Taekwondo earning black belts prior to her tenure as Batgirl and is described as being a "star athlete." Following the events of The Killing Joke, Barbara Gordon continued to train in martial arts as Oracle, despite being paralyzed from the waist down. She has extensive skills with eskrima fighting sticks, small firearms, and batarangs; she customarily keeps a pair of eskrima sticks stored in the armrests of her wheelchair as a contingency. In the revised continuity of The New 52, she reflects on the fact that she has been taking self-defense training since age 6 in Batgirl #0 (2012). Intelligence and technological skill Gordon is written as having a genius-level intellect and naturally possessing a photographic memory. She is described by Gail Simone as the most intelligent member of the Batman family and among all characters having operated out of Gotham City. Prior to the character's career as a vigilante, Barbara Gordon developed many technological skills, including vast knowledge of computers and electronics, expert skills as a hacker, and graduate training in library sciences. Like Batman, Barbara Gordon originally used a wide variety of computer electronics and gadgets during her early adventures as Batgirl. These included an infrared scanner built into the cowl of her costume, various bat-inspired weaponry, and the Batcycle. According to Gail Simone, Oracle maintains control over the 12 technologically advanced satellites that were created by Lex Luthor during his tenure as President of the United States. Information broker As Oracle, Barbara Gordon placed her considerable skills and knowledge at the disposal of many of the DC Universe's heroes. She is a skilled hacker, capable of retrieving and dispersing information from private satellites, military installations, government files, and the properties of Lex Luthor. Batman, himself a genius with a wide knowledge base and access to vast information resources, routinely consults Oracle for assistance. Writer and editor Dennis O'Neil, who first established Oracle as Batman's intellectual equal and source of information, stated that "[i]t was logical for her to be there in Batman's world ... Batman would need someone like that." Cultural impact Since her debut in the DC Comics publication, and fueled by her adaptation into the Batman television series in 1967, Barbara Gordon has been listed among fictional characters that are regarded as cultural icons. Author Brian Cronin, in Was Superman A Spy?: And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed (2009) notes that following her 1967 debut,