#the fatigue means i can barely achieve much each day and then i feel guilty about it

[abbaswift]

being a young autistic adult is just watching everyone your age move on and achieve things and reach milestones you may never reach

[shsl-shipper-gamer-fangirl]

When you're dating girls with so many different interests it gets hard to find something to do together. Tenko likes physical activities, Angie likes anything artistic, and Himiko would prefer if they stayed in, since her mana was low, thank you very much. This are their adventures during Valentines day, each other trying to make small sacrifices for the happiness of the other.

A/N: This is by far the most detailed prompt I have ever received in my inbox this year and I’m so grateful that it’s these gays. Bless you v-day anon. Here’s all my love and then some more.

Gay and Happy - Angie/Himiko/Tenko

The pros of having a poly relationship? Plenty of love to go around and no stupid love triangle drama. The cons though? Planning anything together is a nightmare when all your tastes are incompatible.

But that didn’t stop them from trying.

“C'mon! You can do it! You’re close to finishing your first lap!” Tenko cheered them on. She had actually done her ten laps already but she patiently waited on the two to finish their first.

“Nyeeeh… Ha… Ha…” Himiko had stopped jogging halfway through the course and was barely walking as she is now. “Need… Recovery spell… Ha…” She would have collapsed too if Angie hadn’t caught her in time.

“Atua says that resting on this ground is unholy.” Although Angie’s grin was just as bright as ever, she looked just as exhausted overall. But that didn’t affect her confidence. “Don’t worry, Himiko-chan! Angie will carry you to victory!” She wrapped an arm around her waist and took one step.

Only for both of them to fall.

“Oof!”

“Nyo!”

“Himiko-san! Angie-san!” Tenko ran up to them in a sprint fueled by worry. “Are you two okay?!”

“Oh, no! It looks like my legs aren’t working!” Angie gasped but not at all sounding concerned. If anything, she looked like she was amused by it. “But it’s okay! A-OKAY!”

“Not enough… Mana…” Himiko didn’t even bother to move despite their tangled limbs being uncomfortable. She wasn’t injured or anything. She simply just didn’t have the strength. “Just tired…”

“You shouldn’t have pushed yourselves if you couldn’t do it. You could have gotten seriously hurt.” While Tenko was relieved to see that they had nothing on them but fatigue, she felt a bit guilty about this. After all, jogging together was her suggestion. She had wanted them to feel refreshed but clearly it had backfired.

“Hmmm… But we’re not hurt so there’s no problem,” Himiko easily refuted. “Besides, we all agreed to do this. This is your thing. We wanted to do your thing first, remember?”

“Angie agrees too!” Angie raised her hand. With her legs being uncooperative, she had taken to gesturing with her hands more. “This is a good experience for all of us. Atua takes joy when we do things for the sake of the people we love.”

“Tenko understands but I can’t help but worry, okay?” She tentatively wraps an arm around each of them. “Hold on. Tenko is strong enough to carry you both.”

With some effort, she lifts them both on her shoulders.

“Ooooooh!”

“Ahh!”

It doesn’t take long for them to find their balance. AFter all, this wasn’t the first time that Tenko has lifted these two at the same time.

“So high! Haha! Is this what a cloud feels like? So light!”

“Why didn’t we just go with this instead of jogging?”

Tenko smiles softly. She doesn’t need to see her girlfriends’ faces to know that they’re smiling too. It’s funny how heavy they are in her arms but the lightness in her chest outweighs that. She really wants to kiss them right now but well, maybe that could wait until after she puts them down.

“Tenko doesn’t mind. I am more than happy to lift you at any opportunity.”

The three of them finish the lap together.

“And now this is the part where you channel Atua!” Angie finished her explanation on how their art workshop would go.

“Hmm… I don’t think I get it.” Himiko’s eyes were screwed shut, concentrating too hard to achieve that last step but as of yet, no artistic enlightenment has happened.

“Excuse me, Angie-san.” Tenko sheepishly raised her hand in concern. “I don’t think it’s possible for me and Himiko-san to be possessed by your Atua all of a sudden.”

“Oh. You’re right!” Angie gasped, two hands on her cheeks in shock. “I forgot that Atua has only chosen Angie as her vessel for art!”

“It’s okay… I forget a lot of things too. Sometimes I forget things like eating because it’s a pain.”

“Please, both of you try not to forget anything as important.”

“What to do? What to do?” Angie swayed with her arms crossed in meditation. “Since Atua and Angie chose you two to be her partners… She just assumed that Atua would also choose you two to be vessels of Atua’s art.”

“Well just because we don’t have Atua’s gift, doesn’t mean we can’t do anything at all, right?” Tenko suggested. “We should at least try. Tenko and Himiko-san wouldn’t mind still going through the workshop.”

“Art is… a different kind of magic. But it’s still pretty magical.” Himiko nodded. “It would be good training to practice arts of different sorcery.”

As heartwarming as they were willing to do this, Angie didn’t seem all too sold about the idea.

She shook her head. “No, no, non. Art not made by Atua just isn’t the same. That just won’t do!”

While she did say that and she had meant it, it was hard to live by those standards when both of her girlfriends looked absolutely heartbroken by it. Sad and cute made such a powerful combo. Surely Atua would forgive her for making an exception to the rules.

“Buuuuut Atua knows that you two are special.” She arched both of her hands on top of her head, making a heart pose. “So it should be no problemo!” She gave them lots of flying kisses just because.

She gets more than that in return.

“Finally! It’s my turn!” If Himiko had been the type who could be bothered, she would have literally jumped for joy at this. But that would require too much effort.

“Hey, hey.” Angie happily swayed. Unlike Himiko, Angie enjoyed expressing herself through her whole body. “Himiko-chan didn’t tell us what she wanted to do, right?”

“No, Tenko doesn’t remember her saying so,” Tenko seconded. Actually, Himiko volunteered her thing to be last before even saying what it was. They just went along with it without asking since they’d do it anyways. Tenko wondered what she could have possibly planned. “Are we going to help you with a magic show, Himiko-san?”

“Nyehhh… What a pain…” Himiko sighed. Not at all her usual reaction to when it came to being asked to show off. Truly she has hit a whole new level of exhaustion. “Thanks to you two, I’m out of mana so I can’t do any magic right now.”

“Oh… sorry.” Tenko bowed her head, ashamed.

“Angie apologizes too,” Angie was rather cheerful for someone apologizing but that was just like her.

Himiko pouted, less annoyed just more tired. “It’s okay… I still have enough mana to cast one spell.”

“Ooooh! A one trick magic show!” Angie pointed out.

“It’s not a trick! It’s a spell!” Himiko objected, suddenly finding enough strength to raise her voice. Her girlfriends don’t call them tricks as often as others but sometimes it slips their tongues. She’s too tired to stay mad anyways. “Also it’s not a magic show… Just one special spell.”

“Aah, one spell then! We are ready when you are to perform it!” Tenko encouraged her.

“Okay, I’m going to cast it now…” Himiko then positioned herself on the sofa bed with her legs crossed. She looked at them expectantly. “But I need your mana so I can maintain casting it.”

“Yay! Angie has always wanted to try sorcery!”

“Tenko would be honored to help!”

“…Too loud. You need to be quiet for this spell.” She then extended both of her hands in invitation. “Also I need you two to come closer. It’s easier to get mana with physical contact…. Lots of it.”

“Like this?” Tenko shyly took her hand and when Himiko pulled, she sat down right beside her.

“Nyahaha! Cuddles!” Angie excitedly took her hand and sidled up to her other side.

“Hmm… Good enough.” Himiko shifted a bit until she was lying down, with them following suit. That’s better. She let out a content sigh. “Now we meditate in silence.”

And it was quiet. For the first minute.

“Uhhh what exactly is this spell?”

“Recovery spell.”

“Recharging! How clever!”

“Quiet…” Himiko admonished rather sleepily. Their warmth was lulling and she was mumbling, “Less talking and more hugging.”

“Ohoho! But what about kisses?”

“Hmmm… only soft kisses work on the spell.”

“Tenko and Angie-san will be extra soft then!”

The pros of having a poly relationship? Plenty of love to go around and no stupid love triangle drama.

[takenews-blog1]

The sunshine and darkish of AI-powered smartphones

New Post has been published on https://takenews.net/the-sunshine-and-darkish-of-ai-powered-smartphones/

The sunshine and darkish of AI-powered smartphones

Analyst Gartner put out a 10-strong listicle this week figuring out what it dubbed “high-impact” makes use of for AI-powered options on smartphones that it suggests will allow machine distributors to supply “extra worth” to prospects through the medium of “extra superior” consumer experiences.

It’s additionally predicting that, by 2022, a full 80 per cent of smartphones shipped can have on-device AI capabilities, up from simply 10 per cent in 2017.

Extra on-device AI may lead to higher knowledge safety and improved battery efficiency, in its view — as a consequence of information being processed and saved regionally. At the least that’s the top-line takeout.

Its full listing of apparently attractive AI makes use of is introduced (verbatim) under.

However within the pursuits of presenting a extra balanced narrative round automation-powered UXes we’ve included some various ideas after every listed merchandise which think about the character of the worth trade being required for smartphone customers to faucet into these touted ‘AI smarts’ — and thus some potential drawbacks too.

1)   “Digital Me” Sitting on the Machine

“Smartphones will likely be an extension of the consumer, able to recognising them and predicting their subsequent transfer. They may perceive who you’re, what you need, once you need it, the way you need it achieved and execute duties upon your authority.”

“Your smartphone will monitor you all through the day to be taught, plan and remedy issues for you,” mentioned Angie Wang, precept analysis analyst at Gartner. “It’ll leverage its sensors, cameras and knowledge to perform these duties routinely. For instance, within the related dwelling, it may order a vacuum bot to scrub when the home is empty, or flip a rice cooker on 20 minutes earlier than you arrive.”

Hiya stalking-as-a-service. Is that this ‘digital me’ additionally going to whisper sweetly that it’s my ‘primary fan’ because it pervasively surveils my each transfer with a purpose to style a digital body-double that ensnares my free will inside its algorithmic black field… 

  Or is it simply going to be actually annoyingly dangerous at attempting to foretell precisely what I would like at any given second, as a result of, y’know, I’m a human not a digital paperclip (no, I’m not writing a fucking letter).  

Oh and who’s guilty when the AI’s decisions not solely aren’t to my liking however are a lot worse? Say the AI despatched the robo vacuum cleaner over the youngsters’ ant farm once they had been away in school… is the AI additionally going to clarify to them the rationale for his or her pets’ demise? Or what if it activates my empty rice cooker (after I forgot to prime it up) — at finest pointlessly expending power, at worst enthusiastically burning down the home.

We’ve been informed that AI assistants are going to get actually good at understanding and serving to us actual quickly for a very long time now. However until you need to do one thing easy like play some music, or one thing slim like discover a new piece of comparable music to hearken to, or one thing primary like order a staple merchandise from the Web, they’re nonetheless much more fool than savant. 

2)   Consumer Authentication

“Password-based, easy authentication is turning into too advanced and fewer efficient, leading to weak safety, poor consumer expertise, and a excessive value of possession. Safety know-how mixed with machine studying, biometrics and consumer behaviour will enhance usability and self-service capabilities. For instance, smartphones can seize and be taught a consumer’s behaviour, reminiscent of patterns once they stroll, swipe, apply stress to the telephone, scroll and kind, with out the necessity for passwords or energetic authentications.”

Extra stalking-as-a-service. No safety with out whole privateness give up, eh? However will I get locked out of my very own units if I’m panicking and never behaving like I ‘usually’ do — say, for instance, as a result of the AI turned on the rice cooker once I was away and I arrived dwelling to seek out the kitchen in flames. And can I be unable to forestall my machine from being unlocked on account of it taking place to be held in my arms — despite the fact that I would really need it to stay locked in any explicit given second as a result of units are private and conditions aren’t all the time predictable. 

And what if I need to share entry to my cellular machine with my household? Will additionally they should strip bare in entrance of its all-seeing digital eye simply to be granted entry? Or will this AI-enhanced multi-layered biometric system find yourself making it tougher to share units between family members? As has certainly been the case with Apple’s shift from a fingerprint biometric (which permits a number of fingerprints to be registered) to a facial biometric authentication system, on the iPhone X (which doesn’t help a number of faces being registered)? Are we simply alleged to chalk up the gradual goodnighting of machine communality as one other notch in ‘the value of progress’?

three)   Emotion Recognition

“Emotion sensing programs and affective computing enable smartphones to detect, analyse, course of and reply to individuals’s emotional states and moods. The proliferation of digital private assistants and different AI-based know-how for conversational programs is driving the necessity to add emotional intelligence for higher context and an enhanced service expertise. Automotive producers, for instance, can use a smartphone’s entrance digital camera to know a driver’s bodily situation or gauge fatigue ranges to extend security.”

No trustworthy dialogue of emotion sensing programs is feasible with out additionally contemplating what advertisers may do in the event that they gained entry to such hyper-sensitive temper knowledge. On that matter Fb provides us a transparent steer on the potential dangers — final yr leaked inside paperwork advised the social media big was touting its potential to crunch utilization knowledge to establish emotions of teenage insecurity as a promoting level in its advert gross sales pitches. So whereas sensing emotional context would possibly counsel some sensible utility that smartphone customers might welcome and revel in, it’s additionally probably extremely exploitable and will simply really feel horribly invasive — opening the door to, say, a teen’s smartphone understanding precisely when to hit them with an advert as a result of they’re feeling low.

If certainly on-device AI means regionally processed emotion sensing programs may supply ensures they might by no means leak temper knowledge there could also be much less trigger for concern. However normalizing emotion-tracking by baking it into the smartphone UI would certainly drive a wider push for equally “enhanced” providers elsewhere — after which it could be all the way down to the person app developer (and their perspective to privateness and safety) to find out how your moods get used. 

As for vehicles, aren’t we additionally being informed that AI goes to eliminate the necessity for human drivers? Why ought to we’d like AI watchdogs surveilling our emotional state inside autos (which is able to actually simply be nap and leisure pods at that time, very similar to airplanes). A significant consumer-focused security argument for emotion sensing programs appears unconvincing. Whereas authorities companies and companies would certainly like to get dynamic entry to our temper knowledge for all types of causes…

four)   Pure-Language Understanding

“Steady coaching and deep studying on smartphones will enhance the accuracy of speech recognition, whereas higher understanding the consumer’s particular intentions. For example, when a consumer says “the climate is chilly,” relying on the context, his or her actual intention could possibly be “please order a jacket on-line” or “please flip up the warmth.” For example, natural-language understanding could possibly be used as a close to real-time voice translator on smartphones when touring overseas.”

Whereas we will all certainly nonetheless dream of getting our personal private babelfish — even given the cautionary warning towards human hubris embedded within the biblical allegory to which the idea alludes — it can be a really spectacular AI assistant that would automagically choose the proper jacket to purchase its proprietor after that they had casually opined that “the climate is chilly”.

I imply, nobody would thoughts a present shock coat. However, clearly, the AI being inextricably deeplinked to your bank card means it could be you forking out for, and having to put on, that vivid crimson Columbia Lay D Down Jacket that arrived (through Amazon Prime) inside hours of your climatic statement, and which the AI had algorithmically decided can be sturdy sufficient to push back some “chilly”, whereas having additionally data-mined your prior outerwear purchases to whittle down its fashion selection. Oh, you suntil don’t like the way it seems? Too dangerous.  

The advertising ‘dream’ pushed at shoppers of the proper AI-powered private assistant entails an terrible lot of suspension of disbelief round how a lot precise utility the know-how is credibly going to supply — i.e. until you’re the sort of one that desires to reorder the identical model of jacket yearly and in addition finds it horribly inconvenient to manually hunt down a brand new coat on-line and click on the ‘purchase’ button your self. Or else who feels there’s a life-enhancing distinction between having to immediately ask an Web related robotic assistant to “please flip up the warmth” vs having a robotic assistant 24/7 spying on you so it might autonomously apply calculated company to decide on to show up the warmth when it overheard you speaking concerning the chilly climate — despite the fact that you had been really simply speaking concerning the climate, not secretly asking the home to be magically willed hotter. Perhaps you’re going to have to start out being a bit extra cautious concerning the belongings you say out loud when your AI is close by (i.e. in all places, on a regular basis). 

People have sufficient bother understanding one another; anticipating our machines to be higher at this than we’re ourselves appears fanciful — at the least until you are taking the view that the makers of those data-constrained, imperfect programs are hoping to patch AI’s limitations and comprehension deficiencies by socially re-engineering their units’ erratic organic customers by restructuring and decreasing our behavioral decisions to make our lives extra predictable (and thus simpler to systemize). Name it an AI-enhanced life extra abnormal, much less lived.

5)   Augmented Actuality (AR) and AI Imaginative and prescient

“With the discharge of iOS 11, Apple included an ARKit function that gives new instruments to builders to make including AR to apps simpler. Equally, Google introduced its ARCore AR developer instrument for Android and plans to allow AR on about 100 million Android units by the tip of subsequent yr. Google expects nearly each new Android telephone will likely be AR-ready out of the field subsequent yr. One instance of how AR can be utilized is in apps that assist to gather consumer knowledge and detect diseases reminiscent of pores and skin most cancers or pancreatic most cancers.”

Whereas most AR apps are inevitably going to be much more frivolous than the most cancers detecting examples being cited right here, nobody’s going to neg the ‘would possibly push back a severe illness’ card. That mentioned, a system that’s harvesting private knowledge for medical diagnostic functions amplifies questions on how delicate well being knowledge will likely be securely saved, managed and safeguarded by smartphone distributors. Apple has been pro-active on the well being knowledge entrance — however, not like Google, its enterprise mannequin just isn’t depending on profiling customers to promote focused promoting so there are competing sorts of industrial pursuits at play.

And certainly, no matter on-device AI, it appears inevitable that customers’ well being knowledge goes to be taken off native units for processing by third social gathering diagnostic apps (which is able to need the information to assist enhance their very own AI fashions) — so knowledge safety issues ramp up accordingly. In the meantime highly effective AI apps that would immediately diagnose very severe diseases additionally elevate wider points round how an app may responsibly and sensitively inform an individual it believes they’ve a serious well being drawback. ‘Do no hurt’ begins to look an entire lot extra advanced when the marketing consultant is a robotic.  

6) Machine Administration

“Machine studying will enhance machine efficiency and standby time. For instance, with many sensors, smartphones can higher perceive and be taught consumer’s behaviour, reminiscent of when to make use of which app. The smartphone will be capable of preserve continuously used apps operating within the background for fast re-launch, or to close down unused apps to save lots of reminiscence and battery.”

One other AI promise that’s predicated on pervasive surveillance coupled with diminished consumer company — what if I really need to preserve an app open that I usually shut immediately or vice versa; the AI’s template received’t all the time predict dynamic utilization completely. Criticism directed at Apple after the current revelation that iOS will gradual efficiency of older iPhones as a method for attempting to eke higher efficiency out of older batteries needs to be a warning flag that buyers can react in sudden methods to a perceived lack of management over their units by the manufacturing entity.   

7) Private Profiling

“Smartphones are in a position to gather knowledge for behavioural and private profiling. Customers can obtain safety and help dynamically, relying on the exercise that’s being carried out and the environments they’re in (e.g., dwelling, car, workplace, or leisure actions). Service suppliers reminiscent of insurance coverage corporations can now deal with customers, moderately than the property. For instance, they may be capable of modify the automotive insurance coverage fee based mostly on driving behaviour.”

Insurance coverage premiums based mostly on pervasive behavioral evaluation — on this case powered by smartphone sensor knowledge (location, velocity, locomotion and so forth) — may additionally in fact be adjusted in ways in which find yourself penalizing the machine proprietor. Say if an individual’s telephone indicated they brake harshly very often. Or often exceed the velocity restrict in sure zones. And once more, isn’t AI alleged to be changing drivers behind the wheel? Will a self-driving automotive require its rider to have driving insurance coverage? Or aren’t conventional automotive insurance coverage premiums on the street to zero anyway — so the place precisely is the buyer profit from being pervasively personally profiled? 

In the meantime discriminatory pricing is one other clear danger with profiling. And for what different functions would possibly a smartphone be utilized to carry out behavioral evaluation of its proprietor? Time spent hitting the keys of an workplace pc? Hours spent lounged out in entrance of the TV? Quantification of virtually each quotidian factor would possibly change into doable as a consequence of always-on AI — and given the ubiquity of the smartphone (aka the ‘non-wearable wearable’) — however is that really fascinating? Might it not induce emotions of discomfort, stress and demotivation by making ‘customers’ (i.e. individuals) really feel they’re being microscopically and repeatedly judged only for how they reside? 

The dangers round pervasive profiling seem much more crazily dystopian once you have a look at China’s plan to provide each citizen a ‘character rating’ — and think about the kinds of supposed (and unintended) penalties that would move from state degree management infrastructures powered by the sensor-packed units in our pockets. 

eight)   Content material Censorship/Detection

“Restricted content material may be routinely detected. Objectionable photographs, movies or textual content may be flagged and numerous notification alarms may be enabled. Pc recognition software program can detect any content material that violates any legal guidelines or insurance policies. For instance, taking images in excessive safety services or storing extremely categorized knowledge on company-paid smartphones will notify IT.”

Private smartphones that snitch on their customers for breaking company IT insurance policies sound like one thing straight out of a sci-fi dystopia. Ditto AI-powered content material censorship. There’s a wealthy and assorted (and ever-expanding) tapestry of examples of AI failing to accurately establish, or completely misclassifying, photographs — together with being fooled by intentionally adulterated graphics  — as nicely an extended historical past of tech corporations misapplying their very own insurance policies to vanish from view (or in any other case) sure items and classes of content material (together with actually iconic and actually pure stuff) — so freely handing management over what we will and can’t see (or do) with our personal units on the UI degree to a machine company that’s finally managed by a industrial entity topic to its personal agendas and political pressures would appear ill-advised to say the least. It could additionally signify a seismic shift within the energy dynamic between customers and related units. 

9) Private Photographing

“Private photographing consists of smartphones which are in a position to routinely produce beautified images based mostly on a consumer’s particular person aesthetic preferences. For instance, there are completely different aesthetic preferences between the East and West — most Chinese language individuals want a pale complexion, whereas shoppers within the West are inclined to want tan pores and skin tones.”

AI already has a patchy historical past in relation to racially offensive ‘beautification’ filters. So any sort of computerized adjustment of pores and skin tones appears equally ill-advised.  Zooming out, this type of subjective automation can be hideously reductive — fixing customers extra firmly inside AI-generated filter bubbles by eroding their company to find various views and aesthetics. What occurs to ‘magnificence is within the eye of the beholder’ if human eyes are being unwittingly rendered algorithmically color-blind? 

10)    Audio Analytic

“The smartphone’s microphone is ready to repeatedly hearken to real-world sounds. AI functionality on machine is ready to inform these sounds, and instruct customers or set off occasions. For instance, a smartphone hears a consumer loud night breathing, then triggers the consumer’s wristband to encourage a change in sleeping positions.”

What else would possibly a smartphone microphone that’s repeatedly listening to the sounds in your bed room, rest room, lounge, kitchen, automotive, office, storage, lodge room and so forth be capable of discern and infer about you and your life? And do you really need an exterior industrial company figuring out how finest to systemize your existence to such an intimate diploma that it has the ability to disrupt your sleep? The discrepancy between the ‘drawback’ being advised right here (loud night breathing) and the intrusive ‘repair’ (wiretapping coupled with a shock-generating wearable) very firmly underlines the dearth of ‘automagic’ concerned in AI. Quite the opposite, the unreal intelligence programs we’re presently able to constructing require close to totalitarian ranges of information and/or entry to knowledge and but shopper propositions are solely actually providing slim, trivial or incidental utility.

This discrepancy doesn’t bother the large data-mining companies which have made it their mission to amass huge data-sets to allow them to gasoline business-critical AI efforts behind the scenes. However for smartphone customers requested to sleep beside a private machine that’s actively eavesdropping on bed room exercise, for e.g., the equation begins to look moderately extra unbalanced. And even when YOU personally don’t thoughts, what about everybody else round you whose “real-world sounds” will even be being snooped on by your telephone, no matter whether or not they prefer it or not. Have you ever requested them if they need an AI quantifying the noises they make? Are you going to tell everybody you meet that you just’re packing a wiretap?