a bunch of flowers, ANYTHING showing 8964 at Causeway Bay WILL BE SURELY arrested.

Detention, categorization and interrogations according to whatever 'national security' crimes imposed by the laws imposed by China to HK.

Being SEEN as showing symbols, signals or hand gestures that let the authority THINKS that the individual is associated with advocacy of democracy or 8964 or ANYTHING China doesn't like to see or hear. This is one of the most common reason why an individual is arrested.

According to reliable sources of reporting or sources of reporting against a person being accused as 'pro-democracy' and THEREFORE AUTOMATICALLY treated as 'dissident' by the authority.

From UNVERIFIED and UNSUBSTANTIATED sources of allegations that a person or entity is 'pro-democratic', 'seditious', 'opposing' the authority or 'criticising' the authority. This is the MOST WIDELY AND VAGUELY source how a person is flagged in the big data BIG BROTHER's policing system through which how any person and entity is persecuted, arrested and prosecuted. Underlying the big data BIG BROTHER survelliance AI is the political ideologies and the VAGUE extensions of interpretations of the ideologies DELIBERATELY built in by the police system and the entire political system.

As a result, in a democracy, the prosecutors and jurors can fall into the trap of the prosecutor's fallacy like in the case of People Vs Collins. But in an authoritarian system where political crimes are trialed WITHOUT jurors and judicial independence judges, the trials will be conducted ALL in accordance with both the police and the prosecutors' fallacies. The verdicts had been long nailed before even the trials were conducted because the 'crimes' were already decided from the MOMENT a person is flagged in the big data policing system SOON AS they are politically labelled by China as 'problematic'.

Zimrang pointed out one IMPORTANT thing: big data is NOT the antidote of human's own prejudices and biases. The ways how people design and use big data alogrithms can worsen and amplify PRE-EXISTING prejudices and biases. Such biases don't even require human beings to cautiously and cognitively aware of, it only requires specific ways to code and programming the formulae in applications. And as long as whatever coded formulae are built into the alogrithms of the AIs, any silicon based computer processors will be equipped with such biases. Unfortunately, this is EXACTLY the current situations. So what is the implication to avoid big data to worsen and amplify prejudices and biases? I think the following are minimum essentials:

ALL sources information and data from which the machine learning alogrithms used as bases for deepn learnings MUST be made open to be counter examined and scruntinised by both the public.

2. Big data generated by AI, especially those produced by generative AIs, has to be flagged as AI generated contents.

3. The alogrithms and how they are built including the formulae how the alogrithms work have to be transparent and independently auditable, questionable and challengeable, especially in areas of applications that have significant public interests attached, such as enforcement, judicial uses, public health, public transports, critical infrastructures, etc....

4. A healthy check and balance to AI big data is not just having abundant of people who know how to made AIs or designs AI system, more fundamentally, it is imperative for the public to have the abilities to question, scruntinise, challenge, query the big data and how they are compiled. A lot of these skills are back to ABC: do we know and how much do we understand human prejudices and biases embedded in our thinking? How much can we detect sources of data contamination in big data machine learning? The public must be given a choice of opt out without subjected to political, economic, and social discriminations as a result of the choices to opt out big data and AI. The last part is most fundamental principle of a democracy. Choices must be given to the affected people without them being subjected to the disadvantages of imbalance of powers between individuals and the public versus the enormous supreme powers of those VERY FEW big technologies companies that develop and design big data.

[dancingtothesurfacenoise]

TODAY IN HISTORY

Today is June 15, it is the 166th day of the year (167th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar.

There are 199 days remaining until the end of the year.

It's the birthday of Edvard Grieg, widely considered one of the best composers of the Romantic Era as well as American singer Harry Nilsson, Ice Cube.

Wes Montgomery, American guitarist and songwriter left the planet on this date in 1968.

Today is Ontological Empiricism Day!

On this date in :

6001 BC - Blueprints for square wheel were rejected in favor of the Decagon wheel.

215 BCE - Archimedes is arrested for indecent exposure.

72 BCE – Moses takes steroids; parts the Red Sea.

36 - Jesus Christ becomes a moose to spread the Word in the Americas however he only manages to get tangled up in clotheslines and trip over lawn furniture.

455 - Rome is plundered by Martha and the Vandellas.

1213 - The Vatican, under Pope Indecent III, creates purgatory.

1770 - Captain James Cook, after reading David Eagleman's book "Incognito"; wondered whether the Great Barrier Reef actually "exists", or is simply a bundle of sense-data, which is "perceived" by most to be a coral reef.

He is driven mad within minutes.

1879 - Mary has a little lamb.......with gravy.

1898 - A chicken "crosses the road" for the first time, but the event goes unnoticed by the media except for the news truck that ran it over.

1922 - The Society of Post-postmodernism declares Ontological Empiricism shallow and pedantic.

1932 - Harlem renaissance poet Langston Hughes pens the first Yo momma joke.

1945 - Wheel reinvented.

1963 - A Buddhist monk, believing himself to have perfected fireproof clothing, performs a public demonstration of the clothes by setting himself on fire in a crowded Vietnamese street. Predictably, the monk himself was not fireproof and burned to death.

1978 - Ben Vereen goes insane, riding a hobby-horse unicorn through Weehawken, New Jersey and destroying six laundromats in the process.

1979 -First refrigerator invented. Originally marketed for killing people slowly.

1993 - Margaret Thatcher grows her first beard.

1999 - Cheese is declared a basic element after complaints from several Pan-dimensional beings calling in to conservative talk radio shows.

2001 - Mary Poppins is brutally murdered outside Aldgate East tube station.

2003 – The European Space Agency begins probing Mars. Europeans promise to colonize Mars, give Martian natives smallpox, and spur intergalactic wars of independence.

2004 - Bare assertion fallacy rediscovered as brash, and somewhat titillating.

2005 - Right wing Facebook users baffled by the words 'Ontological', 'Empiricism', and in some cases, 'Day'.

2006 - Right wing Facebook users, armed with pocket thesauruses, attempt to post something relevant. Success is somewhat limited.

2007 - McDonalds start a one-day special offer, giving away a free emo member of staff with every Big Mac meal.

2008 - The creator of Ontological Empiricism Day is punched in the face by God. "Here you have a proof of both your existence and logos !" declared the non cosmic aggressor.

2008 - The Hermeneutic Society votes against the Ontological Empiricism Day, quoting the Universe Indexed Properties and the Fate of the Ontological Argument papers.

2010 - Steve Irwin confirmed as "still dead."

2012 - First recording of a quartet that actually had 4 members.

2016 - The Colonel's recipe of eleven herbs and spices is accidentally revealed, exposing the two-thousand-year-old Illuminati/space alien/Bush/Clinton conspiracy to control the world's supply of food that comes in buckets.

2017 - General Francisco Franco, no longer still dead...found running amok in Washington D.C.

2018- Kim Jong-un joins cast of "Celebrity Shitty Dictator".

2022 - The Hermeneutic Society votes against Ontological Empiricism Day, quoting the 'Universe Indexed Properties and the Fate of the Ontological Argument' papers.

2023 - Pope Francis revealed to be a chat-bot‎

2024- You read this. Wished you had not bothered.

[jhowanasagun]

Using ai technologies in our generation as a tool for travel

The industry all of a sudden become a very real opportunity. The way tourism and hospitality organizations work and how travelers enjoy their experiences could be significantly altered by their adoption of AI solutions. Numerous ramifications for the industry exist, such as chat bots that recommend travel routes or handle customer service duties like rescheduling canceled flights. AI-generated texts, meanwhile, might be utilized for marketing or to enhance back-end processes. found that compared to other industries like consumer goods, media, and financial services, the percentage of service professionals adopting AI in the travel and hospitality sector was much lower. However, given that some major competitors in this sector have recently introduced AI tools, it is plausible to assume that the application of artificial intelligence. the sector suddenly turned into a very concrete opportunity. The adoption of AI tools by tourism and hospitality companies could dramatically change how these businesses operate and how customers experience travel. The implications for the market are countless, including chat bots suggesting travel itineraries or taking care of customer support tasks, such as rescheduling canceled flights. Meanwhile, AI-generated texts could be used to improve back-end operations or for marketing purposes. found that the share of service professionals using AI in travel and hospitality was significantly lower than in other industries, such as consumer goods, media, and financial services. The phrase "generative AI" is used to describe a broad range of AI algorithms that can be used to create new texts, images, sounds, codes, and synthetic data. Through deep machine learning networks, these outputs are produced. Additionally, we already see this kind of technology in travel, like chat bots and direct online chatting, AI travel assistants, AI-driven flight forecasting systems, and data analysis that tracks travel trends. employ a variety of data sources to assemble and provide various outputs according to the request. Businesses may now target many audiences at once with direct contact, as opposed to depending solely on website banners and digital ads that are triggered. This will be more common among airline businesses. cruise, and hotel industries, offering customers an upgraded experience at any given touch point. Customers will be reached by generative AI using the vocabulary and expressions most closely linked to the customer journey. This would enable businesses to contact their clients with language segments related to their travel experience, thereby elevating big data analysis to a whole new level. Answering customer needs, and providing the right solutions can help companies turn paying clients into loyal followers. As part of their efforts to build a more tactile customer loyalty program, that effectively utilized customer data to profile travelers, generative AI will be able to create a full portrait of the traveler. Through these efforts, booking sites and travel aggregators will have an informed view of their customers and can predict when a traveler becomes increasingly disengaged from the loyalty program. This could help them prompt new or different deals and marketing campaigns that can help keep travelers engaged and interested. As more data is collected from travelers, companies can formulate personalized rewards and incentives, helping to increase customer engagement accuracy. These efforts are already active with the use of chat bots and direct messaging on websites, which is a common way for businesses to resolve customer problems and answer queries. Better experiences and more personalized targeting would help to automatically increase overall customer involvement, leading to more loyal supporters and travelers.

SAGUN JHOWANA MARIE V.

@therealrodthings

#travelwritingandphotography

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Oops! All linkdump!

Tonight (May 2) I’ll be in Portland at the Cedar Hills Powell’s with Andy Baio for my new novel, Red Team Blues.

On May 5, I’ll be at the Books, Inc in Mountain View with Mitch Kapor; and on May 6/7, I’ll be in Berkeley at the Bay Area Bookfest.

In 1997, Jorn Barger coined the term “web-log” to describe his website “Robot Wisdom,” where he logged his journeys around this exciting new digital space called “the web.” Two years later, Peter Merholz shortened “web-blog” to “blog”:

https://peterme.com/archives/00000205.html

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

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/02/wunderkammer/#jubillee

Two years after that, I started blogging, when Mark Frauenfelder made me a guest-editor on Boing Boing:

https://boingboing.net/2001/01/13/hey-mark-made-me-a.html

I’ve now been blogging for 23 years, nearly half my life, a near-daily discipline that forms the spine of my writing practice. I take everything that seems important, and, in summarizing it for strangers, embed it in my own mind, and then find connections that turn into essays, speeches, stories and novels:

https://doctorow.medium.com/the-memex-method-238c71f2fb46

For the past 3+ years, I’ve been blogging solo on my Pluralistic.net project. It started off as a “link-blog,” in the Robot Wisdom vein — short hits summarizing interesting things:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/02/19/pluralist-19-feb-2020/

But over the months and years, it’s turned into a place where I write long essays, sometimes six or seven per week, trying to pull on all those threads that I’ve cataloged over the decades, weaving them together into big, thoughtful pieces, often to great and gratifying notice and even a little fanfare:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys

But I miss the linkblogging! For the past 14 months, Pluralistic has featured a little section called “Hey look at this,” where I post three short links, bare-bones pointers to interesting stuff online:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/03/01/reit-modernization-act/#linkdump

These links pile up in my todo.txt file, ebbing and flowing. Some days, I’ve got nothing for the section. Some days, I’ve got a backlog. These days, I’ve got a massive backlog — enough links for many, many editions. I am drowning in linkblog debt, and the interest is compounding. It’s time for a jubilee:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/24/grandparents-optional-party/#jubilee

Here, then, is the first-ever Pluralistic Jubilee Linkdump Backlog Bankruptcy!

First up:

“The Internet Isn’t Meant To Be So Small,” Kelsey McKinney’s crie-de-coeur for Defector:

https://defector.com/the-internet-isnt-meant-to-be-so-small

This is part of the enshittification canon that includes Cat Valente’s unmissable “Stop Talking to Each Other and Start Buying Things”:

https://catvalente.substack.com/p/stop-talking-to-each-other-and-start

McKinney’s money-shot:

It is worth remembering that the internet wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to be six boring men with too much money creating spaces that no one likes but everyone is forced to use because those men have driven every other form of online existence into the ground. The internet was supposed to have pockets, to have enchanting forests you could stumble into and dark ravines you knew better than to enter. The internet was supposed to be a place of opportunity, not just for profit but for surprise and connection and delight. Instead, like most everything American enterprise has promised held some new dream, it has turned out to be the same old thing — a dream for a few, and something much more confining for everyone else.

This doesn’t just make me want to stand up and salute — it makes me want to build a barricade (or a guillotine).

On to “Reddit Data API Update: Changes to Pushshift Access,” a Reddit thread where the volunteer mods are discussing another enshittification move: Reddit’s pre-IPO API shut-down that has broken all the mod tools that volunteers use to shovel out Reddit’s Augean Stables, getting rid of spam and catfishing and fraud:

https://old.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/134tjpe/reddit_data_api_update_changes_to_pushshift_access/

This isn’t just “stop talking to each other and start buying things” — this is “stop doing billions of dollars in volunteer labor keeping our users safe, and start paying us for the privilege.” Good luck with that, Reddit.

Hey! The Hollywood writers are back on strike! The Guild is a shitkicking, take-no-prisoners, radical union with massive solidarity:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/2/23707813/wga-hollywood-writers-strike-2023-streaming-ai-wages-contract

It’s what let them trounce the talent agencies — hyper-concentrated to just four companies, two owned by private equity ghouls — over a 22 month strike:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/23/opsec-and-personal-security/#monopsony

The talent agencies had rigged the system so that instead of getting a 10% commission on the writers’ earnings, they were taking as much as 90% out of every dollar — and were about to make it worse, building their own studios, so they could negotiate with themselves on behalf of their clients. In the same week, 7,000 writers — even the ones who weren’t getting screwed — fired their agents, and demanded a return to the 90/10 split and a ban on agencies owning studios. The agencies say nfw. The writers stayed on the picket line.

There’s a whole chapter on this in Chokepoint Capitalism, Rebecca Giblin’s and my book on creative labor markets and monopoly. One of our sources was David Goodman, who led the strike:

https://chokepointcapitalism.com/

David hosted our LA launch, where he told us, “We thought the agencies had all the power. We learned that they only had as much power as we gave them. You can make a movie without an agent. You can’t make one without a writer.”

The new strike is about the same thing as the old strike: shifting money from labor to capital. The studios have figured out how to use streaming to avoid paying writers, using gimmicks like shorter seasons and running their own streaming services to dodge the wages the writers are owed. As the union says, the studios “created a gig economy inside a union workforce.”

I live in Burbank, where many of these studios are located. I’ll see you on the picket line.

Sticking with labor for a moment: the Biden administration is investigating the use of bossware — the spyware your boss uses to monitor your driving, keystrokes, web usage, location, hand-movements, facial expressions, even your eyeballs:

https://gizmodo.com/remote-work-surveillance-software-workers-rights-1850392911

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Request for Information solicits your experiences with bossware:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/050123_OSTP_RFI_PREPUBLISH_.pdf

They want to know:

Workers’ firsthand experiences with surveillance technologies;

Details from employers, technology developers, and vendors on how they develop, sell, and use these technologies;

Best practices for mitigating risks to workers;

Relevant data and research; and

Ideas for how the federal government should respond to any relevant risks and opportunities.

If you’re living under bossware’s yoke — say, if your boss has transformed “work from home” into “live at work,” then you know what to do: melt the switchboard!

One more labor story: a reminder that labor rights are a marathon, not a sprint. A group of Amazon drivers won a $30/hour contract through their union, the Teamsters. Even more importantly, the contract lets them refuse to work under unsafe conditions (it’s never just about money):

https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/4/27/23667968/amazon-contractor-delivery-union-teamsters

But there’s a catch: these are Amazon drivers, but they don’t work for Amazon. They drive Amazon-branded vans, specced down to the last rivet by Amazon. They wear Amazon vests. They deliver Amazon packages. But they work for “Delivery Service Partners,” a kind of pyramid scheme created by Amazon that tricks workers into thinking that paying Amazon for the privilege of working for a trillion-dollar company makes them “entrepreneurs.”

Instead, they’re “chickenized reverse centaurs.” “Chickenized” because — like poultry farmers — they are totally controlled by a monopoly buyer that dictates every part of their business to them, dribbling out just enough money to roll over their loans and go deeper into debt. “reverse-centaurs,” because they’re the inverse of the AI theorists’ idea of a “centaur,” that is, a computer-assisted human. Instead, they are human-assisted computers, with their every last move scripted to the finest degree by bossware that they have to pay for:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/03/19/the-shakedown/#weird-flex

Amazon now has the luxury of terminating its contract with the union’s employer — the cutout that allows Amazon to maintain the worker misclassification pretext that these drivers in Amazon vans wearing Amazon uniforms delivering Amazon packages don’t work for Amazon.

Amazon hates unions in ways that are hard for everyday people to grasp. One of the organizers of the union drive has been illegally terminated in retaliation for his labor activism:

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/amazon-delivery-owner-says-he-was-punished-for-supporting-union

This fuckery doesn’t mean that union organizing is dead. As Jane McAlevy writes in “A Collective Bargain,” her superb memoir of her union-organizing career, unions started winning the class war when labor organizing was illegal, fighting in the teeth of a rigged legal system. We won then, we’ll win again:

https://doctorow.medium.com/a-collective-bargain-a48925f944fe

Seeing defeat (seemingly) snatched from the jaws of victory is a major bummer, but a better world is possible. It’s not even complicated — it’s just hard. If you are in precarious housing, or homeless, or if you experience the moral injury of living in a city where your neighbors lack the foundational human right to a home, it’s easy to feel despondent.

But solving homelessness isn’t complicated, it’s just hard. In Finland, they solved homelessness through the simple expedient of giving everyone a home. This didn’t just address the problem of not having a home — it also made incredible progress on the comorbidities of homelessness, like mental health problems and addiction. Turns out, getting sober or getting treatment is a lot easier when you’re not freezing to death on a sidewalk. Whoathunk?

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/how-finland-solved-homelessness

There are many ways to improve our cities. You can (and should) fight for better local government, but there’s always the tantalizing option of taking matters into your own hands. That’s what the Crosswalk Vigilantes do. They research the intersections where cars are killing their neighbors, then they put on hi-viz vests, set out traffic-cones, and install crosswalks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x33yLuJ5slI

If you’re wondering how the forces of bossware, homelessness, and other enshittifying factors came to rule, it’s actually pretty straightforward. 40 years ago, we installed a software patch called neoliberalism (in some regions, this patch was had localized names like Thatcherism or Reaganomics).

40 years later, the patch is an unequivocal failure and now it’s our job to roll it back, despite all the broken dependencies this will trigger. Most of us can see this is true, but not The Economist, which Brad DeLong calls “Neoliberalism’s Final Stronghold” in his Project Syndicate article:

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/economist-writers-last-true-believers-in-neoliberalism-by-j-bradford-delong-2023-04

De Long’s catalog of the recent bizarre, delusional work in The Economist embodies Upton Sinclair’s maxim, “it is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”

Every Naomi Kritzer story is a fucking delight and “Better Living Through Algorithms,” just published in Clarkesworld, is no exception:

https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kritzer_05_23/

Few writers are better at inhabiting the uncomfortable space between recognizing the delights of the internet without flinching away from its horrors. This one is simultaneously hilarious and horrifying.

If you’re just discovering Kritzer, check out “So Much Cooking,” an eerily prophetic 2015 story in the form of a series of perky cooking-blog posts amidst a global pandemic. It got a much-deserved second life during lockdown’s peak sourdough moment:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/04/17/pack-of-knaves/#so-much-cooking

And then try her at book length! “Catfishing on Catnet” is Kritzer’s book-length adaptation of her Hugo-winning short story “Cat Pictures Please.” It’s an AI caper about cat memes, community, and the anti-enshittification underground:

https://memex.craphound.com/2019/11/19/naomi-kritzers-catfishing-on-the-catnet-an-ai-caper-about-the-true-nature-of-online-friendship/

Speaking of science fiction: I’ve got a new novel out. Red Team Blues is an anti-finance finance thriller, a heist book about cryptocurrency and forensic accounting with a 67-year-old hero, Marty Hench:

http://redteamblues.com/

The book came out last week and I am still in the nailbiting interregnum where its fate is unknowable — will it be another bestseller, or fizzle? Thankfully, the reviews have been stunning. Mitch Wagner calls it “the most exciting technothriller about a 67-year-old accountant you’ll read this year”:

https://mitchw.blog/2023/04/25/warning-cory-doctorows.html

Mitch ruminates some on the distinctive way I’m handling Hench’s aging process in this book and its two (at least sequels). Reading other peoples’ insights into one’s own work is a wild experience. I mean, it’s nice when a reader notices something you worked hard to put in there, and frustrating when a reader imagines something that definitely isn’t there.

But the best thing is when a reader notices something that you didn’t consciously put in there, but which is undeniably there, and also very cool. In his Locus review, Paul DiFilippo homes in on the way that Marty Hench is totally reliant on his friends and comrades to get out of hot water:

https://locusmag.com/2023/04/paul-di-filippo-reviews-red-team-blues-by-cory-doctorow/

 Marty is besieged and almost helpless without the aid of friends, acquaintances, and even strangers. He is no go-it-alone superman, but rather an individual tied into a network of humanity, relying on the goodness and altruism of his fellows for survival.

This is so right. Marty is no great man of history — he is part of a polity, a collective of people from all walks of life who try hard to help each other. Call it solidaritypunk. Also, Paul opens his review with “I can’t possibly say enough good things about Cory Doctorow’s new novel.” I mean, who can complain about that?

I was also very gratified by Henry Farrell’s Crookedtimber review, which says some very nice things about the way I work in technical detail, and suggests that this technique is one that all kinds of technical experts, policy wonks and scientists could learn from:

https://crookedtimber.org/2023/04/27/red-team-blues-and-the-as-you-know-bob-problem/

Which makes Matt Green’s review, where the eminent cryptographer digs into the cryptographic technical details of the book, especially delicious. Green is a brilliant scientist and science communicator, and he says I get it right, and do it well:

https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2023/04/24/book-review-red-team-blues/

One of the first reviews to hit the web came from Matt Haughey, AKA “Metafilter Matt,” who called it “a ‘ripped from the headlines’ romp”:

https://a.wholelottanothing.org/2023/04/25/red-team-blues-is-a-fun-ripped-from-the-headlines-romp/

Matt’s fellow PDXer and olde timey blogger, Andy Baio, called it “a wild ride”:

https://waxy.org/2023/04/cory-doctorows-red-team-blues-is-out-now/

Andy is my host at tonight’s book signing in PDX, at the Powell’s in Cedar Hills:

https://www.powells.com/book/red-team-blues-martin-hench-1-9781250865847?partnerid=33241

As I type these words, I am sitting in a window-seat on Alaska Air, en route to Portland for that event. I am wearing slip-off shoes, a jacket with pockets of sufficient volume to store my watch, wallet and belt, and socks that I don’t mind exposing to a dirty airport floor. As I shuffled through the TSA checkpoint an hour ago, I found myself looking on the beleaguered “officers” who were patting people down with pity and even a little sympathy.

The TSA is an abomination. A boondoggle that doesn’t make aviation safer, lights billions on fire in lost productivity, wages and capital equipment. Its legion of underpaid, miserable workers invade the privacy and even sexually assault millions of Americans every day, and have been at it for decades without any sign of stopping or even slowing down.

The agency is now 20 years old, and it just keeps getting worse, finding new ways to make America hate it. Reading “The Humiliating History of the TSA,” Darryl Campbell’s giant reckoning in The Verge was a wild ride, and a reminder that while most of us only interact with the TSA’s awful, inexcusable policies a couple times a year, TSA workers live with it every day:

https://www.theverge.com/c/23311333/tsa-history-airport-security-theater-homeland

Before I close, please let us have a moment to acknowledge the passing of Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian music legend, who has just died at 84. He will be missed:

https://www.joeydevilla.com/2023/05/01/r-i-p-gordon-lightfoot/

All right, it’s time to hit publish on this linkdump, but before I go, a couple of absolutely lovely little webtoys and grace-notes for you to take away:

Womprat (the font you’re looking for) is the world’s greatest Star Wars font collection:

http://womprat.xyz/

And finally, Tumblr, now owned by WordPress parent company Automattic, is striving mightily to reverse decades of enshittification from Yahoo and Verizon. They’re leaving very heavily into listening to their users, paving the desire-paths and putting the community ahead of any other priority.

One place where that is paying unexpected dividends is their deeply weird little merch store, where you can buy up to 24 blue checkmarks to appear on your posts (they sell in pairs at $8). Even better: they’re now selling a 3D printed, light-up, Tumblr-themed Dumpster-Fire:

https://shop.tumblr.com/product/tumblr-dumpster-fire-3d-print/

The dumpster-fire was hoisted from a community member, who made their own, sent it to management, and struck a bargain to sell them through the store. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you make sarsaparilla when life gives you SARS.

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

[Image ID: A page of comic book 'small ads.']

[coolseabird]

He most likely is running off of a perceptron based neural network so it would be pretty difficult to “lay out” his code and look at it.

Examining the "inner thoughts" of an AI model is difficult due to the huge amount of data and the often opaque nature of their decision processes. (People sometimes call AI models black boxes since we don’t really program them, we just set them up to learn on their own with a bit of judging) They exist in the moment, driven by current inputs, and might not be replicated in the exact same way again.

Not to mention when you lay out the model it’s not displayed as code per se, you can see the weights and biases but it’s pretty difficult to even know what those mean and what behaviors they affect.

Looking at the nitty gritty details of a model would just look like a bunch of incomprehensible matrices

Like this:

Not to mention deep learning models, with billions of parameters, behave dynamically and can have transient states so even the limited models we have now are really hard to predict and analyse and they can behave unexpectedly even if we have some idea of how they work under the hood. (This happens so fucking much it’s actually a big issue in the field when models make up bullshit and we can’t figure out how it got to that wrong conclusion, this is called hallucinating but anyway back to the main topic)

The behavior of an AI model is mostly shaped by its training data. To understand why a model behaves a certain way, it would be most useful to inspect the original data, which is not always practical or even possible. (Sun/Moondrop’s training was was most likely terabytes upon terabytes of data. I’d like to think it was childcare books and Sesame Street lol)

Changing a model is fucking hard too, fine tuning is difficult and can be hard to “make it stick”

Sorry for being a 🤓 I liked this post a lot and since I do research into AI with my professor I just wanted to throw in my experience.

you know

[tillyspamanagamentsoftware]

How to choose the right salon management software for your business?

Have you ever wondered how to make your salon run smoothly? We all know the challenges that come with managing a salon - scheduling appointments, dealing with no-shows, and keeping everything in order. But there's a solution, and it's called salon software. It's like having a conductor for your salon, ensuring everything works together seamlessly.

In this blog, we're going to explore what salon software is, how to pick the right one, and the many benefits it can bring. Think of it as the key to making your salon more efficient and successful. Whether you have a big salon with lots of stylists or a small cozy spa, the right salon software, like MioSalon, can make a real difference in your business.

So, let's dive into the world of salon software, understand how to choose the best one, and discover how it can transform your salon. 

What is salon software?

Salon software is like the conductor of an orchestra, ensuring that all elements of your salon's daily operations harmonize to create a seamless and efficient experience. It encompasses a wide array of functionalities, including point-of-sale transactions, employee scheduling, appointment bookings, and marketing. Whether you run a bustling salon with multiple stylists or a cozy boutique spa, the right salon software like MioSalon can be a game-changer for your business.

How to Choose Salon Software?

Selecting the salon software is a decision that can significantly impact the efficiency and success of your salon. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to choose the right salon management software:

Start by Understanding Your Salon's Needs: Prior to making a decision on any salon software, it's crucial to have a deep understanding of your salon's specific requirements. These needs are influenced by several factors, including the number of stylists, the range of services offered, the volume of bookings, your existing client base, budget constraints, and your anticipated business growth. By pinpointing these individual needs, you can ensure that the chosen software aligns perfectly with your salon's objectives.

Conduct In-Depth Research and Software Comparison: Dedicate time to thoroughly research and compare various salon scheduling software options available in the market. This process should encompass both well-established industry-leading solutions and more specialized, boutique alternatives. Factors that should weigh into your considerations include user-friendliness, feature sets, integration capabilities, pricing structures, security measures, and insights from customer reviews. This meticulous research will aid in generating a shortlist of software providers that best suit your salon's unique requirements.

Key Features to Look For: When evaluating salon software, certain functionalities should be on your radar. Some essential features to consider include:

Online Booking and Appointment Management: Look for software that allows clients to book appointments online through a user-friendly interface. Features like automated reminders, calendar synchronization, and rescheduling options enhance the booking process.

Staff Management and Scheduling: Efficient staff scheduling and management tools enable you to optimize your team's performance, assign appointments, and manage time off seamlessly.

Client Management and CRM: A robust client management system allows you to store valuable client information, enabling personalized service and targeted marketing efforts.

Inventory and Point of Sale Integration: For salons that sell products, salon software helps track product usage and stock levels while offering efficient point-of-sale features.

Data-Driven Insights: Analytics and reporting features provide valuable data that can help you make informed business decisions, identify growth opportunities, and optimize performance.

Seamless Integrations: The ability to integrate with other salon software or platforms streamlines your operations and enhances efficiency.

Considerations for Implementation: In addition to features, assess the user-friendliness and overall user interface of the software. A tool that is difficult to learn and use can disrupt your salon's workflow. Look for providers that offer sufficient system management guides and reliable customer support during the implementation process. Data security and compliance with privacy regulations are also crucial considerations to protect your clients' information.

Budget and Pricing: Determine your budget for salon appointment software. Compare pricing models, such as monthly subscriptions or one-time payments, to find a solution that aligns with your financial capabilities. Keep in mind any additional costs for add-ons, upgrades, or integrations that may be necessary for your salon's specific needs.

Choosing the right salon software can help you streamline operations, improve the client experience, and drive the success of your salon business. Start your search today and unlock the benefits that the best salon software can bring to your salon.

What benefits can one get from salon software?

The journey to a successful salon doesn't end with choosing the right software; it's just the beginning. Implementing the best salon software can bring a multitude of benefits to your business, making your operations more efficient and enhancing the client experience. Here are some of the top advantages you can expect to unlock with salon software:

Efficient Appointment Management: Salon software simplifies appointment booking and management, reducing scheduling conflicts and no-shows. Clients can book appointments conveniently online, enhancing their experience.

Streamlined Staff Management: Effective staff scheduling and management tools enable you to optimize your team's performance, assign appointments, and manage time off seamlessly.

Stronger Customer Relationships: A robust client management system allows you to store valuable client information, enabling personalized service and targeted marketing efforts.

Inventory and Point of Sale Integration: For salons that sell products, salon software helps track product usage and stock levels while offering efficient point-of-sale features.

Data-Driven Insights: Analytics and reporting features provide valuable data that can help you make informed business decisions, identify growth opportunities, and optimize performance.

Seamless Integrations: The ability to integrate with other salon software or platforms streamlines your operations and enhances efficiency.

By choosing and implementing the best salon software, you're not just managing your salon; you're optimizing its performance, elevating the client experience, and ensuring the success of your beauty business.

In conclusion, Best Salon POS software is a vital tool in the modern beauty and wellness industry. It empowers salon owners and operators to efficiently manage their business, improve customer experiences, and ultimately drive success. Selecting the right salon software, tailored to your salon's unique needs, can revolutionize your operations and take your salon to new heights of excellence. Don't wait; start your journey to a more efficient and successful salon today.

[jdyf333]

from "ESP EXPERIMENTS WITH LSD-25 AND PSILOCYBIN: A Methodological Approach" by Roberto Cavanna and Emilio Servadio, 1964 by Davivid Rose Via Flickr: (They did NOT find any evidence that "extrasensory perception" [ESP] exists.) When I was 13 years old in 1964 and in the eighth grade, my parents were told that I was going to fail that year and have to do the eighth grade again unless I was allowed to go to Winston-Salem and participate in a residential "education experiment" called the "North Carolina Advancement School" (NCAS). After extensive testing I was told that I was to be part of an experiment in self-education. It was called "Group O". I was given an office, unlimited funding, and no adult supervision, free to come and go from the campus and the dorms as I saw fit. My family, who lived in a city quite distant from Winston-Salem, were NOT allowed to visit. I really had FUN! My research project was a study on the subject of ESP (extrasensory perception). I was already well-read on the subject and I contacted some researchers at a parapsychology lab at Duke University and J.B. Rhine and associates at the Foundation For Research On The Nature Of Man gave me valuable assistance in my work. When I read a report of experiments using LSD, etc. in ESP tests, I was fascinated. Having no access to LSD, I designed tests where I had my subjects (some hypnotized and some not) sniff glue. In other tests I administered electric shocks, sometimes in addition to hypnosis and glue-sniffing... ("...you are opening the gates of hell!!!..." ---powerful North Carolina legislator's wife, yelling at me about my ESP research, during her visit to NCAS.) ("The intake of drugs in connection with divinatory practices is probably as old as mankind." ---Cavanna and Servadio.) ("The results indicated accurate comparisons in approximately 1 in 3 of the targets for LSD, with a rate of only 1 in 10 for the no-drug control condition." ---David P. Luke, commenting on the research by Cavanna and Servadio, in "Psychedelic Substances and Paranormal Phenomena: A Review of the Research", the Rhine Research Center, in the Journal of Parapsychology, Durham, North Carolina, 2008. Rhine was a Christian, unfortunately. Some of his associates also had similar delusions and thus suffered from mental illness. It has been said that some of them falsified data. I definitely do not trust what the Rhine Research Center says.) ("In 1964, Federico Fellini experimented with LSD under the supervision of Emilio Servadio, his psychoanalyst during the 1954 production of La Strada." ---Wikipedia) ("HALLUCINOGEN---An intoxicant and narcotic, according to the additives used. It produces telepathy, fantastic visions, hallucinations, and other psychic effects. It is precognitive and psychic in its results." ---from page H-3, TABER'S CYCLOPEDIC MEDICAL DICTIONARY by Clarence Wilbur Taber [10th edition, 1965]. [I think the above definition is rather weird...]) ("MORE THAN HUMAN is a sci-fi novel by Theodore Sturgeon...in which a band of exceptional people 'blesh' [that is, blend and mesh] their consciousness to create a kind of super-being. 'I turned everyone on to that book in, like, 1965...This is what we can do; this is what we can be.'" ---Phil Lesh, quoted by Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 11.26. 2012.) I was a big fan of science-fiction novels. More than a few of them mentioned J.B. Rhine and his famous ESP research. (Rhine was said to have been the person who coined the initialism ESP.) I was quite thrilled to have made contact with Rhine, and I am rather certain that I was unconsciously driven to inaccurately interpret my so-called "evidence" in such a way as to make it appear that ESP exists. ("There is more to a library than meets the eye": If you email me at jdyf333@gmail.com I will be more than pleased to email you a free copy of my 1,448-item annotated bibliography of drug literature.) A randomly-edited selection of approximately 700 of my pictures may be viewed by clicking on the link below: www.flickr.com/groups/psychedelicart/pool/43237970@N00/ Please click here to read my "autobiography": thewordsofjdyf333.blogspot.com/ And my Flicker "profile" page may be viewed by clicking on this link: www.flickr.com/people/jdyf333/ My telephone number is: 510-260-9695