45 posts tagged with "Technology"

Li Ming had recently been feeling a little off in his neck, as if a small lump had grown there. It didn't hurt or itch, but it always felt a bit unsettling. He went to the hospital for a check-up, and the doctor said it was a thyroid nodule, benign, but recommended regular check-ups. Li Ming didn't pay too much attention to it; after all, who doesn't have minor health issues these days? Besides, he was busy trying to meet his quarterly KPIs.

Li Ming was an ordinary employee at an internet company. His daily routine involved staring at a computer screen, typing code, revising plans, and attending meetings. The company had a strict KPI assessment system, with monthly targets. Failure to meet them resulted in deductions from performance bonuses, and consistently ranking at the bottom for several months could lead to being laid off. Li Ming had always been conscientious, working hard to avoid falling behind.

The stage lights gradually dimmed, and the clamor of the Spring Festival Gala slowly dissipated. In the audience, scattered applause, like a faint tide, lapped at the edges of the enormous stage. Tonight, the most eye-catching were not the glamorous celebrities, but the row of precise and elegant robot dancers at the center of the stage.

They wore silver leotards, with joints that shimmered with a deep blue light. Every movement was the result of precise calculations, and every smile was as accurate as a ruler's markings. They completed their dance performance perfectly, cooperating seamlessly and flawlessly. The audience applauded their performance enthusiastically, as if they truly possessed souls.

Old Li was used to giving his son a big red envelope on New Year's Eve for good luck. In previous years, they were always bulky, tangible ones, wrapped in brand-new red paper, heavy and filled with human touch. This year was different. His son was far overseas, so he could only send an electronic red envelope.

He opened his phone, found his son on WeChat, hesitated for a moment, tapped on the red envelope, and typed in the auspicious number "888". At the moment he confirmed sending it, he felt like something was missing. He missed the texture of the red paper, the ritual of handing it over, and the joy his son would have when receiving the envelope.

Old Wang, a retired teacher in his fifties, had recently become obsessed with grabbing red envelopes. Not the kind of small change in WeChat groups, but a newly popular "immersive red envelope rain" in the city.

This red envelope rain requires wearing special AR glasses in a designated area to experience. When you put on the glasses, you see gold ingots and red envelopes flying all over the sky. Reach out and you can "grab" money, which is directly deposited into your electronic account. For this, Old Wang specially bought a new pair of AR glasses and also enrolled in a "digital life" training class for the elderly.

Old Wang stared at his phone screen, his finger hovering stiffly above the "Send" button. In the WeChat group, relatives and friends were sending New Year greetings with great enthusiasm, and various red envelopes flew across the screen. This year, he was chosen by his company to be the executor of the "New Year's Gift" event. To put it bluntly, it was to send digital red envelopes to clients and partners using the company's newly developed AI red envelope system.

"Brother Wang, it's time to send them!" said his colleague Xiao Li beside him, his tone laced with excitement. "This time, we're going to give users a 'surprise' and let everyone feel the power of technology!"

"Beep beep," the phone screen lit up, with a New Year's blessing notification from the company's internal AI assistant, "Xiao Ling": [Dear Mr. Zhang, thank you for sticking to your post on New Year's Eve. Here is a custom AI blessing for you: Wishing you a new year with no bugs in your code, doubled performance, a sturdy hairline, and early financial freedom! - From the DeepSeek AI team].

Xiao Zhang looked at the slightly rigid blessing on the screen, and a self-deprecating smile stretched across his lips. This was the third consecutive year he was working overtime at the company on New Year's Eve. The office was empty, with only him and the "clatter" of the keyboard. The sounds of fireworks faintly carried in from outside, making the silence here feel even more like a tomb.

Old Li is the owner of a community print shop. Before the Spring Festival, he introduced a machine called the "New Year Greeting Slogan Generator." This thing wasn't large, looking like an oversized calculator, with the words "New Year Blessings, One-Click Generation" flashing on the screen. Old Li didn't expect to get rich from it; he just wanted something novel to bring some fun to the neighborhood.

On the first day, customers flocked in. Someone asked for "newlywed blessings," and the machine spat out, "Wishing you a son soon, two children in three years." Someone wanted "auspicious words for the Year of the Snake," and the machine replied, "May the Year of the Snake bring you great fortune, dominate your area, and be flooded with wealth!" People found it novel and readily paid for it, seeking good luck. Old Li happily collected the money, thinking that this machine was quite fun, at least better than his old, outdated printer.

After retiring, Old Li was appointed by the community as a “New Year’s Flavor Index Evaluator.” This was a trendy job, supposedly determined by a "New Year's Flavor Algorithm" developed by a well-known AI company. Every day, Old Li’s job was to walk to different families with a tablet, take a few photos, and ask a few questions.

"Did you put up Spring Festival couplets this year? How many characters?" The app on the tablet would immediately give a score.

After Lao Wang retired, his life was like a lukewarm glass of plain water. It wasn't until he received a "Spring Festival Gala Cloud Participant Certificate" on Taobao that a drop of ink was added to this plain water.

The electronic certificate had an exaggerated gold background, with the large characters "Cloud Participation" in the center. Next to it was a serious-looking logo of the "CCTV Spring Festival Gala," and below it was a string of numerical codes that Lao Wang himself didn't understand. Lao Wang knew, of course, that it was just a marketing gimmick from the merchant. But looking at the glittering gold "participant certificate" on his phone screen, he felt a strange surge of excitement, as if he had truly become a part of the Spring Festival Gala.

The conference room was silent, everyone waiting for the arrival of the "zero employee." He was a legend at DeepSeek, an AI without a physical body or emotions, but capable of solving all problems. The large screen on the wall lit up, and a simple blue dot appeared in the center – the embodiment of the "zero employee."