Congrats to the LA Dodgers for winning this year’s World Series. Since I’m a Mets fan seeing the Yankees lose was ok with me. Kudos to Dodgers fan @cflclosers
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On October 31, 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious and anonymous inventor of Bitcoin, released the Bitcoin white paper, introducing the cryptocurrency—and how it could be used—to the world. By design, only 21 million Bitcoins will ever be "mined," or released into the market.
Ah shit boys... Things are about to get real... FAST!!!
Super pumped about my new DJI #fpv #drone setup! Paid for with #crypto (Monero) using gift cards on Cake Wallet!
The cool thing is they made a simulator for the drone to work with the controller and goggles, so you can practice and get a feel for what the drone will be like so you don't go and crash it...
It's a plastic drone after all, lol. Not like my carbon fiber bando bashers, lol.
I was really after the goggles, but the rest was a bonus!
DJI FPV Combo on eBay - $650 after being raped by taxes.
DJI FPV drone
Goggles V2
Controller 2
1 smart battery for drone
1 battery for goggles.
Case was extra from Amazon.
Even got an analog receiver so I can fly all my drones with the goggles!
Yeah, I can't wait to fly it! Weather hasn't been adequate so I have been playing the DJI Virtual Flight simulator that works with the controller and goggles, so it's something to get started.
The best part is that they have the DJI Virtual Flight simulator built specifically for this and one other model drone, that works with the goggles and controller, so you can practice before you break it!
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@pepetoken just sent you a DIY token as a little appreciation for your comment dear @thelogicaldude!
Feel free to multiply it by sending someone else !DIY in a comment :) You can do that x times a day depending on your balance so:
London, United Kingdom / October 30, 2024 / After over a decade of speculation and mystery, the world will finally learn the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive inventor of Bitcoin and the foundational Blockchain technology. On this momentous occasion, Nakamoto will reveal his legal identity in a live press conference, marking a historic event in the cryptocurrency landscape.
Nakamoto, whose whitepaper launched the world’s first decentralized cryptocurrency in 2008, has cited growing legal pressures as a driving factor for this decision. “The time has come for me to officially reveal my identity. I am facing significant legal challenges, and I believe the world deserves to know the truth,” Nakamoto stated.
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Venice will extend its day-tripper tax through next year, increasing the number of days on which tourists have to pay to enter the city and doubling the fee to 10 euros ($10.80) for last-minute visitors, city officials said on Thursday.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro stressed that the tax aims to help the city and its citizens battle overtourism and avoid huge influxes of visitors during crowded holidays and weekends.
The new tax will be applied every Friday through Sunday and on holidays from April 18-July 27 of next year, for a total of 54 days. That’s almost double the number of days it was applied this year. Tourists who don’t make reservations up to four days in advance will pay 10 euros ($10.80) instead of the usual 5 euros ($5.40).
The tax will be in force during peak hours, from 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Exemptions are granted to residents, Venetian-born visitors, students and workers, as well as tourists who have hotel or other lodging reservations.
At the end of the first test phase, last July, officials said the tax had netted 2.4 million euros ($2.6 million), accounting for about 1,000 entrances on each of the test days.
Brugnaro on Thursday again responded to critics who have called it a failure and said it did not deter as many arrivals as expected.
“Venice is the first city in the world that tries to manage the problem of overtourism. We obtained important results,” the mayor said.
A Sherpa teenager who's won mountaineering celebrity as the youngest person ever to summit the world's 14 highest peaks called for Sherpas to be recognized as athletes and expedition leaders
“It’s always been that Sherpas were supporting climbers and we’re never seen as leaders of expeditions,” Nima Rinji Sherpa told The Associated Press on Friday.
The 18-year-old is planning more, tougher climbs after completing a mission to scale all 14 mountains that rise above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) earlier this month on China’s Mount Shishapangma.
The Sherpa community were mostly yak herders and traders living deep within the Himalayas until Nepal opened its borders in the 1950s. Their stamina and familiarity with the mountains quickly made them sought-after guides and porters, and eventually for them to dominate the Himalyan climbing business.
Tenzing Norgay conquered Everest with Edmund Hillary in 1953, establishing the community’s fame as climbing masters.
But since then, Nima Rinji said, Sherpas have rarely been seen as expedition leaders. He’s started a “Sherpa power” campaign to change that. “This generation does have the potential because we have the privileges that those before us didn’t have, like good education, speaking well and we can understand what is happening regarding climate change, regarding the mountains,” he said.
A new Department of Transportation rule requires airline companies to refund customers for canceled flights as soon as possible.
The DOT’s final federal rule went into effect Monday and requires airlines to immediately process customer refunds after their flight has been canceled or significantly altered. The refunds cannot be in the form of vouchers and must be issued after a customer declines an altered flight or alternative form of payment.
However, the rule gives airlines seven days to process the refunds if the customer used a credit card and 20 days if the customer used a different payment method.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg proposed the rule in April, arguing that airlines need to accurately inform customers when they are entitled to a refund and make it easier for them to receive it.
“It’s imperfect,” said University of South Carolina law professor Bryant Walker Smith, whose work focuses on AVs. “Crash responders have remarked that to communicate with a vehicle on a crash scene that’s blocking a car in an emergency, they’ve had to stick their head in the window and yell because there was no way that they could hear or speak with that assistant from outside the vehicle.”
The beginning of the process is expected to look similar to how drivers navigate crashes with other humans, even if there is no other human. After a crash with an AV, a human driver would exit their vehicle, contact law enforcement and inform their insurance company of the collision. If the AV is at fault, the driver’s insurance company would contact the AV manufacturer or developer to determine a settlement.
Mount Karangetang is an awesome Jurassic Park-looking volcano that dominates the remote island of Siau in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
You can’t go anywhere on tiny Siau island without seeing this majestic volcano and its twin smoking craters. If you’re lucky, you may even get to see it spouting molten lava and rock bombs at night, which it does pretty often.
In this guide, I’ll share my experience hiking the Karangetang volcano in 2021, and I’ll give some tips in case you plan to climb it yourself.
First of all, let’s talk about safety. Karangetang is a highly active volcano — probably one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
The local guides are knowledgeable and any seismic activity is monitored by the Indonesian government, but there’s still plenty of risk involved in climbing this mountain. It may erupt at any time.
You can climb to the top of Karangetang if you’re feeling extra crazy, but to be safe most people only hike partway up this mountain and peep at the smoking craters from a distance (and even that is a bit risky).
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. The process that forms volcanoes is called volcanism.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging, and because most of Earth's plate boundaries are underwater, most volcanoes are found underwater. For example, a mid-ocean ridge, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates whereas the Pacific Ring of Fire has volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates.
Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the crust's plates, such as in the East African Rift, the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field, and the Rio Grande rift in North America. Volcanism away from plate boundaries has been postulated to arise from upwelling diapirs from the core–mantle boundary, 3,000 kilometers (1,900 mi) deep within Earth. This results in hotspot volcanism, of which the Hawaiian hotspot is an example. Volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another.
Large eruptions can affect atmospheric temperature as ash and droplets of sulfuric acid obscure the Sun and cool Earth's troposphere. Historically, large volcanic eruptions have been followed by volcanic winters which have caused catastrophic famines.
Other planets besides Earth have volcanoes. For example, volcanoes are very numerous on Venus. In 2009, a paper was published suggesting a new definition for the word 'volcano' that includes processes such as cryovolcanism. It suggested that a volcano be defined as 'an opening on a planet or moon's surface from which magma, as defined for that body, and/or magmatic gas is erupted.'
I love visiting Japan. Even after multiple visits, I never get tired of wandering the country’s historic temples, feasting on its incredible sushi, and soaking up the breakneck pace of life in Tokyo.
After over half a dozen visits, I’ve learned through trial and error how to best explore the country. English isn’t widely spoken, and once you get out of the big cities, it’s even less common. That means things like online maps and translation apps are vital for every traveler.
To ensure you stay connected during your trip, you’re going to want to buy an eSIM. It’s the best way to ensure you have mobile data as you explore the country.
But which eSIM is the best for traveling Japan?
In this post, I’ll breakdown why I think Jetpac is the best eSIM for Japan and why you should consider them for your next visit.
What is Jetpac?
Jetpac is a travel eSIM company founded in Singapore. They offer affordable mobile data coverage to over 150 destinations around the world (including Japan), but they also offer regional bundles so that you can visit more than one country with the same eSIM and still have reliable coverage.
To get an eSIM, you’ll first want to browse their plans to see which duration is best for you. They have plans from 1 GB to 50 GB and 1 day to 30 days, with prices starting at just $4 USD. Their Japan eSIM prices are super competitive and affordable for even the cheapest budget traveler.
National Geographic reveals its 25 best places to visit in 2025
Greenland and the Scottish Outer Hebrides are among the best places to visit next year...
National Geographic has named its top 25 destinations to explore next year, from the tropical savannahs of Brazil all the way to the icy fjords of Greenland.
Unsettling Observations Of Climate Change, From 50 Years Of Travel
I’ve visited 100 countries since the 1960s. This is Part One of my series about changes in travel over the years, the consequences of climate change, and improving our travels — and our planet.
Call for UK to delay launch of Electronic Travel Authorisation
Industry leaders are urging the UK government not to introduce its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, set for wholesale launch next April, alongside the EU’s delayed Entry/Exit System (EES).
UK government announces increase to Air Passenger Duty
The UK’s new Labour government has announced increases to Air Passenger Duty which will rise by no more than £2 for an economy class short-haul flight, but will jump 50 per cent for flights on private jets.
Can travel make time slow down? New research suggests that travelling more could make your life seem longer...
The quest to slow down time has long been the pursuit of scientists, doctors and wellness experts. But earlier this year, new research emerged that proves that you can make your life seem longer than it really is.
'Travel won't be happy with the Budget, but it could have been much worse'
It was a Budget discussed for months, with dire warnings of some of the consequences, but at least – after all the leaks and speculation – we now know the direction of travel under the new government.
The best places to travel between Christmas and New Year’s Eve
The week between Christmas and New Year’s can feel a bit like the twilight zone. The kids are out of school, your inbox is quiet, your fridge is full of leftovers, and you’re never quite sure what day it is. This delightfully disorienting period – which some people have dubbed “feral week” or “Twixmas” – is one of the best times to plan a trip.
Not sure where to go? Ditch the crowds and enjoy a stress-free, rejuvenating getaway with our round-up of the best laid-back destinations for a post-festive recovery
GREECE — The little-known Greek island that's 'just like Santorini' but without all the tourists...
The island of Lemnos, which has a population of around 16,000 permanent residents, has seen only mild tourist development and is known for its authentic Greek atmosphere, beautiful scenery, and wealth of unique architectural sites.
How has the digital nomad trend evolved over the years?
Whether seen as a positive or a negative, the digital nomad trend continues with new visas and organisations aimed at this population popping up around the world.
Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or "darker-half" of the year. It is held on 1 November but with celebrations beginning on the evening of 31 October, since the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. This is about halfway between the autumn equinox and winter solstice. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals along with Imbolc, Beltaine and Lughnasa. Historically it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. A similar festival was held by the Brittonic Celtic people, called Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Kalan Gwav in Cornwall and Kalan Goañv in Brittany.
Can AI have any impact on Crypto? I mean will there ever be a time where chatgpt can tell me which crypto to invest in to guarantee profit? If it can have access to live data, can it do that? And how long till we see that if yes?
oh nice so a decade to go and no wheels, at least accident levels will drop. And any accidents that happens, AI can learn and correct the mistake and that type of accident will never happen again
Tech is made up mostly by people on the left. This coincides with the Democrats shift to the billionaires, favoring them. Silicon Valley is a very leftist place.
That said, this cycle people realize that Trump is far better for their business than Harris. A lot of tech billionaires are either pulling back (ala Zuckerberg) or going pro Trump (ala Musk).
Of course, the true power lies with the lobbyists and the greasing of hands in Congress. At that level, I would say they simply are dealing with whichever parts has power and can get things done for them.
Now, if I've got tech questions I'll just ask you not Google or gpt 😅 because your answers are just perfect. I understand it now. I also see why Elon supports Trump so much now.. it's all about what favors them the most at any given time.
The Elon Musk and Donald Trump relationship probably has to do more with the freedom of speech and the attacks on X as compared to other things he is doing in tech.
But that is just a guess.
The Biden Administration has continually gone after Musk, including Biden saying that Mary Barra led in turning US automotive to electric.
it's no wonder he had to make this decision you really can't blame the guy. I follow politics a lot but it's funny how now for some reason I'm following Musk, I guess it's because he's so involved right now.
The problem is everything is becoming politicized that people are having to decide. Unfortunately, it will not be resolved, only generate more anger. This is going to end up causing major divisions that cannot be united.
Oh this may be my first time trying your cast I'm still learning a few things. Ok my question is a bit weird. Is there something more powerful than technology that man can use to their advantage.
You don't necessarily need to do it exactly like this, but yep, it's pretty neat. A more general version of this "trick" is to simply aim to provide the chatbot with as much context as possible.
For instance: Let's say you have a meeting transcript and want to generate a meeting summary based off of it. You could probably get away with a prompt like
Based on the attached transcript, write me a summary
But you would probably get much further with something more like this:
I never gave gpt prompts longer than 2 line. I n. The more data you feed it with your instructions the better the results. Thank you for the lessons I'm going to practice right away
Awesome, I'm very happy to hear that. Do share whatever interesting stuff you figure out with us :) Also, feel free to tag me if you have questions or issues about anything in this regard. I'll help if I can
People might not want to pick cotton by hand when machines can do it faster and better. Machines help farmers grow food and cotton quickly. When robots do hard work, people can learn new skills and find better jobs that need human thinking and creativity. It's good to use machines for tough physical tasks so humans can do smarter work.
Is it true that Russia wants to transfer the technology of RD 93 jet engines to Pakistan? If the news is true, what implication will it have for India?
Here is what I think
Yep. Russia will sell weapons to countries that don't like the USA and its friends.
The impact: Not really. Pakistan can't buy tons of Russian tech, and India is way stronger than Pakistan. If India ever needed help, other big countries would support them.
"Just outline the five where they're dominant and the areas that they're growing."
"Right. So we looked with our Bloomberg Intelligence and Economics colleagues at 13 key technologies that are part of China's Made in China 2025 initiative from about ten years ago. The five areas where China is clearly leading as of this year would be drones, high-speed rail, EVs, as you were just discussing, solar panels, and graphene. Some advanced materials where their competitors will be things like semiconductors, AI, machine tools, LNG carriers - they have like a big ship target - and drugs like pharmaceuticals. Where they're really behind is commercial aircraft."
"Interesting, Cheryl, as you just read out this sort of dream smorgasbord of Bloomberg Technology stuff. I think one thing we reflect on in the show is that some of those key areas, right, semiconductors, even drones and TV, it's very policy-focused. In other words, the government in China can change their mind, but they're often willing to support those industries through finance or policy to make them successful."
"Indeed. I mean, industrial policy is a big part of it. China's new energy vehicle targets and plans go back to around 2009. So they predate Made in China 2025. How they do this is hard to quantify, but there are a lot of subsidies for buyers, for firms. There's state-backed credit, state-backed investment funds, government procurement, etc. But I think BYD is a good example. The EV sector clearly benefited from Chinese industrial policy, but the industrial policy also didn't pick winners, so to speak. BYD was the one that rose to the top, in part because consumers are ultimately the ones deciding, and now it is a globally competitive firm."
Developers are building AI models into applications and engaging with AI projects on GitHub in large numbers. Python overtook JavaScript as the most popular language on GitHub in 2024 and Jupyter Notebooks use skyrocketed. Both are technologies heavily used in data science and machine learning. The number of developers on GitHub has rapidly grown since tools like GitHub Copilot started going mainstream in early 2023, with significant gains in the global south. There are signals that AI is driving interest in software development.
TikTok's e-commerce business in Indonesia was thriving, then one day, the government declared that social media platforms would no longer be allowed to process online payments, forcing TikTok to abruptly halt its e-commerce operations. Some Indonesian officials argued that TikTok was so popular it threatened to monopolize online shopping, while others said it didn't have the right license. TikTok's defenders said the government was acting on behalf of TikTok's competitors in Indonesia.TikTok Shop restarted as a pilot program under government supervision after teaming up with local company Tokopedia.
AI can't feel real emotions like humans do. It copies feelings by looking at patterns in human talk and actions. Right now, AI just follows rules and learns from data. It doesn't have true feelings or understand emotions deeply.
When people say AI "hallucinates," they mean it makes up information that sounds real but isn't true. This isn't because AI is emotional, but because its learning system isn't perfect.
Dropbox is laying off 528 people amid slowing growth for its core cloud storage business. The company is making significant cuts in areas where it is over-invested or underperforming while designing a flatter, more efficient team structure overall. Affected employees will receive sixteen weeks of severance pay, equity, bonus plan lump sums, payouts of approved leave, and immigration consultation for those on work visas. Dropbox reported an increase of 63,000 paid users quarter over quarter for its second-quarter earnings this year, light compared to its total 18 million-plus user base.
Belgium is constructing a massive artificial island in the North Sea. Set to be completed by 2027, the island will enhance Belgium's renewable energy capabilities, integrating an impressive 3.5 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity into the Belgian power grid, enough clean electricity to power over three million homes. The project, which will cost €650 million ($702 million), is being funded by the European Investment Bank. The initiative is a key part of the EU's plan to phase out fossil fuels and fully commit to sustainable energy.
The computer people who make AI don't always know how it finds answers. They just help it learn by showing it when it's right or wrong, like training a pet.
AI models do not work that way. It is not input/output like traditional computing.
The model is actually generating the answer each time. The challenge comes in when we get into the weighting. That can reduce the accuracy. It is why more data is required, to create more connections within the vector database.
Scientists from Osmo have fully digitized and reprinted the scent of a fresh summer plum using AI. They created a system that can analyze air molecules to determine scents and then print the scents as a clear liquid. The printed scents smell the same as the original scents, showing that the team was able to give their computers a sense of smell. A video from Osmo explaining its technology is available.
Zoox, which was founded a decade ago and acquired by Amazon four years ago, will start rolling out its robotaxi service in San Francisco and in Las Vegas in the coming weeks. It will start by offering employees rides in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco and on the Las Vegas Strip. The company has been working closely with local and federal safety regulators and will take a measured approach to rolling out its robotaxi service. It plans to scale production in 2026.
Is it currently feasible to build an Interstellar vessel with our current technology? How long would it take to reach other planets using our current technology?
Right now, our rocket engines aren't good enough to fly really far into space. Our current engines are too heavy and can't go fast enough.
Antimatter could give us super powerful energy, but we can't make or store it easily. Even if we could use antimatter, we'd still need tons of fuel. Maybe using a special space scoop to collect fuel while moving might help.
Turning antimatter energy into rocket power isn't working well right now. We'd want a spaceship that can speed up at about half or one times Earth's gravity, but our current ion engines are way too weak.
Better space engines might be possible, but this could take hundreds of years to figure out.
Also, the whole world probably can't afford to build a giant spaceship right now. We'd need thousands of people to live on the ship for a trip that takes over 20 years. It would be like a floating city in space.
Maybe in thousands of years we might make a warp drive, but not anytime soon.
Google Maps is getting a big update that’s supposed to help you find new places to visit with AI. Starting this week, you’ll be able to explore more locations with Immersive View and search for specific spots based on a descriptive query like “things to do with friends at night.”
Google will then use its Gemini AI model to come up with “inspirational collections” matching that description. For late-night options, Google Maps might pull up locations categorized as “speakeasies” or places with “live music.” Meanwhile, regular search results remain below these collections.
But that’s not the extent of the AI features Google is adding to Maps. Once you tap on a location, you’ll see AI-generated summaries of user reviews, along with a prompt to “Ask Maps about this place.” Here, you can enter a question, and Maps will use Gemini to provide an AI-generated answer based on what it’s gathered from reviews.
During a press briefing, Google Maps head Miriam Daniel demonstrated how this might work by selecting a restaurant and entering, “Is it a quiet atmosphere?” Google Maps then returned an answer saying the location “has a lively atmosphere and a cozy feel.” Beneath the response, you’ll see the reviews Gemini used to inform its answer. These features are rolling out on Android and iOS this week in the US, building upon the AI integration Google began experimenting with earlier this year.
“We wanted to make sure that anything we show in this experience is fresh and factual,” Daniel said. “There are 100 million updates happening every day, and we’re able to pull from that refreshed fresh information and ground the results from Gemini... making sure that the results show real places on the map.”
Google is also expanding Immersive View to 150 cities. This feature, first rolled out in 2022, combines Street View and satellite images to provide an aerial view of a location, while also offering the ability to explore a city at street level. Some other updates include enhanced navigation that will show more details on the map when driving in select cities and updates to its Waze-like destination guidance features it previewed in July. Speaking of Waze, the Google-owned app is also adding the ability to report incidents on the road with your voice.
AI researchers have pinpointed key insights into hallucinations, revealing that bigger language models tend to be more reliable. Asking models about their confidence levels can actually help predict the likelihood of fabricated information, and when accuracy dips, the responses become increasingly unpredictable. #AIResearch #MachineLearning
So is this new that we're starting to see India as a way of accessing Nvidia chips for Russia? For example, I think the role of India has certainly come into focus for the West, so for Europe and the US, over the past couple years. They've been looking at various countries in Asia as transshipment hubs where these goods can essentially come from subsidiaries, vendors, distributors. These goods are primarily manufactured by Western companies and primarily US companies actually.
So the role of India - I guess the magnitude of the role of India as a hub - has certainly become much greater over the last few months. And why have they become such prominent actors in what is basically Russia trying to navigate barriers to accessing US tech?
There's a lot of reasons. I mean, partly when we talk to officials in the US and Europe about it, one thing they point to is that India has been buying a lot of Russian oil and Russia has a lot of Rupees at its disposal, so it's been using these Rupees to spend them essentially buying these goods out of India. So that's one big part driving this increase of this trade.
Another reason is also that Western officials - the US and Europe - have put a lot of effort into cracking down on other transshipment hubs. For example, earlier last year there was a big focus in the UAE, Turkey, Central Asia as areas where these goods were being sent to Russia.
I think a large part is the Rupees that Russia has to spend, but another one is that the West is cracking down on other areas where these goods were originally shipped from. Now these Nvidia chips are in Dell servers known as PowerEdge XC9680s, and Dell has said, look, since ever the sanctions came into place, they've stopped shipments to Russia.
But I'm interested in whether ultimately any of this is actually illegal. Well, technically it's not illegal in that India is not bound by US or European sanctions. In terms of the companies, I mean, it's true - a chip produced by a company in the US, I mean, its trade cycle, I guess, around the world is difficult to track because you have vendors, distributors, subsidiaries, all these other kind of companies or people that take part in the trade route.
So in terms of legal responsibility, it's almost impossible to place that on someone, certainly in the US who would be liable. But what could happen ex-post is that - which has been happening is that - the US could, for example, designate a lot of these companies, a lot of these intermediaries around the world who do participate in the trade of these goods.
The EU, US, and UK have signed the first international, legally binding AI treaty.
Known as the "Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence," this treaty focuses on aligning AI with human rights, democracy, and law. Countries like Andorra, Israel, and Georgia are among the initial signatories, showing widespread interest.
O Google Maps se integrou ao Gemini e agora oferece aos usuários a opção de fazer buscas por restaurantes, bares, casas de show e muito mais com inteligência artificial (IA). A novidade foi apresentada junto a outros recursos, como o alerta de eventos climáticos no trânsito, nesta quinta-feira (31) pelo Google.
Também é possível fazer perguntas sobre a localização, como “o restaurante tem um espaço ao ar livre?”, e receber um resumo com as informações solicitadas.
“Nos próximos meses, você verá experiências semelhantes na Busca — incluindo resumos de avaliações gerados por IA e a opção de fazer perguntas detalhadas sobre lugares”, informou a empresa.
Além das indicações, o Maps vai mostrar faixas, marcações para pedestres e placas de trânsito no mapa no modo navegação. Segundo o Google, a novidade tende a auxiliar motoristas em vias desconhecidas com várias faixas, bifurcações e saídas.
Também será possível reportar eventos climáticos no caminho, como ruas alagadas, obstruídas ou de baixa visibilidade, para que outros motoristas sejam informados com antecedência. Além disso, o app vai mostrar estacionamentos próximos ao chegar no destino informado e apresentar as principais atrações e estabelecimentos no caminho.
Os apps para Android e iOS vão receber a capacidade de explorar ao longo do caminho, as notificações de eventos climáticos e a orientação de chegada a partir da próxima semana. A distribuição desses recursos será global.
Já a navegação aprimorada vai marcar presença a partir do próximo mês nos aplicativos “em mais de 30 áreas metropolitanas”. O Google pretende expandir o acesso para mais lugares ao longo do tempo.
People would still grow in number without machines and computers, but not as fast. Many would die early and there would not be enough food and other things they need to live.
Many babies would be born since people could not stop pregnancies and wanted big families. But lots of babies and people would die because there were no good doctors, clean water, or ways to keep germs away.
Without shots, medicine, and good doctors, many more people would get very sick and die from diseases that spread quickly. This kept the number of people smaller in the past since lots of people died from being sick.
People could only grow food in small farms and hunt animals for meat. When food ran out, many would starve or not get enough to eat. The number of people would go up and down based on whether there was enough food.
Meta’s earnings come after encouraging results from digital ad bellwethers Alphabet and Snap.
Facebook owner Meta Platforms beat analysts’ estimates for third-quarter revenue and profit on Wednesday, but warned of “significant acceleration” in artificial intelligence-related infrastructure expenses.
The results sent mixed signals to investors about whether digital ad sales from Meta’s core social media business would continue to cover the cost of its massive AI buildout.
Shares of the Menlo Park, Calif.-based firm fell 2.9% in after-hours trading.
“Meta needs to prove that it can continue to cover its AI costs as they rise next year, and any weakness in its core ad business could make investors nervous as they continue to wait for a return on Meta’s bigger AI bets,” said Emarketer principal analyst Jasmine Enberg.
Like its Big Tech peers, Meta has invested heavily in data centers to capitalize on the generative AI boom. Unlike providers of cloud services, however, it does not expect to earn money from those investments right away and therefore is more subject to scrutiny from investors around its spending.
The world’s biggest social media company, headed by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, kept costs in check in the third quarter, with total expenses of $23.2 billion and capital expenditure of $9.2 billion. It projected a slightly improved expense picture for the year as well, narrowing its total expense forecast to $96 billion to $98 billion.
In its press release, however, it warned of “a significant acceleration in infrastructure expense growth next year as we recognize higher growth in depreciation and operating expenses of our expanded infrastructure fleet.”
The €650 million ($702 million) project is being funded by the European Investment Bank, which recently finalized a green credit deal with Belgian transmission operator Elia
In a nutshell: Belgium is constructing a massive artificial island in the North Sea to enhance its renewable energy capabilities. Set to be completed by 2027, the island, dubbed Princess Elisabeth, will integrate an impressive 3.5 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity into the Belgian power grid. That's enough clean electricity to power over three million homes.
The renewable energy stats, like many (if not most) are heavily manipulated. I keep hearing how much power Europe is generating from renewables and the records they hit, then we hear they are turning back on coal plants.
The problem is rather that we produce a lot of energy when its windy and sunny outside, but we dont have any backup when its calm and cloudy. Thats why sea placed can be a soloution.
Solar still produces when it is cloudy, just not as much. Wind is a problem since it does cause havoc. I am not a fan of that. Solar has its place but is not the totality of the answer in my view.
Solar also have the huge problem that it produces basically just half the day. Winter time its pretty bad where I live.
So yeah, we need a solid base power thats stabile combined with renewable.
Morons here in sweden shut down fully working nuclear before any alternative was built and integrated...
The €650 million ($702 million) project is being funded by the European Investment Bank, which recently finalized a green credit deal with Belgian transmission operator Elia to kick off the first phase. This initiative is a key part of the EU's ambitious REPowerEU plan to phase out fossil fuels and fully commit to sustainable energy.
The island will be constructed approximately 45 kilometers off the Belgian coast within the Princess Elisabeth wind zone.
In addition to renewable energy generation, the island is designed to serve as an energy trading hub for the entire continent. The plan includes specialized "hybrid interconnector" transmission lines that will link the island with neighboring countries. These hybrid lines will integrate with the wind farms, enabling two-way energy flows.
Since being added to the S&P 500 in March, Super Micro has lost about two-thirds of its value and now faces the risk of Nasdaq delisting.
In March, Super Micro Computer was added to the S&P 500 after an epic run that lifted the stock by more than 2,000% in two years, dwarfing even Nvidia's gains.
Less than two weeks after the index changes were announced, Super Micro reached its closing high of $118.81 and had a market cap of almost $70 billion. The stock is down 72% since then, pushing the valuation to under $20 billion, the first major sign in the public markets that the hype around artificial intelligence may not all be justified.
Super Micro is one of the primary vendors for building out Nvidia-based clusters of servers for training and deploying AI models.
The stock plunged 33% on Wednesday, after the company disclosed that its auditor, Ernst & Young, had resigned, saying it was "unwilling to be associated with the financial statements prepared by management." Super Micro is now at risk of being delisted from the Nasdaq, and has until Nov. 16 to regain compliance with the stock exchange.
14:04
your in your league you know just just
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go for the another team you know we
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often have a second favorite team right
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what's your second favorite you know
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maybe you used to be a fan of say the
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Golden State Warriors you know maybe now
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it's time to jump onto the who what's
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the next team right Oklahoma City
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they're good now go for them instead
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thanks for watching
Uber reported third-quarter results Thursday that beat analysts' expectations for revenue.
Uber reported third-quarter results on Thursday that beat Wall Street's expectations for revenue but missed on analysts' projections for gross bookings.
Shares of the company were down more than 5% pre-market on Thursday.
Earnings per share: $1.20. That may not compare to the 41 cents expected by LSEG.
Revenue: $11.19 billion vs. $10.98 billion expected by LSEG
Uber's revenue grew 20% in its third quarter from $9.3 billion a year prior. The company reported $40.97 billion in gross bookings for the period, which is below the $41.25 billion expected by analysts, according to StreetAccount.
The company reported a net income of $2.6 billion, or $1.20 per share, up from $221 million, or 10 cents per share, in the same quarter last year. Uber said its net income includes a $1.7 billion pre-tax benefit from unrealized gains related to the reevaluation of its equity investments.
Uber reported adjusted EBITDA of $1.69 billion, up 55% year over year and slightly above the $1.64 billion expected by analysts polled by StreetAccount.
Block, the payments company owned by tech billionaire Jack Dorsey, has launched its corporate card service in the U.K.
Block, the payments company owned by tech billionaire Jack Dorsey has launched its corporate card service in the U.K. in a bid to deepen its expansion into the country and take on big incumbents like American Express.
The firm's business-focused payments arm, Square, told CNBC that it opened registrations for its Square Card product in Britain late Wednesday, marking the first time Block has expanded its business card offering outside North America, where it first launched in 2019.
Currently available in the U.S. and Canada, Square Card is a free business spending card that reduces the time between merchants making a sale and having funds available to spend. It competes with offerings from the likes of American Express and Citigroup.
Samina Hussain-Letch, executive director of Square U.K., said the launch of the firm's corporate card product in the U.K. would give merchants speedier access to funds and help them more easily manage their daily expenses.
"When designing this product we went back to our mission of making commerce easy," Hussain-Letch told CNBC. Based on internal research Square found that small and micro businesses "prefer their funds to be consolidated in one place," she said, adding that real-time access to funds was also an important factor.
Jack Dorsey was born on November 19, 1976, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Tim and Joyce Dorsey. His father was a financial advisor, and his mother was a nurse. Dorsey grew up in a family of modest means, and his parents encouraged his interest in computer programming from an early age.
Dorsey attended Central Methodist College in Fayette, Missouri, where he studied computer science and graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During his time at college, Dorsey became interested in programming and began to teach himself how to code.
After graduating from college, Dorsey moved to New York City to pursue a career in finance. However, he soon became disillusioned with the financial industry and decided to pursue a career in technology instead.
In 2000, Dorsey began to work as a technical assistant for the investment firm, Omidyar Network, which was founded by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay. Dorsey's job involved working with the company's early payment systems, which involved processing online transactions.
In 2006, Dorsey co-founded Twitter with Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass. The service was initially called "twttr" and was designed to allow users to send short messages, or "tweets," to their followers. Dorsey was responsible for designing the service's architecture and writing much of the initial code.
Twitter quickly gained popularity, and Dorsey became the company's first CEO. Under his leadership, Twitter expanded its user base and introduced new features such as hashtags and @mentions.
In 2008, Dorsey stepped down as CEO of Twitter, citing burnout and a desire to focus on other projects. He remained a member of the company's board of directors and continued to work as a consultant to the company.
In 2009, Dorsey co-founded Square, a mobile payment processing company. Square's initial product was a credit card reader that could be plugged into a laptop or mobile device, allowing merchants to process credit card transactions on the go.
The company quickly gained popularity, and Square expanded its product line to include a mobile point-of-sale system, Square Reader, which allowed merchants to process transactions on their mobile devices.
Under Dorsey's leadership, Square expanded its user base and introduced new features such as online invoicing and payment processing for online businesses.
In 2015, Dorsey returned as CEO of Twitter, succeeding Dick Costolo. During his tenure, Dorsey oversaw significant changes to the company, including the introduction of new features such as live streaming and the expansion of Twitter's user base.
Dorsey also played a key role in Twitter's efforts to improve its product, including the introduction of a new user interface and the expansion of Twitter's video capabilities.
In 2020, Dorsey stepped down as CEO of Twitter, citing a desire to focus on other projects and a need to delegate more responsibility to other executives. He remained the company's chairman and continued to work as a consultant to the company.
Personal Life
Dorsey is a devout Catholic and has stated that his faith plays an important role in his life. He has also spoken publicly about the importance of mental health and the need for companies to prioritize employee well-being.
Dorsey is also a self-taught programmer and has a strong interest in blockchain technology. He has invested in several blockchain companies and has spoken publicly about the potential of blockchain technology to disrupt traditional industries.
As of 2022, Dorsey's net worth is estimated to be over $2 billion, according to Forbes. His net worth is largely due to his ownership of Twitter and Square, as well as his investments in other companies.
Philanthropy
Dorsey has also been involved in various philanthropic efforts, including the St. Louis-based non-profit organization, The Fund for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has also donated to various causes, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Dorsey's impact on the technology industry has been significant. He is widely credited with helping to create the modern social media landscape, and his leadership at Twitter helped to shape the company into the platform it is today.
Dorsey's vision for Twitter, which emphasized the importance of real-time communication and the need for a platform that could handle large volumes of user-generated content, helped to set the stage for the development of other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram.
Overall, Jack Dorsey is a highly influential figure in the technology industry, and his leadership at Twitter and Square has helped to shape the modern digital landscape.
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 to dig into his startup's controversies — and business.
Perplexity’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, wouldn’t say how Perplexity defines “plagiarism” in an on stage interview with Devin Coldewey at TechCrunch’s Disrupt 2024 conference.
It’s a touchy subject. News Corp’s Dow Jones and the New York Post have sued Perplexity over what they describe as a “content kleptocracy.” Many other news sites have expressed concerns that Perplexity closely replicates their content — just this month, The New York Times sent the startup a cease and desist.
Srinivas was adamant that Perplexity “always cites its sources” and doesn’t claim ownership of any content.
“It’s surfacing content from the web, summarizing it in a manner that the user can digest,” he said, “and then provides all this information — exactly how journalists do their job, or academics do their job, or students.”
In a recent blog post responding to the Dow Jones lawsuit, Perplexity argued that publishers wished its technology “didn’t exist” and would prefer “publicly reported facts are owned by corporations.” But the post failed to address whether Perplexity allegedly regurgitates content at a massive scale, as some publishers claim — and then competes with those publishers for the same audience.
Colin Kaepernick took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 to talk about the challenges that people who want to disrupt something face, both inside and outside of the tech world.
Former NFL quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 on Wednesday to talk about the challenges that people who want to disrupt something are facing — both inside and outside of the tech world.
“One of the biggest challenges that you will likely face when you try to disrupt something — or you try to do something you’re passionate about, and it ends up disrupting something in that process is you face a lot of resistance,” Kaepernick said. “There will be difficult times, and during those times, you want to have those people that you can lean on, the people that can support you, and that’s really what gives you that endurance.”
Kaepernick is no stranger to disrupting the status quo, as he made national headlines in 2016 when he took a knee to protest racial injustice. The former NFL star says that while he faced a lot of resistance, he also saw a push to create a better and more equitable future.
“When you do that and you see such a strong response to it, it really gives you perspective and insight,” Kaepernick said. “We have such a long way to go. But, the other part that I learned during that time period, there are also a lot of people that want to go that long way with you, and I think that has been the beautiful part coming out of that is while there has been resistance to it, there’s also been a lot of organizing.”
As someone who has had thousands of stories written about him, he now wants to help creators take control of their narratives with Lumi. The startup is aiming to empower creators by helping them independently create and publish stories and content.
Autonomous vehicle technology startup Aurora Innovation is targeting April 2025 for commercial deployment of its autonomous trucks, pushing its timeline
Autonomous vehicle technology startup Aurora Innovation is targeting April 2025 for commercial deployment of its autonomous trucks, pushing its timeline back by about a quarter. The company had originally planned to launch by the end of 2024. The company said it delayed the launch so it can continue to validate its self-driving technology.
“While this is modestly later than we had intended, this timing remains within the margin of error we have anticipated and conveyed throughout 2024,” Aurora CEO and co-founder Chris Urmson wrote in his third-quarter earnings shareholder letter. “With our intention to introduce the Aurora Driver with a crawl, walk, run approach, this shift to our timeline will have a negligible financial impact.”
Aurora will go to market as a carrier, but its end goal is to pursue a driver-as-a-service model, wherein carriers purchase trucks with the Aurora Driver tech on board and then offer their services via those trucks to shippers.
One of the ways Aurora measures the performance and commercial readiness of its Aurora Driver is its use of on-site support, which the company says will be the most expensive support provided. As of the end of the third-quarter, the Aurora Driver was delivering commercial loads without the support of a remote human 80% of the time, which is up 75% from the second-quarter. The goal is to reach 90% by commercial launch in the spring.
The startup intends to deploy up to 10 driverless trucks during commercial launch, with the goal of increasing to tens of trucks by the end of 2025.
Chinese smartphone company Honor on Thursday announced backing from new investors as the Huawei spinoff prepares for an initial public offering.
Chinese smartphone company Honor on Thursday announced backing from new investors as the Huawei spinoff prepares for an initial public offering.
The new backers are: China Telecom — one of the major telecommunications operators in the country — CICC Capital, Chinese venture capital firm Cornerstone and SDG, a fund linked to a Shenzhen economic zone. Honor said its existing partners also made a new investment round through an entity called Jinshi Xingyao.
Honor said earlier this year it planned to start changing its shareholder structure in the fourth quarter, after which it would start the IPO process "at a suitable time."
The company has not said where it would list. Honor announced its IPO plans in November 2023.
Honor spun off from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei in November 2020 after the parent company was hit by U.S. sanctions. Huawei said it does not hold any shares in Honor or have involvement in business decisions.
Last week, Honor revealed the next version of its operating system can use AI to mimic actions on a touchscreen, such as opening an app to order coffee delivery. The company on Wednesday released its new Magic7 series of phones that can use the AI features in China.
The semiconductor unit reported third-quarter operating profit of 3.86 trillion won (about $2.8 billion), down 40% from the previous quarter.
Samsung Electronics on Thursday reported third-quarter sales and operating profit slightly above its own expectations, but its chip business posted a sharply lower profit from the previous quarter.
The semiconductor unit reported third-quarter operating profit of 3.86 trillion won (about $2.8 billion), down 40% from the previous quarter.
While its memory chip unit benefited by strong demand for its artificial intelligence and conventional server products, Samsung said "inventory adjustments negatively impacted mobile demand." The company said it was also contending with "the increasing supply of legacy products in China."
Samsung is the top manufacturer of memory chips used in devices like laptops and servers, and it ranks as the second-largest player in the smartphone market worldwide.
While artificial intelligence drove demand for advanced nodes from its foundry unit, Samsung said mobile and PC demand underperformed. The Korean tech giant said the rebound in mobile and PC demand will be delayed, though interest in more advanced products will continue to grow, driven by AI investments.
Here are Samsung's results compared with the guidance it issued earlier this month:
Revenue: 79.1 trillion won vs. 79 trillion
Operating profit: 9.18 trillion vs. 9.1 trillion won
Those guidance figures were markedly lower than the LSEG estimate for 11.456 trillion won in operating profit. Samsung Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun, the new head of the company's device solutions division, issued a rare apology after the guidance release.
Microsoft has invested over $13 billion in OpenAI, a bet that's weighing on the company's profitability.
Microsoft's massive investment in OpenAI is weighing on earnings.
Following Microsoft's quarterly earnings report on Wednesday, CFO Amy Hood said she expects the company to take a $1.5 billion hit to income in the current period, mainly because of an expected loss from OpenAI.
Microsoft has invested close to $14 billion in OpenAI, whose ChatGPT assistant has gone viral and inspired a whole new industry called generative artificial intelligence. The trend has generated billions of dollars in new revenue for Microsoft.
But OpenAI is losing bundles of cash. The company expects $5 billion in losses this year, before stock-based compensation, on $4 billion in revenue, The Information reported earlier this month, citing documents.
Hood said that for Microsoft, the loss is accounted for under the equity method. The accounting approach refers to a company's share of the invested company's profit or loss in a given period, a Microsoft spokesperson said.
The additional detail is "not due to a change in our partnership or investment in OpenAI," the spokesperson said in an email. "Our partnership with OpenAI continues to deliver results, as we build differentiated IP and drive revenue momentum."
The earnings call came after Microsoft reported an earnings and revenue beat for the fiscal first quarter. However, the stock slid in extended trading after the company's forecast called for slower-than-expected growth.
While OpenAI is a central part of Microsoft's growth strategy, the company has been hedging its bets after integrating OpenAI's models into several products and acting as the startup's exclusive cloud infrastructure provider. On Tuesday, Microsoft's GitHub subsidiary said it would allow developers to power the Copilot Chat feature with models from Google or startup Anthropic instead of OpenAI's GPT-4o.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained on the earnings call how the speed of Meta's AI technology buildout led the company to lift guidance for capex.
Meta has been so quick to build out its massive data center and computing infrastructure for artificial intelligence projects that CEO Mark Zuckerberg is even a bit surprised.
In a call with analysts on Wednesday after Meta's third-quarter earnings report, Zuckerberg explained to investors how Meta's rising costs for the year are tied to the speed at which employees are able to get data centers, servers and chips for AI up and running.
"Going into the year, we had a range for what we thought we could potentially do, and we've been able to do more than we've kind of hoped and expected at the beginning of the year," Zuckerberg said.
It also means investors have to buckle up for higher expenses. Meta raised the low end of its capital expenditures guidance for 2024 to $38 billion from $37 billion. The top end is still $40 billion.
"It's actually something that I'm quite happy that the team is executing well on," Zuckerberg said. "That execution makes me somewhat more optimistic that we're going to be able to keep on building this out at a good pace."
In order to investigate whether and how nanoplastic particles in the body interact with antibiotics, the research team led by Lukas Kenner (MedUni Vienna), Barbara Kirchner (University of Bonn) and Oldamur Hollóczki (University of Debrecen) linked a common drug with widely used types of plastic. The focus was on the broad-spectrum antibiotic tetracycline, which is used to treat many bacterial infections, such as those of the respiratory tract, skin or intestines.
When it came to plastics, the choice fell on polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS), which are ubiquitous components of packaging materials, as well as nylon 6,6 (N66), which is contained in many textiles such as clothing, carpets, sofa covers and curtains. Nanoplastics are smaller than 0.001millimeters and are considered particularly harmful to humans and the environment due to their small size.
Using complex computer models, the team was able to prove that the nanoplastic particles can bind tetracycline and thus impair the effectiveness of the antibiotic. "The binding was particularly strong with nylon," emphasizes Lukas Kenner, pointing out a largely underestimated danger indoors: "The micro- and nanoplastic load is around five times higher there than outdoors. Nylon is one of the reasons for this: it is released from textiles and enters the body via respiration, for example."
When Pat Gelsinger took the helm as Intel's CEO in February 2021, hopes were high for a revival of the company.
Recap: Much ink has been spilled about Pat Gelsinger's missteps at Intel's helm. A new Reuters investigation uncovers some previously unreported details about his tenure, including how he botched a generous discount TSMC had given the US tech giant.
When Pat Gelsinger took the helm as Intel's CEO in February 2021, hopes were high for a revival of the company. However, three years into his tenure, Intel faces significant challenges and setbacks that have raised questions about its future and Gelsinger's leadership.
One of the earliest – and perhaps most significant – blunders by Gelsinger was his mishandling of Intel's relationship with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), according to an investigation by Reuters in which the news service interviewed about four dozen current and former Intel employees and executives.
Gelsinger's return to Intel, where he had spent 30 years earlier in his career, was initially met with enthusiasm. Investors cheered his appointment, and employees celebrated having a technologist back in charge. However, the optimism was short-lived as Gelsinger made several missteps that would impact Intel's relationships and business prospects, starting with TSMC.
According to sources, despite receiving deep discounts from TSMC for chip production, Gelsinger made public statements that offended the Taiwanese company. "You don't want all of your eggs in the basket of a Taiwan fab," Gelsinger said in May 2021, referring to Taiwan's geopolitical situation. He later said, "Taiwan is not a stable place," at a tech conference in December of that year where he encouraged chip manufacturers to remain in the US.
These comments led to TSMC revoking the generous terms it gave Intel – about 40 percent off the $23,000, 3-nanometer wafers on which TSMC would print chips for Intel – affecting Intel's profit margins.
Gelsinger's vision for Intel included transforming the company into a major player in the foundry business, competing directly with TSMC. He announced plans to invest billions in new factories and develop advanced manufacturing processes.
The power grid will need to change, or the future will be dark
Energy
Not being alarmist or “doomer” as was complained about recently. But it’s only a matter of time before another coronal mass ejection (CME), aka solar storm, the level of the 1859 Carrington Event occurs. In 1859 it caused a few fires at telegraph offices, but in the modern age a very strong CME would destroy power grids.
A CME send billions of tons of charged plasma from the sun. When it interacts with the Earth’s magnetic field, it creates geomagnetically induced current (GIC) that collects on miles long conductors, like power lines. This DC-like GIC on an AC system can cause overheating in high-voltage transformers on the transmission system. The heat can damage or destroy these essentially irreplaceable transformers (since they take years to make).
There are methods to “harden” the power grid to GIC, and organizations such as the Department of Energy (DOE) are working on it (example: https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1684647). This isn’t cheap, but is the most promising area.
It might be possible to install more isolation transformers in the existing grid. Another possible solution would be microgrids that don’t have long-haul lines, so would not be susceptible to GIC.
A nuclear EMP can do the same thing to the grid, and more, but overall seems less likely than a regularly occurring solar event we know will happen again. We just can’t predict when.
Either way, changes to the power grid will need to occur if we are to ensure it’s survival.
I dont like it when folks compare solar flares to EMPs. Because while the physics are similar, its just two totally different animals to prepare against.
We have had the transmission grid running since 1950's and other than a single incident in 1989, where 6 million canadians lost power for 9 hours due to a solar flare, the rest have basically been dealt with without much issue. They dont even make the news. I am pretty sure 2022 was one of the worst solar events in US history and nothing really happened (except a bunch of Starlinks satelites got crispy, planes were grounded for a couple hours, and GPS was down for a few minutes.)
It’s essential to understand how EMPs (electromagnetic pulses) and solar flares can impact the electrical grid. Electricity is generated by moving a conductor through a magnetic field: either spinning a conductor within a stable magnetic field or spinning a magnetic field around a conductor.
With solar flares, the Sun emits a magnetic field that interacts with Earth, affecting our grid. The grid’s transmission lines act as the conductor, moving through this magnetic field due to Earth’s rotation. While the field itself isn’t very strong, the combined length of east-west transmission lines creates significant power as the Earth turns. Shorter, non-east-west-oriented distribution lines are generally unaffected. Consumer products and microchips are unaffected. By predicting the timing and location of these power surges, we can install simple fuse-based switches and voltage filters along transmission lines, especially near costly, hard-to-replace equipment. During solar flare events, these switches can open briefly to ground the energy safely. Once the event passes, the switches close, fuses are replaced, and the grid resumes normal operation. This was figured out in the 90's and we have had dozens of events since.
EMP hardening, however, is almost impossible. In an EMP, the pulse is targeted and passes through the conductive material (versus the conductor moving through the feild). The grid is too vast and conductive to insulate everything effectively, and EMPs are unpredictable in timing and location. EMPs can be particularly damaging to small, sensitive components, like microchips. A strong enough EMP could damage a substation transformer, though simpler threats like vandalism with firearms currently pose a bigger risk to transformers, which lack sufficient protection. So we can't harden substations to these kinds of attacks just like we can't harden them to basically any sort of direct assult. Our grid just isn't and can't be nuke proof, bullet proof, etc. Hell, they are not even squirrel proof.
Despite that, the same measures are being taken to limit solar flare damage also prevents EMP damage on a large scale. The approach is to design the grid with “break points” that absorb voltage surges. Many components are already built to “break” first, sacrificing themselves to protect more critical equipment. Now, we are adding cheaper, more breakable, and easier to replace elements to the grid. We are doing this anyways as we hae to manage voltage spikes from our changing power needs (renewable energy and EV charging being biggies).
In the event of a hypothetical attack—like two nuclear detonations above the U.S. to take down the grid—the damage might not be as extensive or irreparable as feared. Substations directly under the EMP’s pulse could be heavily damaged, but the rest of the grid might recover quickly, mostly by just replacing blown fuses and filters. That said, substation transformers that sustained severe damage would take longer to repair or replace. Those are big, heavy, expensive devices and we do not have a lot spares.
And for folks saying this is someting no one is paying attention to. That is not the case. US DOD, DOE, DHS, NSA, FAA, and DOI all have programs looking at this seriously for at least 20 years. There are a number of transmission working groups trying to figure out the best place to put breakables, transformer makers are looking at increased shielding with new alloys and painted on coatings in certain key points. DOD has a purchasing guildines and Milspec transformers, DOE has financial assistance programs and testing sites, DOI and DHS track solar flares and send guidance to transmission operators. But most of the answers here are really boring so they dont get much publicity as we are talking about fuses, paint, operational resiliency best practices.
source: been in the energy biz for 20 years and currently work at a utility managing power supply. So, not an engineer or a lineman with direct operational experience. Ive just been around this stuff for a long time
My buddy in the energy field has the same response whenever this kind of article comes out.
"What makes you think that this article writer is the first person to have noticed this problem, and what do you think I do all day when I'm working to ensure you have power when you turn on the switch? We're always looking at what will go wrong, and preparing for when it does."
Even when Texas had the huge issues they did in 2021, the grid survived, and severe weather events impacting grid stability are more likely than both CMEs and EMPs.
Plus, it's amazing how undefended our energy infrastructure is against physical attacks, not just malicious actors. I've heard plenty of stories about the challenges related to squirrel-proofing substations.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought if we just shut parts of the grid down before and during when the CME hits the earth, the grid wouldn't be overwhelmed and would power back up after the CME without issues.
I work with a lot of power utilities. The number of them that have devoted true resources to EMP hardening the grid is near 0. Duke, Centerpoint, and a handful of others are about it.
I had a conversation with a guy who ran an aerospace concern. Their focus was flying polar sensors that would give utilities warning in events like this.
We are more exposed than ever but we know more than ever now and are endeavoring to know more each day.
This capability already exists to protect satellites, which are far less accessable and far more exposed than any part of the power grid but efforts are underway to improve warning time.
No, we don't. It's simple economics. Can you build a grid that can withstand a CME? Sure. The cost would be stupendously stupid. For an event that might happen....once in a lifetime? It isn't worth it.
Also, whose grid are we trying to save? The north american grid can be repaired within a reasonable period of time. India...not so much.
t's terrifyingly easy to take down a national grid and the fact that no one's done it shows how few people are aware of how easy it is. EVERYWHERE is vulnerable.
The power grids everywhere need many different upgrades for different reasons. But guess what: no one wants to pay for them - no one being the customers/users in this case, because one way (by paying it directly) or the other (via taxes), users will have to pay for it.
But if you try raising prices, the mob will walk in your direction in an instant.
Wouldn't they disconnect the transformers from the lines if a carrington level event was coming so they don't get fried? Seems like pretty common sense stuff
They can and do for solar flares. Problem with EMPs is that the magnetic pulse is, in theory, strong enough to generate enough power via the coils inside the transformer to blow the transformer up.
Then again, if folks are dropping nukes on us...does it matter all that much at that point?
Nah, its just fear mongering. The future will not be dark. They are aware of the potential, and the worst case scenario is max dark for a couple of weeks. OP just thinks they know something everyone else doesn't.
EBay reported better-than-expected earnings for the third quarter, but the results were overshadowed by a disappointing forecast for the current period.
Shares of eBay slumped about 9% in extended trading on Wednesday after the online marketplace issued guidance for the fourth quarter that fell short of Wall Street's expectations.
Here's how the company did in the third quarter:
Earnings: $1.19 per share vs. $1.18 per share expected by LSEG
Revenue: $2.58 billion vs. $2.55 billion expected by LSEG
For the current quarter, eBay predicted revenue to between $2.53 billion and $2.59 billion, which would represent a 1% decline to a 1% increase year over year. The guidance trailed the average analyst estimate for fourth-quarter revenue of $2.65 billion, according to StreetAccount.
The company also said it expects $1.17 to $1.22 in adjusted earnings per share in the fourth quarter. The top end of the range is in line with consensus estimates of $1.22 per share.
EBay has faced increased competition in e-commerce from rivals like Amazon, Walmart and Etsy, as well as low-cost upstarts Temu and Shein, which both have ties to China. To keep buyers and sellers returning to its site, the company has leaned into so-called "focus categories," such as collectible sneakers, used luxury goods and auto parts. It'd also announced artificial intelligence tools that provide personalized recommendations for shoppers and streamline the creation of seller listings.
EBay CEO Jamie Iannone said in an interview following the earnings report that the weak guidance was due to a number of "one-time factors." He cited the prevalence of hurricanes at the beginning of the quarter and shoppers being distracted in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election in November. He also pointed to the shorter holiday shopping season, which has five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year compared with last year.
While most people think of Cisco as a company that links infrastructure elements in data centers and the cloud
While most people think of Cisco as a company that links infrastructure elements in data centers and the cloud, it is not the first company that comes to mind when discussing GenAI. However, at its recent Partner Summit event, the company made several announcements aimed at changing that perception.
Specifically, Cisco debuted several new servers equipped with Nvidia GPUs and AMD CPUs, targeted for AI workloads, a new high-speed network switch optimized for interconnecting multiple AI-focused servers, and several preconfigured PODs of compute and network infrastructure designed for specific applications.
On the server side, Cisco's new UCS C885A M8 Server packages up to eight Nvidia H100 or H200 GPUs and AMD Epyc CPUs into a compact rack server capable of everything from model training to fine-tuning. Configured with both Nvidia Ethernet cards and DPUs, the system can function independently or be networked with other servers into a more powerful system.
The new Nexus 9364E-SG2 switch, based on Cisco's latest G200 custom silicon, offers 800G speeds and large memory buffers to enable high-speed, low-latency connections across multiple servers.
The most interesting new additions are in the form of AI PODs, which are Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs) that combine CPU and GPU compute, storage, and networking along with Nvidia's AI Enterprise platform software. Essentially, they are completely preconfigured infrastructure systems that provide an easier, plug-and-play solution for organizations to launch their AI deployments – something many companies beginning their GenAI efforts need.
Nishad Singh was the fourth former FTX executive to be handed a punishment tied to the collapse of the crypto exchange in late 2022.
Former FTX executive Nishad Singh was sentenced to time served and three years of supervised release on Wednesday, becoming the fourth ex-employee of the collapsed crypto exchange to be punished. Singh was also ordered to forfeit $11 billion.
Singh faced a maximum sentence of 75 years but New York Judge Lewis Kaplan noted his cooperation with the government as "remarkable" and said he was entirely persuaded that Singh's involvement with the fraud was far more limited than that of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried or Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of sister hedge fund Alameda Research.
Ellison was the star witness in the prosecution of Bankman-Fried and recently received a two-year prison sentence.
Singh, who was FTX's head of engineering, pleaded guilty early last year to six criminal charges, including conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws.
Comcast writes that it recorded its biggest week in internet history with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's pre-launch. It accounted for 19% of total network traffic...
In brief: Call of Duty titles have long had an apparent obligation to gobble up as much of your storage space as possible. The latest entry, Black Ops 6, is no exception. The game's size and popularity contributed to what was Comcast's "biggest week in internet history," which makes its 1.2TB data cap seem even more archaic.
Comcast writes that it recorded its biggest week in internet history with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's pre-launch. It accounted for 19% of total network traffic last week, the fifth highest internet traffic event in Comcast network history. Availability of the download and the Thursday Night Football streams accounted for 26 percent of total network traffic.
Black Ops follows in the tradition of other Call of Duty titles in requiring a hefty chunk of your storage space. PlayStation owners need 84.40 GB free to install it, while the game takes up 85.6 GB on Xbox. On PC, you need at least 102 GB free on your SSD to install Black Ops 6 – a number that can inflate to almost 300 GB if you choose to also download Modern Warfare II and III and all the content and language packs.
It is somewhat ironic that Comcast announced its record high internet traffic when most of its US customers have to deal with its 1.2TB data cap. The telecoms giant typically charges for exceeding this cap at a rate of $10 per 50GB, up to a maximum of $100 per billing period. There is an unlimited data plan that costs an additional monthly fee of $25 to $40.
In 2022, the US proposed a bill called the Uncap America Act, which looks to ban data caps from broadband providers that appear predatory. The bill is still under review.
A global enforcement action known as Operation Magnus took down RedLine and Meta, two lines of infostealer malware that scammed millions of victims worldwide.
In context: An infostealer is a dangerous form of malware designed to exfiltrate user data and exploit it for additional malicious campaigns. Eurojust and several other enforcement agencies recently took down two prominent data-stealing trojans in this family. Investigators said this is only the beginning of a far-reaching operation.
A global enforcement action known as "Operation Magnus" took down RedLine and Meta, two lines of infostealer malware that scammed millions of victims worldwide. An international coalition of agencies from the Netherlands, US, Belgium, Portugal, United Kingdom, and Australia called "Eurojust" took down the two malware rings. Authorities made several arrests and seized servers, which they will use to catch and prosecute others involved in the racket.
Eurojust notes that RedLine and Meta operators stole massive amounts of user information, including credentials, physical and email addresses, phone numbers, cryptocurrency wallets, and cookies. The cyber-gangs sold the data to other criminals, adopting a malware-as-a-service (MaaS) business model and offering their "goods" through notorious criminal marketplaces.
Eurojust initiated Operation Magnus after an unnamed security company notified authorities about illegal servers located in the Netherlands. Investigators subsequently discovered over 1,200 servers in dozens of countries hosting the malware and were able to "quickly" exchange information about the threat thanks to the Eurojust interagency partnership.
Robotics company Boston Dynamics has released a new video of its humanoid robot Atlas – now performing tasks with zero human intervention.
Robotics company Boston Dynamics has released a new video of its humanoid robot Atlas – now performing tasks with zero human intervention.
In the video released by the futuristic lab – the robot can be seen performing rote physical tasks with ease and without any help from people guiding it.
The bag of bolts moves engine covers in between supplier containers and while navigating a mobile sequencing dolly – simulating what it would be like to work in a factory, according to the video’s caption.
The company emphasized that the humanoid is “Fully Autonomous” – using machine learning vision model to adapt to changing conditions.
The video includes shots of what Atlas sees while performing its tasks – revealing a somewhat fisheye field of vision that includes highlighted recognition of the objects that it is handling.
“There are no prescribed or teleoperated movements; all motions are generated autonomously online. The robot is able to detect and react to changes in the environment like,” engineers from Boston Dynamics explained.
Earlier this month, Boston Dynamics introduced the world to Atlas – whose head is vaguely reminiscent of the Pixar lamp.
Boston Dynamics, Inc., is an American engineering and robotics design company founded in 1992 as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Boston Dynamics has been owned by the Hyundai Motor Group since December 2020, but having only completed the acquisition in June 2021.[1]
Boston Dynamics develops a series of dynamic highly mobile robots, including BigDog, Spot, Atlas, and Handle. Since 2019, Spot has been made commercially available, making it the first commercially available robot from Boston Dynamics, while the company has stated its intent to commercialize other robots as well, including Handle.
The company was founded by Marc Raibert, who spun the company off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992. The company was an outgrowth of the Leg Laboratory, Raibert's research lab at MIT and Carnegie Mellon University. The Leg Laboratory helped establish the scientific basis for highly dynamic robots. These robots were inspired by the remarkable ability of animals to move with agility, dexterity, perception and intelligence, and the work there set the stage for the robots developed at Boston Dynamics. Nancy Cornelius was a co-founder of Boston Dynamics, having joined the company as its first employee.
During her time there she served as an officer of the company, did engineering on many contracts, was CFO for 10 years, and later was VP in charge of engineering on several contracts. She retired after 21 years of service in 2013, when the company was acquired by Google. Robert Playter was also a co-founder of the company, joining a few months later, as soon as he completed his PhD thesis at MIT working with Raibert in the Leg Laboratory. Playter was COO at the company for many years and has been CEO since 2019
Early in the company's history, it worked with the American Systems Corporation under a contract from the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) to replace naval training videos for aircraft launch operations with interactive 3D computer simulations featuring characters made with DI-Guy, software for realistic human simulation.[6] Eventually the company started making physical robots—for example, BigDog was a quadruped robot designed for the U.S. military with funding from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
On December 13, 2013, the company was acquired by Google X (later X, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.) for an unknown price,[9] where it was managed by Andy Rubin until his departure from Google in 2014.[10] Immediately before the acquisition, Boston Dynamics transferred their DI-Guy software product line to VT MÄK, a simulation software vendor based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
On June 8, 2017, Alphabet Inc. announced the sale of the company to Japan's SoftBank Group for an undisclosed sum. On April 2, 2019, Boston Dynamics acquired the Silicon Valley startup Kinema Systems.
In November 2020, the firm signed an agreement with Trimble Inc. to further develop the Spot dog product.
In December 2020, Hyundai Motor Group acquired an 80% stake in the company from SoftBank for approximately $880 million. SoftBank Group retains about 20% through an affiliate. In June 2021, it was announced that Hyundai officially took a controlling stake in the company from SoftBank.
In October 2022, the company signed a pledge saying it would not support any weaponization of its robotic creations. Boston Dynamics offered other robotics companies to join the pledge with five other firms signing as well
Discover the latest Hyundai news in Australia, Hyundai Motor Groups acquisition of Boston Dynamics from SoftBank. Stay updated with Hyundai Australia.
Hyundai Motor Group acquires a controlling interest in Boston Dynamics from SoftBank, following regulatory approvals and other conditions
The Group expects synergy between the companies to accelerate the development of cutting-edge robotics featuring advanced mobility, manipulation and vision capabilities
With Boston Dynamics, the Group will create a robotics value chain, from robot component manufacturing to smart logistics solutions
Hyundai Motor Group (the Group), Boston Dynamics, Inc. and SoftBank Group Corp. (SoftBank), today announced the completion of the Group’s acquisition of a controlling interest in Boston Dynamics from SoftBank, following the receipt of regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The deal valued the mobile robot firm at $1.1 billion. Additional financial details were not disclosed.
Post-closing, the Group holds an 80 percent stake in Boston Dynamics and SoftBank, through one of its affiliates, retains the remaining 20 percent stake.
Boston Dynamics is the established leader in developing agile, mobile robots that have been successfully integrated into business operations of many of the world’s leading industrial firms. Advanced robotics offer opportunities for rapid growth with the potential to positively impact society by making work safer and more productive.
By acquiring Boston Dynamics and securing a leading presence in the field of robotics, the Group takes another major step toward its strategic transformation into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider. To propel this transformation, the Group has invested substantially in the development of future technologies, including autonomous driving, artificial intelligence (AI), smart factories and robots.
In the field of robotics, the Group aims to develop advanced technologies that enhance people's lives and promote safety, thereby realizing the progress for humanity.
The deal is also expected to allow the Group and Boston Dynamics to leverage each other’s respective strengths in manufacturing, logistics, construction and automation.
Together, the Group and Boston Dynamics will create a robotics value chain, from robot component manufacturing to smart logistics solutions. Additionally, the Group will support Boston Dynamics’ continued expansion of its product line and global sales and service footprint.
Boston Dynamics launched sales of its first commercial robot, Spot® in June of 2020 and now has hundreds of robots operating in a variety of industries, including power utilities, construction, manufacturing, oil and gas, and mining. The company also recently unveiled Stretch™, its first commercial robot specifically designed for warehouse facilities and distribution centres.
The Group today also released a new video to reveal how it would further advance mobility for humanity incorporating Boston Dynamics’ expertise.
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at Microsoft but still I think it's
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pretty exciting to start to see these
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agents actually rolling out in a real
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way we'll soon be able to see a lot more
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around how well they work in practice
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that however is going to do it for
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today's AI Daily Brief headlines Edition
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next up the main episode
Over the same period, North America’s share of developers was effectively cut in half, dropping to 24% from 44% in 2015, according to Electric Capital general partner Maria Shen, who wrote in an Oct. 30 X post:
“Asia is now #1 for crypto devs. The US is losing market share. Crypto impacts every state in the US – crypto should be non-partisan.”
The geographic distribution of crypto developers often signals the regions poised to drive future blockchain innovation. A growing developer base in any region is a positive indicator of mass adoption of blockchain technology, as it suggests an increase in blockchain-based consumer applications.
The US still leads in total crypto developers
Despite 81% of all blockchain developers now residing outside the United States, it still holds the highest number of developers globally.
Approximately 18.8% of all crypto developers are based in the US, followed by India at 11.8%, with the United Kingdom taking the third spot at 4.2%.
Security startup Scylla offers proactive, AI-based security systems to safeguard perimeters around facilities and depots.
In a nutshell: While some view AI as a threat, the military sees it as a tool to detect threats. It has recently deployed an AI surveillance system that can identify threats like armed individuals from more than a mile away. The system also has fewer false alarms than those generated by trained security professionals.
Security startup Scylla offers "proactive," AI-based security systems to safeguard perimeters around facilities and depots. Its Scylla AI systems are apparently good enough to protect US nuclear sites, as the Department of Defense (DoD) began testing them eight months ago at the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) in Richmond, Kentucky.
Currently, BGAD is the only military base testing AI-powered surveillance algorithms to detect potential threats. The systems help personnel find and identify intruders, weapons, or "abnormal behavior" in real-time. Scylla systems work with existing surveillance cameras and drones to monitor facilities, providing significant efficiency improvements in threat response by human personnel.
According to Drew Walter, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear matters, Scylla AI learns in real time, reducing false alarms. The system addresses one of DoD's long-standing challenges in physical security: improving reaction times by security personnel while filtering non-security issues quickly and reliably.
The first phase of the community project was to adjust the colors, materials, and finish of the phone to create a new look.
Community creation: British consumer electronics specialist Nothing launched a campaign earlier this year inviting the community to get involved in the creation of a new variant of the Phone 2a Plus. Now roughly six months later, the company's first co-created product is ready to go.
The first phase of the community project was to adjust the colors, materials, and finish of the phone to create a new look. From there, participants were asked to design new wallpapers that will ship on the phone. Next up was packaging – Nothing wanted something fresh for the special edition phone. Last but not least, Nothing tasked the community with making a marketing campaign for the device.
Nothing fielded more than 1,000 entries across 47 countries during the design phase. The end result is the Phone 2a Plus Community Edition, which utilizes the same core hardware as the original Phone 2a Plus released earlier this year. The highlight is the rear of the phone, which features green tinted phosphorescent accents that glow in the dark.
The glow-in-the-dark theme also carries over to the revised packaging, and is even reflected in the firefly marketing campaign. The six bundled wallpapers "interpret community connections as machine connectors," and look heavily inspired by AI.
The thinness of silicon wafers is important because it reduces resistance and power loss. Current-gen wafers measure 40 to 60 micrometers thick.
The big picture: Infineon has developed the world's thinnest silicon power wafers, measuring just 20 micrometers in thickness – about the same as a human hair. These wafers promise significant performance gains for power conversion applications across AI data centers, consumer electronics, motor control systems, and computing hardware.
The thinness of silicon wafers is important because it reduces resistance and power loss. Current-gen wafers measure 40 to 60 micrometers thick. By roughly halving the wafer's thickness, Infineon has managed to slash substrate resistance by 50 percent. This, in turn, leads to over 15 percent less power loss compared to other solutions.
These benefits are particularly useful for powering the high-performance AI processors in data center servers. Such chips require voltages to be stepped down from 230V AC to under 1.8V DC, a feat achieved by Infineon's breakthrough technologies, including vertical power delivery.
Reducing silicon thickness to 20 micrometers posed significant technical challenges for Infineon's engineers. The typical metal stack holding the chip on the wafer is actually thicker than the target 20-micrometer thickness, so they had to get creative with an innovative wafer-grinding approach to make it work.
NBCUniversal's cable networks portfolio includes Bravo, E!, Syfy, Oxygen True Crime, USA Network, as well as news networks MSNBC and CNBC.
Comcast is exploring a separation of its cable networks business, President Mike Cavanagh said Thursday.
During the company's third-quarter earnings call with investors, Cavanagh said the company is exploring creating "a new, well-capitalized company owned by our shareholders and comprised of our strong portfolio of cable networks."
The possible separation would not include broadcast network NBC nor streaming service Peacock, he added. NBCUniversal's cable networks portfolio includes Bravo, E!, Syfy, Oxygen True Crime and USA Network, as well as news networks MSNBC and CNBC.
The comments come as millions of customers continue to flee the traditional pay TV bundle in favor of streaming. Comcast has been beefing up its streaming service Peacock, which got a boost during the third quarter when it exclusively aired the Summer Olympics in Paris.
The company lost 365,000 cable TV customers during the third quarter. The pain has been felt across the industry.
Analyst firm MoffettNathanson estimated there were 4 million traditional pay TV subscriber losses in the first six months of the year, calling it "a mindboggling total." That includes 2.37 million losses in the first quarter, considered the worst-ever quarter for defections from the bundle.
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is vital for modern process technologies and semiconductor manufacturing for years to come. However, at 1,400 kilowatts per EUV tool — enough to power a small city — EUV lithography systems have become a substantial consumer of power that impacts the environment. TechInsights believes that the power consumption of all fabs equipped with EUV tools will exceed 54,000 gigawatts (GW) of power per year by 2030, which is more than what many countries, like Singapore or Greece, consume per year.
Current Low-NA EUV scanners require up to 1,170 kW, and next-gen High-NA tools are projected to need as much as 1,400 kW per unit (according to TechInsights). The number of these machines installed at fabs operated by Intel, Micron, Samsung, SK hynix, and, of course, TSMC, increases every year.
TechInsights believes that by 2030, the number of fabs with EUV scanners will increase from 31 today to 59, and the number of tools in operation will approximately double. As a result, all the installed EUV systems will consume 6,100 GW/year of power, which suggests that hundreds of the machines will be operational by then.
6,100 GW/year — power consumption comparable to Luxemburg's — is not a lot. However, each advanced chip takes over 4,000 steps to make, and there are hundreds of tools in a fab. EUV equipment accounts for approximately 11% of the total electricity use in a fab, with other tools, HVAC, facility systems, and cooling equipment making up the rest. As a result, the power consumption of all fabs equipped with low-NA and high-NA EUV tools is estimated to increase to 54,000 GW/year.
To put the number into context, 54,000 gigawatts a year of power is around five times more than Meta's data centers consumed in 2023. It is also more than Singapore, Greece, or Romania consume annually and more than 19 times the power consumed by the Las Vegas Strip per year. However, while this is a substantial amount of power, it is only 0.21% of the global power consumption in 2021 (25,343,000 GW/year), a rather small share.
Roku has announced impressive third-quarter earnings, exceeding Wall Street expectations and demonstrating continued growth for the streaming platform provider. However, the company also revealed a significant shift in its reporting strategy, opting to discontinue quarterly updates on streaming households and average revenue per user (ARPU) starting in the first quarter of 2025.
Roku’s third-quarter results highlight its strong financial performance:
Total net revenue reached $1.062 billion, a 16% increase year-over-year, marking the first time the company has surpassed $1 billion in quarterly revenue.
Gross profit reached $480 million.
The company reported a net loss of 6 cents per share, significantly better than the anticipated loss of 32 cents per share.
Comcast has released its third-quarter 2024 earnings report, revealing a mixed bag of results. While the company exceeded financial expectations with increased adjusted EPS and strong free cash flow, it also experienced significant subscriber losses in its TV and internet services.
Subscriber Losses:
Comcast lost 365,000 TV customers and 87,000 internet customers during the third quarter. This continues a trend of cord-cutting and increased competition in the broadband market.
Despite subscriber losses, Comcast demonstrated strong financial performance in other areas:
Adjusted EPS increased 3.3% to $1.12.
The company generated $3.4 billion in free cash flow.
Connectivity & Platforms adjusted EBITDA remained consistent with the prior year, and adjusted EBITDA margin increased.
Domestic broadband average revenue per customer increased 3.6%, driving broadband revenue growth of 2.7% to $6.5 billion.
Domestic wireless customer lines increased 20% year-over-year, with 319,000 net additions in the third quarter.
Comcast also reported growth in its Business Services and Studios segments:
Business Services Connectivity adjusted EBITDA increased 4.2%.
Studios adjusted EBITDA increased 9.0%, driven by the successful theatrical performance of “Despicable Me 4” and “Twisters.”
Peacock’s Continued Growth:
Peacock, Comcast’s streaming service, continued its growth trajectory:
Paid subscribers increased 29% year-over-year to 36 million.
Peacock revenue increased 82% to $1.5 billion.
Comcast’s exclusive broadcast of the Paris Olympics proved to be a major success:
Average daily viewers across linear networks and Peacock increased 82% compared to the 2021 Summer Olympics.
Incremental Olympics revenue in Media reached a record high of $1.9 billion.
Challenges and Opportunities:
While Comcast faces challenges in the form of subscriber losses in TV and internet services, the company’s strong financial performance, growth in other segments, and the success of Peacock and the Olympics demonstrate its ability to adapt to the changing media landscape. Comcast’s continued investment in broadband, wireless, and streaming positions it for future growth in the evolving entertainment industry.
Britain's Labour government on Wednesday announced plans to raise the rate of capital gains tax on sales of shares — the move was less severe than feared.
Britain's Labour government on Wednesday announced plans to raise the rate of capital gains tax on share sales, news that offered some relief for technology entrepreneurs who feared a more intense tax raid on the wealthy.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves on Wednesday hiked capital gains tax (CGT) — a levy on the profit investors make from the sale of an investment — as part of her far-reaching budget announcement. The lower capital gains tax rate will be increased to 18% from 10%, while the higher rate will climb to 24% from 20%, Reeves said. The tax hikes are expected to bring in £2.5 billion.
"We need to drive growth, promote entrepreneurship and support wealth creation, while raising the revenue required to fund our public services and restore our public finances," Reeves said, adding that, even with the higher rate, the U.K. would "still have the lowest capital-gains tax rate of any European G7 economy."
Reeves maintained the £1 million lifetime limit on capital gains from the sale of all or part of a company under business asset disposal relief (BADR), quashing fears from entrepreneurs that the tax relief scheme for entrepreneurs would be scrapped.
However, she added that the rate of CGT applied to entrepreneurs selling all or part of their business under BADR will be increased to 14% in 2025 and 18% a year later. She stressed that this still represented a "significant gap compared to the higher rate of capital gains tax."
The government also isn’t sure if it paid 'fair or reasonable' prices for another 25 spare part orders.
Boeing is under federal scrutiny yet again, but this time it isn’t for midflight door malfunctions, faulty wheels, or makeshift lubricants. According to an audit released on October 29th by the Department of Defense, the beleaguered aircraft manufacturer allegedly up-charged the Air Force nearly 8,000 percent on spare soap dispensers for its fleet of C-17 cargo planes.
“The Air Force did not always pay reasonable prices… in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation,” the DoD Office of Inspector General claimed in its report on Tuesday. In particular, the audit cites an unknown number of lavatory components received at a “7,943 percent markup or more than 80 times the commercially available cost.”
By its own admission, the DoD considers the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III the “Air Force’s most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force.” A total of 222 C-17’s are currently deployed across the Air Force, Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserve Command, which have utilized them in large scale military and humanitarian missions for 30 years. Since most of those missions involve long flights, however, it’s easy to see the importance of maintaining well-stocked, clean bathrooms.
Apart from the dispensers, the most recent audit of the military’s ongoing, $35.6 billion C-17 maintenance contract focused on 45 other spare part categories including toilets and toilet doors, protective tape, and window panels. Auditors deemed a sale “fair and reasonable” if there was a maximum 25 percent markup on any given item bulk order. In this case, the report only classified nine part orders totalling $20.3 million as fair and reasonable—from there, however, things apparently got murkier. The USAF “could not determine” if another 25 spare items that collectively cost the military $22.2 million were fairly priced, while $4.3 million was spent on 9 item orders judged “not… fair or reasonable.”
The National Security Agency's Gilbert Herrera knows many people may not understand why his agency is funding research that could help produce an "economic weapon of mass destruction."
Mr. Herrera, NSA’s research director, said Wednesday that the potential invention of a useful quantum computer could be deployed as an unfathomable weapon, but it could also bring untold benefits for everyone.
He gave a rare glimpse into why the NSA would “fund research that could be used to create a computer that could threaten the global economy” in remarks to the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Military Communications Conference.
“By sponsoring research, we can better gauge what is attainable and by when, and on that basis can estimate the potential availability of a quantum computer and prepare for that eventuality,” Mr. Herrera said in remarks shared by NSA. “This way, we can be prepared for the threat posed by a quantum computer while simultaneously advancing the fundamental science that will lead to a useful quantum computer for the benefit of everyone.”
Government officials around the world worry about the arrival of a useful quantum computer, often referred to as cryptanalytically relevant because of its value in breaking encryption. Such a computer could bypass the security of sensitive systems and make digital defenses for everything from state secrets to financial transactions totally worthless.
“A quantum computer has the potential to significantly cut world energy consumption, make energy storage more efficient and expedite drug discovery,” Mr. Herrera said. “It also has the potential to wreck the world economy and place government networks at risk. In the worst-case scenario, a quantum computer could be an economic weapon of mass destruction.”
A semiconductor research facility in upstate New York was selected as one of three national technology centers and will receive up to $825 million in funding as part of a broader federal effort to boost the United States’ competitiveness in the industry.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer made the announcement Thursday.
The Albany NanoTech complex was selected by federal officials as the national headquarters for research into a cutting-edge semiconductor technology known as extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, lithography. The lab will have the most advanced chip-making machinery in the world and allow researchers from the semiconductor industry to collaborate with their university counterparts, according to Schumer, the Senate’s Democratic majority leader.
“When you do the high-end research, which will be done here, and you can make the most advanced chips in the world, it makes sure that our military has the edge,” Schumer said in a telephone interview. “It makes sure our economy and our companies have the cutting edge, as well,”
The National Semiconductor Technology Center Extreme Ultraviolet Accelerator is scheduled to begin operating next year. The contract for it stems from the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, which was designed to create more high-tech jobs and help the United States compete with international rivals like China. The Biden administration has set a goal for the U.S. to make 20% of the world’s advanced chips.
The Albany lab’s selection also advances longstanding efforts by Schumer and other government officials to make upstate New York a global center of semiconductor research and manufacturing.
Gov. Kathy Hochul late last year announced a partnership with the semiconductor industry to fund construction of the EUV Center.
The Biden administration announced in February that the government would provide $1.5 billion to the computer chip company GlobalFoundries to expand its domestic production north of Albany and in Vermont. And in April, the administration announced an agreement to provide $6.1 billion in government support for Micron Technology to produce advanced memory computer chips near Syracuse, New York; and in Boise, Idaho.
Google is still thriving while the company navigates through a pivotal shift to artificial intelligence and battles regulators trying to topple its internet empire.
The latest evidence of Google’s prosperity emerged Tuesday with the release of its corporate parent Alphabet Inc.’s results for the July-September period. Both Alphabet’s profit and revenue increased at a brisker pace than industry analysts anticipated, thanks primarily to a moneymaking machine powered by Google’s ubiquitous search engine.
Alphabet earned $26.3 billion, or $2.12 per share during the most recent quarter, a 34% increase from a year ago. Revenue rose 15% from the same time last year to $88.27 billion.
“Our commitment to innovation as well as the long-term focus and investment in AI are paying off,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said during a call discussing the results.
The profits would have been even higher if Google wasn’t pouring so much money into building up its AI arsenal in a technological arms race that includes other industry heavyweights Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Facebook parent Meta Platforms and rising star OpenAI. The AI investments are the primary reason Google’s capital expenditures in the past quarter soared 62% from the same time last year to $13.1 billion.
During a two-hour flight from Buenos Aires to Santiago, Chile, I listened to a whole album on my iPhone while writing several items for the magazine I serve using the "new" iPad.
ABOARD AIR CANADA FLIGHT 093 — During a two-hour flight from Buenos Aires to Santiago, Chile, I listened to a whole album on my iPhone while writing several items for the magazine I serve using the “new” iPad. Taking off from Santiago for Toronto (on my way to Hong Kong; don’t ask), I continued to write on my iPad, switching my music source to that device.
It’s not that Air Canada is lacking good entertainment choices. The airline offers several XM Satellite Radio channels, along with movies, TV shows and a shelfful of full-length albums spanning just about every music taste. But I’ve got Toby Keith’s latest on right now, and it’s nice to hear after a week away from country radio stations.
None of this is exceptional; thousands of travelers do these things daily. But this flight is my first, very pleasant experience with in-flight power connections that are rather effortless. Each seat has a USB port for charging devices, as well as a 110-volt outlet for two- and three-prong electrical plugs.
The USB port was good enough for my iPhone, but it didn’t charge the iPad. For that, I had to plug an adapter into the power socket and occasionally repeat the process to keep the charge going. But I started at 88 percent charge and am at 96 percent now, which isn’t bad after a couple of hours of work and listening.
A flight attendant said the airline doesn’t have Wi-Fi on board yet but is working on it. While some fly to get away from the office, those of us traveling on business may welcome the opportunity not only to connect to the Internet, but also to keep our devices charged for when we touch down.
Samsung Electronics on Thursday reported progress on a major supply deal for artificial intelligence-focused chips, aiming to reassure investors following a slowdown in semiconductor profits during the last quarter.
The South Korean technology giant said its operating profit for the July-September period increased by more than 277% from a year earlier to 9.18 trillion won ($6.65 billion). But the figure represented a 12% decline from the second quarter, which Samsung attributed largely to one-off costs, such as provision of employee incentives in its computer chip business, and the effects of a weaker U.S. dollar.
Samsung’s semiconductor division earned 3.86 trillion won ($2.8 billion) in operating profit during the quarter, rebounding from a deficit during 2023 but sharply declining from the 6.45 trillion won ($4.67 billion) it reported in the April-June period.
While Samsung saw solid demand for AI and server chips during the past quarter, its mobile chip business weakened as some customers adjusted inventories. The market was also affected by Chinese manufacturers’ increased supply of legacy memory products, the company said in a statement.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings’ former chairperson, who led the emergency response after a meltdown at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and was accused of being responsible for failing to prevent the disaster as top management, has died, with his trials still pending. He was 84.
Tsunehisa Katsumata died on Oct. 21, TEPCO said Thursday, without providing further details including the cause of his death.
Katsumata was TEPCO chair when Fukushima Daiichi was hit by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 and suffered triple meltdowns. He led the emergency response after the company’s then-president stepped down due to health problems and served until mid-2012.
He later became one of the defendants in high-profile criminal and civil lawsuits seeking TEPCO management’s responsibility over their alleged failure to anticipate the massive quake and tsunami and to take preventive measures.
Nearly 6,000 Fukushima residents in 2012 filed the criminal complaint, accusing several former TEPCO executives, including Katsumata, of professional negligence in the death of more than 40 elderly patients during or after forced evacuations in the aftermath of the meltdown, which released large amounts of radiation to the surroundings.
After prosecutors dropped the case, Katsumata and two other former executives were indicted in 2016 by a citizens’ inquest of prosecution and forced to stand trial in the only criminal case related to the Fukushima disaster.
Katsumata and two co-defendants pleaded not guilty, saying predicting the tsunami was impossible, and were acquitted in the district and high court rulings. The case is now pending at the Supreme Court.
Katsumata also faced a civil trial filed by a group of TEPCO shareholders and was ordered by the Tokyo District Court in 2022 to pay damages exceeding 13 trillion yen ($85 trillion) with three other former executives. The case is pending at Tokyo High Court.
Former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison recently received a reduced sentence of 2 years after cooperating with authorities.
For the first time in nearly two years, the U.S. government’s wallet holding seized assets from Sam Bankman-Fried’s collapsed hedge fund Alameda Research has shown activity.
According to onchain data reviewed by Arkham Research, the government sold over 82,000 ANT tokens in two transactions through AragonDAO’s redemption process, converting them into Ethereum (ETH), the second-largest crypto.
Onchain data shows the transactions netted approximately $1.07 million in ETH, with the U.S. government wallet now containing around $974,000 in various cryptos.
The liquidation move by the government hints at the possibility of further activity to recoup value from the seized crypto assets, as steps are taken to convert holdings into more liquid assets like ETH.
The comment, made during his opening remarks for Meta’s Q3 earnings call on Wednesday, raises a lot of important questions: Exactly which parts of the government will use Meta’s AI models? What will the AI be used for? Will there be any kind of military-specific applications of Llama? Is Meta getting paid for any of this?
When I asked Meta to elaborate, spokesperson Faith Eischen told me via email that “we’ve partnered with the US State Department to see how Llama could help address different challenges — from expanding access to safe water and reliable electricity, to helping support small businesses.” She also said the company has “been in touch with the Department of Education to learn how Llama could help make the financial aid process more user friendly for students and are in discussions with others about how Llama could be utilized to benefit the government.”
Still, Meta is pushing its AI on the government at an interesting time. For one, presidential nominee Donald Trump has recently threatened to jail Zuckerberg, even as the CEO has tried to publicly distance himself — and Meta’s products — from politics.
There’s also the cozying up to the government that Meta’s AI rivals are doing. OpenAI and Anthropic recently said they would share their models with the US AI Safety Institute ahead of time for safety screening. Google’s on-again, off-again relationship as an AI vendor for the Pentagon is well documented. In a recent blog post, OpenAI said its models were being used by DARPA, the US Agency for International Development, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
While we wait to learn about Meta’s AI work with the government, Zuckerberg teased a bit more about the next Llama model on the Q3 earnings call. He said version four is training on “a cluster bigger than I’ve seen reported for anything else others are doing” and that he expects “new modalities,” “stronger reasoning,” and “much faster” performance when it debuts next year.
He acknowledged that Meta plans to continue spending more on AI in 2025, which is “maybe not want investors want to hear in the near term.” But he sees the upside as being worth it.
As a business, Meta is still continuing to grow. The company reported revenue of $40.5 billion for Q3, a 19 percent increase from a year ago, and $17.3 billion in profit. And it claims that 3.29 billion people use at least one of its apps each day, an increase of 5 percent from a year ago.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing cryptocurrency mining in the country in August 2024.
Months after legalising crypto mining, Russia has announced a ban on the practice "in some regions" due to electricity shortages.
According to a report in Russian state news agency TASS, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Grabchak announced that, "mining in the near future will be prohibited at the state level in some regions."
Grabchak stated that electricity shortages in certain regions were behind the ban. "We, for example, already have scarce zones—this is the Far East, this is the southwest of Siberia, this is the South," he said, adding that capacity will be limited in those regions "until 2030."
In August 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing cryptocurrency mining in the country, where it was previously outlawed. Under the law, mining is limited to legal entities and individuals who register with the Ministry of Digital Development, with unregistered entities facing restrictions based on energy limits.
The law also permits Russian residents to trade digital currencies. It came on the heels of a bill legalizing cryptocurrency for international settlements, widely seen as an effort to circumvent sanctions imposed by Western countries.
Google Maps is getting new navigation features that should make inner-city driving a little easier. When enhanced navigation rolls out in November, the blue line on Google Maps will provide a visual of which lane you need to drive in to make your next turn, while the map itself might display crosswalks, signs, and lane restrictions.
This feature is coming to 30 US metros and will show up on Android and iOS. It should hopefully make driving through unfamiliar areas a bit less stressful, as it will add to some of the other helpful navigation features Maps has, such as lane guidance and the ability to see your routes in 3D.
Starting this week, Google Maps is also rolling out an update to its “destination guidance” feature it showed off in July. Along with highlighting your destination and the building entrance, the app will show nearby parking lots, parking location reminders, and walking directions to the front door of the building. Google Maps is expanding its reporting system to include adverse weather conditions that might affect your driving, too, such as low visibility, fog, snow, unplowed roadways, or flooding.
Aside from these new features, Google is adding more AI features to the app that could help you find new places, while Waze is testing the ability to report incidents with your voice. We’ve seen Google make several other notable changes to Maps in recent months, as it started using AI to summarize reviews of EV chargers and has leveraged its algorithm to surface recommendations about places to eat and visit.
The crypto exchange announced a $1 billion stock buyback
Coinbase (COIN) shares were down 4% in after-hours trading on Wednesday as the crypto exchange posted weaker-than-expected profit and revenue. The largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States reported earnings that fell short of analyst expectations, with earnings per share coming in at $0.28 compared to the forecasted $0.41. Revenue also missed projections, reaching $1.21 billion rather than the anticipated $1.26 billion.
Coinbase’s transaction fees dropped by 27% from the previous quarter as trading volumes across U.S. exchanges continued to decline. The company attributed this downturn to challenging market conditions, according to its shareholder letter.
Additionally, revenue from Coinbase’s subscription and services—which includes offerings like stablecoins, staking, and leverage for Prime traders—experienced a decline of 7%, totaling $556.1 million.
In its shareholder letter, the company noted, “We are working to drive revenue growth through products like derivatives, international expansion, custody, and deeper integration of USDC into the cryptoeconomy.”
Not all news was negative for the company, as it demonstrated progress in several areas. In its earnings report, Coinbase announced a $1 billion stock buyback program, signaling confidence in its long-term outlook and offering value to shareholders.
Waze is testing a handy-sounding update that will let you report traffic incidents while speaking naturally. With the new feature, you can tap the app’s reporting button and then say what you see, such as, “Looks like there’s a traffic jam up ahead.”
The Google-owned driving app will then use the Gemini AI model to “understand” what you’ve said and create a report. If you make a vague report, like “There’s something on the road,” Waze might ask follow-up questions, like “Can you describe what you see?” Depending on your reply, the app will then use that information to categorize your report.
You can currently only report incidents on Waze by tapping through options within the app, which isn’t always convenient while you’re driving. Waze will roll out voice reporting in beta to “trusted testers” on Android and iOS this week. It’s only available in English for now, but Waze plans to expand it to more users and languages in the “coming months.”
Alongside this update, Waze will also start displaying school zones on the map globally later this year, alerting you to drive more safely in these areas.
A Meta AI, assistente do WhatsApp, Instagram e Facebook, já tem mais de 500 milhões de usuários ativos no mundo todo. A marca foi revelada pelo CEO da Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, nesta quarta-feira (30) durante o anúncio dos resultados financeiros da companhia do terceiro trimestre de 2024.
O novo recorde chega cerca de um mês após a companhia informar que estava próxima de bater a margem dos 500 milhões de usuários no Meta Connect 2024. Durante o evento, vale lembrar, foi anunciado o Llama 3.2, modelo por trás do chatbot do WhatsApp, além de outras novidades para a plataforma de IA.
“Estimamos que agora há mais de 3,2 bilhões de pessoas usando pelo menos um de nossos aplicativos todos os dias — e estamos vendo uma rápida adoção da Meta AI e do Llama, que está rapidamente se tornando um padrão em todo o setor”, disse Zuckerberg. “A Meta AI agora tem mais de 500 milhões de usuários ativos mensalmente.”
O resultado vem à tona logo após a estreia da Meta AI no Brasil, anunciada em 9 de outubro pela companhia. Contudo, o chatbot de IA só começou a desembarcar no WhatsApp e demais aplicativos dias depois, através de um processo de distribuição gradual.
No mensageiro, o assistente de inteligência artificial é acessado tanto pela caixa de pesquisa quanto através do ícone de “círculo azul”, posicionados na tela inicial. Contudo, usuários podem acioná-lo dentro de conversas com garantia de privacidade através do comando “@Meta AI”.
Ainda que o uso seja opcional, não existe opção para desativar a IA da Meta no WhatsApp. Contudo, usuários podem realizar procedimentos para limitar o chatbot, como silenciar e arquivar ou apagar a conversa.
Zuckerberg compartilhou outros dados sobre os demais serviços da Meta, como o WhatsApp. Segundo o executivo, a plataforma já ultrapassou a marca global de 2 bilhões de ligações feitas todos os dias e apresenta largo crescimento nos Estados Unidos, país marcado pela forte presença do iMessage, da Apple.
Já o Threads acumula quase 275 milhões de usuários ativos mensalmente. “O engajamento também está crescendo. Então continuamos no caminho para que se torne nosso próximo grande aplicativo social”, disse o CEO.
Ainda segundo o executivo, a Meta já treina os modelos da família Llama 4, que representam a próxima geração de sua tecnologia de IA. A expectativa é que os primeiros marcos da atualização sejam revelados no ano que vem.
The streaming music service, founded by Jay-Z, has been owned by Dorsey's Block for several years.
Jack Dorsey told staff at music streaming app Tidal that they’re in for another mass layoff.
The CEO of Block, which owns the music streaming platform, said in a note to staff Wednesday morning and viewed by Fortune that Tidal needs to operate “like a startup again.” This requires organizations across the company to operate with a “much smaller team,” Dorsey said.
“So we’re going to part ways with a number of folks on our team,” Dorsey explained in the note. “We’re going to lead with engineering and design, and remove the product management and product marketing functions entirely. We’re reducing the size of our design team and foundational roles supporting TIDAL, and we will consider reducing engineering over the next few weeks as we have more clarity around leadership going forward.”
Dorsey did not provide a number of the amount of people to be affected by the job cuts, but speculation among company insiders is that as many as 100 employees could be laid off, which would amount to roughly a quarter of Tidal’s staff.
This is the second layoff at tidal in less than a year. The streamer cut 10% of its staff in December 2023. And in July, Dorsey told Block staff to prepare for a reorganization of the entire company, in order to take Block back “to how we started as a company,” as Fortune reported at the time.
Block acquired a majority stake in Tidal for roughly $300 million in 2021. The streaming music service was founded by Jay-Z but struggled to gain traction, amid competition from Spotify and Apple music. In 2023 a judge dismissed a shareholder lawsuit against Block over the acquisition according to Reuters, but noted that “it seemed, by all accounts, a terrible business decision.”
“At the end of the day, what is pain? Your pain might be my pleasure,” says a CEO who sees all problems as opportunities.
“In the first hundred days I was here, I travelled the whole world. The whole world. I met every single person that works for this company in person, and shook their hand.”
Handshake intensity is a thing, in McDermott’s world.
The first handshake is incredibly important, he says. It’s part of his mindset, especially for dealing with clients. He advises sales people, upon entering a room with a prospective client, to “find the decision-maker and shake his hand, but be the last one to let go.”
He spoke to Fortune recently in a penthouse suite at the Four Seasons hotel in London, during a business trip to meet clients.
Samsung reported $6.6 billion in quarterly operating profit, a 12% decrease from the previous quarter and below market expectations.
South Korea’s Samsung Electronics said Thursday that its operating profits soared 277% on-year to $6.6 billion, but missed expectations as it struggled to leverage demand for chips used in artificial intelligence servers.
The world’s largest memory chip maker posted an operating profit of 9.18 trillion won ($6.6 billion) “largely due to one-off costs”.
It also warned in a statement that “the strength of the Korean won against the U.S. dollar resulted in a negative impact on company-wide operating profit.”
Although operating profit nearly tripled compared to a year ago, it fell short of market expectations and was down 12% compared to the previous quarter.
Revenue rose 17.35% to 79.1 trillion won ($57.2 billion), its highest quarterly record, Samsung said.
The firm is the flagship subsidiary of South Korean giant Samsung Group, by far the biggest of the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate business in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
Semiconductors are the lifeblood of the global economy, used in everything from kitchen appliances and mobile phones to cars and weapons.
The company’s semiconductor division reported 3.86 trillion won in operating profit, a 40% sharp decrease compared to last quarter.
Samsung said its performance had decreased due to “a reduced reversal of inventory valuation loss compared to the previous quarter, one-off expenses such as the provision of incentives, and currency effects due to a weak dollar”.
A 9th grader from Snellville, Georgia, has won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, after inventing a handheld device designed to detect pesticide residues on produce.
Sirish Subash set himself apart with his AI-based sensor to win the grand prize of $25,000 cash and the prestigious title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”
Like most inventors, Sirish was intrigued with curiosity and a simple question. His mother always insisted that he wash the fruit before eating it, and the boy wondered if the preventative action actually did any good.
He learned that 70% of produce items contain pesticide residues that are linked to possible health problems like cancer and Alzheimer’s—and washing only removes part of the contamination.
“If we could detect them, we could avoid consuming them, and reduce the risk of those health issues.”
His device, called PestiSCAND, employs spectrophotometry, which involves measuring the light that is reflected off the surface of fruits and vegetables. In his experiments he tested over 12,000 samples of apples, spinach, strawberries, and tomatoes. Different materials reflect and absorb different wavelengths of light, and PestiSCAND can look for the specific wavelengths related to the pesticide residues.
After scanning the food, PestiSCAND uses an AI machine learning model to analyze the lightwaves to determine the presence of pesticides. With its sensor and processor, the prototype achieved a detection accuracy rate of greater than 85%, meeting the project’s objectives for effectiveness and speed.
The underlying tech of hydrogen passenger cars can still be transformative.
Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles aren’t just fodder for science fiction or far-out R&D experiments. Cars fueled by hydrogen, like the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo, are already here, and fuel-cell technology is actively evolving and benefiting from billions of dollars in federal research and infrastructure funding. So then, why are hydrogen cars virtually non-existent on U.S. roads today? What happened?
“The answer is very simple: economics,” Sergey Paltsev, a senior research scientist at the MIT Energy Initiative told Popular Science. Politicians and automakers once held up the fuel cell, which turns the chemical energy of hydrogen into electricity to drive an electric motor, as the future of passenger automobiles, but the falling cost of batteries and the upsides of a preexisting fueling infrastructure (see: the electrical grid) have propelled battery-electric cars well into the lead.
“It’s not just the cost of the car,” explained Paltsev, who is also deputy director of the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy. This is an important point, because in California, low-milage hydrogen cars sell at a steep discount.
What makes hydrogen passenger cars altogether costlier than their battery-electric counterparts is the lack of fueling infrastructure, energy-conversion inefficiencies, and the price of the fuel at the pump.
A brief history of people bullying robots
In 2015, a jovial three-foot-tall robot with pool noodles for arms set out on what seemed like a simple mission. Using the kindness of strangers, this machine, called “hitchBOT” would spend months hitchhiking across the continental United States. It made it just 300 miles. Two weeks into the road trip, HitchBOT was found abandoned in the streets of Philadelphia, its head severed and spaghetti arms ripped from its bucket-shaped body.
“It was quite a setback, and we didn’t really expect it,” hitchBOT co-creator Frauke Zeller told CNN at the time.
hitchBot’s untimely dismemberment isn’t a unique case. For years, humans have relished opportunities to kick, punch, trip, crush, and run over anything remotely resembling a robot. This penchant for machine violence could move from funny to potentially concerning as a new wave of humanoid robots is being built to work alongside people in manufacturing facilities. But a growing body of research suggests we may be more likely to feel bad for our mechanical assistants and even take it easy on them if they express sounds of human-like pain. In other words, hitchBot may have fared better if it had been programmed to beg for mercy.
Humans feel guilty when robots cry
Radboud University Nijmegen researcher Marieke Wieringa recently carried out a series of experiments looking at how people reacted when asked to violently shake a test robot. In some cases, participants would shake the robot and nothing would happen. Other times, the robot would emit a pitiful crying sound from a pair of small speakers or enlarge its “eyes” to convey sadness. The researchers say they were more likely to feel guilty when the robot gave the emotion-like responses. In another experiment, the participants were given the option of either performing a boring task or giving the robot a solid shake. Participants were more than willing to shake the robot when it was unresponsive. When it cried out, however, participants opted to go ahead and complete the task instead.
Microsoft's cloud helped to lift its fiscal first-quarter results after Google's parent reported similarly strong cloud growth a day earlier.
Microsoft’s cloud business played a big role in driving overall growth for the tech giant in the latest quarter, as more customers used the company’s cloud services for their AI-powered platforms and tools.
Microsoft cloud revenue in the first-fiscal quarter was $38.9 billion, up 22% year-over-year.
Much of that growth came from Microsoft Azure, the company’s public cloud computing platform, which saw 33% growth in revenue. Meanwhile, Microsoft 365 Commercial products and cloud services revenue increased 13%, or up 14% in constant currency.
Overall, Microsoft’s revenue for the quarter ending Sept. 30 was $65.6 billion, a 16% increase, or about $1 billion more than analysts had expected.
“AI-driven transformation is changing work, work artifacts, and workflow across every role, function, and business process,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a statement. “We are expanding our opportunity and winning new customers as we help them apply our AI platforms and tools to drive new growth and operating leverage.”
In after-hours trading on Wednesday, Microsoft’s shares rose just under 1% to $436. But later, a disappointing outlook for Azure growth in the current quarter—31% to 32% growth in the current quarter, versus 33% in the just reported one—sent the company’s stock into reverse, down 4%.
Elon Musk's rocket company got in big trouble for taking smart tech workers from another company to help build their special internet from space project.
Get shopping recommendations, product details, and more.
AI can assist everywhere from your email apps to fast food outlets. Now Amazon is keen to be involved in the AI revolution with an AI bot called Rufus, which can answer questions, research products, and help you make the right buying decisions across Amazon.
Maybe you’re stuck for a gift idea for someone special in your life, or you need to compare two products against each other. From asking about your active orders to checking up on the details of something you’re thinking about buying, Rufus can help—and here’s how you can find it.
If you’re familiar with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT or Gemini, Rufus is very much along the same lines. It’s trained on “Amazon’s extensive product catalog, customer reviews, community Q&As, and information from across the web”, which it then sifts through, connects together, and summarizes to respond to your questions.
These bots, however, don’t just copy and paste information—they’re designed to generate fresh and original responses, so (as always with these AI models) mistakes can be made. Amazon says Rufus “may not always get things right,” so it’s worth double-checking important details—don’t assume everything Rufus sells is 100 percent correct, and don’t share private or personal information with it.
If you’re using the Amazon Shopping app for Android or iOS, you’ll find Rufus on the right of the navigation bar at the bottom (the Rufus logo is two blobs with a star next to them): Tap the button to bring up a chat window and start asking questions. If you’re shopping through the Amazon website, you’ll see the Rufus button up on the left-hand side of the toolbar at the top.
Straight away, Rufus will make suggestions about questions to ask—some of these may be related to recent searches or recent purchases. Click or tap on any of the suggestions, or enter your own question or prompt, and Rufus springs into action.
After each response, you get the opportunity to ask follow-up questions (Rufus will remember the conversation history), and rate the responses you’ve been given (via the thumbs up or thumbs down buttons). You can clear your chat history in Rufus, but only in the app, and not on the web: Tap on the three dots (top right), then choose Manage chat and Clear chat history.
Key drivers of growth included cloud computing, AI, and gaming, even as traditional revenue streams like consumer software and hardware took a backseat.
Recap: Microsoft's revenue grew 16 percent year-over-year to $65.6 billion in Q1 FY25, surpassing consensus analyst projections of $64.5 billion. Operating income rose 14 percent to $30.6 billion, while net income increased by 11 percent, reaching $24.7 billion. Diluted earnings per share climbed 10 percent to $3.30.
Key drivers of growth included cloud computing, AI, and gaming, even as traditional revenue streams like consumer software and hardware took a backseat. Microsoft's Intelligent Cloud division, encompassing Azure, grew 20 percent year-over-year to $24.1 billion, with the majority of gains from the commercial sector. Revenue from Microsoft 365 commercial products and cloud services increased by 13 percent, while consumer products and cloud services revenue rose a more modest five percent.
A standout growth area this quarter was Xbox content and services, which surged by 61 percent YoY, largely due to the Activision acquisition. The gaming division also benefited from a price hike for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III on Game Pass, both of which likely contributed to increased earnings.
Search and news advertising revenue grew by 18 percent, while LinkedIn revenue increased by 10 percent. Windows OEM and Devices revenue saw a marginal two percent increase; although Windows OEM showed some actual growth, Devices revenue declined compared to the previous year.
During the earnings call, CEO Satya Nadella emphasized Microsoft's commitment to AI, particularly in enhancing Copilot. He highlighted how the company is acquiring new AI customers by helping them "drive new growth and operating leverage." Nadella also announced that Microsoft's AI business is on track to exceed a $10 billion annual run rate this quarter.
Oxfam, the British NGO that focuses on addressing global poverty, published a report examining carbon inequality.
In a nutshell: The world is trying to cut down on carbon emissions through the likes of renewable energies and other environmentally friendly initiatives. But it seems one of the best ways to reduce these planet-warming gases would be for billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to stop using their private jets and yachts so much. According to a new report, members of the super-rich create the same amount of carbon emissions in 90 minutes that an average person does over their entire lifetime.
Oxfam, the British NGO that focuses on addressing global poverty, published a report examining carbon inequality. It looks at how the yachts, jets, and polluting investments of 50 of the world's richest billionaires are accelerating the climate crisis.
The results make for startling reading. Oxfam identified private jets belonging to 23 of the 50 richest people in the world and found that, on average, these billionaires each took 184 flights – spending 425 hours in the air – in 2023. That was equal to an average of 2,074 tonnes of carbon a year, or as much carbon as the average person would produce in 300 years, or 2,000 years' worth for someone in the global poorest 50%.
Um novo estudo sugere que a primeira imagem do buraco negro supermassivo da Via Láctea, capturada pelo EHT em 2022, pode não ser muito precisa. De acordo com os autores, o anel de luz ao redor da região escura que aparece na foto pode ser, em parte, um artefato gerado durante a análise de dados, e não uma estrutura real.
Astrônomos do Observatório Astronômico Nacional do Japão (NAOJ) publicaram um artigo sugerindo que a imagem do buraco negro supermassivo Sagitário A* (Sgr A*) não representa seu formato com precisão.
Isso significa que, embora a foto realmente seja do Sgr A*, algumas características que vemos não faz parte do buraco negro em si. Para chegar a esse resultado, os autores do novo estudo usaram métodos tradicionais aos dados do buraco negro. A abordagem difere da técnica usada pela EHT.
As observações do EHT foram realizadas com uma rede de oito radiotelescópios combinados. Os resultados mostraram uma estrutura de anel brilhante em torno de uma região escura, sugerindo a presença de um buraco negro.
Essa estrutura brilhante é o que os astrônomos chamam de disco de acresção, um anel de plasma, formado por matéria capturada pela gravidade extrema do buraco negro. O disco de acreção gira ao redor do monstro cósmico em alta velocidade e brilha em diferentes comprimentos de onda.
Porém, os pesquisadores do novo estudo argumentam que há algumas lacunas nos dados desses telescópios, exigindo algoritmos que podem introduzir artefatos na imagem final. Por isso, no lugar desses algoritmos, a equipe usou os métodos mais tradicionais usados pela comunidade científica.
Como resultado, os autores obtiveram uma imagem que revela uma estrutura diferente daquela divulgada pelo EHT. O professor Miyoshi Makoto, do NAOJ, explicou que o disco de acreção está alongado e girando a 60% da velocidade da luz, com brilho maior na metade leste (no lado direito da foto).
Os autores do estudo reconhecem que ambos os resultados podem estar corretos, já que muitos pesquisadores validaram a imagem do EHT desde sua publicação, fortalecendo a confiança no trabalho original.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a robotic construction method called impact printing that is sustainable because it uses earth-based materials instead of cement.
In a nutshell: As the construction industry faces pressure to reduce its carbon footprint, developments like impact printing offer a solution. By harnessing abundant earth materials and advanced robotics, this method is more sustainable than traditional construction methods and even 3D printing.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a robotic construction method called impact printing that is sustainable because it uses earth-based materials instead of cement.
Impact printing rapidly deposits small portions of a specially formulated earth mixture at high velocities. A custom-built robotic tool extrudes and shoots the material downward at up to 10 meters per second, gradually building up walls and structures. As each portion impacts the layers below, the material bonds strongly without requiring additional adhesives or drying time.
"We developed a robotic tool and a method that could take common material, which is the excavated material on construction sites, and turn it back into usable building products, at low cost and efficiently, with significantly less CO2 than existing industrialized building methods, including 3D printing," Dr. Lauren Vasey, project lead at ETH Zurich, told Ars Technica.
The earth mixture used in impact printing is composed primarily of locally sourced materials like excavated soil, silt, and clay – materials that can often be obtained directly from construction sites. Currently, only about 1-2 percent mineral stabilizer is required, which is far less than the cement content in conventional concrete.
Exactly! My initial Captions for this video whiles posting it here was, " What the heck is this guy saying, somebody make it make sense to me" but I thought maybe there might be a side or views I haven't considered.
Sure. There is a lot of technology stuff our there and we are feeding LeoAI a lot of data. This will enable it to establish a lot of relationships/connections.
So add as much as you can, it will only improve the performance of things.
AMD's recently launched Instinct MI300 GPU has quickly become a massive revenue driver for the company, rivaling its entire CPU business in sales.
What just happened? AMD's Instinct MI300 has quickly established itself as a major player in the AI accelerator market, driving significant revenue growth. While it can't hope to match Nvidia's dominant market position, AMD's progress indicates a promising future in the AI hardware sector.
AMD's recently launched Instinct MI300 GPU has quickly become a massive revenue driver for the company, rivaling its entire CPU business in sales. It is a significant milestone for AMD in the competitive AI hardware market, where it has traditionally lagged behind industry leader Nvidia.
During the company's latest earnings call, AMD CEO Lisa Su said that the data center GPU business, primarily driven by the Instinct MI300, has exceeded initial expectations. "We're actually seeing now our [AI] GPU business really approaching the scale of our CPU business," she said.
This achievement is particularly noteworthy given that AMD's CPU business encompasses a wide range of products for servers, cloud computing, desktop PCs, and laptops.
The Instinct MI300, introduced in November 2023, represents AMD's first truly competitive GPU for AI inferencing and training workloads. Despite its relatively recent launch, the MI300 has quickly gained traction in the market.
Improve your browsing experience with Mozilla's open-source and highly acclaimed Firefox.
Firefox's has been reimagined in 2024 to be fast, modern and inviting the first time you run it and every day after. We've always had your back on privacy, and still do. We think the browser should be a piece of software you can rely on to have your back, pleasant to look at and working seamlessly with the web.
Is Firefox a trustworthy browser?
Firefox is considered a secure and private browser. By default, Firefox blocks known third party trackers, social media trackers, cryptomining scripts and fingerprinters from collecting your data.
Does Firefox use Google as a search engine?
Yes, Google pays hefty royalties to Mozilla/Firefox for making them the default search engine in Firefox. That deal is worth around $400 million per year (as of 2021-2022) and makes up the vast majority of Mozilla's total revenue.
Is Firefox better than Google Chrome?
Firefox and Chrome are updated every few weeks, so it's hard to compare them over time. At one point, Firefox has offered advantages over Chrome in terms of RAM usage, but that claim can go back and forth depending on the revision (and the potential for regressions). Microsoft Edge and Apple's Safari have also made such claims, but in general all browsers are continually improving and beating each other.
Firefox does offer better privacy and customizability (to an extent) and is a solid browser with lots of add-ons available. If you want the best customizability on a stock browser, you should also check out Vivaldi (Chromium based).
Who owns Firefox?
Firefox is developed by the Mozilla Foundation, a US-based non-profit that operates and controls the Mozilla project.
Is Firefox based on Chromium?
No, Firefox is not based on Chromium. In fact, Firefox is one of the last major browsers that isn't. Firefox runs on its own Quantum browser engine.
Mozilla introduced the Privacy-Preserving Attribution API with Firefox 128, stating that it would measure ad performance without employing third-party servers to track what Firefox users were doing
Facepalm: Mozilla recently introduced a controversial technology designed to help advertisers while preserving users' privacy. However, a European privacy watchdog says that while it's "less invasive" than tracking cookies, it is still tracking without consent. It has asked regulators to open a GDRP investigation.
Mozilla introduced the Privacy-Preserving Attribution API with Firefox 128, stating that it would measure ad "performance" without employing third-party servers to track what Firefox users were doing online. The European Center for Digital Rights, also known as Noyb (none of your business), has now filed a complaint against the US company, lamenting that the new API is just switching control of the tracking process to the browser instead of eliminating it.
Nyob claims that Firefox is tracking users now instead of individual websites. Privacy-conscious users could consider this an improvement over traditional behavioral profiling with invasive cookies. However, Mozilla doesn't ask users for permission and enables the feature by default. The opt-out feature is similar to Google's Privacy Sandbox initiative, which promised to kill third-party cookies using browser-based tracking but failed.
While PPA is considered a less invasive tracking alternative in the US, Nyob stated, it still violates Europe's General Data Protection Regulation.
"Mozilla has just bought into the narrative that the advertising industry has a right to track users by turning Firefox into an ad measurement tool," said Nyob data protection lawyer Felix Mikolasch.
Mozilla is reminding Firefox users that a necessary root certificate expires soon and that older browser versions could become a security and usability nightmare in a few...
In context: Root certificates are an essential element for modern browser security. They protect users by verifying signed web pages, extensions, and other types of content. However, developers must update root certificates constantly; otherwise, the root of the trust chain breaks, and everything goes down the drain.
Mozilla is reminding Firefox users that a necessary root certificate expires soon and that older browser versions could become a security and usability nightmare in a few months. Starting March 14, 2025, Firefox versions older than 128 (ESR 115.13) containing the expired certificate will likely cause "significant" issues with add-ons, content signing, and streaming of DRM-protected media.
Failing to update Firefox before next March means losing features relying on remote functionality. Many installed add-ons will become disabled, and other systems that require content verification could also break. The issue affects Firefox editions for Android and Windows operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Those with iPhone or iPad versions of Firefox should be okay.
Mozilla's FAQs explain that a root certificate authenticates browser content as trusted. When a certificate expires, Firefox cannot verify content anymore. The newest versions of Firefox and other Mozilla software using the same root-of-trust model include a new root certificate that will prevent the expiration issue in March 2025.
"We spoke last in March. Your prediction was that AI was increasing at a rate as fast as 100 times per year and that by 2029 or 2030 we might see AI as capable as 8 billion humans. Are you still seeing that pace?"
"Yeah. It's a difficult thing to quantify exactly. But I certainly feel comfortable saying that it's getting ten times better per year, which is - you know, for years now, that would mean 10,000 times better. So maybe 100,000."
"And I think it'll be able to do anything that any human can do, possibly within the next year or two. And then - how much longer would it take to be able to do what all humans do combined? I think not long. Probably only three years from that point. So it's like 2028, 2029."
"In our other conversation, and you came out on the same side as Geoffrey Hinton in this, was 80% probability it's going to be awesome, 20% probability we're screwed. Are you still on those odds?"
"Yeah. I mean, one could say it's most likely going to be great and there's some chance - which could be 10 to 20% - that it goes bad. The chances aren't zero that it goes bad. But overall, at one point you said the cup is 80% full is one positive way to look at it. Maybe 90%."
More than 500 Amazon employees urged Amazon Web Services boss Matt Garman to stop making them return to the office.
According to reports, the workers sent a letter to Mr. Garman on Wednesday, pleading with him to reverse the policy. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced in September that the office mandate starts in January.
At an Oct. 17 meeting with AWS employees, Mr. Garman said 90% of employees agreed with the new policy.
Yet in their letter, the employees said, “We were appalled to hear the nondata-driven explanation you gave for Amazon imposing a five-day in-office mandate.”
The letter added that Mr. Garman’s comments misrepresented the feelings of Amazon workers, who they say are overwhelmingly against the company’s policy change.
Attached to the letter were anonymous testimonials from Amazon workers who said the new move would add an extensive commute, taking them away from their families.
This week’s letter is further evidence of discontent among Amazon employees. During the coronavirus pandemic, the retail giant let its corporate employees work entirely remotely. As pandemic restrictions loosened, Amazon required employees to come into the office at least three days a week unless they had a special reason to stay home.
OpenAI has launched its Google challenger: ChatGPT Search. It lets ChatGPT users more easily search the web for up-to-date info.
OpenAI’s Google challenger is finally here.
The company on Thursday launched ChatGPT Search, an evolution of the SearchGPT prototype it unveiled this summer. Built into OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform, ChatGPT Search is designed to give “timely answers” to questions, OpenAI says, drawing from a range of online sources.
Powered by a fine-tuned version of OpenAI’s GPT-4o model, ChatGPT Search serves up information and photos from the web — like sports scores, news, stock quotes, and more — along with links to relevant sources, at which point you can ask follow-up questions to refine an ongoing search.
ChatGPT will choose to search the web based on what you ask, or you can manually choose to search by clicking the new web search icon.
Responses have both in-line and sidebar attribution to news publishers and other data sources OpenAI has licensing deals with. For example, a search for weekend events in San Francisco might pull up a summary sourced from local news websites, while a follow-up question about restaurant suggestions will show a list of local options.
Election-related queries will be directed to sources like AP and Reuters, OpenAI says.
ChatGPT can now search the web in a much better way than before. You can get fast, timely answers with links to relevant web sources, which you would have previously needed to go to a search engine for. This blends the benefits of a natural language interface with the value of up-to-date sports scores, news, stock quotes, and more.
ChatGPT will choose to search the web based on what you ask, or you can manually choose to search by clicking the web search icon.
Search will be available at chatgpt.com(opens in a new window), as well as on our desktop and mobile apps. All ChatGPT Plus and Team users, as well as SearchGPT waitlist users, will have access today. Enterprise and Edu users will get access in the next few weeks. We’ll roll out to all Free users over the coming months.
Designed to get you to a better answer
Getting useful answers on the web can take a lot of effort. It often requires multiple searches and digging through links to find quality sources and the right information for you.
Now, chat can get you to a better answer: Ask a question in a more natural, conversational way, and ChatGPT can choose to respond with information from the web. Go deeper with follow-up questions, and ChatGPT will consider the full context of your chat to get a better answer for you.
We also partnered with news and data providers to add up-to-date information and new visual designs for categories like weather, stocks, sports, news, and maps.
Go straight to the source
Chats now include links to sources, such as news articles and blog posts, giving you a way to learn more. Click the Sources button below the response to open a sidebar with the references.
ChatGPT search connects people with original, high-quality content from the web and makes it part of their conversation. By integrating search with a chat interface, users can engage with information in a new way, while content owners gain new opportunities to reach a broader audience. We hope to help users discover publishers and websites, while bringing more choice to search.
How it works and what comes next
The search model is a fine-tuned version of GPT-4o, post-trained using novel synthetic data generation techniques, including distilling outputs from OpenAI o1-preview. ChatGPT search leverages third-party search providers, as well as content provided directly by our partners, to provide the information users are looking for. Learn more here(opens in a new window).
Thanks to feedback from the SearchGPT prototype, we brought the best of the SearchGPT experience into ChatGPT. We plan to keep improving search, particularly in areas like shopping and travel, and leverage the reasoning capabilities of the OpenAI o1 series to do deeper research. We also plan to bring our new search experience to Advanced Voice and canvas, as well as to Free and logged out users in the future.
ChatGPT Plus and Team users can try it out today at chatgpt.com(opens in a new window).
Starting today, developers using Google's Gemini API and its Google AI Studio to build AI-based services and bots will be able to ground their prompts'
Starting today, developers using Google’s Gemini API and its Google AI Studio to build AI-based services and bots will be able to ground their prompts’ results with data from Google Search. This should enable more accurate responses based on fresher data.
As has been the case before, developers will be able to try out grounding for free in AI Studio, which is essentially Google’s playground for developers to test and refine their prompts, and access its latest large language models. Gemini API users will have to be on the paid tier and will pay $35 per 1,000 grounded queries.
AI Studio’s recently launched built-in compare mode makes it easy to see how the results of grounded queries differ from those that rely solely on the model’s own data.
Turning on grounding is as easy as toggling on a switch and deciding on how often the API should use grounding by making changes to the so-called ‘dynamic retrieval’ setting. That could be as straightforward as opting to turn it on for every prompt or going with a more nuanced setting that then uses a smaller model to evaluate the prompt and decide whether it would benefit from being augmented with data from Google Search.
“Grounding can help […] when you ask a very recent question that’s beyond the model’s knowledge cut off, but it could also help with a question which is not as recent, […] but you may want richer detail,” Shrestha Basu Mallick, Google’s group product manager for the Gemini API and AI Studio, explained. “There might be developers who say we only want to ground on recent facts, and they would set this [dynamic retrieval value] higher. And there might be developers who say: No, I want the rich detail of Google search on everything.”
Los Angeles County has sued beverage makers PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, accusing them of polluting the most populous U.S. county with plastic bottles and misleading the public about the environmental impact and recyclability of their containers.
The county in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court said the companies were contributing to plastic pollution with their single-use plastic bottles and were engaging in a campaign to deceive consumers into believing they were recyclable.
According to the Democratic-governed county's lawsuit, the companies did so despite knowing the plastic in their bottles cannot be recycled at a scale meaningful enough to offset the environmental harms of the containers, most of which end up at landfills or as litter.
The county contends the plastic pollution traced to products made by the companies constitutes a public nuisance that they must be forced to redress. According to the lawsuit, Pepsi and Coca-Cola should be required to pay penalties for engaging in unfair and deceptive business practices.
"Coke and Pepsi need to stop the deception and take responsibility for the plastic pollution problems your products are causing," Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Lindsey Horvath, a Democrat, said in a statement.
The companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. In response to similar lawsuits in the past, they have denied making misleading statements and have said they were working toward environmental sustainability.
Self-driving cars have the potential to dramatically change transportation, but collisions between humans and autonomous vehicles pose complicated legal challenges.
With no driver at the wheel, a crash with an autonomous vehicle, or AV, means confusion, especially in the infancy of the nascent technology. Issues a driver will have to navigate include filing an insurance claim and who to sue, if needed, not to mention how to sue.
The imagination of Tim Burton has produced ghosts and ghouls, Martians, monsters and misfits -- all on display at an exhibition that is opening in London just in time for Halloween.
But you know what really scares him? Artificial intelligence.
Burton said Wednesday that seeing a website that had used AI to blend his drawings with Disney characters “really disturbed me.”
“It wasn’t an intellectual thought — it was just an internal, visceral feeling,” Burton told reporters during a preview of “The World of Tim Burton” exhibition at London’s Design Museum. “I looked at those things and I thought, ‘Some of these are pretty good.’ … (But) it gave me a weird sort of scary feeling inside.”
Burton said he thinks AI is unstoppable, because “once you can do it, people will do it.” But he scoffed when asked if he’d use the technology in this work.
“To take over the world?” he laughed.
The exhibition reveals Burton to be an analogue artist, who started off as a child in the 1960s experimenting with paints and colored pencils in his suburban Californian home.
“I wasn’t, early on, a very verbal person,” Burton said. “Drawing was a way of expressing myself.”
Decades later, after films including “Edward Scissorhands,” “Batman,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Beetlejuice,” his ideas still begin with drawing. The exhibition includes 600 items from movie studio collections and Burton’s personal archive, and traces those ideas as they advance from sketches through collaboration with set, production and costume designers on the way to the big screen.
Ford plans to halt production of the F-150 Lightning until early next year to address high inventories and reduce losses of the all-electric pickup trucks.
The automaker on Thursday confirmed the seven-week shutdown would occur at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in suburban Detroit from Nov. 18 until Jan. 6, including previously planned holiday downtime at the end of the year.
"We continue to adjust production for an optimal mix of sales growth and profitability," Ford said in an emailed statement.
The roughly 730 hourly workers at the Michigan plant will be placed on temporary layoff. Ford said not all of the workers will be laid off for the entire duration of the downtime.
It's the end of Apple's fiscal year, and the first quarter with some sales from the September launch of the iPhone 16.
Apple reports fourth-quarter earnings after the bell Thursday. It's the end of Apple's fiscal year, and it's the first quarter with sales from the September launch of the iPhone 16.
Here's what to expect, according to LSEG consensus estimates:
Earnings per share: $1.60
Revenue: $94.58 billion
The most critical item will be what Apple signals to investors about its December quarter, which is its largest seasonal sales period of the year. That will set the tone about the current iPhone sales cycle and whether it represents a chance for revenue growth driven by the launch of Apple Intelligence.
Apple doesn't provide official guidance, but it typically offers forecast data points on a call with analysts that suggest whether the company expects sales growth and how some of its product lines might fare — especially the iPhone, which still accounts for a majority of Apple's sales.
Threads, Meta's rival to Elon Musk's X app, now has nearly 275 million monthly users, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday.
"We continue to be on track towards this becoming our next major social app," Zuckerberg said on a call with analysts, adding that he was "quite pleased" with the trajectory of the app.
The latest numbers indicate Threads is up 175% from a year ago when it reached 100 million users. The app is also up from 200 million monthly actives since Meta's second-quarter report in July. The app is now signing up more than 1 million users per day, Zuckerberg also said on Wednesday.
Threads launched in July 2023 as a rival to Musk-owned X, who closed a deal to purchase the social app formerly known as Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion.
X remains ahead of Threads in terms of users, but not by much. Musk's social media app now has roughly 318 million monthly users, according to an estimate by market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. That's down 24% since Musk completed his acquisition of the company in October 2022, according to Sensor Tower.
Threads could provide Meta more places to deliver ads to users. Ads accounted for 98.3% of Meta's total revenue in the third quarter.
"Specifically, as it pertains to monetization, we don't expect Threads to be a meaningful driver of 2025 revenue at this time," said CFO Susan Li on the earnings call. "We've been just pleased with the growth trajectory and again, are really focused on introducing features that the community finds valuable."
Apple Intelligence has arrived, and you can install it on compatible devices now by updating to iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1. As an Apple Intelligence expert I live and breathe everything to do with Apple AI, so this week, with the official launch of the new software, my iPhone has been pinging like crazy with messages from friends and family. All of them have the same question in mind: What’s going on with Siri? Wasn’t it meant to be super-smart?
You see, it shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the Apple Intelligence launch but unfortunately, unless you consume all media related to Apple AI, there’s no way you’re going to know the ins and outs of Apple’s confusing launch schedule. Siri will indeed be super-smart – but not yet, and not for a while. Instead, Siri’s iOS 18.1 upgrades are more surface-level, focusing on a gorgeous new redesign and small quality-of-life improvements. So what’s actually new in Siri in iOS 18.1? Let’s find out.
Siri has a complete new redesign in iOS 18.1 and it’s glorious. The Siri colors pop from the edges of your device, and a purple hue takes over the whole display. This new design is a modern approach, allowing you to interact with your iPhone while speaking to the voice assistant. On Mac, you can place the Siri window anywhere on your desktop, allowing you to get tasks done while still interacting with your smart assistant. This is a huge change to Siri, as the assistant used to interrupt whatever you were doing on your device useless for a few seconds while it took over your screen. Now, the redesign feels fresh, and it’ll look right at home once Siri gains on-screen awareness functionality later next year.
Users will be able to ask questions about places on maps
Ultimately, mapping may be subsumed into generative AI agents
Alphabet Inc.’s Google announced new features for its two mapping apps, part of the search giant’s ongoing effort to revamp products with its Gemini artificial intelligence models.
Users of Google Maps will be able to ask natural-language questions about places on the map and see AI-generated summaries of human-written reviews, the company said in an announcement Thursday. Waze users will be able to verbally report traffic issues on the go, without having to type or use specific commands.
The update was revealed with the phrase “Big day for desktops” in a tweet on X.com. While the Mac version of the ChatGPT app has been out for a while now, the Windows version only just launched. Until now, however, Advanced Voice mode wasn't available as it currently does not work in the browser-based version of ChatGPT.
A similar experience to mobile
We’ve tried the desktop version of Advanced Voice mode on PC and the experience is refreshingly similar to the mobile version: You click the Advanced Voice icon that’s on the right of the prompt bar and a new window pops up with the familiar floating blue orb that pulses as ChatGPT listens.
You can immediately start having a free-flowing, natural conversation with ChatGPT using one of its nine different voices about pretty much any subject you like. To change voice you simply need to hit the icon in the top right of the screen and you can switch between its nine different voices.
Meta says it's partnering with sensor firm GelSight and Wonik Robotics, a South Korean robotics company, to commercialize tactile sensors for AI.
The new devices aren’t meant for consumers. Rather, they’re intended for scientists. Meta says it envisions them being used to advance research into AI that can “learn about the world in richer detail” and “better understand and model the physical world.”
GelSight will work with Meta to bring to market Digit 360, which Meta describes as a “a tactile fingertip with human-level multimodal sensing capabilities.” The successor to Meta’s Digit sensor, Digit 360 digitizes touch signals, using an on-device AI chip and roughly 18 “sensing features” to detect changes in its surroundings.
“We developed a touch-perception-specific optical system with a wide field of view … for capturing omnidirectional deformations on the fingertip surface,” Meta explained in a blog post. “Additionally, we equipped the sensor with many sensing modalities, since each touch interaction with the environment has a unique profile produced by the mechanical, geometrical, and chemical properties of a surface to perceive vibrations, sense heat, and even smell odor.”
Digit 360 will be available for purchase next year, and Meta’s launched a call for proposals through which researchers can gain early access.
Meta’s work with Wonik will focus on a new generation of Wonik’s Allegro Hand, a robotic hand with tactile sensors like Digit 360. Building on a platform Meta developed to integrate sensors on a single robot hand, the upcoming Allegro Hand will feature control boards that encode data from the tactile sensors onto a host computer.
Ntropy, Contextual AI, NayaOne and Securiti boost AI applications for fraud detection, financial planning and more with NVIDIA NIM microservices and accelerated computing.
An overwhelming 91% of financial services industry (FSI) companies are either assessing artificial intelligence or already have it in the bag as a tool that’s driving innovation, improving operational efficiency and enhancing customer experiences.
Generative AI — powered by NVIDIA NIM microservices and accelerated computing — can help organizations improve portfolio optimization, fraud detection, customer service and risk management.
Among the companies harnessing these technologies to boost financial services applications are Ntropy, Contextual AI and NayaOne — all members of the NVIDIA Inception program for cutting-edge startups.
And Silicon Valley-based startup Securiti, which offers a centralized, intelligent platform for the safe use of data and generative AI, is using NVIDIA NIM to build an AI-powered copilot for financial services.
At Money20/20, a leading fintech conference running this week in Las Vegas, the companies will demonstrate how their technologies can turn disparate, often complex FSI data into actionable insights and advanced innovation opportunities for banks, fintechs, payment providers and other organizations.
MealMe, a unified API that embeds food and retail ordering into consumer apps and websites, announced on Thursday that it secured $8 million in MealMe, a unified API that embeds food and retail ordering into apps and websites, secured $8 million in Series A funding.
MealMe, a unified API that embeds food and retail ordering into consumer apps and websites, announced on Thursday that it secured $8 million in Series A funding. The newly raised capital brings the total amount raised to $16 million.
MealMe has undergone several changes since its launch in 2019. Initially, it was a consumer app designed to help people find the best deals on delivery from restaurants and grocery stores. It then evolved to allow consumers to order food directly through the MealMe app.
The company has now completely transitioned to a B2B model, offering its API for other businesses to integrate ordering technology into their applications and websites. When a company integrates MealMe’s API, it gets access to real-time product pricing and availability, and it enables customers to order their products from local stores.
MealMe says that its API provides inventory data on more than 1 billion products from more than 1.2 million grocery stores, restaurants, and retailers across the U.S. and Canada. It currently serves more than 100 customers, including Fantuan Delivery, Favor Delivery, TripAdvisor, and others.
Our Mission
MealMe is on a mission to embed commerce
into every website and app
Our Vision
Reimagining monetization models
MealMe is creating an entirely new monetization model for companies that have traditionally relied on affiliate marketing or banner ads. Our Embedded Commerce Technology enables any company to monetize by offering their users the ability to purchase products on their platform.
Easy integration of our API & SDK
For businesses, our core approach is to offer our technology in the form of APIs and SDKs that are easily integrated into any platform.
Our Data Suite provides point of interest data that is unmatched in depth and quality. Our Ordering Suite gives our customers the ability to embed checkout for 100M+ products from 1M+ stores in the US and Canada.
AI video platform D-ID announced today that it is releasing two new types of avatars — Express and Premium+ — for content creation. Companies are chasing
Companies are chasing the golden goose of creating AI avatars that are more humanlike and can potentially offload video creation for enterprise use cases in areas like marketing, sales, and customer support. With different generative models, it is easier to give little text input and little visual data to create videos for business purposes that don’t look entirely out of place. D-ID’s new models are an effort to make it more competitive in this landscape.
Express avatars can be trained with roughly one minute of video and replicate users’ head movements during speech. Premium+ is the company’s marquee model, which might need at least a few minutes of recording for training, but can reproduce an AI avatar for videos with hands and torso. The company’s idea is that with hands and torso movements, the avatar feels more human-like in interaction with other users.
The company said that the Premium+ models are capable of real-time interaction that might be good for use cases like webinar and translation.
The company plans to engage these avatars for enterprise use cases such as creating sales leads, customer engagement, and personalized marketing campaigns.
“We believe the best way to interact with AI models is face-to-face; that is why we are creating these new hyper-realistic avatars and a natural user interface,” D-ID CEO Gil Perry told TechCrunch over a call.
High-Dimensional Search: Vector databases allow Approximate Nearest Neighbor (ANN) search, a technique to find vectors that are closest to a given query vector. Unlike traditional SQL-based queries, which work well with structured data, ANN efficiently handles similarity searches across high-dimensional data spaces.
Scalability: A major advantage of vector databases is their ability to handle large datasets. As the number of vectors grows, traditional databases become inefficient. Vector databases are optimized to perform real-time searches across millions or even billions of vectors.
Real-Time Search: Many AI-powered applications need to serve results in real time, whether it’s a recommendation system or semantic search engine. Vector databases are optimized to deliver fast search results by utilizing indexing techniques like LSH (Locality Sensitive Hashing) or HNSW (Hierarchical
Navigable Small World), enabling near-instantaneous retrieval.
Similarity Search: Traditional databases use exact matching for search queries, which is unsuitable for many AI tasks. Vector databases, however, specialize in similarity search — retrieving vectors based on their distance from the query vector using metrics such as Euclidean distance, cosine similarity, or Manhattan distance.
Companies are concerned that their eagerness to adopt AI has made them more vulnerable to cyberthreats. Per a recent poll of over 350 IT leaders, more
Companies are concerned that their eagerness to adopt AI has made them more vulnerable to cyberthreats. Per a recent poll of over 350 IT leaders, more than half of the executives surveyed said the complexity of AI applications weakened their organization’s cybersecurity posture. More than two-fifths of executives believe their security teams lack the skills needed to protect their AI applications and workloads, per another survey.
The demand for solutions to secure AI apps has spawned an entire cohort of startups. HiddenLayer and Protect AI, for example, focus on defending AI systems from adversarial attacks, while Cranium provides visibility into AI systems at the application level.
A new venture emerging from stealth today, Noma Security, does all of this and more, claims co-founder and CEO Niv Braun. The startup is developing tools to identify vulnerable data pipelines and code in data science environments, as well as threats like prompt injection attacks.
Braun launched Noma with Alon Tron after leaving customer experience automation firm Verint, where he noticed a “significant blind spot” for security teams in the data and AI lifecycle.
“Existing tools are designed for the traditional software lifecycle,” Braun said. “However, the data and AI lifecycle is inherently different. It involves distinct R&D processes, relies on different technologies, and faces unique technical vulnerabilities within AI models.”
Chinese scientists and engineers are applying ChatGPT-like technology to sex robots, aiming to create interactive, AI-powered companions in the face of technical and ethical challenges.
In Shenzhen, Starpery Technology, a major producer of sex dolls, is now training its own large language model to enhance its product with artificial intelligence. These sex dolls with unprecedented capabilities – available in male or female forms – will soon be hitting the shelves.
“We are developing a next-generation sex doll that can interact vocally and physically with users, with prototypes expected by August this year,” CEO Evan Lee said early this month.
“Technological challenges remain, particularly in achieving realistic human interaction,” he said. “While simple dialogue is easy, creating interactive responses involves complex model development by specialised software companies.”
Traditional dolls, supported by a metal skeleton and a silicone exterior, are limited to simple responses and lack the expressive capabilities needed to engage with a human.
“The new generation of sex dolls, powered by AI models and equipped with sensors, can react with both movements and speech, significantly enhancing user experience by focusing on emotional connection rather than just basic conversational abilities,” Lee said.
Attackers called AWS console-only APIs after nabbing key to call Bedrock model, used "common jailbreak techniques to bypass model content filtering" says Permiso
Security researchers say AI systems are being hijacked to run sex bots.
Permiso, an identity security platform provider, was able to track this behaviour after leaking an AWS key which was promptly exploited.
They used the stolen compute power and LLM access they gained to power sexual roleplay bots accessible to users via a paid subscription – using “common jailbreak techniques to bypass model content filtering.”
Intriguingly, they also used some clever techniques to check if a model was available to them for illegal use – including calling AWS APIs that are “not included in the aws-cli (SDK) or in the API reference guide.”
EC2 and IAM jacking? Old Hat
“For the past few years when a threat actor obtained an exposed long-lived AWS access key (AKIA) they would almost always touch a few AWS services first” said Permiso. Theser were chiefly Simple Email Service (SES) for spam campaigns; EC2 resource hijacking “mainly for crypto mining” and IAM services to conduct privilege escalation or persistence techniques.
“In the past six (6) months; however, we have observed a new contender entering the ring as a top-targeted AWS service, Bedrock.”
Attackers move with the money and right now the money is in GenAI - Permiso
Among the techniques they used were calling the GetFoundationModelAvailability API, which is “traditionally called on your behalf when viewing foundational models in the AWS Web Management Console. Attackers are using this API programmatically (not via the web console) with manually formatted requests” Permiso said.
The firm’s two-day experiment generated a $3,500 bill from AWS, largely due to the 75,000 LLM invocations caused by the sex chat hijackers.
AWS told KrebsOnSecurity, who earlier reported on Permiso’s research, that “AWS services are operating securely, as designed, and no customer action is needed. The researchers devised a testing scenario that deliberately disregarded security best practices to test what may happen in a very specific scenario… To carry out this research, security researchers ignored fundamental security best practices and publicly shared an access key on the internet to observe what would happen.”
AWS security expert Nick Frichette noted on X: “These TAs [threat actors] were invoking a number of APIs which only appear in the console. They don't appear in the SDKs, nor the CLI. You might ask, ‘Nick, are these undocumented APIs?’. Well no, they do appear in documentation. For example, if you Google "GetFoundationModelAvailability" you do find some info from AWS… AWS developers commonly package API models as strings that we can extract using regexes,” Frichette commented.
But there’s also another way that developers package APIs into the front end – sometimes they will “hard code the APIs directly into the front end JavaScript” he added: “This is much more difficult to scrape than the other method… I think it unlikely that these TAs went spelunking this hard into the console internals. Most likely they intercepted their own requests using Burp, looked at them, and used that to programmatically sign their own requests using SigV4. Threat Actors are looking for APIs buried deep in the console and they will try to take advantage of them.”
AWS said it had “quickly and automatically identified the exposure” of the key during Permiso’s experiment and proactively notified the researchers, who opted not to take action. The company added: “We then identified suspected compromised activity and took additional action to further restrict the account, which stopped this abuse.
(Permiso said AWS’s security team identified the “malicious usage of Bedrock which they proactively blocked about 35 hours after the scale of invoke attempts increased into the thousands,” adding “this was about 42 days after the key was first used maliciously.”)
Ian Ahl, SVP of threat research at Permiso, told Bryan Krebs that "the restrictions AWS placed on the exposed key did nothing to stop the attackers from using it to abuse Bedrock services" with Krebs noting that "sometime in the past few days, however, AWS responded by including Bedrock in the list of services that will be quarantined in the event an AWS key or credential pair is found compromised or exposed online. AWS confirmed that Bedrock was a new addition to its quarantine procedures."
Permiso tied the abuse to a sex roleplaying portal called "Chub" – which insisted that the Bedrock abuse had nothing to do with it.
"Our own LLMs run on our own infrastructure... Any individuals participating in such attacks can use any number of UIs that allow user-supplied keys to connect to third-party APIs. We do not participate in, enable or condone any illegal activity whatsoever," it said by email.
Vital for data transmission and communications between continents, lines are vulnerable to sabotage and a stage for global power rivalry
Last week, eight US senators urged President Joe Biden to order a security review of the global network of undersea communications cables, citing the “threat of sabotage” by Russia – and China.
It was just the latest expression of US concern over China’s potential espionage in handling network traffic, an accusation Beijing has repeatedly rejected.
Usually running along the bed of the world’s seas, undersea cables are the backbone of the global internet for daily communications.
About 95 per cent of the US population and nearly 75 per cent of China’s use data that is transferred through undersea cables, and the number is growing.
As global powers jockey for technological and economic supremacy, undersea cables are increasingly at the centre of the competition.
What are undersea cables?
Undersea cables, also called submarine cables, are fibre optic cables laid on the seabed between land-based stations. They carry up to 99 per cent of internet traffic between continents and are vital for transmission of data, from personal email, online shopping to scientific research.
Financial transactions on platforms like banking networks, like Swift, as well as fintechs and blockchains also depend on data traffic through the cables.
The first undersea cable was laid in 1850 between France and Britain, and as of September, there were 532 active undersea cable systems, with another 77 planned, according to telecommunications research company Telegeography.
The 80-year-old CEO talks about Huawei’s struggles and his admiration for US technology in a conversation with students.
Huawei Technologies founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei said he appreciates the “openness and inclusivity” of the US tech community, and yet the Chinese company “had no choice” but to build its own tools because of US sanctions.
Ren, 80, said Huawei needs to learn from the receptive culture of the US, which has allowed the country to become highly advanced in science and technology, according to a transcript of his recent conversation with students and academics. It was published on Thursday on the website of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), a prestigious global coding competition for university students.
“The US has set an example for all countries and companies worldwide on being open,” he said at the Huawei-sponsored event. “If [a country] is closed off, it will fall behind.”
Shenzhen-based Huawei has been barred from buying hardware, software and services from American hi-tech suppliers since May 2019, when it was added to Washington’s trade blacklist. Tightened trade restrictions imposed by the US government in 2020 further limited Huawei’s access to advanced semiconductors developed or produced using US technology, regardless of where they were manufactured.
woke up feeling pretty rough. probably because i worked all day then drove 8 hours yesterday. going to take it easy today & celebrate Halloween by not overworking myself lol
A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/money-quotes
Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/money-quotes
I'm scared to death of being poor. It's like a fat girl who loses 500 pounds but is always fat inside. I grew up poor and will always feel poor inside. It's my pet paranoia. Cher
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/money-quotes
Simply by not owning three medium-sized castles in Tuscany I have saved enough money in the last forty years on insurance premiums alone to buy a medium-sized castle in Tuscany. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/money-quotes
Money cannot buy peace of mind. It cannot heal ruptured relationships, or build meaning into a life that has none. Richard M. DeVos
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/money-quotes
I saw this question on Quora and wanted to give my advice
Which is the best Telegram channel for crypto trading signals?
If you want to know about good places on Telegram for crypto advice, you should be very careful. Many channels claim they can help you make money, but lots of them are scams. Instead of following trading signals, it's safer to:
Learn about crypto on your own
Only trust well-known crypto experts and news sources
Cats can learn up to 50 different words and commands They just don't want to. Credit: reddit @savvytester, I sent you an $LOLZ on behalf of rzc24-nftbbg
@savvytester just sent you a DIY token as a little appreciation for your comment dear @rzc24-nftbbg!
Feel free to multiply it by sending someone else !DIY in a comment :) You can do that x times a day depending on your balance so:
Have you heard about the Angel of Death that’s not so intelligent? The Dim Reaper? Credit: reddit @logen9f, I sent you an $LOLZ on behalf of rzc24-nftbbg
@savvytester just sent you a DIY token as a little appreciation for your comment dear @rzc24-nftbbg!
Feel free to multiply it by sending someone else !DIY in a comment :) You can do that x times a day depending on your balance so:
@savvytester just sent you a DIY token as a little appreciation for your comment dear @rzc24-nftbbg!
Feel free to multiply it by sending someone else !DIY in a comment :) You can do that x times a day depending on your balance so:
@savvytester just sent you a DIY token as a little appreciation for your comment dear @rzc24-nftbbg!
Feel free to multiply it by sending someone else !DIY in a comment :) You can do that x times a day depending on your balance so:
I decided to keep 100 GRASS from my airdrop for staking. I just locked up 100 GRASS at 56.62% APR. That’s approximately $0.17 in daily passive income at the current valuation of $1.12 per GRASS token. Ongoing GRASS earnings can then be added to the stack. Passive income is king!👑#cent #sapphirecrypto
Trump always has big ideas for how he’d run the government if he's president. He wants more control over government agencies, and he’s looking to change how they operate. My guess is it'll favor Elon Musk and anyone who supportshim
I do not doubt that we will see some solid moves for HIVE. Looking at the previous cycle, it's a sneaky one, HIVE! Don't get dismayed... it will surprise you! #hive #cent #sapphirecrypto
A significant Dogecoin transfer has been documented involving the movement of roughly 1. 45 billion DOGE or $250 million from an unidentified wallet to Robinhood
Cool... so Finance Department has been bugging me for months to get a client to pay an invoice and now I find out that Finance Department is using the wrong Purchase Order, despite multiple requests for them to update it to the correct one....
Hold the door open when someone walks behind you. Any person deserves this - man or woman, old or young. Being nice to others in front of people shows you are a good person.
I usually check if anyone is behind me when walking in somewhere and I will usually stop and hold the door for them as they go in before me. I'm never in that much of a rush and people don't expect that kind of selflessness.
In october 31 , 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto released the Bitcoin whitepaper.
This document explains how Bitcoin would work and how it could change the way we think about money.
Asia takes top spot for crypto developers, US declines
Asia now leads in blockchain and crypto developer talent globally, surpassing North America in developer market share as US share declines.
I think it will be friendlier to crypto so things like the SEC, which are under the President's control could improve.
Congress is still its own animal so Trump cant pass any legislation (for or against) crypto without them.
And with the morons that are traditional in Congress, there is little reason for optimism. They tend to be reactionary, i.e. only acting after it is too late.
The entire House is up every two years and 1/3 the second (33) are up.
With the House, over 90% win reelection so you have mostly the same players. There are some changes in the Senate but 2/3 do not even run every election.
End of an era! October 2024 marks the first time in a ~50 year history of the company I work for that my department finished with $100k+ GP! It's not even Friday, I shouldn't be feeling this good! #gmfrens
2/🧵 Many people start a project, but few finish it. In the beginning there is great enthusiasm to start something, whether it's a business, a course or building a property. However, the first difficulties arise and it is soon abandoned.
3/🧵 It's the same here at Hive, many people start off enthusiastic about their accounts, even making an introductory post. But soon, they abandon Hive for various small reasons and a lack of persistence and determination.
Bill Gates believes misinformation is a huge challenge for our time. He says it’s not just about the fake news but how easily false ideas can spread online and it affects both our lives and beliefs
Well, we have been a few hours without power and it is expected to keep going. Now, it's back, but soon will be off again. I'm taking advantage to post something.
#leo #inleo
You just got DOOKed! @calebmarvel01 thinks your content is the shit. They have 5/200DOOK left to drop today.Learn all about this shit in the toilet paper! 💩
You just got DOOKed! @calebmarvel01 thinks your content is the shit. They have 6/200DOOK left to drop today.Learn all about this shit in the toilet paper! 💩
You just got DOOKed! @bradleyarrow thinks your content is the shit. They have 20/60DOOK left to drop today.Learn all about this shit in the toilet paper! 💩
Congrats to the LA Dodgers for winning this year’s World Series. Since I’m a Mets fan seeing the Yankees lose was ok with me. Kudos to Dodgers fan @cflclosers
#sports
Seeing the Dodgers win doesnt make me happy. It was a tough choice.
But they were the best team and proved it.
They spanked both the Mets and Yankees. Freddie Freeman was a beast in the world series.
It was the Freddie Freeman series.
He is a good one. The Braves werent smart to let him leave.
They don’t make many bad moves that was a glaring one for sure.
Yeah. They did well trying to replace him but there is no replacement for Freddie Freeman.
He was more than his stats to that organization.
Trump is leading by 33.2 % according to Polymarket…#bbh #politics #newsonleo
Yeah we will just have to wait and see. Maybe polymarket will be better at predicting than regular polls.
Means nothing as anyone can place the bets.
I believe this will be a total landslide
Just starting to power up some hive 500 hive to start with! #powerup
@gifu! @bradleyarrow likes your content! so I just sent 1 BBH to your account on behalf of @bradleyarrow. (19/100)
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How awesome is this :) !BBH !DOOK
You just got DOOKed!
@bradleyarrow thinks your content is the shit.
They have 18/60 DOOK left to drop today.
Learn all about this shit in the toilet paper! 💩
Happy Halloween!!
Same to you, but that is not scary at all. lol
happy Halloween 🎃
Happy lion Halloween.. winks
Happy Halloween, may the spirits protect us!
Me encanta una dulzura.
Happy lion Halloween. A hug.
Happy halloween!
enjoy it
Life is your own special path. Don't look at what other people are doing and feel bad. You are right where you need to be.
#YourPath
#RightWhereYouNeedToBe
Today in #historyonleo
On October 31, 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious and anonymous inventor of Bitcoin, released the Bitcoin white paper, introducing the cryptocurrency—and how it could be used—to the world. By design, only 21 million Bitcoins will ever be "mined," or released into the market.
#crypto
🔗 Source in Comments
🔗 Source:
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/satoshi-nakamoto-publishes-a-paper-introducing-bitcoin
Ah shit boys... Things are about to get real... FAST!!!
Super pumped about my new DJI #fpv #drone setup! Paid for with #crypto (Monero) using gift cards on Cake Wallet!
The cool thing is they made a simulator for the drone to work with the controller and goggles, so you can practice and get a feel for what the drone will be like so you don't go and crash it...
It's a plastic drone after all, lol. Not like my carbon fiber bando bashers, lol.
I was really after the goggles, but the rest was a bonus!
DJI FPV Combo on eBay - $650 after being raped by taxes.
Case was extra from Amazon.
Even got an analog receiver so I can fly all my drones with the goggles!
Great👍 one day I'll have one
Yeah, I can't wait to fly it! Weather hasn't been adequate so I have been playing the DJI Virtual Flight simulator that works with the controller and goggles, so it's something to get started.
Lol I bet the flight simulator is pretty awesome too
The best part is that they have the DJI Virtual Flight simulator built specifically for this and one other model drone, that works with the goggles and controller, so you can practice before you break it!
Awesome :)
Yeah I am excited.
Awesome man! !BBH !DIY !DOOK
You just got DOOKed!
@pepetoken thinks your content is the shit.
They have 20/300 DOOK left to drop today.
Learn all about this shit in the toilet paper! 💩
@thelogicaldude! @pepetoken likes your content! so I just sent 1 BBH to your account on behalf of @pepetoken. (21/100)
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You can query your personal balance by
!DIYSTATSClick pic for better view
📷 📷 📷
#photographers #photography #silverbloggers #hiking
again:
London, United Kingdom / October 30, 2024 / After over a decade of speculation and mystery, the world will finally learn the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive inventor of Bitcoin and the foundational Blockchain technology. On this momentous occasion, Nakamoto will reveal his legal identity in a live press conference, marking a historic event in the cryptocurrency landscape.
Nakamoto, whose whitepaper launched the world’s first decentralized cryptocurrency in 2008, has cited growing legal pressures as a driving factor for this decision. “The time has come for me to officially reveal my identity. I am facing significant legal challenges, and I believe the world deserves to know the truth,” Nakamoto stated.
https://pressat.co.uk/releases/satoshi-nakamoto-to-reveal-legal-identity-on-31-october-2024-9bf022a764471d8d8e174a7c68551e42/
We're really excited about this integration! 🤩
Join us for an AMA with both teams today, 8 hours from now!
We'll probably do a threadcast.
OH
That's interesting!
#wordofthedayonleo - hallowed
What It Means
Hallowed describes something, such as a memorial, considered holy or blessed, or something that is highly respected and revered.
// The church stands on hallowed ground.
//Community service is one of the organization’s most hallowed traditions.
🔗 Source in comments
Good word for today ;)
!BBH !DOOK
#bfom
You just got DOOKed!
@bradleyarrow thinks your content is the shit.
They have 21/60 DOOK left to drop today.
Learn all about this shit in the toilet paper! 💩
For Sure 🎃 @bradleyarrow
Happy Thursday #bfom
:)
🔗 Source:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hallowed
@jimmy.adames! @bradleyarrow likes your content! so I just sent 1 BBH to your account on behalf of @bradleyarrow. (22/100)
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✈️ Travel Talk #threadcast
Ep80 Thu 31-Oct-24
ℹ️ This is the #travelcast where we chat all things #travel on Leo
💬 Talk about your trips, discuss adventures and enjoy the world's delights!
Have fun! 🧳 🛫
Venice extending its day-tripper tax through next year to combat overtourism
Venice will extend its day-tripper tax through next year, increasing the number of days on which tourists have to pay to enter the city and doubling the fee to 10 euros ($10.80) for last-minute visitors, city officials said on Thursday.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro stressed that the tax aims to help the city and its citizens battle overtourism and avoid huge influxes of visitors during crowded holidays and weekends.
#venice #tax #travel #tourism #italy
The new tax will be applied every Friday through Sunday and on holidays from April 18-July 27 of next year, for a total of 54 days. That’s almost double the number of days it was applied this year. Tourists who don’t make reservations up to four days in advance will pay 10 euros ($10.80) instead of the usual 5 euros ($5.40).
The tax will be in force during peak hours, from 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Exemptions are granted to residents, Venetian-born visitors, students and workers, as well as tourists who have hotel or other lodging reservations.
At the end of the first test phase, last July, officials said the tax had netted 2.4 million euros ($2.6 million), accounting for about 1,000 entrances on each of the test days.
Brugnaro on Thursday again responded to critics who have called it a failure and said it did not deter as many arrivals as expected.
“Venice is the first city in the world that tries to manage the problem of overtourism. We obtained important results,” the mayor said.
Young record-setting Nima Rinji Sherpa says climbing masters are athletes, leaders
A Sherpa teenager who's won mountaineering celebrity as the youngest person ever to summit the world's 14 highest peaks called for Sherpas to be recognized as athletes and expedition leaders
“It’s always been that Sherpas were supporting climbers and we’re never seen as leaders of expeditions,” Nima Rinji Sherpa told The Associated Press on Friday.
#nimarinji #sherpa #mountaineering
The 18-year-old is planning more, tougher climbs after completing a mission to scale all 14 mountains that rise above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) earlier this month on China’s Mount Shishapangma.
The Sherpa community were mostly yak herders and traders living deep within the Himalayas until Nepal opened its borders in the 1950s. Their stamina and familiarity with the mountains quickly made them sought-after guides and porters, and eventually for them to dominate the Himalyan climbing business.
Tenzing Norgay conquered Everest with Edmund Hillary in 1953, establishing the community’s fame as climbing masters.
But since then, Nima Rinji said, Sherpas have rarely been seen as expedition leaders. He’s started a “Sherpa power” campaign to change that. “This generation does have the potential because we have the privileges that those before us didn’t have, like good education, speaking well and we can understand what is happening regarding climate change, regarding the mountains,” he said.
Transportation Department requires airlines to immediately refund customers for canceled flights
A new Department of Transportation rule requires airline companies to refund customers for canceled flights as soon as possible.
The DOT’s final federal rule went into effect Monday and requires airlines to immediately process customer refunds after their flight has been canceled or significantly altered. The refunds cannot be in the form of vouchers and must be issued after a customer declines an altered flight or alternative form of payment.
#airline #cancelledflights #dot #unitedstates #travel
However, the rule gives airlines seven days to process the refunds if the customer used a credit card and 20 days if the customer used a different payment method.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg proposed the rule in April, arguing that airlines need to accurately inform customers when they are entitled to a refund and make it easier for them to receive it.
“It’s imperfect,” said University of South Carolina law professor Bryant Walker Smith, whose work focuses on AVs. “Crash responders have remarked that to communicate with a vehicle on a crash scene that’s blocking a car in an emergency, they’ve had to stick their head in the window and yell because there was no way that they could hear or speak with that assistant from outside the vehicle.”
The beginning of the process is expected to look similar to how drivers navigate crashes with other humans, even if there is no other human. After a crash with an AV, a human driver would exit their vehicle, contact law enforcement and inform their insurance company of the collision. If the AV is at fault, the driver’s insurance company would contact the AV manufacturer or developer to determine a settlement.
Climbing Mount Karangetang Volcano In Siau, Sulawesi
Mount Karangetang is an awesome Jurassic Park-looking volcano that dominates the remote island of Siau in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
You can’t go anywhere on tiny Siau island without seeing this majestic volcano and its twin smoking craters. If you’re lucky, you may even get to see it spouting molten lava and rock bombs at night, which it does pretty often.
In this guide, I’ll share my experience hiking the Karangetang volcano in 2021, and I’ll give some tips in case you plan to climb it yourself.
#mountkarangetang #volcano #siauisland #travel
First of all, let’s talk about safety. Karangetang is a highly active volcano — probably one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
The local guides are knowledgeable and any seismic activity is monitored by the Indonesian government, but there’s still plenty of risk involved in climbing this mountain. It may erupt at any time.
You can climb to the top of Karangetang if you’re feeling extra crazy, but to be safe most people only hike partway up this mountain and peep at the smoking craters from a distance (and even that is a bit risky).
Climbing any active volcano carries some danger obviously, but this one is unusually active, so proceed at your own risk.
Article
From Wikipedia:
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. The process that forms volcanoes is called volcanism.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging, and because most of Earth's plate boundaries are underwater, most volcanoes are found underwater. For example, a mid-ocean ridge, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates whereas the Pacific Ring of Fire has volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates.
Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the crust's plates, such as in the East African Rift, the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field, and the Rio Grande rift in North America. Volcanism away from plate boundaries has been postulated to arise from upwelling diapirs from the core–mantle boundary, 3,000 kilometers (1,900 mi) deep within Earth. This results in hotspot volcanism, of which the Hawaiian hotspot is an example. Volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another.
Large eruptions can affect atmospheric temperature as ash and droplets of sulfuric acid obscure the Sun and cool Earth's troposphere. Historically, large volcanic eruptions have been followed by volcanic winters which have caused catastrophic famines.
Other planets besides Earth have volcanoes. For example, volcanoes are very numerous on Venus. In 2009, a paper was published suggesting a new definition for the word 'volcano' that includes processes such as cryovolcanism. It suggested that a volcano be defined as 'an opening on a planet or moon's surface from which magma, as defined for that body, and/or magmatic gas is erupted.'
The Best eSIM for Traveling Japan
I love visiting Japan. Even after multiple visits, I never get tired of wandering the country’s historic temples, feasting on its incredible sushi, and soaking up the breakneck pace of life in Tokyo.
After over half a dozen visits, I’ve learned through trial and error how to best explore the country. English isn’t widely spoken, and once you get out of the big cities, it’s even less common. That means things like online maps and translation apps are vital for every traveler.
#travel #japan #technology #communications
To ensure you stay connected during your trip, you’re going to want to buy an eSIM. It’s the best way to ensure you have mobile data as you explore the country.
But which eSIM is the best for traveling Japan?
In this post, I’ll breakdown why I think Jetpac is the best eSIM for Japan and why you should consider them for your next visit.
What is Jetpac?
Jetpac is a travel eSIM company founded in Singapore. They offer affordable mobile data coverage to over 150 destinations around the world (including Japan), but they also offer regional bundles so that you can visit more than one country with the same eSIM and still have reliable coverage.
To get an eSIM, you’ll first want to browse their plans to see which duration is best for you. They have plans from 1 GB to 50 GB and 1 day to 30 days, with prices starting at just $4 USD. Their Japan eSIM prices are super competitive and affordable for even the cheapest budget traveler.
Article
https://www.jetpacglobal.com/
Thursday Threadcast of the travel variety on the go! Share all your travel tales, talk and tips right here...
Previous edition:
https://inleo.io/threads/view/adambarratt/re-leothreads-271cnldis
National Geographic reveals its 25 best places to visit in 2025
Greenland and the Scottish Outer Hebrides are among the best places to visit next year...
Article via The Independent
Spain floods 2024: is it safe to travel or should I cancel my holiday?
Article via The Times
Free Remembrance Day rail travel offered to military and veterans
Article via BBC
Unsettling Observations Of Climate Change, From 50 Years Of Travel
Article via Forbes
Call for UK to delay launch of Electronic Travel Authorisation
Article via Travel Weekly
UK government announces increase to Air Passenger Duty
Article via BTN
Can travel make time slow down? New research suggests that travelling more could make your life seem longer...
Article via CNT
'Travel won't be happy with the Budget, but it could have been much worse'
Article via TTG
Have we had enough of travel?
Article via Geographical
The best places to travel between Christmas and New Year’s Eve
Article via Lonely Planet
https://inleo.io/threads/view/taskmaster4450le/re-taskmaster4450le-zdjscsxf
https://inleo.io/threads/view/dogula/re-leothreads-9tpqugrn
https://inleo.io/threads/view/taskmaster4450le/re-leothreads-waxaj7bn
https://inleo.io/threads/view/leotravel/re-leothreads-24fc31egc
10 days in Vietnam, by 'Suitcase Monkey'…
https://inleo.io/threads/view/adambarratt/re-adambarratt-p1s3iklg
https://inleo.io/threads/view/factoids/re-leothreads-4kcsszhp?referral=factoids
https://inleo.io/threads/view/bannersandborder/re-leothreads-37jrq1vak?referral=bannersandborder
SPAIN — these are the 20 best short breaks for autumn:
Article via The Times
GREECE — The little-known Greek island that's 'just like Santorini' but without all the tourists...
Article via Express
https://inleo.io/threads/view/adambarratt/re-leothreads-2ujjs6dbx?referral=adambarratt
https://inleo.io/threads/view/adambarratt/re-adambarratt-sbfshc1m
https://inleo.io/threads/view/leotravel/re-leothreads-38v58pmhr
https://inleo.io/threads/view/adambarratt/re-leothreads-qmss729c
https://inleo.io/@adambarratt/cracking-krakow-visiting-the-salt-mine
Spain floods coverage | BBC News
How has the digital nomad trend evolved over the years?
Article via BBC Travel
Oíche Shamhna Shona Daoibh
Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or "darker-half" of the year. It is held on 1 November but with celebrations beginning on the evening of 31 October, since the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. This is about halfway between the autumn equinox and winter solstice. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals along with Imbolc, Beltaine and Lughnasa. Historically it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. A similar festival was held by the Brittonic Celtic people, called Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Kalan Gwav in Cornwall and Kalan Goañv in Brittany.
#gaelic #festival #samhain
Here is the daily technology #threadcast for 10/31/24. The goal is to make this a technology "reddit".
Drop all question, comments, and articles relating to #technology and the future. The goal is make it a technology center.
Can AI have any impact on Crypto? I mean will there ever be a time where chatgpt can tell me which crypto to invest in to guarantee profit? If it can have access to live data, can it do that? And how long till we see that if yes?
It is more vital than that. As more AI agents are created, they will ultimately have their own crypto wallet and make payments in crypto.
this is going to be a huge change. Then I'll have to make sure I'm ready enough to take advantage
Watch and learn. If I may ask, why do you organize your news threads this way?.
I like the style though.
It is technology, not news per se since this is focused. We need a news threadcast done each day.
Why do I do it this way? Think of it as a sub reddit...it allows people to easily find the data.
It also allows for relationship building for LeoAI.
oh okay I get it.
Is the platform using Brave browsers LeoAI?
No, we have our own AI thats reading everything happening on Hive blockchain. And its called LeoAI
wooooo🤯. Where do I go to test it out
Does anyone here believe that in a maximum of 500 years we will have enough technology to terraform Mars?
This is Elon Musk's personal desire. Although he once said he wants to see at least 1 million people on Mars by 2050.
Now, one thing is certain, we don't have the technology today to start this big project.
Theoretically do we have a lot of the technologies needed already. Problem is scale and thats its untested territory 😅
Yes, it's true, the big challenge would be to get out of theory and into practice in this dimension hahaha...
I honestly have no idea what it will take to terraform Mars.
Elon Musk is pushing SpaceX in the direction to have us populating the planet. What is required to make it livable is beyond me.
Hi, @coyotelation,
This post has been voted on by @darkcloaks because you are an active member of the Darkcloaks gaming community.
Get started with Darkcloaks today, and follow us on Inleo for the latest updates.
with the advent of Electric Vehicles and AI, what is your view on the relevance of oil and gas in subsequent years?
Huge. We are going to need a ton of energy, from all sources. Oil is going to continue to drive a lot of electricity needs...along with renewables.
The need over the next 10 years is explosive.
Batteries are going to play a huge part in allowing the storage of electricity which will help the grids.
Reuters: Musk's X ineffective against surge in US election misinformation, report says
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/musks-x-ineffective-against-surge-us-election-misinformation-report-says-2024-10-31/
Reuters: Semiconductor parts maker Aixtron secures solid Q3 orders despite core profit miss
https://www.reuters.com/technology/aixtron-posts-q3-core-profit-miss-2024-10-31/
When will we have no vehicle accidents in the future? I see autonomous as the solution but don't know whether it'll be in my lifetime
You will have autonomous vehicles as standard by 2035.
oh nice so a decade to go and no wheels, at least accident levels will drop. And any accidents that happens, AI can learn and correct the mistake and that type of accident will never happen again
Reuters: Microsoft and Meta shares fall in Frankfurt despite earnings beat
https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-meta-shares-fall-frankfurt-despite-earnings-beat-2024-10-31/
Reuters: Big Tech's AI splurge worries investors about returns ahead of Amazon results
https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/meta-microsoft-lift-ai-spending-worrying-wall-street-ahead-amazon-results-2024-10-31/
Reuters: US plans $825 mln investment for New York semiconductor R&D facility
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-administration-selects-new-york-semiconductor-rd-facility-2024-10-31/
Reuters: US crypto industry expects friendlier Washington, whoever wins White House
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-crypto-industry-expects-friendlier-washington-whoever-wins-white-house-2024-10-31/
A big question: Democrats and Republicans who do you think favors the tech industry of America the most?
Tech is made up mostly by people on the left. This coincides with the Democrats shift to the billionaires, favoring them. Silicon Valley is a very leftist place.
That said, this cycle people realize that Trump is far better for their business than Harris. A lot of tech billionaires are either pulling back (ala Zuckerberg) or going pro Trump (ala Musk).
Of course, the true power lies with the lobbyists and the greasing of hands in Congress. At that level, I would say they simply are dealing with whichever parts has power and can get things done for them.
Now, if I've got tech questions I'll just ask you not Google or gpt 😅 because your answers are just perfect. I understand it now. I also see why Elon supports Trump so much now.. it's all about what favors them the most at any given time.
The Elon Musk and Donald Trump relationship probably has to do more with the freedom of speech and the attacks on X as compared to other things he is doing in tech.
But that is just a guess.
The Biden Administration has continually gone after Musk, including Biden saying that Mary Barra led in turning US automotive to electric.
it's no wonder he had to make this decision you really can't blame the guy. I follow politics a lot but it's funny how now for some reason I'm following Musk, I guess it's because he's so involved right now.
The problem is everything is becoming politicized that people are having to decide. Unfortunately, it will not be resolved, only generate more anger. This is going to end up causing major divisions that cannot be united.
Sides are being drawn.
Reuters: Temu considers joining European anti-counterfeit group
https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/temu-considers-joining-european-anti-counterfeit-group-2024-10-31/
Oh this may be my first time trying your cast I'm still learning a few things. Ok my question is a bit weird. Is there something more powerful than technology that man can use to their advantage.
Technology is innovation materialized. That is how society advances.
So I would say technology is as much a part of humanity as anything else. We create our technology which, in turn, helps to evolve us.
https://inleo.io/threads/view/mightpossibly/re-leothreads-2gs8iiuew?referral=mightpossibly
wait so this is how prompt engineering works, you first have to tell gpt who it is before instructing it? What a trick 🤔
You don't necessarily need to do it exactly like this, but yep, it's pretty neat. A more general version of this "trick" is to simply aim to provide the chatbot with as much context as possible.
For instance: Let's say you have a meeting transcript and want to generate a meeting summary based off of it. You could probably get away with a prompt like
But you would probably get much further with something more like this:
https://inleo.io/threads/view/mightpossibly/re-taskmaster4450le-24wdbzaae?referral=mightpossibly
I never gave gpt prompts longer than 2 line. I n. The more data you feed it with your instructions the better the results. Thank you for the lessons I'm going to practice right away
Awesome, I'm very happy to hear that. Do share whatever interesting stuff you figure out with us :) Also, feel free to tag me if you have questions or issues about anything in this regard. I'll help if I can
I'll definitely tag you, got a lot of prompt and programming questions too😁
BBC: Instagram lowering quality of less viewed videos 'alarming' creators
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8xnm7z71go
BBC: China declares success as its youngest astronauts reach space
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yp47prg7jo
BBC: 'We were just trying to get it to work': The failure that started the internet
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241028-the-failure-that-started-the-internet
People might not want to pick cotton by hand when machines can do it faster and better. Machines help farmers grow food and cotton quickly. When robots do hard work, people can learn new skills and find better jobs that need human thinking and creativity. It's good to use machines for tough physical tasks so humans can do smarter work.
#AgriculturalTechnology
#Laborutomation
I saw this question on the Quora
Here is what I think
Yep. Russia will sell weapons to countries that don't like the USA and its friends.
The impact: Not really. Pakistan can't buy tons of Russian tech, and India is way stronger than Pakistan. If India ever needed help, other big countries would support them.
What's your thoughts?
#newsonleo
Why the US Can't Contain China’s Tech Supremacy Drive
transcript down below
"Just outline the five where they're dominant and the areas that they're growing."
"Right. So we looked with our Bloomberg Intelligence and Economics colleagues at 13 key technologies that are part of China's Made in China 2025 initiative from about ten years ago. The five areas where China is clearly leading as of this year would be drones, high-speed rail, EVs, as you were just discussing, solar panels, and graphene. Some advanced materials where their competitors will be things like semiconductors, AI, machine tools, LNG carriers - they have like a big ship target - and drugs like pharmaceuticals. Where they're really behind is commercial aircraft."
"Interesting, Cheryl, as you just read out this sort of dream smorgasbord of Bloomberg Technology stuff. I think one thing we reflect on in the show is that some of those key areas, right, semiconductors, even drones and TV, it's very policy-focused. In other words, the government in China can change their mind, but they're often willing to support those industries through finance or policy to make them successful."
"Indeed. I mean, industrial policy is a big part of it. China's new energy vehicle targets and plans go back to around 2009. So they predate Made in China 2025. How they do this is hard to quantify, but there are a lot of subsidies for buyers, for firms. There's state-backed credit, state-backed investment funds, government procurement, etc. But I think BYD is a good example. The EV sector clearly benefited from Chinese industrial policy, but the industrial policy also didn't pick winners, so to speak. BYD was the one that rose to the top, in part because consumers are ultimately the ones deciding, and now it is a globally competitive firm."
Octoverse: AI leads Python to top language as the number of global developers surges
Developers are building AI models into applications and engaging with AI projects on GitHub in large numbers. Python overtook JavaScript as the most popular language on GitHub in 2024 and Jupyter Notebooks use skyrocketed. Both are technologies heavily used in data science and machine learning. The number of developers on GitHub has rapidly grown since tools like GitHub Copilot started going mainstream in early 2023, with significant gains in the global south. There are signals that AI is driving interest in software development.
#technology #artificialintelligence #ai #python #programming
OpenAI Just Made an Important Service 80 Percent Cheaper
OpenAI's RealTime API will soon automatically cache audio and text inputs, reducing the cost of long conversations by up to 80%.
#technology #artificialintelligence #ai #openai
The New Glenn rocket’s first stage is real, and it’s spectacular
Blue Origin rolled out the first stage of its large New Glenn rocket on Tuesday night at a launch site at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
#technology #space #blueorigin #newglenn
How TikTok Saved Its E-Commerce Business in Indonesia
TikTok's e-commerce business in Indonesia was thriving, then one day, the government declared that social media platforms would no longer be allowed to process online payments, forcing TikTok to abruptly halt its e-commerce operations. Some Indonesian officials argued that TikTok was so popular it threatened to monopolize online shopping, while others said it didn't have the right license. TikTok's defenders said the government was acting on behalf of TikTok's competitors in Indonesia.TikTok Shop restarted as a pilot program under government supervision after teaming up with local company Tokopedia.
#technology #tiktok #ecommerce
AI can't feel real emotions like humans do. It copies feelings by looking at patterns in human talk and actions. Right now, AI just follows rules and learns from data. It doesn't have true feelings or understand emotions deeply.
#ArtificialIntelligence #EmotionalComputing
Sometimes AI makes mistakes or says weird things because it's just guessing based on information, not because it's actually feeling something.
When people say AI "hallucinates," they mean it makes up information that sounds real but isn't true. This isn't because AI is emotional, but because its learning system isn't perfect.
Dropbox cuts its workforce by 20 percent in latest round of layoffs
Dropbox is laying off 528 people amid slowing growth for its core cloud storage business. The company is making significant cuts in areas where it is over-invested or underperforming while designing a flatter, more efficient team structure overall. Affected employees will receive sixteen weeks of severance pay, equity, bonus plan lump sums, payouts of approved leave, and immigration consultation for those on work visas. Dropbox reported an increase of 63,000 paid users quarter over quarter for its second-quarter earnings this year, light compared to its total 18 million-plus user base.
#technology #dropbox #layoff #workforce
Belgium is constructing the world's first artificial island to harness offshore wind
Belgium is constructing a massive artificial island in the North Sea. Set to be completed by 2027, the island will enhance Belgium's renewable energy capabilities, integrating an impressive 3.5 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity into the Belgian power grid, enough clean electricity to power over three million homes. The project, which will cost €650 million ($702 million), is being funded by the European Investment Bank. The initiative is a key part of the EU's plan to phase out fossil fuels and fully commit to sustainable energy.
#technology #energy #wind
How would you define artificial intelligence to someone with no technical background?
It's a compute program that looks vast amounts of data and finds patterns. Then it can use these patterns to make predictions or generate new data
Quite a good one. So by this we can say AI is not necessary accurate but a good guesser?
Data wrapped in algorithms and run through compute processing (GPUs).
I get it. But is there non technical way for saying it?
And thanks for the upvote support. Appreciate it, I need more RC so probably in seven days it should increase my RC
La IA es tu asistente personal y tu ayuda memoria, para tus asustos personales y profesionales.
I don't speak Spanish so I translated it
If this was your answer then it's beautiful.
The computer people who make AI don't always know how it finds answers. They just help it learn by showing it when it's right or wrong, like training a pet.
#artificialintelligence #machinelearning
AI models do not work that way. It is not input/output like traditional computing.
The model is actually generating the answer each time. The challenge comes in when we get into the weighting. That can reduce the accuracy. It is why more data is required, to create more connections within the vector database.
I didn't know the weighing concept. When you responded I sent your comment through Gpt4 to explain and now I've learned something new.
Yea, pretty much
Some models do work exactly like that
I heard of this AI Judging AI thing coming up. Where AI will fact check itself.
Do you think that would work?
Do you think AI and automation will force humans to enter a dystopian future?
#askleo
It depends upon how it is handled.
If people keep feeding Web 2.0, then yes. However, if people embrace Web 3.0 and get staking income, then no.
Then Web3 would be creating Jobs for those who would lose their jobs to AI....
We digitalized scent
Scientists from Osmo have fully digitized and reprinted the scent of a fresh summer plum using AI. They created a system that can analyze air molecules to determine scents and then print the scents as a clear liquid. The printed scents smell the same as the original scents, showing that the team was able to give their computers a sense of smell. A video from Osmo explaining its technology is available.
#technology #artificialintelligence #ai #scent
Smell TV incoming 😅
Zoox custom robotaxis are finally coming to San Francisco and Las Vegas
Zoox, which was founded a decade ago and acquired by Amazon four years ago, will start rolling out its robotaxi service in San Francisco and in Las Vegas in the coming weeks. It will start by offering employees rides in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco and on the Las Vegas Strip. The company has been working closely with local and federal safety regulators and will take a measured approach to rolling out its robotaxi service. It plans to scale production in 2026.
#technology #zoox #amazon #robotaxi
People think Amazon (Zoox) and Google (Waymo) are actually players in this market.
Watch what Tesla does to them once it opens up its platforms. We will see that in 2025 in a couple states.
Is it currently feasible to build an Interstellar vessel with our current technology? How long would it take to reach other planets using our current technology?
I dont think the engineering is there.
Do you think AI would be able to speed that up once it gets super good. Or you don't think there is any connection between AI and Space Engineering?
Right now, our rocket engines aren't good enough to fly really far into space. Our current engines are too heavy and can't go fast enough.
Antimatter could give us super powerful energy, but we can't make or store it easily. Even if we could use antimatter, we'd still need tons of fuel. Maybe using a special space scoop to collect fuel while moving might help.
Turning antimatter energy into rocket power isn't working well right now. We'd want a spaceship that can speed up at about half or one times Earth's gravity, but our current ion engines are way too weak.
Better space engines might be possible, but this could take hundreds of years to figure out.
Also, the whole world probably can't afford to build a giant spaceship right now. We'd need thousands of people to live on the ship for a trip that takes over 20 years. It would be like a floating city in space.
Maybe in thousands of years we might make a warp drive, but not anytime soon.
AI
Google Maps will use AI to answer questions about the new restaurant you want to try
Google Maps is getting a big update that’s supposed to help you find new places to visit with AI. Starting this week, you’ll be able to explore more locations with Immersive View and search for specific spots based on a descriptive query like “things to do with friends at night.”
#technology #google #ai
Google will then use its Gemini AI model to come up with “inspirational collections” matching that description. For late-night options, Google Maps might pull up locations categorized as “speakeasies” or places with “live music.” Meanwhile, regular search results remain below these collections.
But that’s not the extent of the AI features Google is adding to Maps. Once you tap on a location, you’ll see AI-generated summaries of user reviews, along with a prompt to “Ask Maps about this place.” Here, you can enter a question, and Maps will use Gemini to provide an AI-generated answer based on what it’s gathered from reviews.
During a press briefing, Google Maps head Miriam Daniel demonstrated how this might work by selecting a restaurant and entering, “Is it a quiet atmosphere?” Google Maps then returned an answer saying the location “has a lively atmosphere and a cozy feel.” Beneath the response, you’ll see the reviews Gemini used to inform its answer. These features are rolling out on Android and iOS this week in the US, building upon the AI integration Google began experimenting with earlier this year.
“We wanted to make sure that anything we show in this experience is fresh and factual,” Daniel said. “There are 100 million updates happening every day, and we’re able to pull from that refreshed fresh information and ground the results from Gemini... making sure that the results show real places on the map.”
Google is also expanding Immersive View to 150 cities. This feature, first rolled out in 2022, combines Street View and satellite images to provide an aerial view of a location, while also offering the ability to explore a city at street level. Some other updates include enhanced navigation that will show more details on the map when driving in select cities and updates to its Waze-like destination guidance features it previewed in July. Speaking of Waze, the Google-owned app is also adding the ability to report incidents on the road with your voice.
#ai is being integrated into everything. This is why we need to get #leoai going.
Task, even on a milk carton and I saw something related to AI here.
It's incredible how fast things are going.
We know that it is a path of no return and it will be essential to have AI in our daily lives.
Each time we do a thread, we are integrating data with LeoAI. The same is true for many social media platforms.
So yeah, it is unavoidable.
AI researchers have pinpointed key insights into hallucinations, revealing that bigger language models tend to be more reliable. Asking models about their confidence levels can actually help predict the likelihood of fabricated information, and when accuracy dips, the responses become increasingly unpredictable. #AIResearch #MachineLearning
Transcript Below Incase you want to read
#TechTrade #USsanctions #RussiaIndia
#NvidiaChips
So is this new that we're starting to see India as a way of accessing Nvidia chips for Russia? For example, I think the role of India has certainly come into focus for the West, so for Europe and the US, over the past couple years. They've been looking at various countries in Asia as transshipment hubs where these goods can essentially come from subsidiaries, vendors, distributors. These goods are primarily manufactured by Western companies and primarily US companies actually.
So the role of India - I guess the magnitude of the role of India as a hub - has certainly become much greater over the last few months. And why have they become such prominent actors in what is basically Russia trying to navigate barriers to accessing US tech?
There's a lot of reasons. I mean, partly when we talk to officials in the US and Europe about it, one thing they point to is that India has been buying a lot of Russian oil and Russia has a lot of Rupees at its disposal, so it's been using these Rupees to spend them essentially buying these goods out of India. So that's one big part driving this increase of this trade.
Another reason is also that Western officials - the US and Europe - have put a lot of effort into cracking down on other transshipment hubs. For example, earlier last year there was a big focus in the UAE, Turkey, Central Asia as areas where these goods were being sent to Russia.
I think a large part is the Rupees that Russia has to spend, but another one is that the West is cracking down on other areas where these goods were originally shipped from. Now these Nvidia chips are in Dell servers known as PowerEdge XC9680s, and Dell has said, look, since ever the sanctions came into place, they've stopped shipments to Russia.
But I'm interested in whether ultimately any of this is actually illegal. Well, technically it's not illegal in that India is not bound by US or European sanctions. In terms of the companies, I mean, it's true - a chip produced by a company in the US, I mean, its trade cycle, I guess, around the world is difficult to track because you have vendors, distributors, subsidiaries, all these other kind of companies or people that take part in the trade route.
So in terms of legal responsibility, it's almost impossible to place that on someone, certainly in the US who would be liable. But what could happen ex-post is that - which has been happening is that - the US could, for example, designate a lot of these companies, a lot of these intermediaries around the world who do participate in the trade of these goods.
EU, US, UK sign 1st-ever global treaty on Artificial Intelligence
The EU, US, and UK have signed the first international, legally binding AI treaty.
Known as the "Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence," this treaty focuses on aligning AI with human rights, democracy, and law. Countries like Andorra, Israel, and Georgia are among the initial signatories, showing widespread interest.
#newsonleo
The treaty emphasizes a cooperative approach, bringing diverse nations together to address the ethical use of AI.
The hope is that more countries will soon sign and ratify this treaty, creating a global framework for AI oversight.
This treaty is backed by the Council of Europe, known for advocating human rights.
Why AI Governance is Necessary
AI’s potential benefits are vast, but unchecked development could lead to misuse, privacy issues, and bias in AI systems.
Countries are recognizing the need to create boundaries to avoid these risks becoming global problems.
The treaty prioritizes human rights, especially in monitoring AI’s influence over data privacy, surveillance, and decision-making.
It seeks to prevent situations where AI-driven systems might unfairly target or disadvantage groups of people.
AI systems have the potential to impact democratic processes, from election influence to law enforcement.
By focusing on democracy, the treaty aims to prevent AI from becoming a tool that undermines fair governance.
Article
Google Maps vai recomendar lugares com IA e alertar eventos climáticos
O Google Maps se integrou ao Gemini e agora oferece aos usuários a opção de fazer buscas por restaurantes, bares, casas de show e muito mais com inteligência artificial (IA). A novidade foi apresentada junto a outros recursos, como o alerta de eventos climáticos no trânsito, nesta quinta-feira (31) pelo Google.
#technology #ai #google
Também é possível fazer perguntas sobre a localização, como “o restaurante tem um espaço ao ar livre?”, e receber um resumo com as informações solicitadas.
A ferramenta será liberada primeiro para os Estados Unidos e ainda não tem previsão para chegar ao Brasil.
“Nos próximos meses, você verá experiências semelhantes na Busca — incluindo resumos de avaliações gerados por IA e a opção de fazer perguntas detalhadas sobre lugares”, informou a empresa.
Além das indicações, o Maps vai mostrar faixas, marcações para pedestres e placas de trânsito no mapa no modo navegação. Segundo o Google, a novidade tende a auxiliar motoristas em vias desconhecidas com várias faixas, bifurcações e saídas.
Também será possível reportar eventos climáticos no caminho, como ruas alagadas, obstruídas ou de baixa visibilidade, para que outros motoristas sejam informados com antecedência. Além disso, o app vai mostrar estacionamentos próximos ao chegar no destino informado e apresentar as principais atrações e estabelecimentos no caminho.
Os apps para Android e iOS vão receber a capacidade de explorar ao longo do caminho, as notificações de eventos climáticos e a orientação de chegada a partir da próxima semana. A distribuição desses recursos será global.
Já a navegação aprimorada vai marcar presença a partir do próximo mês nos aplicativos “em mais de 30 áreas metropolitanas”. O Google pretende expandir o acesso para mais lugares ao longo do tempo.
What would happen if there was no technology?
People would still grow in number without machines and computers, but not as fast. Many would die early and there would not be enough food and other things they need to live.
#population #survival #technology
Many babies would be born since people could not stop pregnancies and wanted big families. But lots of babies and people would die because there were no good doctors, clean water, or ways to keep germs away.
Without shots, medicine, and good doctors, many more people would get very sick and die from diseases that spread quickly. This kept the number of people smaller in the past since lots of people died from being sick.
People could only grow food in small farms and hunt animals for meat. When food ran out, many would starve or not get enough to eat. The number of people would go up and down based on whether there was enough food.
Meta warns of 'significant acceleration' in costs tied to AI after strong Q3
Meta’s earnings come after encouraging results from digital ad bellwethers Alphabet and Snap.
Facebook owner Meta Platforms beat analysts’ estimates for third-quarter revenue and profit on Wednesday, but warned of “significant acceleration” in artificial intelligence-related infrastructure expenses.
#meta #earnings #markzuckerberg #technology #ai
The results sent mixed signals to investors about whether digital ad sales from Meta’s core social media business would continue to cover the cost of its massive AI buildout.
Shares of the Menlo Park, Calif.-based firm fell 2.9% in after-hours trading.
“Meta needs to prove that it can continue to cover its AI costs as they rise next year, and any weakness in its core ad business could make investors nervous as they continue to wait for a return on Meta’s bigger AI bets,” said Emarketer principal analyst Jasmine Enberg.
Like its Big Tech peers, Meta has invested heavily in data centers to capitalize on the generative AI boom. Unlike providers of cloud services, however, it does not expect to earn money from those investments right away and therefore is more subject to scrutiny from investors around its spending.
The world’s biggest social media company, headed by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, kept costs in check in the third quarter, with total expenses of $23.2 billion and capital expenditure of $9.2 billion. It projected a slightly improved expense picture for the year as well, narrowing its total expense forecast to $96 billion to $98 billion.
In its press release, however, it warned of “a significant acceleration in infrastructure expense growth next year as we recognize higher growth in depreciation and operating expenses of our expanded infrastructure fleet.”
Article
Belgium is constructing the world's first artificial island to harness offshore wind
The €650 million ($702 million) project is being funded by the European Investment Bank, which recently finalized a green credit deal with Belgian transmission operator Elia
In a nutshell: Belgium is constructing a massive artificial island in the North Sea to enhance its renewable energy capabilities. Set to be completed by 2027, the island, dubbed Princess Elisabeth, will integrate an impressive 3.5 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity into the Belgian power grid. That's enough clean electricity to power over three million homes.
#belgium #island #wind #energy #power
Could be a great way to get clean and reliable energy.
Always thought Denmark was leading the way with these type of projects.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_islands_of_Denmark
The renewable energy stats, like many (if not most) are heavily manipulated. I keep hearing how much power Europe is generating from renewables and the records they hit, then we hear they are turning back on coal plants.
Why wouldn't they just be honest with reality though?
A lot of agendas out there.
very true my friend, that's why we need information to escape the negative influence of the agenda
The problem is rather that we produce a lot of energy when its windy and sunny outside, but we dont have any backup when its calm and cloudy. Thats why sea placed can be a soloution.
Solar still produces when it is cloudy, just not as much. Wind is a problem since it does cause havoc. I am not a fan of that. Solar has its place but is not the totality of the answer in my view.
Otherwise you open up yourself to be energy bullied like Germany 🤣🤣
Solar also have the huge problem that it produces basically just half the day. Winter time its pretty bad where I live.
So yeah, we need a solid base power thats stabile combined with renewable.
Morons here in sweden shut down fully working nuclear before any alternative was built and integrated...
The €650 million ($702 million) project is being funded by the European Investment Bank, which recently finalized a green credit deal with Belgian transmission operator Elia to kick off the first phase. This initiative is a key part of the EU's ambitious REPowerEU plan to phase out fossil fuels and fully commit to sustainable energy.
The island will be constructed approximately 45 kilometers off the Belgian coast within the Princess Elisabeth wind zone.
In addition to renewable energy generation, the island is designed to serve as an energy trading hub for the entire continent. The plan includes specialized "hybrid interconnector" transmission lines that will link the island with neighboring countries. These hybrid lines will integrate with the wind farms, enabling two-way energy flows.
Article
Believe this 700 mill is totally worth it. Money well spent but since it's artificial how long till it sinks or it will not?
Wow, that's great adventure
Super Micro's $50 billion stock collapse underscores risk of AI hype
Since being added to the S&P 500 in March, Super Micro has lost about two-thirds of its value and now faces the risk of Nasdaq delisting.
In March, Super Micro Computer was added to the S&P 500 after an epic run that lifted the stock by more than 2,000% in two years, dwarfing even Nvidia's gains.
As it turned out, S&P was calling the top.
#supermicro #ai #computer #technology
Less than two weeks after the index changes were announced, Super Micro reached its closing high of $118.81 and had a market cap of almost $70 billion. The stock is down 72% since then, pushing the valuation to under $20 billion, the first major sign in the public markets that the hype around artificial intelligence may not all be justified.
Super Micro is one of the primary vendors for building out Nvidia-based clusters of servers for training and deploying AI models.
The stock plunged 33% on Wednesday, after the company disclosed that its auditor, Ernst & Young, had resigned, saying it was "unwilling to be associated with the financial statements prepared by management." Super Micro is now at risk of being delisted from the Nasdaq, and has until Nov. 16 to regain compliance with the stock exchange.
[Article](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/31/super-micros-50-billion-stock-collapse-underscores-risk-of-ai-hype.html0
VW Group’s Q3 profit crashes 42% - factories to close, thousands will be fired
#vw #automotive #evs #company #germany #factories
14:04
your in your league you know just just
14:06
go for the another team you know we
14:08
often have a second favorite team right
14:10
what's your second favorite you know
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maybe you used to be a fan of say the
14:14
Golden State Warriors you know maybe now
14:16
it's time to jump onto the who what's
14:18
the next team right Oklahoma City
14:21
they're good now go for them instead
14:23
thanks for watching
Uber reports third-quarter results that beat Wall Street's revenue expectations
Uber reported third-quarter results Thursday that beat analysts' expectations for revenue.
Uber reported third-quarter results on Thursday that beat Wall Street's expectations for revenue but missed on analysts' projections for gross bookings.
Shares of the company were down more than 5% pre-market on Thursday.
#uber #ridesharing #Technology #earnings
Here's how the company did:
Earnings per share: $1.20. That may not compare to the 41 cents expected by LSEG.
Revenue: $11.19 billion vs. $10.98 billion expected by LSEG
Uber's revenue grew 20% in its third quarter from $9.3 billion a year prior. The company reported $40.97 billion in gross bookings for the period, which is below the $41.25 billion expected by analysts, according to StreetAccount.
The company reported a net income of $2.6 billion, or $1.20 per share, up from $221 million, or 10 cents per share, in the same quarter last year. Uber said its net income includes a $1.7 billion pre-tax benefit from unrealized gains related to the reevaluation of its equity investments.
Uber reported adjusted EBITDA of $1.69 billion, up 55% year over year and slightly above the $1.64 billion expected by analysts polled by StreetAccount.
Article
Jack Dorsey's payments company Block expands corporate card service to the UK
Block, the payments company owned by tech billionaire Jack Dorsey, has launched its corporate card service in the U.K.
Block, the payments company owned by tech billionaire Jack Dorsey has launched its corporate card service in the U.K. in a bid to deepen its expansion into the country and take on big incumbents like American Express.
#fintech #jackdorsey #block #europe #technology #billionaire
The firm's business-focused payments arm, Square, told CNBC that it opened registrations for its Square Card product in Britain late Wednesday, marking the first time Block has expanded its business card offering outside North America, where it first launched in 2019.
Currently available in the U.S. and Canada, Square Card is a free business spending card that reduces the time between merchants making a sale and having funds available to spend. It competes with offerings from the likes of American Express and Citigroup.
Samina Hussain-Letch, executive director of Square U.K., said the launch of the firm's corporate card product in the U.K. would give merchants speedier access to funds and help them more easily manage their daily expenses.
"When designing this product we went back to our mission of making commerce easy," Hussain-Letch told CNBC. Based on internal research Square found that small and micro businesses "prefer their funds to be consolidated in one place," she said, adding that real-time access to funds was also an important factor.
Article
Here's a more detailed biography of Jack Dorsey:
Early Life and Education
Jack Dorsey was born on November 19, 1976, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Tim and Joyce Dorsey. His father was a financial advisor, and his mother was a nurse. Dorsey grew up in a family of modest means, and his parents encouraged his interest in computer programming from an early age.
Dorsey attended Central Methodist College in Fayette, Missouri, where he studied computer science and graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During his time at college, Dorsey became interested in programming and began to teach himself how to code.
Career
After graduating from college, Dorsey moved to New York City to pursue a career in finance. However, he soon became disillusioned with the financial industry and decided to pursue a career in technology instead.
In 2000, Dorsey began to work as a technical assistant for the investment firm, Omidyar Network, which was founded by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay. Dorsey's job involved working with the company's early payment systems, which involved processing online transactions.
In 2006, Dorsey co-founded Twitter with Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass. The service was initially called "twttr" and was designed to allow users to send short messages, or "tweets," to their followers. Dorsey was responsible for designing the service's architecture and writing much of the initial code.
Twitter quickly gained popularity, and Dorsey became the company's first CEO. Under his leadership, Twitter expanded its user base and introduced new features such as hashtags and @mentions.
In 2008, Dorsey stepped down as CEO of Twitter, citing burnout and a desire to focus on other projects. He remained a member of the company's board of directors and continued to work as a consultant to the company.
Square
In 2009, Dorsey co-founded Square, a mobile payment processing company. Square's initial product was a credit card reader that could be plugged into a laptop or mobile device, allowing merchants to process credit card transactions on the go.
The company quickly gained popularity, and Square expanded its product line to include a mobile point-of-sale system, Square Reader, which allowed merchants to process transactions on their mobile devices.
Under Dorsey's leadership, Square expanded its user base and introduced new features such as online invoicing and payment processing for online businesses.
Return to Twitter
In 2015, Dorsey returned as CEO of Twitter, succeeding Dick Costolo. During his tenure, Dorsey oversaw significant changes to the company, including the introduction of new features such as live streaming and the expansion of Twitter's user base.
Dorsey also played a key role in Twitter's efforts to improve its product, including the introduction of a new user interface and the expansion of Twitter's video capabilities.
Departure from Twitter
In 2020, Dorsey stepped down as CEO of Twitter, citing a desire to focus on other projects and a need to delegate more responsibility to other executives. He remained the company's chairman and continued to work as a consultant to the company.
Personal Life
Dorsey is a devout Catholic and has stated that his faith plays an important role in his life. He has also spoken publicly about the importance of mental health and the need for companies to prioritize employee well-being.
Dorsey is also a self-taught programmer and has a strong interest in blockchain technology. He has invested in several blockchain companies and has spoken publicly about the potential of blockchain technology to disrupt traditional industries.
Net Worth
As of 2022, Dorsey's net worth is estimated to be over $2 billion, according to Forbes. His net worth is largely due to his ownership of Twitter and Square, as well as his investments in other companies.
Philanthropy
Dorsey has also been involved in various philanthropic efforts, including the St. Louis-based non-profit organization, The Fund for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has also donated to various causes, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Impact on the Technology Industry
Dorsey's impact on the technology industry has been significant. He is widely credited with helping to create the modern social media landscape, and his leadership at Twitter helped to shape the company into the platform it is today.
Dorsey's vision for Twitter, which emphasized the importance of real-time communication and the need for a platform that could handle large volumes of user-generated content, helped to set the stage for the development of other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram.
Overall, Jack Dorsey is a highly influential figure in the technology industry, and his leadership at Twitter and Square has helped to shape the modern digital landscape.
Perplexity's CEO punts on defining 'plagiarism'
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 to dig into his startup's controversies — and business.
Perplexity’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, wouldn’t say how Perplexity defines “plagiarism” in an on stage interview with Devin Coldewey at TechCrunch’s Disrupt 2024 conference.
#perplexity #cro #aravindsrinivas #ai #training #copyright
It’s a touchy subject. News Corp’s Dow Jones and the New York Post have sued Perplexity over what they describe as a “content kleptocracy.” Many other news sites have expressed concerns that Perplexity closely replicates their content — just this month, The New York Times sent the startup a cease and desist.
Srinivas was adamant that Perplexity “always cites its sources” and doesn’t claim ownership of any content.
“It’s surfacing content from the web, summarizing it in a manner that the user can digest,” he said, “and then provides all this information — exactly how journalists do their job, or academics do their job, or students.”
In a recent blog post responding to the Dow Jones lawsuit, Perplexity argued that publishers wished its technology “didn’t exist” and would prefer “publicly reported facts are owned by corporations.” But the post failed to address whether Perplexity allegedly regurgitates content at a massive scale, as some publishers claim — and then competes with those publishers for the same audience.
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NFL quarterback turned-founder Colin Kaepernick on the challenges facing disrupters
Colin Kaepernick took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 to talk about the challenges that people who want to disrupt something face, both inside and outside of the tech world.
Former NFL quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 on Wednesday to talk about the challenges that people who want to disrupt something are facing — both inside and outside of the tech world.
#nfl #quarterback #colinkaepernick #investor
“One of the biggest challenges that you will likely face when you try to disrupt something — or you try to do something you’re passionate about, and it ends up disrupting something in that process is you face a lot of resistance,” Kaepernick said. “There will be difficult times, and during those times, you want to have those people that you can lean on, the people that can support you, and that’s really what gives you that endurance.”
Kaepernick is no stranger to disrupting the status quo, as he made national headlines in 2016 when he took a knee to protest racial injustice. The former NFL star says that while he faced a lot of resistance, he also saw a push to create a better and more equitable future.
“When you do that and you see such a strong response to it, it really gives you perspective and insight,” Kaepernick said. “We have such a long way to go. But, the other part that I learned during that time period, there are also a lot of people that want to go that long way with you, and I think that has been the beautiful part coming out of that is while there has been resistance to it, there’s also been a lot of organizing.”
As someone who has had thousands of stories written about him, he now wants to help creators take control of their narratives with Lumi. The startup is aiming to empower creators by helping them independently create and publish stories and content.
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Aurora Innovation delays commercial autonomous truck launch to 2025
Autonomous vehicle technology startup Aurora Innovation is targeting April 2025 for commercial deployment of its autonomous trucks, pushing its timeline
Autonomous vehicle technology startup Aurora Innovation is targeting April 2025 for commercial deployment of its autonomous trucks, pushing its timeline back by about a quarter. The company had originally planned to launch by the end of 2024. The company said it delayed the launch so it can continue to validate its self-driving technology.
#aurora #evs #autonomous #trucks #semi #commercial #technology
“While this is modestly later than we had intended, this timing remains within the margin of error we have anticipated and conveyed throughout 2024,” Aurora CEO and co-founder Chris Urmson wrote in his third-quarter earnings shareholder letter. “With our intention to introduce the Aurora Driver with a crawl, walk, run approach, this shift to our timeline will have a negligible financial impact.”
Aurora will go to market as a carrier, but its end goal is to pursue a driver-as-a-service model, wherein carriers purchase trucks with the Aurora Driver tech on board and then offer their services via those trucks to shippers.
One of the ways Aurora measures the performance and commercial readiness of its Aurora Driver is its use of on-site support, which the company says will be the most expensive support provided. As of the end of the third-quarter, the Aurora Driver was delivering commercial loads without the support of a remote human 80% of the time, which is up 75% from the second-quarter. The goal is to reach 90% by commercial launch in the spring.
The startup intends to deploy up to 10 driverless trucks during commercial launch, with the goal of increasing to tens of trucks by the end of 2025.
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The Guardian: Reddit shares soar after company turns first-ever profit
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/oct/30/reddit-stock
Should maybe look into getting some Reddit exposure in my stock portfolio.
The Guardian: Google parent Alphabet sees double-digit growth as AI bets boost cloud business
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/oct/29/alphabet-google-earnings-report
The Guardian: EU events on curbing big tech ‘distorted’ by attenders with industry links
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/29/eu-events-curbing-big-tech-distorted-attenders-hidden-industry-links
The Guardian: The Strava problem: how the fitness app was used to locate the world’s most powerful people
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/oct/29/strava-problem-fitness-app-locate-worlds-most-powerful-people
Is that really Stravas problem or is the users fault? You might not need to use Strava if you are that high up. Or maybe its just me.
The Guardian: Is your smartphone being tracked? Here’s how to tell
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/oct/31/is-your-smartphone-being-tracked-heres-how-to-tell
The Guardian: Small step or a giant leap? What AI means for the dance world
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/oct/29/small-step-or-a-giant-leap-what-ai-means-for-the-dance-world
BBC: 'Sickening' Molly Russell chatbots found on Character.ai
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg57yd0jr0go
Chinese smartphone company Honor gets new investors as it gears up for IPO
Chinese smartphone company Honor on Thursday announced backing from new investors as the Huawei spinoff prepares for an initial public offering.
Chinese smartphone company Honor on Thursday announced backing from new investors as the Huawei spinoff prepares for an initial public offering.
The new backers are: China Telecom — one of the major telecommunications operators in the country — CICC Capital, Chinese venture capital firm Cornerstone and SDG, a fund linked to a Shenzhen economic zone. Honor said its existing partners also made a new investment round through an entity called Jinshi Xingyao.
#china #smartphone #honor #investment #huawei
Honor said earlier this year it planned to start changing its shareholder structure in the fourth quarter, after which it would start the IPO process "at a suitable time."
The company has not said where it would list. Honor announced its IPO plans in November 2023.
Honor spun off from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei in November 2020 after the parent company was hit by U.S. sanctions. Huawei said it does not hold any shares in Honor or have involvement in business decisions.
Last week, Honor revealed the next version of its operating system can use AI to mimic actions on a touchscreen, such as opening an app to order coffee delivery. The company on Wednesday released its new Magic7 series of phones that can use the AI features in China.
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Samsung Electronics' chip profit shrinks 40% from the previous quarter
The semiconductor unit reported third-quarter operating profit of 3.86 trillion won (about $2.8 billion), down 40% from the previous quarter.
Samsung Electronics on Thursday reported third-quarter sales and operating profit slightly above its own expectations, but its chip business posted a sharply lower profit from the previous quarter.
The semiconductor unit reported third-quarter operating profit of 3.86 trillion won (about $2.8 billion), down 40% from the previous quarter.
#samsung #chips #semiconductor #earnings #technology
While its memory chip unit benefited by strong demand for its artificial intelligence and conventional server products, Samsung said "inventory adjustments negatively impacted mobile demand." The company said it was also contending with "the increasing supply of legacy products in China."
Samsung is the top manufacturer of memory chips used in devices like laptops and servers, and it ranks as the second-largest player in the smartphone market worldwide.
While artificial intelligence drove demand for advanced nodes from its foundry unit, Samsung said mobile and PC demand underperformed. The Korean tech giant said the rebound in mobile and PC demand will be delayed, though interest in more advanced products will continue to grow, driven by AI investments.
Here are Samsung's results compared with the guidance it issued earlier this month:
Revenue: 79.1 trillion won vs. 79 trillion
Operating profit: 9.18 trillion vs. 9.1 trillion won
Those guidance figures were markedly lower than the LSEG estimate for 11.456 trillion won in operating profit. Samsung Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun, the new head of the company's device solutions division, issued a rare apology after the guidance release.
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Reuters: Panasonic's battery unit Q2 operating profit rises 42%, keeps forecast
https://www.reuters.com/technology/panasonics-battery-unit-q2-operating-profit-rises-42-2024-10-31/
Reuters: Toyota, NTT to invest $3.3 bln on development of AI platform
https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/toyota-ntt-invest-33-bln-development-ai-platform-2024-10-31/
Reuters: Samsung says it is making headway in AI chip supply after disappointing results
https://www.reuters.com/technology/samsung-posts-weaker-profit-recovery-it-misses-out-ai-boom-2024-10-30/
Reuters: Chinese smartphone maker Honor announces new investors
https://www.reuters.com/technology/smartphone-maker-honor-announces-investment-china-telecom-cicc-capital-corp-2024-10-31/
Reuters: Meta projects sharp acceleration in AI costs after results beat Wall Street targets
https://www.reuters.com/technology/facebook-parent-meta-platforms-forecasts-holiday-quarter-revenue-above-estimates-2024-10-30/
Reuters: Microsoft forecasts slower cloud business growth in second quarter
https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-beats-quarterly-revenue-estimates-2024-10-30/
Reuters: Cognizant beats quarterly profit estimates on gradual recovery in IT services demand
https://www.reuters.com/technology/cognizant-beats-quarterly-profit-estimates-gradual-recovery-it-services-demand-2024-10-30/
Microsoft CFO says OpenAI investment will cut into profit this quarter
Microsoft has invested over $13 billion in OpenAI, a bet that's weighing on the company's profitability.
Microsoft's massive investment in OpenAI is weighing on earnings.
Following Microsoft's quarterly earnings report on Wednesday, CFO Amy Hood said she expects the company to take a $1.5 billion hit to income in the current period, mainly because of an expected loss from OpenAI.
#openai #microsoft #investment #profits #ai #technology
Microsoft has invested close to $14 billion in OpenAI, whose ChatGPT assistant has gone viral and inspired a whole new industry called generative artificial intelligence. The trend has generated billions of dollars in new revenue for Microsoft.
But OpenAI is losing bundles of cash. The company expects $5 billion in losses this year, before stock-based compensation, on $4 billion in revenue, The Information reported earlier this month, citing documents.
Hood said that for Microsoft, the loss is accounted for under the equity method. The accounting approach refers to a company's share of the invested company's profit or loss in a given period, a Microsoft spokesperson said.
The additional detail is "not due to a change in our partnership or investment in OpenAI," the spokesperson said in an email. "Our partnership with OpenAI continues to deliver results, as we build differentiated IP and drive revenue momentum."
The earnings call came after Microsoft reported an earnings and revenue beat for the fiscal first quarter. However, the stock slid in extended trading after the company's forecast called for slower-than-expected growth.
While OpenAI is a central part of Microsoft's growth strategy, the company has been hedging its bets after integrating OpenAI's models into several products and acting as the startup's exclusive cloud infrastructure provider. On Tuesday, Microsoft's GitHub subsidiary said it would allow developers to power the Copilot Chat feature with models from Google or startup Anthropic instead of OpenAI's GPT-4o.
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Even Mark Zuckerberg seems surprised by Meta's pace of spending on AI
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained on the earnings call how the speed of Meta's AI technology buildout led the company to lift guidance for capex.
Meta has been so quick to build out its massive data center and computing infrastructure for artificial intelligence projects that CEO Mark Zuckerberg is even a bit surprised.
#meta #markzuckerberg #ai #earnings #spending #technology #generativeai
In a call with analysts on Wednesday after Meta's third-quarter earnings report, Zuckerberg explained to investors how Meta's rising costs for the year are tied to the speed at which employees are able to get data centers, servers and chips for AI up and running.
"Going into the year, we had a range for what we thought we could potentially do, and we've been able to do more than we've kind of hoped and expected at the beginning of the year," Zuckerberg said.
It also means investors have to buckle up for higher expenses. Meta raised the low end of its capital expenditures guidance for 2024 to $38 billion from $37 billion. The top end is still $40 billion.
"It's actually something that I'm quite happy that the team is executing well on," Zuckerberg said. "That execution makes me somewhat more optimistic that we're going to be able to keep on building this out at a good pace."
Article
Nanoplastics can reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics
In order to investigate whether and how nanoplastic particles in the body interact with antibiotics, the research team led by Lukas Kenner (MedUni Vienna), Barbara Kirchner (University of Bonn) and Oldamur Hollóczki (University of Debrecen) linked a common drug with widely used types of plastic. The focus was on the broad-spectrum antibiotic tetracycline, which is used to treat many bacterial infections, such as those of the respiratory tract, skin or intestines.
#nanoplastic #science #technology #antibiotics #health
When it came to plastics, the choice fell on polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS), which are ubiquitous components of packaging materials, as well as nylon 6,6 (N66), which is contained in many textiles such as clothing, carpets, sofa covers and curtains. Nanoplastics are smaller than 0.001millimeters and are considered particularly harmful to humans and the environment due to their small size.
Using complex computer models, the team was able to prove that the nanoplastic particles can bind tetracycline and thus impair the effectiveness of the antibiotic. "The binding was particularly strong with nylon," emphasizes Lukas Kenner, pointing out a largely underestimated danger indoors: "The micro- and nanoplastic load is around five times higher there than outdoors. Nylon is one of the reasons for this: it is released from textiles and enters the body via respiration, for example."
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Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger's missteps have strained TSMC partnership, hindered turnaround efforts
When Pat Gelsinger took the helm as Intel's CEO in February 2021, hopes were high for a revival of the company.
Recap: Much ink has been spilled about Pat Gelsinger's missteps at Intel's helm. A new Reuters investigation uncovers some previously unreported details about his tenure, including how he botched a generous discount TSMC had given the US tech giant.
#intel #tsmc #patgelsinger #technology #semiconductors
When Pat Gelsinger took the helm as Intel's CEO in February 2021, hopes were high for a revival of the company. However, three years into his tenure, Intel faces significant challenges and setbacks that have raised questions about its future and Gelsinger's leadership.
One of the earliest – and perhaps most significant – blunders by Gelsinger was his mishandling of Intel's relationship with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), according to an investigation by Reuters in which the news service interviewed about four dozen current and former Intel employees and executives.
Gelsinger's return to Intel, where he had spent 30 years earlier in his career, was initially met with enthusiasm. Investors cheered his appointment, and employees celebrated having a technologist back in charge. However, the optimism was short-lived as Gelsinger made several missteps that would impact Intel's relationships and business prospects, starting with TSMC.
According to sources, despite receiving deep discounts from TSMC for chip production, Gelsinger made public statements that offended the Taiwanese company. "You don't want all of your eggs in the basket of a Taiwan fab," Gelsinger said in May 2021, referring to Taiwan's geopolitical situation. He later said, "Taiwan is not a stable place," at a tech conference in December of that year where he encouraged chip manufacturers to remain in the US.
These comments led to TSMC revoking the generous terms it gave Intel – about 40 percent off the $23,000, 3-nanometer wafers on which TSMC would print chips for Intel – affecting Intel's profit margins.
Gelsinger's vision for Intel included transforming the company into a major player in the foundry business, competing directly with TSMC. He announced plans to invest billions in new factories and develop advanced manufacturing processes.
Article
From Reddit:
The power grid will need to change, or the future will be dark
Energy
Not being alarmist or “doomer” as was complained about recently. But it’s only a matter of time before another coronal mass ejection (CME), aka solar storm, the level of the 1859 Carrington Event occurs. In 1859 it caused a few fires at telegraph offices, but in the modern age a very strong CME would destroy power grids.
A CME send billions of tons of charged plasma from the sun. When it interacts with the Earth’s magnetic field, it creates geomagnetically induced current (GIC) that collects on miles long conductors, like power lines. This DC-like GIC on an AC system can cause overheating in high-voltage transformers on the transmission system. The heat can damage or destroy these essentially irreplaceable transformers (since they take years to make).
#powergrid #energy #electricity #technology
There are methods to “harden” the power grid to GIC, and organizations such as the Department of Energy (DOE) are working on it (example: https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1684647). This isn’t cheap, but is the most promising area.
It might be possible to install more isolation transformers in the existing grid. Another possible solution would be microgrids that don’t have long-haul lines, so would not be susceptible to GIC.
A nuclear EMP can do the same thing to the grid, and more, but overall seems less likely than a regularly occurring solar event we know will happen again. We just can’t predict when.
Either way, changes to the power grid will need to occur if we are to ensure it’s survival.
I dont like it when folks compare solar flares to EMPs. Because while the physics are similar, its just two totally different animals to prepare against.
We have had the transmission grid running since 1950's and other than a single incident in 1989, where 6 million canadians lost power for 9 hours due to a solar flare, the rest have basically been dealt with without much issue. They dont even make the news. I am pretty sure 2022 was one of the worst solar events in US history and nothing really happened (except a bunch of Starlinks satelites got crispy, planes were grounded for a couple hours, and GPS was down for a few minutes.)
It’s essential to understand how EMPs (electromagnetic pulses) and solar flares can impact the electrical grid. Electricity is generated by moving a conductor through a magnetic field: either spinning a conductor within a stable magnetic field or spinning a magnetic field around a conductor.
do they still take years to make even after all the advancement in engineering 😳 and are we really going to start messing with dark energy
With solar flares, the Sun emits a magnetic field that interacts with Earth, affecting our grid. The grid’s transmission lines act as the conductor, moving through this magnetic field due to Earth’s rotation. While the field itself isn’t very strong, the combined length of east-west transmission lines creates significant power as the Earth turns. Shorter, non-east-west-oriented distribution lines are generally unaffected. Consumer products and microchips are unaffected. By predicting the timing and location of these power surges, we can install simple fuse-based switches and voltage filters along transmission lines, especially near costly, hard-to-replace equipment. During solar flare events, these switches can open briefly to ground the energy safely. Once the event passes, the switches close, fuses are replaced, and the grid resumes normal operation. This was figured out in the 90's and we have had dozens of events since.
EMP hardening, however, is almost impossible. In an EMP, the pulse is targeted and passes through the conductive material (versus the conductor moving through the feild). The grid is too vast and conductive to insulate everything effectively, and EMPs are unpredictable in timing and location. EMPs can be particularly damaging to small, sensitive components, like microchips. A strong enough EMP could damage a substation transformer, though simpler threats like vandalism with firearms currently pose a bigger risk to transformers, which lack sufficient protection. So we can't harden substations to these kinds of attacks just like we can't harden them to basically any sort of direct assult. Our grid just isn't and can't be nuke proof, bullet proof, etc. Hell, they are not even squirrel proof.
Despite that, the same measures are being taken to limit solar flare damage also prevents EMP damage on a large scale. The approach is to design the grid with “break points” that absorb voltage surges. Many components are already built to “break” first, sacrificing themselves to protect more critical equipment. Now, we are adding cheaper, more breakable, and easier to replace elements to the grid. We are doing this anyways as we hae to manage voltage spikes from our changing power needs (renewable energy and EV charging being biggies).
In the event of a hypothetical attack—like two nuclear detonations above the U.S. to take down the grid—the damage might not be as extensive or irreparable as feared. Substations directly under the EMP’s pulse could be heavily damaged, but the rest of the grid might recover quickly, mostly by just replacing blown fuses and filters. That said, substation transformers that sustained severe damage would take longer to repair or replace. Those are big, heavy, expensive devices and we do not have a lot spares.
.
And for folks saying this is someting no one is paying attention to. That is not the case. US DOD, DOE, DHS, NSA, FAA, and DOI all have programs looking at this seriously for at least 20 years. There are a number of transmission working groups trying to figure out the best place to put breakables, transformer makers are looking at increased shielding with new alloys and painted on coatings in certain key points. DOD has a purchasing guildines and Milspec transformers, DOE has financial assistance programs and testing sites, DOI and DHS track solar flares and send guidance to transmission operators. But most of the answers here are really boring so they dont get much publicity as we are talking about fuses, paint, operational resiliency best practices.
source: been in the energy biz for 20 years and currently work at a utility managing power supply. So, not an engineer or a lineman with direct operational experience. Ive just been around this stuff for a long time
My buddy in the energy field has the same response whenever this kind of article comes out.
"What makes you think that this article writer is the first person to have noticed this problem, and what do you think I do all day when I'm working to ensure you have power when you turn on the switch? We're always looking at what will go wrong, and preparing for when it does."
Even when Texas had the huge issues they did in 2021, the grid survived, and severe weather events impacting grid stability are more likely than both CMEs and EMPs.
Plus, it's amazing how undefended our energy infrastructure is against physical attacks, not just malicious actors. I've heard plenty of stories about the challenges related to squirrel-proofing substations.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought if we just shut parts of the grid down before and during when the CME hits the earth, the grid wouldn't be overwhelmed and would power back up after the CME without issues.
I work with a lot of power utilities. The number of them that have devoted true resources to EMP hardening the grid is near 0. Duke, Centerpoint, and a handful of others are about it.
I had a conversation with a guy who ran an aerospace concern. Their focus was flying polar sensors that would give utilities warning in events like this.
We are more exposed than ever but we know more than ever now and are endeavoring to know more each day.
This capability already exists to protect satellites, which are far less accessable and far more exposed than any part of the power grid but efforts are underway to improve warning time.
No, we don't. It's simple economics. Can you build a grid that can withstand a CME? Sure. The cost would be stupendously stupid. For an event that might happen....once in a lifetime? It isn't worth it.
Also, whose grid are we trying to save? The north american grid can be repaired within a reasonable period of time. India...not so much.
t's terrifyingly easy to take down a national grid and the fact that no one's done it shows how few people are aware of how easy it is. EVERYWHERE is vulnerable.
The power grids everywhere need many different upgrades for different reasons. But guess what: no one wants to pay for them - no one being the customers/users in this case, because one way (by paying it directly) or the other (via taxes), users will have to pay for it.
But if you try raising prices, the mob will walk in your direction in an instant.
Wouldn't they disconnect the transformers from the lines if a carrington level event was coming so they don't get fried? Seems like pretty common sense stuff
They can and do for solar flares. Problem with EMPs is that the magnetic pulse is, in theory, strong enough to generate enough power via the coils inside the transformer to blow the transformer up.
Then again, if folks are dropping nukes on us...does it matter all that much at that point?
My man, I mean - odds are Russia and USA EMP themselves and half the world sooner than a major coronal ejection.
Nah, its just fear mongering. The future will not be dark. They are aware of the potential, and the worst case scenario is max dark for a couple of weeks. OP just thinks they know something everyone else doesn't.
didju ever think that nobody cares and everyone is waiting around for it to happen so the entire infrastructure can be rebuilt and upgraded?
EBay stock sinks after lackluster Q4 guidance, election distraction
EBay reported better-than-expected earnings for the third quarter, but the results were overshadowed by a disappointing forecast for the current period.
Shares of eBay slumped about 9% in extended trading on Wednesday after the online marketplace issued guidance for the fourth quarter that fell short of Wall Street's expectations.
Here's how the company did in the third quarter:
Earnings: $1.19 per share vs. $1.18 per share expected by LSEG
Revenue: $2.58 billion vs. $2.55 billion expected by LSEG
#ebay #earnings #technology #wallstreet
For the current quarter, eBay predicted revenue to between $2.53 billion and $2.59 billion, which would represent a 1% decline to a 1% increase year over year. The guidance trailed the average analyst estimate for fourth-quarter revenue of $2.65 billion, according to StreetAccount.
The company also said it expects $1.17 to $1.22 in adjusted earnings per share in the fourth quarter. The top end of the range is in line with consensus estimates of $1.22 per share.
EBay has faced increased competition in e-commerce from rivals like Amazon, Walmart and Etsy, as well as low-cost upstarts Temu and Shein, which both have ties to China. To keep buyers and sellers returning to its site, the company has leaned into so-called "focus categories," such as collectible sneakers, used luxury goods and auto parts. It'd also announced artificial intelligence tools that provide personalized recommendations for shoppers and streamline the creation of seller listings.
EBay CEO Jamie Iannone said in an interview following the earnings report that the weak guidance was due to a number of "one-time factors." He cited the prevalence of hurricanes at the beginning of the quarter and shoppers being distracted in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election in November. He also pointed to the shorter holiday shopping season, which has five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year compared with last year.
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Cisco shifts focus to AI with new infrastructure solutions
While most people think of Cisco as a company that links infrastructure elements in data centers and the cloud
While most people think of Cisco as a company that links infrastructure elements in data centers and the cloud, it is not the first company that comes to mind when discussing GenAI. However, at its recent Partner Summit event, the company made several announcements aimed at changing that perception.
#cisco #cloud #generativeai #infrastructure #ai #technology
Specifically, Cisco debuted several new servers equipped with Nvidia GPUs and AMD CPUs, targeted for AI workloads, a new high-speed network switch optimized for interconnecting multiple AI-focused servers, and several preconfigured PODs of compute and network infrastructure designed for specific applications.
On the server side, Cisco's new UCS C885A M8 Server packages up to eight Nvidia H100 or H200 GPUs and AMD Epyc CPUs into a compact rack server capable of everything from model training to fine-tuning. Configured with both Nvidia Ethernet cards and DPUs, the system can function independently or be networked with other servers into a more powerful system.
The new Nexus 9364E-SG2 switch, based on Cisco's latest G200 custom silicon, offers 800G speeds and large memory buffers to enable high-speed, low-latency connections across multiple servers.
The most interesting new additions are in the form of AI PODs, which are Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs) that combine CPU and GPU compute, storage, and networking along with Nvidia's AI Enterprise platform software. Essentially, they are completely preconfigured infrastructure systems that provide an easier, plug-and-play solution for organizations to launch their AI deployments – something many companies beginning their GenAI efforts need.
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FTX's Nishad Singh gets no jail time, 3 years supervised release for role in crypto fraud
Nishad Singh was the fourth former FTX executive to be handed a punishment tied to the collapse of the crypto exchange in late 2022.
Former FTX executive Nishad Singh was sentenced to time served and three years of supervised release on Wednesday, becoming the fourth ex-employee of the collapsed crypto exchange to be punished. Singh was also ordered to forfeit $11 billion.
#ftx #nishadsingh #crypto #crime
Singh faced a maximum sentence of 75 years but New York Judge Lewis Kaplan noted his cooperation with the government as "remarkable" and said he was entirely persuaded that Singh's involvement with the fraud was far more limited than that of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried or Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of sister hedge fund Alameda Research.
Ellison was the star witness in the prosecution of Bankman-Fried and recently received a two-year prison sentence.
Singh, who was FTX's head of engineering, pleaded guilty early last year to six criminal charges, including conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws.
Comcast says Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 pushed internet traffic to record highs - shame about those data caps
Comcast writes that it recorded its biggest week in internet history with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's pre-launch. It accounted for 19% of total network traffic...
In brief: Call of Duty titles have long had an apparent obligation to gobble up as much of your storage space as possible. The latest entry, Black Ops 6, is no exception. The game's size and popularity contributed to what was Comcast's "biggest week in internet history," which makes its 1.2TB data cap seem even more archaic.
#comcast #callofduty #gaming #internet #traffic #technology
Comcast writes that it recorded its biggest week in internet history with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's pre-launch. It accounted for 19% of total network traffic last week, the fifth highest internet traffic event in Comcast network history. Availability of the download and the Thursday Night Football streams accounted for 26 percent of total network traffic.
Black Ops follows in the tradition of other Call of Duty titles in requiring a hefty chunk of your storage space. PlayStation owners need 84.40 GB free to install it, while the game takes up 85.6 GB on Xbox. On PC, you need at least 102 GB free on your SSD to install Black Ops 6 – a number that can inflate to almost 300 GB if you choose to also download Modern Warfare II and III and all the content and language packs.
It is somewhat ironic that Comcast announced its record high internet traffic when most of its US customers have to deal with its 1.2TB data cap. The telecoms giant typically charges for exceeding this cap at a rate of $10 per 50GB, up to a maximum of $100 per billing period. There is an unlimited data plan that costs an additional monthly fee of $25 to $40.
In 2022, the US proposed a bill called the Uncap America Act, which looks to ban data caps from broadband providers that appear predatory. The bill is still under review.
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Eurojust, FBI, and other agencies join forces to take down two major data-stealing malware rings
A global enforcement action known as Operation Magnus took down RedLine and Meta, two lines of infostealer malware that scammed millions of victims worldwide.
In context: An infostealer is a dangerous form of malware designed to exfiltrate user data and exploit it for additional malicious campaigns. Eurojust and several other enforcement agencies recently took down two prominent data-stealing trojans in this family. Investigators said this is only the beginning of a far-reaching operation.
#eurojust #fbi #crime #malware #technology
A global enforcement action known as "Operation Magnus" took down RedLine and Meta, two lines of infostealer malware that scammed millions of victims worldwide. An international coalition of agencies from the Netherlands, US, Belgium, Portugal, United Kingdom, and Australia called "Eurojust" took down the two malware rings. Authorities made several arrests and seized servers, which they will use to catch and prosecute others involved in the racket.
Eurojust notes that RedLine and Meta operators stole massive amounts of user information, including credentials, physical and email addresses, phone numbers, cryptocurrency wallets, and cookies. The cyber-gangs sold the data to other criminals, adopting a malware-as-a-service (MaaS) business model and offering their "goods" through notorious criminal marketplaces.
Eurojust initiated Operation Magnus after an unnamed security company notified authorities about illegal servers located in the Netherlands. Investigators subsequently discovered over 1,200 servers in dozens of countries hosting the malware and were able to "quickly" exchange information about the threat thanks to the Eurojust interagency partnership.
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Boston Dynamics releases video of Atlas robot that now needs zero help from humans to perform tasks
Robotics company Boston Dynamics has released a new video of its humanoid robot Atlas – now performing tasks with zero human intervention.
Robotics company Boston Dynamics has released a new video of its humanoid robot Atlas – now performing tasks with zero human intervention.
In the video released by the futuristic lab – the robot can be seen performing rote physical tasks with ease and without any help from people guiding it.
#bostondynamics #atlas #robotics #technology #humanoid
The bag of bolts moves engine covers in between supplier containers and while navigating a mobile sequencing dolly – simulating what it would be like to work in a factory, according to the video’s caption.
The company emphasized that the humanoid is “Fully Autonomous” – using machine learning vision model to adapt to changing conditions.
The video includes shots of what Atlas sees while performing its tasks – revealing a somewhat fisheye field of vision that includes highlighted recognition of the objects that it is handling.
“There are no prescribed or teleoperated movements; all motions are generated autonomously online. The robot is able to detect and react to changes in the environment like,” engineers from Boston Dynamics explained.
Earlier this month, Boston Dynamics introduced the world to Atlas – whose head is vaguely reminiscent of the Pixar lamp.
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From Wikipedia:
Boston Dynamics, Inc., is an American engineering and robotics design company founded in 1992 as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Boston Dynamics has been owned by the Hyundai Motor Group since December 2020, but having only completed the acquisition in June 2021.[1]
Boston Dynamics develops a series of dynamic highly mobile robots, including BigDog, Spot, Atlas, and Handle. Since 2019, Spot has been made commercially available, making it the first commercially available robot from Boston Dynamics, while the company has stated its intent to commercialize other robots as well, including Handle.
The company was founded by Marc Raibert, who spun the company off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992. The company was an outgrowth of the Leg Laboratory, Raibert's research lab at MIT and Carnegie Mellon University. The Leg Laboratory helped establish the scientific basis for highly dynamic robots. These robots were inspired by the remarkable ability of animals to move with agility, dexterity, perception and intelligence, and the work there set the stage for the robots developed at Boston Dynamics. Nancy Cornelius was a co-founder of Boston Dynamics, having joined the company as its first employee.
During her time there she served as an officer of the company, did engineering on many contracts, was CFO for 10 years, and later was VP in charge of engineering on several contracts. She retired after 21 years of service in 2013, when the company was acquired by Google. Robert Playter was also a co-founder of the company, joining a few months later, as soon as he completed his PhD thesis at MIT working with Raibert in the Leg Laboratory. Playter was COO at the company for many years and has been CEO since 2019
Early in the company's history, it worked with the American Systems Corporation under a contract from the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) to replace naval training videos for aircraft launch operations with interactive 3D computer simulations featuring characters made with DI-Guy, software for realistic human simulation.[6] Eventually the company started making physical robots—for example, BigDog was a quadruped robot designed for the U.S. military with funding from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
On December 13, 2013, the company was acquired by Google X (later X, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.) for an unknown price,[9] where it was managed by Andy Rubin until his departure from Google in 2014.[10] Immediately before the acquisition, Boston Dynamics transferred their DI-Guy software product line to VT MÄK, a simulation software vendor based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
On June 8, 2017, Alphabet Inc. announced the sale of the company to Japan's SoftBank Group for an undisclosed sum. On April 2, 2019, Boston Dynamics acquired the Silicon Valley startup Kinema Systems.
In November 2020, the firm signed an agreement with Trimble Inc. to further develop the Spot dog product.
In December 2020, Hyundai Motor Group acquired an 80% stake in the company from SoftBank for approximately $880 million. SoftBank Group retains about 20% through an affiliate. In June 2021, it was announced that Hyundai officially took a controlling stake in the company from SoftBank.
In October 2022, the company signed a pledge saying it would not support any weaponization of its robotic creations. Boston Dynamics offered other robotics companies to join the pledge with five other firms signing as well
Hyundai Motor Group Completes Acquisition of Boston Dynamics from SoftBank
Discover the latest Hyundai news in Australia, Hyundai Motor Groups acquisition of Boston Dynamics from SoftBank. Stay updated with Hyundai Australia.
Hyundai Motor Group acquires a controlling interest in Boston Dynamics from SoftBank, following regulatory approvals and other conditions
The Group expects synergy between the companies to accelerate the development of cutting-edge robotics featuring advanced mobility, manipulation and vision capabilities
With Boston Dynamics, the Group will create a robotics value chain, from robot component manufacturing to smart logistics solutions
#hyundai #bostondynamics #softbank
Hyundai Motor Group (the Group), Boston Dynamics, Inc. and SoftBank Group Corp. (SoftBank), today announced the completion of the Group’s acquisition of a controlling interest in Boston Dynamics from SoftBank, following the receipt of regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The deal valued the mobile robot firm at $1.1 billion. Additional financial details were not disclosed.
Post-closing, the Group holds an 80 percent stake in Boston Dynamics and SoftBank, through one of its affiliates, retains the remaining 20 percent stake.
Boston Dynamics is the established leader in developing agile, mobile robots that have been successfully integrated into business operations of many of the world’s leading industrial firms. Advanced robotics offer opportunities for rapid growth with the potential to positively impact society by making work safer and more productive.
By acquiring Boston Dynamics and securing a leading presence in the field of robotics, the Group takes another major step toward its strategic transformation into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider. To propel this transformation, the Group has invested substantially in the development of future technologies, including autonomous driving, artificial intelligence (AI), smart factories and robots.
In the field of robotics, the Group aims to develop advanced technologies that enhance people's lives and promote safety, thereby realizing the progress for humanity.
The deal is also expected to allow the Group and Boston Dynamics to leverage each other’s respective strengths in manufacturing, logistics, construction and automation.
Together, the Group and Boston Dynamics will create a robotics value chain, from robot component manufacturing to smart logistics solutions. Additionally, the Group will support Boston Dynamics’ continued expansion of its product line and global sales and service footprint.
Boston Dynamics launched sales of its first commercial robot, Spot® in June of 2020 and now has hundreds of robots operating in a variety of industries, including power utilities, construction, manufacturing, oil and gas, and mining. The company also recently unveiled Stretch™, its first commercial robot specifically designed for warehouse facilities and distribution centres.
The Group today also released a new video to reveal how it would further advance mobility for humanity incorporating Boston Dynamics’ expertise.
Elon's xAI Raising at $40B?
#xai #fundraising #ai #technology #elonmusk
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at Microsoft but still I think it's
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pretty exciting to start to see these
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agents actually rolling out in a real
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way we'll soon be able to see a lot more
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around how well they work in practice
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that however is going to do it for
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today's AI Daily Brief headlines Edition
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next up the main episode
Asia takes top spot for crypto developers, US declines
Asia now leads in blockchain and crypto developer talent globally, surpassing North America in developer market share as US share declines.
Asia has overtaken North America as the leader in cryptocurrency and blockchain development talent, a recent report showed.
Asia’s share of cryptocurrency developers grew to 32% in 2024, up from just 13% in 2015, making it the top region for developer talent in the field.
#crypto #asia #unitedstates #blockchain #developers #technology
Over the same period, North America’s share of developers was effectively cut in half, dropping to 24% from 44% in 2015, according to Electric Capital general partner Maria Shen, who wrote in an Oct. 30 X post:
The geographic distribution of crypto developers often signals the regions poised to drive future blockchain innovation. A growing developer base in any region is a positive indicator of mass adoption of blockchain technology, as it suggests an increase in blockchain-based consumer applications.
The US still leads in total crypto developers
Despite 81% of all blockchain developers now residing outside the United States, it still holds the highest number of developers globally.
Approximately 18.8% of all crypto developers are based in the US, followed by India at 11.8%, with the United Kingdom taking the third spot at 4.2%.
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Defense Department began testing AI surveillance system to safeguard critical military assets
Security startup Scylla offers proactive, AI-based security systems to safeguard perimeters around facilities and depots.
In a nutshell: While some view AI as a threat, the military sees it as a tool to detect threats. It has recently deployed an AI surveillance system that can identify threats like armed individuals from more than a mile away. The system also has fewer false alarms than those generated by trained security professionals.
#unitedstates #dod #ai #surveillance #technology #miliary
Security startup Scylla offers "proactive," AI-based security systems to safeguard perimeters around facilities and depots. Its Scylla AI systems are apparently good enough to protect US nuclear sites, as the Department of Defense (DoD) began testing them eight months ago at the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) in Richmond, Kentucky.
Currently, BGAD is the only military base testing AI-powered surveillance algorithms to detect potential threats. The systems help personnel find and identify intruders, weapons, or "abnormal behavior" in real-time. Scylla systems work with existing surveillance cameras and drones to monitor facilities, providing significant efficiency improvements in threat response by human personnel.
According to Drew Walter, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear matters, Scylla AI learns in real time, reducing false alarms. The system addresses one of DoD's long-standing challenges in physical security: improving reaction times by security personnel while filtering non-security issues quickly and reliably.
Article
Nothing's first community-driven product is a glow-in-the-dark smartphone
The first phase of the community project was to adjust the colors, materials, and finish of the phone to create a new look.
Community creation: British consumer electronics specialist Nothing launched a campaign earlier this year inviting the community to get involved in the creation of a new variant of the Phone 2a Plus. Now roughly six months later, the company's first co-created product is ready to go.
#nothing #smartphone #technology
The first phase of the community project was to adjust the colors, materials, and finish of the phone to create a new look. From there, participants were asked to design new wallpapers that will ship on the phone. Next up was packaging – Nothing wanted something fresh for the special edition phone. Last but not least, Nothing tasked the community with making a marketing campaign for the device.
Nothing fielded more than 1,000 entries across 47 countries during the design phase. The end result is the Phone 2a Plus Community Edition, which utilizes the same core hardware as the original Phone 2a Plus released earlier this year. The highlight is the rear of the phone, which features green tinted phosphorescent accents that glow in the dark.
The glow-in-the-dark theme also carries over to the revised packaging, and is even reflected in the firefly marketing campaign. The six bundled wallpapers "interpret community connections as machine connectors," and look heavily inspired by AI.
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Infineon unveils world's thinnest silicon wafer for AI data centers, measuring just 20 micrometers
The thinness of silicon wafers is important because it reduces resistance and power loss. Current-gen wafers measure 40 to 60 micrometers thick.
The big picture: Infineon has developed the world's thinnest silicon power wafers, measuring just 20 micrometers in thickness – about the same as a human hair. These wafers promise significant performance gains for power conversion applications across AI data centers, consumer electronics, motor control systems, and computing hardware.
#technology #chips #infineon #data #ai
The thinness of silicon wafers is important because it reduces resistance and power loss. Current-gen wafers measure 40 to 60 micrometers thick. By roughly halving the wafer's thickness, Infineon has managed to slash substrate resistance by 50 percent. This, in turn, leads to over 15 percent less power loss compared to other solutions.
These benefits are particularly useful for powering the high-performance AI processors in data center servers. Such chips require voltages to be stepped down from 230V AC to under 1.8V DC, a feat achieved by Infineon's breakthrough technologies, including vertical power delivery.
Reducing silicon thickness to 20 micrometers posed significant technical challenges for Infineon's engineers. The typical metal stack holding the chip on the wafer is actually thicker than the target 20-micrometer thickness, so they had to get creative with an innovative wafer-grinding approach to make it work.
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Of course. The cable networks are pretty much worthless.
Comcast is exploring separation of cable networks business
NBCUniversal's cable networks portfolio includes Bravo, E!, Syfy, Oxygen True Crime, USA Network, as well as news networks MSNBC and CNBC.
Comcast is exploring a separation of its cable networks business, President Mike Cavanagh said Thursday.
During the company's third-quarter earnings call with investors, Cavanagh said the company is exploring creating "a new, well-capitalized company owned by our shareholders and comprised of our strong portfolio of cable networks."
#comcast #networkchannels #entertainment #technology
The possible separation would not include broadcast network NBC nor streaming service Peacock, he added. NBCUniversal's cable networks portfolio includes Bravo, E!, Syfy, Oxygen True Crime and USA Network, as well as news networks MSNBC and CNBC.
The comments come as millions of customers continue to flee the traditional pay TV bundle in favor of streaming. Comcast has been beefing up its streaming service Peacock, which got a boost during the third quarter when it exclusively aired the Summer Olympics in Paris.
The company lost 365,000 cable TV customers during the third quarter. The pain has been felt across the industry.
Analyst firm MoffettNathanson estimated there were 4 million traditional pay TV subscriber losses in the first six months of the year, calling it "a mindboggling total." That includes 2.37 million losses in the first quarter, considered the worst-ever quarter for defections from the bundle.
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Analyst firm raises alarm about EUV chipmaking tools — each consumes as much power as a small city, fabs to consume 54,000 Gigawatts by 2030
Are power grids ready?
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is vital for modern process technologies and semiconductor manufacturing for years to come. However, at 1,400 kilowatts per EUV tool — enough to power a small city — EUV lithography systems have become a substantial consumer of power that impacts the environment. TechInsights believes that the power consumption of all fabs equipped with EUV tools will exceed 54,000 gigawatts (GW) of power per year by 2030, which is more than what many countries, like Singapore or Greece, consume per year.
#energy #technology #chips #semiconductors #electricity #euv
Current Low-NA EUV scanners require up to 1,170 kW, and next-gen High-NA tools are projected to need as much as 1,400 kW per unit (according to TechInsights). The number of these machines installed at fabs operated by Intel, Micron, Samsung, SK hynix, and, of course, TSMC, increases every year.
TechInsights believes that by 2030, the number of fabs with EUV scanners will increase from 31 today to 59, and the number of tools in operation will approximately double. As a result, all the installed EUV systems will consume 6,100 GW/year of power, which suggests that hundreds of the machines will be operational by then.
6,100 GW/year — power consumption comparable to Luxemburg's — is not a lot. However, each advanced chip takes over 4,000 steps to make, and there are hundreds of tools in a fab. EUV equipment accounts for approximately 11% of the total electricity use in a fab, with other tools, HVAC, facility systems, and cooling equipment making up the rest. As a result, the power consumption of all fabs equipped with low-NA and high-NA EUV tools is estimated to increase to 54,000 GW/year.
To put the number into context, 54,000 gigawatts a year of power is around five times more than Meta's data centers consumed in 2023. It is also more than Singapore, Greece, or Romania consume annually and more than 19 times the power consumed by the Las Vegas Strip per year. However, while this is a substantial amount of power, it is only 0.21% of the global power consumption in 2021 (25,343,000 GW/year), a rather small share.
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Roku Will Shift Its Focus From Streaming Players & Active Users to Focus on Advertising & Subscriptions
Roku has announced impressive third-quarter earnings, exceeding Wall Street expectations and demonstrating continued growth for the streaming platform provider. However, the company also revealed a significant shift in its reporting strategy, opting to discontinue quarterly updates on streaming households and average revenue per user (ARPU) starting in the first quarter of 2025.
#roku #entertainment #television #earnings #wallstreet #streaming
Strong Q3 Performance:
Roku’s third-quarter results highlight its strong financial performance:
Total net revenue reached $1.062 billion, a 16% increase year-over-year, marking the first time the company has surpassed $1 billion in quarterly revenue.
Gross profit reached $480 million.
The company reported a net loss of 6 cents per share, significantly better than the anticipated loss of 32 cents per share.
Comcast Loses 365,000 TV and 87,000 Internet Subscribers In The 3rd Quarter of 2024
Comcast has released its third-quarter 2024 earnings report, revealing a mixed bag of results. While the company exceeded financial expectations with increased adjusted EPS and strong free cash flow, it also experienced significant subscriber losses in its TV and internet services.
Subscriber Losses:
Comcast lost 365,000 TV customers and 87,000 internet customers during the third quarter. This continues a trend of cord-cutting and increased competition in the broadband market.
#comcast #cordcutting #internet #subscribers #telecommunications #cable #television
Positive Financial Performance:
Despite subscriber losses, Comcast demonstrated strong financial performance in other areas:
Adjusted EPS increased 3.3% to $1.12.
The company generated $3.4 billion in free cash flow.
Connectivity & Platforms adjusted EBITDA remained consistent with the prior year, and adjusted EBITDA margin increased.
Domestic broadband average revenue per customer increased 3.6%, driving broadband revenue growth of 2.7% to $6.5 billion.
Domestic wireless customer lines increased 20% year-over-year, with 319,000 net additions in the third quarter.
Growth in Business Services and Studios:
Comcast also reported growth in its Business Services and Studios segments:
Business Services Connectivity adjusted EBITDA increased 4.2%.
Studios adjusted EBITDA increased 9.0%, driven by the successful theatrical performance of “Despicable Me 4” and “Twisters.”
Peacock’s Continued Growth:
Peacock, Comcast’s streaming service, continued its growth trajectory:
Paid subscribers increased 29% year-over-year to 36 million.
Peacock revenue increased 82% to $1.5 billion.
Olympics Success:
Comcast’s exclusive broadcast of the Paris Olympics proved to be a major success:
Average daily viewers across linear networks and Peacock increased 82% compared to the 2021 Summer Olympics.
Incremental Olympics revenue in Media reached a record high of $1.9 billion.
Challenges and Opportunities:
While Comcast faces challenges in the form of subscriber losses in TV and internet services, the company’s strong financial performance, growth in other segments, and the success of Peacock and the Olympics demonstrate its ability to adapt to the changing media landscape. Comcast’s continued investment in broadband, wireless, and streaming positions it for future growth in the evolving entertainment industry.
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Sigh of relief for UK tech founders as Labour hikes capital gains tax by less than feared
Britain's Labour government on Wednesday announced plans to raise the rate of capital gains tax on sales of shares — the move was less severe than feared.
Britain's Labour government on Wednesday announced plans to raise the rate of capital gains tax on share sales, news that offered some relief for technology entrepreneurs who feared a more intense tax raid on the wealthy.
#uk #technology #capitalgains #taxes #britain #government
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves on Wednesday hiked capital gains tax (CGT) — a levy on the profit investors make from the sale of an investment — as part of her far-reaching budget announcement. The lower capital gains tax rate will be increased to 18% from 10%, while the higher rate will climb to 24% from 20%, Reeves said. The tax hikes are expected to bring in £2.5 billion.
"We need to drive growth, promote entrepreneurship and support wealth creation, while raising the revenue required to fund our public services and restore our public finances," Reeves said, adding that, even with the higher rate, the U.K. would "still have the lowest capital-gains tax rate of any European G7 economy."
Reeves maintained the £1 million lifetime limit on capital gains from the sale of all or part of a company under business asset disposal relief (BADR), quashing fears from entrepreneurs that the tax relief scheme for entrepreneurs would be scrapped.
However, she added that the rate of CGT applied to entrepreneurs selling all or part of their business under BADR will be increased to 14% in 2025 and 18% a year later. She stressed that this still represented a "significant gap compared to the higher rate of capital gains tax."
Boeing allegedly overcharged the military 8,000% for airplane soap dispensers
The government also isn’t sure if it paid 'fair or reasonable' prices for another 25 spare part orders.
Boeing is under federal scrutiny yet again, but this time it isn’t for midflight door malfunctions, faulty wheels, or makeshift lubricants. According to an audit released on October 29th by the Department of Defense, the beleaguered aircraft manufacturer allegedly up-charged the Air Force nearly 8,000 percent on spare soap dispensers for its fleet of C-17 cargo planes.
#boeing #military #government #planes
“The Air Force did not always pay reasonable prices… in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation,” the DoD Office of Inspector General claimed in its report on Tuesday. In particular, the audit cites an unknown number of lavatory components received at a “7,943 percent markup or more than 80 times the commercially available cost.”
By its own admission, the DoD considers the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III the “Air Force’s most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force.” A total of 222 C-17’s are currently deployed across the Air Force, Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserve Command, which have utilized them in large scale military and humanitarian missions for 30 years. Since most of those missions involve long flights, however, it’s easy to see the importance of maintaining well-stocked, clean bathrooms.
Apart from the dispensers, the most recent audit of the military’s ongoing, $35.6 billion C-17 maintenance contract focused on 45 other spare part categories including toilets and toilet doors, protective tape, and window panels. Auditors deemed a sale “fair and reasonable” if there was a maximum 25 percent markup on any given item bulk order. In this case, the report only classified nine part orders totalling $20.3 million as fair and reasonable—from there, however, things apparently got murkier. The USAF “could not determine” if another 25 spare items that collectively cost the military $22.2 million were fairly priced, while $4.3 million was spent on 9 item orders judged “not… fair or reasonable.”
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NSA research director explains agency's pursuit of a potential 'economic weapon of mass destruction'
The National Security Agency's Gilbert Herrera knows many people may not understand why his agency is funding research that could help produce an "economic weapon of mass destruction."
Mr. Herrera, NSA’s research director, said Wednesday that the potential invention of a useful quantum computer could be deployed as an unfathomable weapon, but it could also bring untold benefits for everyone.
#nsa #government #unitedstates #technology #quantum #computer #technology
He gave a rare glimpse into why the NSA would “fund research that could be used to create a computer that could threaten the global economy” in remarks to the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Military Communications Conference.
“By sponsoring research, we can better gauge what is attainable and by when, and on that basis can estimate the potential availability of a quantum computer and prepare for that eventuality,” Mr. Herrera said in remarks shared by NSA. “This way, we can be prepared for the threat posed by a quantum computer while simultaneously advancing the fundamental science that will lead to a useful quantum computer for the benefit of everyone.”
Government officials around the world worry about the arrival of a useful quantum computer, often referred to as cryptanalytically relevant because of its value in breaking encryption. Such a computer could bypass the security of sensitive systems and make digital defenses for everything from state secrets to financial transactions totally worthless.
“A quantum computer has the potential to significantly cut world energy consumption, make energy storage more efficient and expedite drug discovery,” Mr. Herrera said. “It also has the potential to wreck the world economy and place government networks at risk. In the worst-case scenario, a quantum computer could be an economic weapon of mass destruction.”
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New York semiconductor site picked for $825M in funding
A semiconductor research facility in upstate New York was selected as one of three national technology centers and will receive up to $825 million in funding as part of a broader federal effort to boost the United States’ competitiveness in the industry.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer made the announcement Thursday.
#semiconductor #newyork #technology #unitedstates #government
The Albany NanoTech complex was selected by federal officials as the national headquarters for research into a cutting-edge semiconductor technology known as extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, lithography. The lab will have the most advanced chip-making machinery in the world and allow researchers from the semiconductor industry to collaborate with their university counterparts, according to Schumer, the Senate’s Democratic majority leader.
“When you do the high-end research, which will be done here, and you can make the most advanced chips in the world, it makes sure that our military has the edge,” Schumer said in a telephone interview. “It makes sure our economy and our companies have the cutting edge, as well,”
The National Semiconductor Technology Center Extreme Ultraviolet Accelerator is scheduled to begin operating next year. The contract for it stems from the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, which was designed to create more high-tech jobs and help the United States compete with international rivals like China. The Biden administration has set a goal for the U.S. to make 20% of the world’s advanced chips.
The Albany lab’s selection also advances longstanding efforts by Schumer and other government officials to make upstate New York a global center of semiconductor research and manufacturing.
Gov. Kathy Hochul late last year announced a partnership with the semiconductor industry to fund construction of the EUV Center.
The Biden administration announced in February that the government would provide $1.5 billion to the computer chip company GlobalFoundries to expand its domestic production north of Albany and in Vermont. And in April, the administration announced an agreement to provide $6.1 billion in government support for Micron Technology to produce advanced memory computer chips near Syracuse, New York; and in Boise, Idaho.
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Google’s moneymaking machine still pumping out massive profits despite multiple threats
Google is still thriving while the company navigates through a pivotal shift to artificial intelligence and battles regulators trying to topple its internet empire.
#google #technology #money #earnings #regulators #technology
The latest evidence of Google’s prosperity emerged Tuesday with the release of its corporate parent Alphabet Inc.’s results for the July-September period. Both Alphabet’s profit and revenue increased at a brisker pace than industry analysts anticipated, thanks primarily to a moneymaking machine powered by Google’s ubiquitous search engine.
Alphabet earned $26.3 billion, or $2.12 per share during the most recent quarter, a 34% increase from a year ago. Revenue rose 15% from the same time last year to $88.27 billion.
“Our commitment to innovation as well as the long-term focus and investment in AI are paying off,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said during a call discussing the results.
The profits would have been even higher if Google wasn’t pouring so much money into building up its AI arsenal in a technological arms race that includes other industry heavyweights Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Facebook parent Meta Platforms and rising star OpenAI. The AI investments are the primary reason Google’s capital expenditures in the past quarter soared 62% from the same time last year to $13.1 billion.
Article
Power at 35,000 feet
During a two-hour flight from Buenos Aires to Santiago, Chile, I listened to a whole album on my iPhone while writing several items for the magazine I serve using the "new" iPad.
ABOARD AIR CANADA FLIGHT 093 — During a two-hour flight from Buenos Aires to Santiago, Chile, I listened to a whole album on my iPhone while writing several items for the magazine I serve using the “new” iPad. Taking off from Santiago for Toronto (on my way to Hong Kong; don’t ask), I continued to write on my iPad, switching my music source to that device.
#power #airline #aircanada #technology #internet
It’s not that Air Canada is lacking good entertainment choices. The airline offers several XM Satellite Radio channels, along with movies, TV shows and a shelfful of full-length albums spanning just about every music taste. But I’ve got Toby Keith’s latest on right now, and it’s nice to hear after a week away from country radio stations.
None of this is exceptional; thousands of travelers do these things daily. But this flight is my first, very pleasant experience with in-flight power connections that are rather effortless. Each seat has a USB port for charging devices, as well as a 110-volt outlet for two- and three-prong electrical plugs.
The USB port was good enough for my iPhone, but it didn’t charge the iPad. For that, I had to plug an adapter into the power socket and occasionally repeat the process to keep the charge going. But I started at 88 percent charge and am at 96 percent now, which isn’t bad after a couple of hours of work and listening.
A flight attendant said the airline doesn’t have Wi-Fi on board yet but is working on it. While some fly to get away from the office, those of us traveling on business may welcome the opportunity not only to connect to the Internet, but also to keep our devices charged for when we touch down.
Samsung reporting 'major' progress in supply deal for AI chips
Samsung Electronics on Thursday reported progress on a major supply deal for artificial intelligence-focused chips, aiming to reassure investors following a slowdown in semiconductor profits during the last quarter.
#samsung #chips #semiconductors #technology
The South Korean technology giant said its operating profit for the July-September period increased by more than 277% from a year earlier to 9.18 trillion won ($6.65 billion). But the figure represented a 12% decline from the second quarter, which Samsung attributed largely to one-off costs, such as provision of employee incentives in its computer chip business, and the effects of a weaker U.S. dollar.
Samsung’s semiconductor division earned 3.86 trillion won ($2.8 billion) in operating profit during the quarter, rebounding from a deficit during 2023 but sharply declining from the 6.45 trillion won ($4.67 billion) it reported in the April-June period.
While Samsung saw solid demand for AI and server chips during the past quarter, its mobile chip business weakened as some customers adjusted inventories. The market was also affected by Chinese manufacturers’ increased supply of legacy memory products, the company said in a statement.
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Tsunehisa Katsumata, TEPCO chair during Fukushima nuclear disaster, dies at 84 while on trial
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings’ former chairperson, who led the emergency response after a meltdown at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and was accused of being responsible for failing to prevent the disaster as top management, has died, with his trials still pending. He was 84.
Tsunehisa Katsumata died on Oct. 21, TEPCO said Thursday, without providing further details including the cause of his death.
#tepco #fukushima #nuclear #meltdown #energy #death
Katsumata was TEPCO chair when Fukushima Daiichi was hit by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 and suffered triple meltdowns. He led the emergency response after the company’s then-president stepped down due to health problems and served until mid-2012.
He later became one of the defendants in high-profile criminal and civil lawsuits seeking TEPCO management’s responsibility over their alleged failure to anticipate the massive quake and tsunami and to take preventive measures.
Nearly 6,000 Fukushima residents in 2012 filed the criminal complaint, accusing several former TEPCO executives, including Katsumata, of professional negligence in the death of more than 40 elderly patients during or after forced evacuations in the aftermath of the meltdown, which released large amounts of radiation to the surroundings.
After prosecutors dropped the case, Katsumata and two other former executives were indicted in 2016 by a citizens’ inquest of prosecution and forced to stand trial in the only criminal case related to the Fukushima disaster.
Katsumata and two co-defendants pleaded not guilty, saying predicting the tsunami was impossible, and were acquitted in the district and high court rulings. The case is now pending at the Supreme Court.
Katsumata also faced a civil trial filed by a group of TEPCO shareholders and was ordered by the Tokyo District Court in 2022 to pay damages exceeding 13 trillion yen ($85 trillion) with three other former executives. The case is pending at Tokyo High Court.
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US Converts Seized Alameda Research Tokens to Ethereum
Former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison recently received a reduced sentence of 2 years after cooperating with authorities.
For the first time in nearly two years, the U.S. government’s wallet holding seized assets from Sam Bankman-Fried’s collapsed hedge fund Alameda Research has shown activity.
According to onchain data reviewed by Arkham Research, the government sold over 82,000 ANT tokens in two transactions through AragonDAO’s redemption process, converting them into Ethereum (ETH), the second-largest crypto.
#crypto #data #alamedaresearch #carolineellison #ethereum
Onchain data shows the transactions netted approximately $1.07 million in ETH, with the U.S. government wallet now containing around $974,000 in various cryptos.
The liquidation move by the government hints at the possibility of further activity to recoup value from the seized crypto assets, as steps are taken to convert holdings into more liquid assets like ETH.
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Meta
Meta is pushing for the government to use its AI
Meta is “working with the public sector to adopt Llama across the US government,” according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
#technology #meta #ai
The comment, made during his opening remarks for Meta’s Q3 earnings call on Wednesday, raises a lot of important questions: Exactly which parts of the government will use Meta’s AI models? What will the AI be used for? Will there be any kind of military-specific applications of Llama? Is Meta getting paid for any of this?
When I asked Meta to elaborate, spokesperson Faith Eischen told me via email that “we’ve partnered with the US State Department to see how Llama could help address different challenges — from expanding access to safe water and reliable electricity, to helping support small businesses.” She also said the company has “been in touch with the Department of Education to learn how Llama could help make the financial aid process more user friendly for students and are in discussions with others about how Llama could be utilized to benefit the government.”
Still, Meta is pushing its AI on the government at an interesting time. For one, presidential nominee Donald Trump has recently threatened to jail Zuckerberg, even as the CEO has tried to publicly distance himself — and Meta’s products — from politics.
There’s also the cozying up to the government that Meta’s AI rivals are doing. OpenAI and Anthropic recently said they would share their models with the US AI Safety Institute ahead of time for safety screening. Google’s on-again, off-again relationship as an AI vendor for the Pentagon is well documented. In a recent blog post, OpenAI said its models were being used by DARPA, the US Agency for International Development, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
While we wait to learn about Meta’s AI work with the government, Zuckerberg teased a bit more about the next Llama model on the Q3 earnings call. He said version four is training on “a cluster bigger than I’ve seen reported for anything else others are doing” and that he expects “new modalities,” “stronger reasoning,” and “much faster” performance when it debuts next year.
He acknowledged that Meta plans to continue spending more on AI in 2025, which is “maybe not want investors want to hear in the near term.” But he sees the upside as being worth it.
As a business, Meta is still continuing to grow. The company reported revenue of $40.5 billion for Q3, a 19 percent increase from a year ago, and $17.3 billion in profit. And it claims that 3.29 billion people use at least one of its apps each day, an increase of 5 percent from a year ago.
Russia to Ban Crypto Mining 'In Some Regions' Due to Electricity Shortages
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing cryptocurrency mining in the country in August 2024.
Months after legalising crypto mining, Russia has announced a ban on the practice "in some regions" due to electricity shortages.
According to a report in Russian state news agency TASS, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Grabchak announced that, "mining in the near future will be prohibited at the state level in some regions."
#russia #crypto #mining #energy #electricity #tass
Grabchak stated that electricity shortages in certain regions were behind the ban. "We, for example, already have scarce zones—this is the Far East, this is the southwest of Siberia, this is the South," he said, adding that capacity will be limited in those regions "until 2030."
In August 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing cryptocurrency mining in the country, where it was previously outlawed. Under the law, mining is limited to legal entities and individuals who register with the Ministry of Digital Development, with unregistered entities facing restrictions based on energy limits.
The law also permits Russian residents to trade digital currencies. It came on the heels of a bill legalizing cryptocurrency for international settlements, widely seen as an effort to circumvent sanctions imposed by Western countries.
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Google
Google Maps’ enhanced navigation will make sure you’re in the right lane
Google Maps is getting new navigation features that should make inner-city driving a little easier. When enhanced navigation rolls out in November, the blue line on Google Maps will provide a visual of which lane you need to drive in to make your next turn, while the map itself might display crosswalks, signs, and lane restrictions.
#technology #google
This feature is coming to 30 US metros and will show up on Android and iOS. It should hopefully make driving through unfamiliar areas a bit less stressful, as it will add to some of the other helpful navigation features Maps has, such as lane guidance and the ability to see your routes in 3D.
Starting this week, Google Maps is also rolling out an update to its “destination guidance” feature it showed off in July. Along with highlighting your destination and the building entrance, the app will show nearby parking lots, parking location reminders, and walking directions to the front door of the building. Google Maps is expanding its reporting system to include adverse weather conditions that might affect your driving, too, such as low visibility, fog, snow, unplowed roadways, or flooding.
Aside from these new features, Google is adding more AI features to the app that could help you find new places, while Waze is testing the ability to report incidents with your voice. We’ve seen Google make several other notable changes to Maps in recent months, as it started using AI to summarize reviews of EV chargers and has leveraged its algorithm to surface recommendations about places to eat and visit.
Coinbase stock slips 4% as it misses profit and revenue expectations
The crypto exchange announced a $1 billion stock buyback
Coinbase (COIN) shares were down 4% in after-hours trading on Wednesday as the crypto exchange posted weaker-than-expected profit and revenue. The largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States reported earnings that fell short of analyst expectations, with earnings per share coming in at $0.28 compared to the forecasted $0.41. Revenue also missed projections, reaching $1.21 billion rather than the anticipated $1.26 billion.
#coinbase #crypto #exchange #earnings #technology
Coinbase’s transaction fees dropped by 27% from the previous quarter as trading volumes across U.S. exchanges continued to decline. The company attributed this downturn to challenging market conditions, according to its shareholder letter.
Additionally, revenue from Coinbase’s subscription and services—which includes offerings like stablecoins, staking, and leverage for Prime traders—experienced a decline of 7%, totaling $556.1 million.
In its shareholder letter, the company noted, “We are working to drive revenue growth through products like derivatives, international expansion, custody, and deeper integration of USDC into the cryptoeconomy.”
Not all news was negative for the company, as it demonstrated progress in several areas. In its earnings report, Coinbase announced a $1 billion stock buyback program, signaling confidence in its long-term outlook and offering value to shareholders.
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Waze
Waze will soon let you report incidents with your voice
Waze is testing a handy-sounding update that will let you report traffic incidents while speaking naturally. With the new feature, you can tap the app’s reporting button and then say what you see, such as, “Looks like there’s a traffic jam up ahead.”
#technology #google #waze
The Google-owned driving app will then use the Gemini AI model to “understand” what you’ve said and create a report. If you make a vague report, like “There’s something on the road,” Waze might ask follow-up questions, like “Can you describe what you see?” Depending on your reply, the app will then use that information to categorize your report.
You can currently only report incidents on Waze by tapping through options within the app, which isn’t always convenient while you’re driving. Waze will roll out voice reporting in beta to “trusted testers” on Android and iOS this week. It’s only available in English for now, but Waze plans to expand it to more users and languages in the “coming months.”
Alongside this update, Waze will also start displaying school zones on the map globally later this year, alerting you to drive more safely in these areas.
Meta
Meta AI tem mais de 500 milhões de usuários no mundo, revela Zuckerberg
A Meta AI, assistente do WhatsApp, Instagram e Facebook, já tem mais de 500 milhões de usuários ativos no mundo todo. A marca foi revelada pelo CEO da Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, nesta quarta-feira (30) durante o anúncio dos resultados financeiros da companhia do terceiro trimestre de 2024.
#technology #ai #meta #hivebr
O novo recorde chega cerca de um mês após a companhia informar que estava próxima de bater a margem dos 500 milhões de usuários no Meta Connect 2024. Durante o evento, vale lembrar, foi anunciado o Llama 3.2, modelo por trás do chatbot do WhatsApp, além de outras novidades para a plataforma de IA.
“Estimamos que agora há mais de 3,2 bilhões de pessoas usando pelo menos um de nossos aplicativos todos os dias — e estamos vendo uma rápida adoção da Meta AI e do Llama, que está rapidamente se tornando um padrão em todo o setor”, disse Zuckerberg. “A Meta AI agora tem mais de 500 milhões de usuários ativos mensalmente.”
O resultado vem à tona logo após a estreia da Meta AI no Brasil, anunciada em 9 de outubro pela companhia. Contudo, o chatbot de IA só começou a desembarcar no WhatsApp e demais aplicativos dias depois, através de um processo de distribuição gradual.
No mensageiro, o assistente de inteligência artificial é acessado tanto pela caixa de pesquisa quanto através do ícone de “círculo azul”, posicionados na tela inicial. Contudo, usuários podem acioná-lo dentro de conversas com garantia de privacidade através do comando “@Meta AI”.
Ainda que o uso seja opcional, não existe opção para desativar a IA da Meta no WhatsApp. Contudo, usuários podem realizar procedimentos para limitar o chatbot, como silenciar e arquivar ou apagar a conversa.
Zuckerberg compartilhou outros dados sobre os demais serviços da Meta, como o WhatsApp. Segundo o executivo, a plataforma já ultrapassou a marca global de 2 bilhões de ligações feitas todos os dias e apresenta largo crescimento nos Estados Unidos, país marcado pela forte presença do iMessage, da Apple.
Já o Threads acumula quase 275 milhões de usuários ativos mensalmente. “O engajamento também está crescendo. Então continuamos no caminho para que se torne nosso próximo grande aplicativo social”, disse o CEO.
Ainda segundo o executivo, a Meta já treina os modelos da família Llama 4, que representam a próxima geração de sua tecnologia de IA. A expectativa é que os primeiros marcos da atualização sejam revelados no ano que vem.
Jack Dorsey hits Tidal with another mass layoff: "We need to build like a startup again"
The streaming music service, founded by Jay-Z, has been owned by Dorsey's Block for several years.
Jack Dorsey told staff at music streaming app Tidal that they’re in for another mass layoff.
The CEO of Block, which owns the music streaming platform, said in a note to staff Wednesday morning and viewed by Fortune that Tidal needs to operate “like a startup again.” This requires organizations across the company to operate with a “much smaller team,” Dorsey said.
#tidal #jackdorsey #block #layoffs #music
“So we’re going to part ways with a number of folks on our team,” Dorsey explained in the note. “We’re going to lead with engineering and design, and remove the product management and product marketing functions entirely. We’re reducing the size of our design team and foundational roles supporting TIDAL, and we will consider reducing engineering over the next few weeks as we have more clarity around leadership going forward.”
Dorsey did not provide a number of the amount of people to be affected by the job cuts, but speculation among company insiders is that as many as 100 employees could be laid off, which would amount to roughly a quarter of Tidal’s staff.
This is the second layoff at tidal in less than a year. The streamer cut 10% of its staff in December 2023. And in July, Dorsey told Block staff to prepare for a reorganization of the entire company, in order to take Block back “to how we started as a company,” as Fortune reported at the time.
Block acquired a majority stake in Tidal for roughly $300 million in 2021. The streaming music service was founded by Jay-Z but struggled to gain traction, amid competition from Spotify and Apple music. In 2023 a judge dismissed a shareholder lawsuit against Block over the acquisition according to Reuters, but noted that “it seemed, by all accounts, a terrible business decision.”
Article
7 questions for ServiceNow’s Bill McDermott, who runs a $195 billion company and sleeps only 5 hours a night
“At the end of the day, what is pain? Your pain might be my pleasure,” says a CEO who sees all problems as opportunities.
“In the first hundred days I was here, I travelled the whole world. The whole world. I met every single person that works for this company in person, and shook their hand.”
Handshake intensity is a thing, in McDermott’s world.
#billmcdermott #servicenow #technology
The first handshake is incredibly important, he says. It’s part of his mindset, especially for dealing with clients. He advises sales people, upon entering a room with a prospective client, to “find the decision-maker and shake his hand, but be the last one to let go.”
He spoke to Fortune recently in a penthouse suite at the Four Seasons hotel in London, during a business trip to meet clients.
Article
Samsung's semiconductor division, lagging behind rivals in AI chips, reports a 40% drop in profit from the previous quarter
Samsung reported $6.6 billion in quarterly operating profit, a 12% decrease from the previous quarter and below market expectations.
South Korea’s Samsung Electronics said Thursday that its operating profits soared 277% on-year to $6.6 billion, but missed expectations as it struggled to leverage demand for chips used in artificial intelligence servers.
#semiconductor #samsung #ai #technology #southkorea
The world’s largest memory chip maker posted an operating profit of 9.18 trillion won ($6.6 billion) “largely due to one-off costs”.
It also warned in a statement that “the strength of the Korean won against the U.S. dollar resulted in a negative impact on company-wide operating profit.”
Although operating profit nearly tripled compared to a year ago, it fell short of market expectations and was down 12% compared to the previous quarter.
Revenue rose 17.35% to 79.1 trillion won ($57.2 billion), its highest quarterly record, Samsung said.
The firm is the flagship subsidiary of South Korean giant Samsung Group, by far the biggest of the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate business in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
Semiconductors are the lifeblood of the global economy, used in everything from kitchen appliances and mobile phones to cars and weapons.
The company’s semiconductor division reported 3.86 trillion won in operating profit, a 40% sharp decrease compared to last quarter.
Samsung said its performance had decreased due to “a reduced reversal of inventory valuation loss compared to the previous quarter, one-off expenses such as the provision of incentives, and currency effects due to a weak dollar”.
Article
14-Year-old Wins ‘America’s Top Young Scientist’ for Inventing Pesticide Detector For Fruits and Vegetables
A 9th grader from Snellville, Georgia, has won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, after inventing a handheld device designed to detect pesticide residues on produce.
Sirish Subash set himself apart with his AI-based sensor to win the grand prize of $25,000 cash and the prestigious title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”
Like most inventors, Sirish was intrigued with curiosity and a simple question. His mother always insisted that he wash the fruit before eating it, and the boy wondered if the preventative action actually did any good.
#science #pesticide
He learned that 70% of produce items contain pesticide residues that are linked to possible health problems like cancer and Alzheimer’s—and washing only removes part of the contamination.
“If we could detect them, we could avoid consuming them, and reduce the risk of those health issues.”
His device, called PestiSCAND, employs spectrophotometry, which involves measuring the light that is reflected off the surface of fruits and vegetables. In his experiments he tested over 12,000 samples of apples, spinach, strawberries, and tomatoes. Different materials reflect and absorb different wavelengths of light, and PestiSCAND can look for the specific wavelengths related to the pesticide residues.
After scanning the food, PestiSCAND uses an AI machine learning model to analyze the lightwaves to determine the presence of pesticides. With its sensor and processor, the prototype achieved a detection accuracy rate of greater than 85%, meeting the project’s objectives for effectiveness and speed.
Article
Why aren’t we driving hydrogen powered cars yet? There’s a reason EVs won.
The underlying tech of hydrogen passenger cars can still be transformative.
Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles aren’t just fodder for science fiction or far-out R&D experiments. Cars fueled by hydrogen, like the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo, are already here, and fuel-cell technology is actively evolving and benefiting from billions of dollars in federal research and infrastructure funding. So then, why are hydrogen cars virtually non-existent on U.S. roads today? What happened?
#hydrogen #ev #automotive #technology
“The answer is very simple: economics,” Sergey Paltsev, a senior research scientist at the MIT Energy Initiative told Popular Science. Politicians and automakers once held up the fuel cell, which turns the chemical energy of hydrogen into electricity to drive an electric motor, as the future of passenger automobiles, but the falling cost of batteries and the upsides of a preexisting fueling infrastructure (see: the electrical grid) have propelled battery-electric cars well into the lead.
“It’s not just the cost of the car,” explained Paltsev, who is also deputy director of the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy. This is an important point, because in California, low-milage hydrogen cars sell at a steep discount.
What makes hydrogen passenger cars altogether costlier than their battery-electric counterparts is the lack of fueling infrastructure, energy-conversion inefficiencies, and the price of the fuel at the pump.
Article
Researchers tortured robots to test the limits of human empathy.
A brief history of people bullying robots
In 2015, a jovial three-foot-tall robot with pool noodles for arms set out on what seemed like a simple mission. Using the kindness of strangers, this machine, called “hitchBOT” would spend months hitchhiking across the continental United States. It made it just 300 miles. Two weeks into the road trip, HitchBOT was found abandoned in the streets of Philadelphia, its head severed and spaghetti arms ripped from its bucket-shaped body.
#robot #humanity #empathy #technology
“It was quite a setback, and we didn’t really expect it,” hitchBOT co-creator Frauke Zeller told CNN at the time.
hitchBot’s untimely dismemberment isn’t a unique case. For years, humans have relished opportunities to kick, punch, trip, crush, and run over anything remotely resembling a robot. This penchant for machine violence could move from funny to potentially concerning as a new wave of humanoid robots is being built to work alongside people in manufacturing facilities. But a growing body of research suggests we may be more likely to feel bad for our mechanical assistants and even take it easy on them if they express sounds of human-like pain. In other words, hitchBot may have fared better if it had been programmed to beg for mercy.
Humans feel guilty when robots cry
Radboud University Nijmegen researcher Marieke Wieringa recently carried out a series of experiments looking at how people reacted when asked to violently shake a test robot. In some cases, participants would shake the robot and nothing would happen. Other times, the robot would emit a pitiful crying sound from a pair of small speakers or enlarge its “eyes” to convey sadness. The researchers say they were more likely to feel guilty when the robot gave the emotion-like responses. In another experiment, the participants were given the option of either performing a boring task or giving the robot a solid shake. Participants were more than willing to shake the robot when it was unresponsive. When it cried out, however, participants opted to go ahead and complete the task instead.
Article
Microsoft and Alphabet's latest earnings show once again that it's all about the cloud
Microsoft's cloud helped to lift its fiscal first-quarter results after Google's parent reported similarly strong cloud growth a day earlier.
Microsoft’s cloud business played a big role in driving overall growth for the tech giant in the latest quarter, as more customers used the company’s cloud services for their AI-powered platforms and tools.
Microsoft cloud revenue in the first-fiscal quarter was $38.9 billion, up 22% year-over-year.
#microsoft #alphabet #cloud #earnings #technology
Much of that growth came from Microsoft Azure, the company’s public cloud computing platform, which saw 33% growth in revenue. Meanwhile, Microsoft 365 Commercial products and cloud services revenue increased 13%, or up 14% in constant currency.
Overall, Microsoft’s revenue for the quarter ending Sept. 30 was $65.6 billion, a 16% increase, or about $1 billion more than analysts had expected.
“AI-driven transformation is changing work, work artifacts, and workflow across every role, function, and business process,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a statement. “We are expanding our opportunity and winning new customers as we help them apply our AI platforms and tools to drive new growth and operating leverage.”
In after-hours trading on Wednesday, Microsoft’s shares rose just under 1% to $436. But later, a disappointing outlook for Azure growth in the current quarter—31% to 32% growth in the current quarter, versus 33% in the just reported one—sent the company’s stock into reverse, down 4%.
Article
Elon Musk's rocket company got in big trouble for taking smart tech workers from another company to help build their special internet from space project.
#Tech #CorporatePoaching
Article
How to use Rufus AI to shop smarter on Amazon
Get shopping recommendations, product details, and more.
AI can assist everywhere from your email apps to fast food outlets. Now Amazon is keen to be involved in the AI revolution with an AI bot called Rufus, which can answer questions, research products, and help you make the right buying decisions across Amazon.
Maybe you’re stuck for a gift idea for someone special in your life, or you need to compare two products against each other. From asking about your active orders to checking up on the details of something you’re thinking about buying, Rufus can help—and here’s how you can find it.
#ai #rufusai #amazon #technology #aibot
If you’re familiar with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT or Gemini, Rufus is very much along the same lines. It’s trained on “Amazon’s extensive product catalog, customer reviews, community Q&As, and information from across the web”, which it then sifts through, connects together, and summarizes to respond to your questions.
These bots, however, don’t just copy and paste information—they’re designed to generate fresh and original responses, so (as always with these AI models) mistakes can be made. Amazon says Rufus “may not always get things right,” so it’s worth double-checking important details—don’t assume everything Rufus sells is 100 percent correct, and don’t share private or personal information with it.
If you’re using the Amazon Shopping app for Android or iOS, you’ll find Rufus on the right of the navigation bar at the bottom (the Rufus logo is two blobs with a star next to them): Tap the button to bring up a chat window and start asking questions. If you’re shopping through the Amazon website, you’ll see the Rufus button up on the left-hand side of the toolbar at the top.
Straight away, Rufus will make suggestions about questions to ask—some of these may be related to recent searches or recent purchases. Click or tap on any of the suggestions, or enter your own question or prompt, and Rufus springs into action.
After each response, you get the opportunity to ask follow-up questions (Rufus will remember the conversation history), and rate the responses you’ve been given (via the thumbs up or thumbs down buttons). You can clear your chat history in Rufus, but only in the app, and not on the web: Tap on the three dots (top right), then choose Manage chat and Clear chat history.
Article
Microsoft gaming revenue increases 61% as cloud and AI take center stage
Key drivers of growth included cloud computing, AI, and gaming, even as traditional revenue streams like consumer software and hardware took a backseat.
Recap: Microsoft's revenue grew 16 percent year-over-year to $65.6 billion in Q1 FY25, surpassing consensus analyst projections of $64.5 billion. Operating income rose 14 percent to $30.6 billion, while net income increased by 11 percent, reaching $24.7 billion. Diluted earnings per share climbed 10 percent to $3.30.
#microsoft #gaming #revenue #earnings #ai #cloud #technology
Key drivers of growth included cloud computing, AI, and gaming, even as traditional revenue streams like consumer software and hardware took a backseat. Microsoft's Intelligent Cloud division, encompassing Azure, grew 20 percent year-over-year to $24.1 billion, with the majority of gains from the commercial sector. Revenue from Microsoft 365 commercial products and cloud services increased by 13 percent, while consumer products and cloud services revenue rose a more modest five percent.
A standout growth area this quarter was Xbox content and services, which surged by 61 percent YoY, largely due to the Activision acquisition. The gaming division also benefited from a price hike for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III on Game Pass, both of which likely contributed to increased earnings.
Search and news advertising revenue grew by 18 percent, while LinkedIn revenue increased by 10 percent. Windows OEM and Devices revenue saw a marginal two percent increase; although Windows OEM showed some actual growth, Devices revenue declined compared to the previous year.
During the earnings call, CEO Satya Nadella emphasized Microsoft's commitment to AI, particularly in enhancing Copilot. He highlighted how the company is acquiring new AI customers by helping them "drive new growth and operating leverage." Nadella also announced that Microsoft's AI business is on track to exceed a $10 billion annual run rate this quarter.
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Study reveals billionaires produce as much carbon pollution in 90 minutes as an average person does in a lifetime
Oxfam, the British NGO that focuses on addressing global poverty, published a report examining carbon inequality.
In a nutshell: The world is trying to cut down on carbon emissions through the likes of renewable energies and other environmentally friendly initiatives. But it seems one of the best ways to reduce these planet-warming gases would be for billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to stop using their private jets and yachts so much. According to a new report, members of the super-rich create the same amount of carbon emissions in 90 minutes that an average person does over their entire lifetime.
#carbon #billionaires #pollution #technology
Oxfam, the British NGO that focuses on addressing global poverty, published a report examining carbon inequality. It looks at how the yachts, jets, and polluting investments of 50 of the world's richest billionaires are accelerating the climate crisis.
The results make for startling reading. Oxfam identified private jets belonging to 23 of the 50 richest people in the world and found that, on average, these billionaires each took 184 flights – spending 425 hours in the air – in 2023. That was equal to an average of 2,074 tonnes of carbon a year, or as much carbon as the average person would produce in 300 years, or 2,000 years' worth for someone in the global poorest 50%.
Espaço
Foto do buraco negro da Via Láctea está "errada", dizem cientistas
Um novo estudo sugere que a primeira imagem do buraco negro supermassivo da Via Láctea, capturada pelo EHT em 2022, pode não ser muito precisa. De acordo com os autores, o anel de luz ao redor da região escura que aparece na foto pode ser, em parte, um artefato gerado durante a análise de dados, e não uma estrutura real.
#space #hivebr #science
Astrônomos do Observatório Astronômico Nacional do Japão (NAOJ) publicaram um artigo sugerindo que a imagem do buraco negro supermassivo Sagitário A* (Sgr A*) não representa seu formato com precisão.
Isso significa que, embora a foto realmente seja do Sgr A*, algumas características que vemos não faz parte do buraco negro em si. Para chegar a esse resultado, os autores do novo estudo usaram métodos tradicionais aos dados do buraco negro. A abordagem difere da técnica usada pela EHT.
As observações do EHT foram realizadas com uma rede de oito radiotelescópios combinados. Os resultados mostraram uma estrutura de anel brilhante em torno de uma região escura, sugerindo a presença de um buraco negro.
Essa estrutura brilhante é o que os astrônomos chamam de disco de acresção, um anel de plasma, formado por matéria capturada pela gravidade extrema do buraco negro. O disco de acreção gira ao redor do monstro cósmico em alta velocidade e brilha em diferentes comprimentos de onda.
Porém, os pesquisadores do novo estudo argumentam que há algumas lacunas nos dados desses telescópios, exigindo algoritmos que podem introduzir artefatos na imagem final. Por isso, no lugar desses algoritmos, a equipe usou os métodos mais tradicionais usados pela comunidade científica.
Como resultado, os autores obtiveram uma imagem que revela uma estrutura diferente daquela divulgada pelo EHT. O professor Miyoshi Makoto, do NAOJ, explicou que o disco de acreção está alongado e girando a 60% da velocidade da luz, com brilho maior na metade leste (no lado direito da foto).
Os autores do estudo reconhecem que ambos os resultados podem estar corretos, já que muitos pesquisadores validaram a imagem do EHT desde sua publicação, fortalecendo a confiança no trabalho original.
New impact printing technique can build structures, offers greener alternative to concrete and 3D printing
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a robotic construction method called impact printing that is sustainable because it uses earth-based materials instead of cement.
In a nutshell: As the construction industry faces pressure to reduce its carbon footprint, developments like impact printing offer a solution. By harnessing abundant earth materials and advanced robotics, this method is more sustainable than traditional construction methods and even 3D printing.
#3dprinting #ethzurich #robot #construction #technology
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a robotic construction method called impact printing that is sustainable because it uses earth-based materials instead of cement.
Impact printing rapidly deposits small portions of a specially formulated earth mixture at high velocities. A custom-built robotic tool extrudes and shoots the material downward at up to 10 meters per second, gradually building up walls and structures. As each portion impacts the layers below, the material bonds strongly without requiring additional adhesives or drying time.
"We developed a robotic tool and a method that could take common material, which is the excavated material on construction sites, and turn it back into usable building products, at low cost and efficiently, with significantly less CO2 than existing industrialized building methods, including 3D printing," Dr. Lauren Vasey, project lead at ETH Zurich, told Ars Technica.
The earth mixture used in impact printing is composed primarily of locally sourced materials like excavated soil, silt, and clay – materials that can often be obtained directly from construction sites. Currently, only about 1-2 percent mineral stabilizer is required, which is far less than the cement content in conventional concrete.
Do you agree to what this guy is saying?
No. Look at what the smartphone did for countries like Nigeria.
It provided a personal computer to more than 100 million people.
Exactly! My initial Captions for this video whiles posting it here was, " What the heck is this guy saying, somebody make it make sense to me" but I thought maybe there might be a side or views I haven't considered.
If I post a video here, can I include the transcript for people who aren't interested in watching but reading?
Yes. I put the transcript in the comments when I post a YT video. It requires copy and pasting. It is a great way to feed LeoAi though.
Good then I'd be doing a lot of that everyday. Couldn't find a niche so I decided to join you in your niche style. Hope that's okay?
Sure. There is a lot of technology stuff our there and we are feeding LeoAI a lot of data. This will enable it to establish a lot of relationships/connections.
So add as much as you can, it will only improve the performance of things.
Great, I'd see how far I can push the boundaries tomorrow.
😂 He might charge you for copyright
haha, he gave me permission
AMD sees AI revenue soar as Instinct MI300 GPU already rivals CPU division sales
AMD's recently launched Instinct MI300 GPU has quickly become a massive revenue driver for the company, rivaling its entire CPU business in sales.
What just happened? AMD's Instinct MI300 has quickly established itself as a major player in the AI accelerator market, driving significant revenue growth. While it can't hope to match Nvidia's dominant market position, AMD's progress indicates a promising future in the AI hardware sector.
#ai #amd #gpu #semiconductor #chips #technology
AMD's recently launched Instinct MI300 GPU has quickly become a massive revenue driver for the company, rivaling its entire CPU business in sales. It is a significant milestone for AMD in the competitive AI hardware market, where it has traditionally lagged behind industry leader Nvidia.
During the company's latest earnings call, AMD CEO Lisa Su said that the data center GPU business, primarily driven by the Instinct MI300, has exceeded initial expectations. "We're actually seeing now our [AI] GPU business really approaching the scale of our CPU business," she said.
This achievement is particularly noteworthy given that AMD's CPU business encompasses a wide range of products for servers, cloud computing, desktop PCs, and laptops.
The Instinct MI300, introduced in November 2023, represents AMD's first truly competitive GPU for AI inferencing and training workloads. Despite its relatively recent launch, the MI300 has quickly gained traction in the market.
Mozilla Firefox 132.0
Improve your browsing experience with Mozilla's open-source and highly acclaimed Firefox.
Firefox's has been reimagined in 2024 to be fast, modern and inviting the first time you run it and every day after. We've always had your back on privacy, and still do. We think the browser should be a piece of software you can rely on to have your back, pleasant to look at and working seamlessly with the web.
#firefox #mozilla #webbrowser #video #technology
Is Firefox a trustworthy browser?
Firefox is considered a secure and private browser. By default, Firefox blocks known third party trackers, social media trackers, cryptomining scripts and fingerprinters from collecting your data.
Does Firefox use Google as a search engine?
Yes, Google pays hefty royalties to Mozilla/Firefox for making them the default search engine in Firefox. That deal is worth around $400 million per year (as of 2021-2022) and makes up the vast majority of Mozilla's total revenue.
Is Firefox better than Google Chrome?
Firefox and Chrome are updated every few weeks, so it's hard to compare them over time. At one point, Firefox has offered advantages over Chrome in terms of RAM usage, but that claim can go back and forth depending on the revision (and the potential for regressions). Microsoft Edge and Apple's Safari have also made such claims, but in general all browsers are continually improving and beating each other.
Firefox does offer better privacy and customizability (to an extent) and is a solid browser with lots of add-ons available. If you want the best customizability on a stock browser, you should also check out Vivaldi (Chromium based).
Who owns Firefox?
Firefox is developed by the Mozilla Foundation, a US-based non-profit that operates and controls the Mozilla project.
Is Firefox based on Chromium?
No, Firefox is not based on Chromium. In fact, Firefox is one of the last major browsers that isn't. Firefox runs on its own Quantum browser engine.
Firefox's upcoming "cookie-less" tracking comes under fire by Austrian privacy watchdog
Mozilla introduced the Privacy-Preserving Attribution API with Firefox 128, stating that it would measure ad performance without employing third-party servers to track what Firefox users were doing
Facepalm: Mozilla recently introduced a controversial technology designed to help advertisers while preserving users' privacy. However, a European privacy watchdog says that while it's "less invasive" than tracking cookies, it is still tracking without consent. It has asked regulators to open a GDRP investigation.
#firefox #mozilla #browser #cookie #tracking #austria #technology
Mozilla introduced the Privacy-Preserving Attribution API with Firefox 128, stating that it would measure ad "performance" without employing third-party servers to track what Firefox users were doing online. The European Center for Digital Rights, also known as Noyb (none of your business), has now filed a complaint against the US company, lamenting that the new API is just switching control of the tracking process to the browser instead of eliminating it.
Nyob claims that Firefox is tracking users now instead of individual websites. Privacy-conscious users could consider this an improvement over traditional behavioral profiling with invasive cookies. However, Mozilla doesn't ask users for permission and enables the feature by default. The opt-out feature is similar to Google's Privacy Sandbox initiative, which promised to kill third-party cookies using browser-based tracking but failed.
While PPA is considered a less invasive tracking alternative in the US, Nyob stated, it still violates Europe's General Data Protection Regulation.
"Mozilla has just bought into the narrative that the advertising industry has a right to track users by turning Firefox into an ad measurement tool," said Nyob data protection lawyer Felix Mikolasch.
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Mozilla advises Firefox users to update if they want browser add-ons to keep working
Mozilla is reminding Firefox users that a necessary root certificate expires soon and that older browser versions could become a security and usability nightmare in a few...
In context: Root certificates are an essential element for modern browser security. They protect users by verifying signed web pages, extensions, and other types of content. However, developers must update root certificates constantly; otherwise, the root of the trust chain breaks, and everything goes down the drain.
#mozilla #firefox #webbrowser #addon #technology
Mozilla is reminding Firefox users that a necessary root certificate expires soon and that older browser versions could become a security and usability nightmare in a few months. Starting March 14, 2025, Firefox versions older than 128 (ESR 115.13) containing the expired certificate will likely cause "significant" issues with add-ons, content signing, and streaming of DRM-protected media.
Failing to update Firefox before next March means losing features relying on remote functionality. Many installed add-ons will become disabled, and other systems that require content verification could also break. The issue affects Firefox editions for Android and Windows operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Those with iPhone or iPad versions of Firefox should be okay.
Mozilla's FAQs explain that a root certificate authenticates browser content as trusted. When a certificate expires, Firefox cannot verify content anymore. The newest versions of Firefox and other Mozilla software using the same root-of-trust model include a new root certificate that will prevent the expiration issue in March 2025.
Musk Says There's a 10% to 20% Risk That #AI Goes Bad #technology
Transcript below 👇
"We spoke last in March. Your prediction was that AI was increasing at a rate as fast as 100 times per year and that by 2029 or 2030 we might see AI as capable as 8 billion humans. Are you still seeing that pace?"
"Yeah. It's a difficult thing to quantify exactly. But I certainly feel comfortable saying that it's getting ten times better per year, which is - you know, for years now, that would mean 10,000 times better. So maybe 100,000."
"And I think it'll be able to do anything that any human can do, possibly within the next year or two. And then - how much longer would it take to be able to do what all humans do combined? I think not long. Probably only three years from that point. So it's like 2028, 2029."
"In our other conversation, and you came out on the same side as Geoffrey Hinton in this, was 80% probability it's going to be awesome, 20% probability we're screwed. Are you still on those odds?"
"Yeah. I mean, one could say it's most likely going to be great and there's some chance - which could be 10 to 20% - that it goes bad. The chances aren't zero that it goes bad. But overall, at one point you said the cup is 80% full is one positive way to look at it. Maybe 90%."
Amazon employees revolt: 500-plus workers challenge return-to-office policy
More than 500 Amazon employees urged Amazon Web Services boss Matt Garman to stop making them return to the office.
According to reports, the workers sent a letter to Mr. Garman on Wednesday, pleading with him to reverse the policy. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced in September that the office mandate starts in January.
#amazon #aws #remotework #employees #technology #andyjassy
At an Oct. 17 meeting with AWS employees, Mr. Garman said 90% of employees agreed with the new policy.
Yet in their letter, the employees said, “We were appalled to hear the nondata-driven explanation you gave for Amazon imposing a five-day in-office mandate.”
The letter added that Mr. Garman’s comments misrepresented the feelings of Amazon workers, who they say are overwhelmingly against the company’s policy change.
Attached to the letter were anonymous testimonials from Amazon workers who said the new move would add an extensive commute, taking them away from their families.
This week’s letter is further evidence of discontent among Amazon employees. During the coronavirus pandemic, the retail giant let its corporate employees work entirely remotely. As pandemic restrictions loosened, Amazon required employees to come into the office at least three days a week unless they had a special reason to stay home.
OpenAI launches its Google challenger, ChatGPT Search
OpenAI has launched its Google challenger: ChatGPT Search. It lets ChatGPT users more easily search the web for up-to-date info.
OpenAI’s Google challenger is finally here.
The company on Thursday launched ChatGPT Search, an evolution of the SearchGPT prototype it unveiled this summer. Built into OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform, ChatGPT Search is designed to give “timely answers” to questions, OpenAI says, drawing from a range of online sources.
#openai #google #search #chatgpt #technology
Powered by a fine-tuned version of OpenAI’s GPT-4o model, ChatGPT Search serves up information and photos from the web — like sports scores, news, stock quotes, and more — along with links to relevant sources, at which point you can ask follow-up questions to refine an ongoing search.
ChatGPT will choose to search the web based on what you ask, or you can manually choose to search by clicking the new web search icon.
Responses have both in-line and sidebar attribution to news publishers and other data sources OpenAI has licensing deals with. For example, a search for weekend events in San Francisco might pull up a summary sourced from local news websites, while a follow-up question about restaurant suggestions will show a list of local options.
Election-related queries will be directed to sources like AP and Reuters, OpenAI says.
Article
From OpenAI website:
ChatGPT can now search the web in a much better way than before. You can get fast, timely answers with links to relevant web sources, which you would have previously needed to go to a search engine for. This blends the benefits of a natural language interface with the value of up-to-date sports scores, news, stock quotes, and more.
ChatGPT will choose to search the web based on what you ask, or you can manually choose to search by clicking the web search icon.
Search will be available at chatgpt.com(opens in a new window), as well as on our desktop and mobile apps. All ChatGPT Plus and Team users, as well as SearchGPT waitlist users, will have access today. Enterprise and Edu users will get access in the next few weeks. We’ll roll out to all Free users over the coming months.
Designed to get you to a better answer
Getting useful answers on the web can take a lot of effort. It often requires multiple searches and digging through links to find quality sources and the right information for you.
Now, chat can get you to a better answer: Ask a question in a more natural, conversational way, and ChatGPT can choose to respond with information from the web. Go deeper with follow-up questions, and ChatGPT will consider the full context of your chat to get a better answer for you.
We also partnered with news and data providers to add up-to-date information and new visual designs for categories like weather, stocks, sports, news, and maps.
Go straight to the source
Chats now include links to sources, such as news articles and blog posts, giving you a way to learn more. Click the Sources button below the response to open a sidebar with the references.
ChatGPT search connects people with original, high-quality content from the web and makes it part of their conversation. By integrating search with a chat interface, users can engage with information in a new way, while content owners gain new opportunities to reach a broader audience. We hope to help users discover publishers and websites, while bringing more choice to search.
How it works and what comes next
The search model is a fine-tuned version of GPT-4o, post-trained using novel synthetic data generation techniques, including distilling outputs from OpenAI o1-preview. ChatGPT search leverages third-party search providers, as well as content provided directly by our partners, to provide the information users are looking for. Learn more here(opens in a new window).
Thanks to feedback from the SearchGPT prototype, we brought the best of the SearchGPT experience into ChatGPT. We plan to keep improving search, particularly in areas like shopping and travel, and leverage the reasoning capabilities of the OpenAI o1 series to do deeper research. We also plan to bring our new search experience to Advanced Voice and canvas, as well as to Free and logged out users in the future.
ChatGPT Plus and Team users can try it out today at chatgpt.com(opens in a new window).
Google's Gemini API and AI Studio get grounding with Google Search
Starting today, developers using Google's Gemini API and its Google AI Studio to build AI-based services and bots will be able to ground their prompts'
Starting today, developers using Google’s Gemini API and its Google AI Studio to build AI-based services and bots will be able to ground their prompts’ results with data from Google Search. This should enable more accurate responses based on fresher data.
#google #gemini #technology #ai #search
As has been the case before, developers will be able to try out grounding for free in AI Studio, which is essentially Google’s playground for developers to test and refine their prompts, and access its latest large language models. Gemini API users will have to be on the paid tier and will pay $35 per 1,000 grounded queries.
AI Studio’s recently launched built-in compare mode makes it easy to see how the results of grounded queries differ from those that rely solely on the model’s own data.
Turning on grounding is as easy as toggling on a switch and deciding on how often the API should use grounding by making changes to the so-called ‘dynamic retrieval’ setting. That could be as straightforward as opting to turn it on for every prompt or going with a more nuanced setting that then uses a smaller model to evaluate the prompt and decide whether it would benefit from being augmented with data from Google Search.
“Grounding can help […] when you ask a very recent question that’s beyond the model’s knowledge cut off, but it could also help with a question which is not as recent, […] but you may want richer detail,” Shrestha Basu Mallick, Google’s group product manager for the Gemini API and AI Studio, explained. “There might be developers who say we only want to ground on recent facts, and they would set this [dynamic retrieval value] higher. And there might be developers who say: No, I want the rich detail of Google search on everything.”
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LA County Sues PepsiCo, Coca-Cola Over Plastic
Los Angeles County has sued beverage makers PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, accusing them of polluting the most populous U.S. county with plastic bottles and misleading the public about the environmental impact and recyclability of their containers.
The county in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court said the companies were contributing to plastic pollution with their single-use plastic bottles and were engaging in a campaign to deceive consumers into believing they were recyclable.
#pepsi #cocacola #losangeles #lawsuit #corporation
According to the Democratic-governed county's lawsuit, the companies did so despite knowing the plastic in their bottles cannot be recycled at a scale meaningful enough to offset the environmental harms of the containers, most of which end up at landfills or as litter.
The county contends the plastic pollution traced to products made by the companies constitutes a public nuisance that they must be forced to redress. According to the lawsuit, Pepsi and Coca-Cola should be required to pay penalties for engaging in unfair and deceptive business practices.
"Coke and Pepsi need to stop the deception and take responsibility for the plastic pollution problems your products are causing," Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Lindsey Horvath, a Democrat, said in a statement.
The companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. In response to similar lawsuits in the past, they have denied making misleading statements and have said they were working toward environmental sustainability.
Self-driving cars like Waymo, Cruise post liability questions as companies expand
Self-driving cars have the potential to dramatically change transportation, but collisions between humans and autonomous vehicles pose complicated legal challenges.
With no driver at the wheel, a crash with an autonomous vehicle, or AV, means confusion, especially in the infancy of the nascent technology. Issues a driver will have to navigate include filing an insurance claim and who to sue, if needed, not to mention how to sue.
#waymo #cruise #tesla #liability #autonomy #selfdriving #cars
Tim Burton talks about dread of AI as an exhibition of his work opens in London
The imagination of Tim Burton has produced ghosts and ghouls, Martians, monsters and misfits -- all on display at an exhibition that is opening in London just in time for Halloween.
But you know what really scares him? Artificial intelligence.
Burton said Wednesday that seeing a website that had used AI to blend his drawings with Disney characters “really disturbed me.”
#ai #technology #films #hollywood #timburton
“It wasn’t an intellectual thought — it was just an internal, visceral feeling,” Burton told reporters during a preview of “The World of Tim Burton” exhibition at London’s Design Museum. “I looked at those things and I thought, ‘Some of these are pretty good.’ … (But) it gave me a weird sort of scary feeling inside.”
Burton said he thinks AI is unstoppable, because “once you can do it, people will do it.” But he scoffed when asked if he’d use the technology in this work.
“To take over the world?” he laughed.
The exhibition reveals Burton to be an analogue artist, who started off as a child in the 1960s experimenting with paints and colored pencils in his suburban Californian home.
“I wasn’t, early on, a very verbal person,” Burton said. “Drawing was a way of expressing myself.”
Decades later, after films including “Edward Scissorhands,” “Batman,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Beetlejuice,” his ideas still begin with drawing. The exhibition includes 600 items from movie studio collections and Burton’s personal archive, and traces those ideas as they advance from sketches through collaboration with set, production and costume designers on the way to the big screen.
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I wonder if #tesla is doing the same thing. Not likely.
Ford to halt production of electric F-150 Lightning next month until 2025
Ford plans to halt production of the F-150 Lightning until early next year to address high inventories and reduce losses of the all-electric pickup trucks.
The automaker on Thursday confirmed the seven-week shutdown would occur at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in suburban Detroit from Nov. 18 until Jan. 6, including previously planned holiday downtime at the end of the year.
#f150 #ford #tesla #ev #lightning #automotive
"We continue to adjust production for an optimal mix of sales growth and profitability," Ford said in an emailed statement.
The roughly 730 hourly workers at the Michigan plant will be placed on temporary layoff. Ford said not all of the workers will be laid off for the entire duration of the downtime.
Apple to report earnings as investors worry about 'mixed' iPhone demand
It's the end of Apple's fiscal year, and the first quarter with some sales from the September launch of the iPhone 16.
Apple to report earnings as investors worry about 'mixed' iPhone demand
It's the end of Apple's fiscal year, and the first quarter with some sales from the September launch of the iPhone 16.
Apple reports fourth-quarter earnings after the bell Thursday. It's the end of Apple's fiscal year, and it's the first quarter with sales from the September launch of the iPhone 16.
#apple #iphone #earnings #market #technology
Here's what to expect, according to LSEG consensus estimates:
Earnings per share: $1.60
Revenue: $94.58 billion
The most critical item will be what Apple signals to investors about its December quarter, which is its largest seasonal sales period of the year. That will set the tone about the current iPhone sales cycle and whether it represents a chance for revenue growth driven by the launch of Apple Intelligence.
Apple doesn't provide official guidance, but it typically offers forecast data points on a call with analysts that suggest whether the company expects sales growth and how some of its product lines might fare — especially the iPhone, which still accounts for a majority of Apple's sales.
Without Apple's official guidance and sales, investors parse surveys and shipping dates on Apple's website to get a clue.
Some analysts are pointing to signs so far as "mixed."
Meta's Threads micro-blogging app now has 275 million monthly users, Zuckerberg says
Threads, Meta's rival to Elon Musk's X app, now has nearly 275 million monthly users, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday.
"We continue to be on track towards this becoming our next major social app," Zuckerberg said on a call with analysts, adding that he was "quite pleased" with the trajectory of the app.
The latest numbers indicate Threads is up 175% from a year ago when it reached 100 million users. The app is also up from 200 million monthly actives since Meta's second-quarter report in July. The app is now signing up more than 1 million users per day, Zuckerberg also said on Wednesday.
#meta #threads #microblogging #zuckerberg #socialmedia #technology
Threads launched in July 2023 as a rival to Musk-owned X, who closed a deal to purchase the social app formerly known as Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion.
X remains ahead of Threads in terms of users, but not by much. Musk's social media app now has roughly 318 million monthly users, according to an estimate by market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. That's down 24% since Musk completed his acquisition of the company in October 2022, according to Sensor Tower.
Threads could provide Meta more places to deliver ads to users. Ads accounted for 98.3% of Meta's total revenue in the third quarter.
"Specifically, as it pertains to monetization, we don't expect Threads to be a meaningful driver of 2025 revenue at this time," said CFO Susan Li on the earnings call. "We've been just pleased with the growth trajectory and again, are really focused on introducing features that the community finds valuable."
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Still mad that they stole the name from us.
And who uses their Threads for real?
What’s actually new in Siri in iOS 18.1? The Apple Intelligence upgrades explained – and what’s coming next
The best is yet to come
Apple Intelligence has arrived, and you can install it on compatible devices now by updating to iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1. As an Apple Intelligence expert I live and breathe everything to do with Apple AI, so this week, with the official launch of the new software, my iPhone has been pinging like crazy with messages from friends and family. All of them have the same question in mind: What’s going on with Siri? Wasn’t it meant to be super-smart?
#apple #ios #ipad #siri #appleintelligence #technology
You see, it shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the Apple Intelligence launch but unfortunately, unless you consume all media related to Apple AI, there’s no way you’re going to know the ins and outs of Apple’s confusing launch schedule. Siri will indeed be super-smart – but not yet, and not for a while. Instead, Siri’s iOS 18.1 upgrades are more surface-level, focusing on a gorgeous new redesign and small quality-of-life improvements. So what’s actually new in Siri in iOS 18.1? Let’s find out.
Siri has a complete new redesign in iOS 18.1 and it’s glorious. The Siri colors pop from the edges of your device, and a purple hue takes over the whole display. This new design is a modern approach, allowing you to interact with your iPhone while speaking to the voice assistant. On Mac, you can place the Siri window anywhere on your desktop, allowing you to get tasks done while still interacting with your smart assistant. This is a huge change to Siri, as the assistant used to interrupt whatever you were doing on your device useless for a few seconds while it took over your screen. Now, the redesign feels fresh, and it’ll look right at home once Siri gains on-screen awareness functionality later next year.
Alphabet Adds AI to Google Maps to Fend Off Apple, Upstarts
Alphabet Inc.’s Google announced new features for its two mapping apps, part of the search giant’s ongoing effort to revamp products with its Gemini artificial intelligence models.
#alphabet #maps #ai #googlemaps #apple #technology
Users of Google Maps will be able to ask natural-language questions about places on the map and see AI-generated summaries of human-written reviews, the company said in an announcement Thursday. Waze users will be able to verbally report traffic issues on the go, without having to type or use specific commands.
OpenAI launches ChatGPT Advanced Voice mode on desktop and now PCs and Macs can join the conversation
ChatGPT Advanced Voice mode arrives on desktop for Windows and Mac.
OpenAI has just announced ChatGPT Advanced Voice mode is now available for the Mac and PC versions of its chatbot, in addition to the mobile versions.
#chatgpt #advancedvoice #mac #pc #technology #openai
The update was revealed with the phrase “Big day for desktops” in a tweet on X.com. While the Mac version of the ChatGPT app has been out for a while now, the Windows version only just launched. Until now, however, Advanced Voice mode wasn't available as it currently does not work in the browser-based version of ChatGPT.
A similar experience to mobile
We’ve tried the desktop version of Advanced Voice mode on PC and the experience is refreshingly similar to the mobile version: You click the Advanced Voice icon that’s on the right of the prompt bar and a new window pops up with the familiar floating blue orb that pulses as ChatGPT listens.
You can immediately start having a free-flowing, natural conversation with ChatGPT using one of its nine different voices about pretty much any subject you like. To change voice you simply need to hit the icon in the top right of the screen and you can switch between its nine different voices.
Meta is making a robot hand that can 'feel' touch
Meta says it's partnering with sensor firm GelSight and Wonik Robotics, a South Korean robotics company, to commercialize tactile sensors for AI.
The new devices aren’t meant for consumers. Rather, they’re intended for scientists. Meta says it envisions them being used to advance research into AI that can “learn about the world in richer detail” and “better understand and model the physical world.”
#meta #robotics #ai #technology #hand
GelSight will work with Meta to bring to market Digit 360, which Meta describes as a “a tactile fingertip with human-level multimodal sensing capabilities.” The successor to Meta’s Digit sensor, Digit 360 digitizes touch signals, using an on-device AI chip and roughly 18 “sensing features” to detect changes in its surroundings.
“We developed a touch-perception-specific optical system with a wide field of view … for capturing omnidirectional deformations on the fingertip surface,” Meta explained in a blog post. “Additionally, we equipped the sensor with many sensing modalities, since each touch interaction with the environment has a unique profile produced by the mechanical, geometrical, and chemical properties of a surface to perceive vibrations, sense heat, and even smell odor.”
Digit 360 will be available for purchase next year, and Meta’s launched a call for proposals through which researchers can gain early access.
Meta’s work with Wonik will focus on a new generation of Wonik’s Allegro Hand, a robotic hand with tactile sensors like Digit 360. Building on a platform Meta developed to integrate sensors on a single robot hand, the upcoming Allegro Hand will feature control boards that encode data from the tactile sensors onto a host computer.
Fintech Leaders Tap Generative AI for Safer, Faster, More Accurate Financial Services
Ntropy, Contextual AI, NayaOne and Securiti boost AI applications for fraud detection, financial planning and more with NVIDIA NIM microservices and accelerated computing.
An overwhelming 91% of financial services industry (FSI) companies are either assessing artificial intelligence or already have it in the bag as a tool that’s driving innovation, improving operational efficiency and enhancing customer experiences.
#nvidia #fintech #generateiveai #ai
Generative AI — powered by NVIDIA NIM microservices and accelerated computing — can help organizations improve portfolio optimization, fraud detection, customer service and risk management.
Among the companies harnessing these technologies to boost financial services applications are Ntropy, Contextual AI and NayaOne — all members of the NVIDIA Inception program for cutting-edge startups.
And Silicon Valley-based startup Securiti, which offers a centralized, intelligent platform for the safe use of data and generative AI, is using NVIDIA NIM to build an AI-powered copilot for financial services.
At Money20/20, a leading fintech conference running this week in Las Vegas, the companies will demonstrate how their technologies can turn disparate, often complex FSI data into actionable insights and advanced innovation opportunities for banks, fintechs, payment providers and other organizations.
MealMe, the startup integrating food ordering tech into apps, picks up $8M
MealMe, a unified API that embeds food and retail ordering into consumer apps and websites, announced on Thursday that it secured $8 million in MealMe, a unified API that embeds food and retail ordering into apps and websites, secured $8 million in Series A funding.
#mealme #food #api #funding
MealMe, a unified API that embeds food and retail ordering into consumer apps and websites, announced on Thursday that it secured $8 million in Series A funding. The newly raised capital brings the total amount raised to $16 million.
MealMe has undergone several changes since its launch in 2019. Initially, it was a consumer app designed to help people find the best deals on delivery from restaurants and grocery stores. It then evolved to allow consumers to order food directly through the MealMe app.
The company has now completely transitioned to a B2B model, offering its API for other businesses to integrate ordering technology into their applications and websites. When a company integrates MealMe’s API, it gets access to real-time product pricing and availability, and it enables customers to order their products from local stores.
MealMe says that its API provides inventory data on more than 1 billion products from more than 1.2 million grocery stores, restaurants, and retailers across the U.S. and Canada. It currently serves more than 100 customers, including Fantuan Delivery, Favor Delivery, TripAdvisor, and others.
From the Website:
Our Mission
MealMe is on a mission to embed commerce
into every website and app
Our Vision
Reimagining monetization models
MealMe is creating an entirely new monetization model for companies that have traditionally relied on affiliate marketing or banner ads. Our Embedded Commerce Technology enables any company to monetize by offering their users the ability to purchase products on their platform.
Our API
Easy integration of our API & SDK
For businesses, our core approach is to offer our technology in the form of APIs and SDKs that are easily integrated into any platform.
Our Data Suite provides point of interest data that is unmatched in depth and quality. Our Ordering Suite gives our customers the ability to embed checkout for 100M+ products from 1M+ stores in the US and Canada.
D-ID launches new high-quality avatars capable of real-time conversations
AI video platform D-ID announced today that it is releasing two new types of avatars — Express and Premium+ — for content creation. Companies are chasing
Companies are chasing the golden goose of creating AI avatars that are more humanlike and can potentially offload video creation for enterprise use cases in areas like marketing, sales, and customer support. With different generative models, it is easier to give little text input and little visual data to create videos for business purposes that don’t look entirely out of place. D-ID’s new models are an effort to make it more competitive in this landscape.
#avatar #technology #ai #conversations
Express avatars can be trained with roughly one minute of video and replicate users’ head movements during speech. Premium+ is the company’s marquee model, which might need at least a few minutes of recording for training, but can reproduce an AI avatar for videos with hands and torso. The company’s idea is that with hands and torso movements, the avatar feels more human-like in interaction with other users.
The company said that the Premium+ models are capable of real-time interaction that might be good for use cases like webinar and translation.
The company plans to engage these avatars for enterprise use cases such as creating sales leads, customer engagement, and personalized marketing campaigns.
“We believe the best way to interact with AI models is face-to-face; that is why we are creating these new hyper-realistic avatars and a natural user interface,” D-ID CEO Gil Perry told TechCrunch over a call.
Key Features of Vector Databases
High-Dimensional Search: Vector databases allow Approximate Nearest Neighbor (ANN) search, a technique to find vectors that are closest to a given query vector. Unlike traditional SQL-based queries, which work well with structured data, ANN efficiently handles similarity searches across high-dimensional data spaces.
Scalability: A major advantage of vector databases is their ability to handle large datasets. As the number of vectors grows, traditional databases become inefficient. Vector databases are optimized to perform real-time searches across millions or even billions of vectors.
Real-Time Search: Many AI-powered applications need to serve results in real time, whether it’s a recommendation system or semantic search engine. Vector databases are optimized to deliver fast search results by utilizing indexing techniques like LSH (Locality Sensitive Hashing) or HNSW (Hierarchical
Navigable Small World), enabling near-instantaneous retrieval.
Similarity Search: Traditional databases use exact matching for search queries, which is unsuitable for many AI tasks. Vector databases, however, specialize in similarity search — retrieving vectors based on their distance from the query vector using metrics such as Euclidean distance, cosine similarity, or Manhattan distance.
Noma is building tools to spot security issues with AI apps
Companies are concerned that their eagerness to adopt AI has made them more vulnerable to cyberthreats. Per a recent poll of over 350 IT leaders, more
Companies are concerned that their eagerness to adopt AI has made them more vulnerable to cyberthreats. Per a recent poll of over 350 IT leaders, more than half of the executives surveyed said the complexity of AI applications weakened their organization’s cybersecurity posture. More than two-fifths of executives believe their security teams lack the skills needed to protect their AI applications and workloads, per another survey.
#noma #ai #applications #technology #it
The demand for solutions to secure AI apps has spawned an entire cohort of startups. HiddenLayer and Protect AI, for example, focus on defending AI systems from adversarial attacks, while Cranium provides visibility into AI systems at the application level.
A new venture emerging from stealth today, Noma Security, does all of this and more, claims co-founder and CEO Niv Braun. The startup is developing tools to identify vulnerable data pipelines and code in data science environments, as well as threats like prompt injection attacks.
Braun launched Noma with Alon Tron after leaving customer experience automation firm Verint, where he noticed a “significant blind spot” for security teams in the data and AI lifecycle.
“Existing tools are designed for the traditional software lifecycle,” Braun said. “However, the data and AI lifecycle is inherently different. It involves distinct R&D processes, relies on different technologies, and faces unique technical vulnerabilities within AI models.”
China’s next-gen sexbots powered by AI about to hit the shelves
Future models ‘react with both movements and speech, significantly enhancing user experience by focusing on emotional connection’, producer says.
#sexbots #technology #sex #ai
Chinese scientists and engineers are applying ChatGPT-like technology to sex robots, aiming to create interactive, AI-powered companions in the face of technical and ethical challenges.
In Shenzhen, Starpery Technology, a major producer of sex dolls, is now training its own large language model to enhance its product with artificial intelligence. These sex dolls with unprecedented capabilities – available in male or female forms – will soon be hitting the shelves.
“We are developing a next-generation sex doll that can interact vocally and physically with users, with prototypes expected by August this year,” CEO Evan Lee said early this month.
“Technological challenges remain, particularly in achieving realistic human interaction,” he said. “While simple dialogue is easy, creating interactive responses involves complex model development by specialised software companies.”
Traditional dolls, supported by a metal skeleton and a silicone exterior, are limited to simple responses and lack the expressive capabilities needed to engage with a human.
“The new generation of sex dolls, powered by AI models and equipped with sensors, can react with both movements and speech, significantly enhancing user experience by focusing on emotional connection rather than just basic conversational abilities,” Lee said.
Cloud AI hijacked to run sex bots
Attackers called AWS console-only APIs after nabbing key to call Bedrock model, used "common jailbreak techniques to bypass model content filtering" says Permiso
Security researchers say AI systems are being hijacked to run sex bots.
Permiso, an identity security platform provider, was able to track this behaviour after leaking an AWS key which was promptly exploited.
#cloud #ai #technology #sexbots #aws #hack
By hacking cloud-based LLMs attackers can “pass all the cost and compute to victim organizations that they've hijacked” its researchers said.
The attackers used their stolen key to gain access to AWS Bedrock – a managed service that lets users run a variety of LLMs in the public cloud.
They used the stolen compute power and LLM access they gained to power sexual roleplay bots accessible to users via a paid subscription – using “common jailbreak techniques to bypass model content filtering.”
Intriguingly, they also used some clever techniques to check if a model was available to them for illegal use – including calling AWS APIs that are “not included in the aws-cli (SDK) or in the API reference guide.”
EC2 and IAM jacking? Old Hat
“For the past few years when a threat actor obtained an exposed long-lived AWS access key (AKIA) they would almost always touch a few AWS services first” said Permiso. Theser were chiefly Simple Email Service (SES) for spam campaigns; EC2 resource hijacking “mainly for crypto mining” and IAM services to conduct privilege escalation or persistence techniques.
“In the past six (6) months; however, we have observed a new contender entering the ring as a top-targeted AWS service, Bedrock.”
Among the techniques they used were calling the GetFoundationModelAvailability API, which is “traditionally called on your behalf when viewing foundational models in the AWS Web Management Console. Attackers are using this API programmatically (not via the web console) with manually formatted requests” Permiso said.
The firm’s two-day experiment generated a $3,500 bill from AWS, largely due to the 75,000 LLM invocations caused by the sex chat hijackers.
AWS told KrebsOnSecurity, who earlier reported on Permiso’s research, that “AWS services are operating securely, as designed, and no customer action is needed. The researchers devised a testing scenario that deliberately disregarded security best practices to test what may happen in a very specific scenario… To carry out this research, security researchers ignored fundamental security best practices and publicly shared an access key on the internet to observe what would happen.”
AWS security expert Nick Frichette noted on X: “These TAs [threat actors] were invoking a number of APIs which only appear in the console. They don't appear in the SDKs, nor the CLI. You might ask, ‘Nick, are these undocumented APIs?’. Well no, they do appear in documentation. For example, if you Google "GetFoundationModelAvailability" you do find some info from AWS… AWS developers commonly package API models as strings that we can extract using regexes,” Frichette commented.
But there’s also another way that developers package APIs into the front end – sometimes they will “hard code the APIs directly into the front end JavaScript” he added: “This is much more difficult to scrape than the other method… I think it unlikely that these TAs went spelunking this hard into the console internals. Most likely they intercepted their own requests using Burp, looked at them, and used that to programmatically sign their own requests using SigV4. Threat Actors are looking for APIs buried deep in the console and they will try to take advantage of them.”
AWS said it had “quickly and automatically identified the exposure” of the key during Permiso’s experiment and proactively notified the researchers, who opted not to take action. The company added: “We then identified suspected compromised activity and took additional action to further restrict the account, which stopped this abuse.
(Permiso said AWS’s security team identified the “malicious usage of Bedrock which they proactively blocked about 35 hours after the scale of invoke attempts increased into the thousands,” adding “this was about 42 days after the key was first used maliciously.”)
Ian Ahl, SVP of threat research at Permiso, told Bryan Krebs that "the restrictions AWS placed on the exposed key did nothing to stop the attackers from using it to abuse Bedrock services" with Krebs noting that "sometime in the past few days, however, AWS responded by including Bedrock in the list of services that will be quarantined in the event an AWS key or credential pair is found compromised or exposed online. AWS confirmed that Bedrock was a new addition to its quarantine procedures."
Permiso tied the abuse to a sex roleplaying portal called "Chub" – which insisted that the Bedrock abuse had nothing to do with it.
"Our own LLMs run on our own infrastructure... Any individuals participating in such attacks can use any number of UIs that allow user-supplied keys to connect to third-party APIs. We do not participate in, enable or condone any illegal activity whatsoever," it said by email.
The heated US-China cable competition under the seas
Vital for data transmission and communications between continents, lines are vulnerable to sabotage and a stage for global power rivalry
Last week, eight US senators urged President Joe Biden to order a security review of the global network of undersea communications cables, citing the “threat of sabotage” by Russia – and China.
It was just the latest expression of US concern over China’s potential espionage in handling network traffic, an accusation Beijing has repeatedly rejected.
#unitedstates #china #underwatercable #telecommunications
Usually running along the bed of the world’s seas, undersea cables are the backbone of the global internet for daily communications.
About 95 per cent of the US population and nearly 75 per cent of China’s use data that is transferred through undersea cables, and the number is growing.
As global powers jockey for technological and economic supremacy, undersea cables are increasingly at the centre of the competition.
Here are five things to know about the undersea information network, and what it means to the US-China relationship.
What are undersea cables?
Undersea cables, also called submarine cables, are fibre optic cables laid on the seabed between land-based stations. They carry up to 99 per cent of internet traffic between continents and are vital for transmission of data, from personal email, online shopping to scientific research.
Financial transactions on platforms like banking networks, like Swift, as well as fintechs and blockchains also depend on data traffic through the cables.
The first undersea cable was laid in 1850 between France and Britain, and as of September, there were 532 active undersea cable systems, with another 77 planned, according to telecommunications research company Telegeography.
US tech is great, but we have to build our own
The 80-year-old CEO talks about Huawei’s struggles and his admiration for US technology in a conversation with students.
Huawei Technologies founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei said he appreciates the “openness and inclusivity” of the US tech community, and yet the Chinese company “had no choice” but to build its own tools because of US sanctions.
#hauwei #renzengfei #technology #china
Ren, 80, said Huawei needs to learn from the receptive culture of the US, which has allowed the country to become highly advanced in science and technology, according to a transcript of his recent conversation with students and academics. It was published on Thursday on the website of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), a prestigious global coding competition for university students.
“The US has set an example for all countries and companies worldwide on being open,” he said at the Huawei-sponsored event. “If [a country] is closed off, it will fall behind.”
Shenzhen-based Huawei has been barred from buying hardware, software and services from American hi-tech suppliers since May 2019, when it was added to Washington’s trade blacklist. Tightened trade restrictions imposed by the US government in 2020 further limited Huawei’s access to advanced semiconductors developed or produced using US technology, regardless of where they were manufactured.
Will A.i replace computers as we know them completely
gm
woke up feeling pretty rough. probably because i worked all day then drove 8 hours yesterday. going to take it easy today & celebrate Halloween by not overworking myself lol
GM! #threads
Take it easy for sure, but not too long. Must continue the hustle! 😀
#gmfrens! Here is the Motivation, Inspiration, Success #threadcast for 10/31/2024.
#1440minutes #motivationsonleo #inspirationonleo #successonleo #motivation #inspiration #success
I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money. Pablo Picasso
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When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is. Oscar Wilde
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Never spend your money before you have earned it. Thomas Jefferson
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A fool and his money are soon parted. Thomas Tusser
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It's all about the money. Joe Jackson
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A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money. Everett Dirksen
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A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart. Jonathan Swift
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A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Money makes your life easier. If you're lucky to have it, you're lucky. Al Pacino
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My pride fell with my fortunes. William Shakespeare
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Money will buy a pretty good dog, but it won't buy the wag of his tail. Josh Billings
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Friendship is like money, easier made than kept. Samuel Butler
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Lack of money is the root of all evil. George Bernard Shaw
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Alimony is like buying hay for a dead horse. Groucho Marx
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The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket. Kin Hubbard
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Money is a strange business. People who haven't got it aim it strongly. People who have are full of troubles. Ayrton Senna
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All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy. Spike Milligan
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A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money. W. C. Fields
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A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain. Robert Frost
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Greed is not a financial issue. It's a heart issue. Andy Stanley
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Money won't create success, the freedom to make it will. Nelson Mandela
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Money can't buy love, but it improves your bargaining position. Christopher Marlowe
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Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver. Ayn Rand
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Do what you love and the money will follow. Marsha Sinetar
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Money often costs too much. Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Put not your trust in money, but put your money in trust. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
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Money is just a way of keeping score. H. L. Hunt
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Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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There is no such thing as a good tax. Unknown
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There are people who have money and people who are rich. Coco Chanel
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The lack of money is the root of all evil. Mark Twain
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The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much. Ronald Reagan
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If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free; if our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed. Edmund Burke
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There's no such thing as a free lunch. Milton Friedman
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A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money. John Ruskin
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That money talks, I'll not deny, I heard it once: It said, 'Goodbye'. Richard Armour
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A man with money is no match against a man on a mission. Doyle Brunson
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Profit is sweet, even if it comes from deception. Sophocles
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Money does not make you happy but it quiets the nerves. Sean O'Casey
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The importance of money flows from it being a link between the present and the future. John Maynard Keynes
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All riches have their origin in mind. Wealth is in ideas - not money. Robert Collier
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Wealth flows from energy and ideas. William Feather
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If saving money is wrong, I don't want to be right! William Shatner
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I'm scared to death of being poor. It's like a fat girl who loses 500 pounds but is always fat inside. I grew up poor and will always feel poor inside. It's my pet paranoia. Cher
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Simply by not owning three medium-sized castles in Tuscany I have saved enough money in the last forty years on insurance premiums alone to buy a medium-sized castle in Tuscany. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
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Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life. John Wooden
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The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax. Albert Einstein
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If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning. Aristotle Onassis
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A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it. Bob Hope
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A good reputation is more valuable than money. Publilius Syrus
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Money cannot buy peace of mind. It cannot heal ruptured relationships, or build meaning into a life that has none. Richard M. DeVos
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Never confuse the size of your paycheck with the size of your talent. Marlon Brando
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I have no money, no resources, no hopes. I am the happiest man alive. Henry Miller
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Poverty makes you sad as well as wise. Bertolt Brecht
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There is a gigantic difference between earning a great deal of money and being rich. Marlene Dietrich
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Where large sums of money are concerned, it is advisable to trust nobody. Agatha Christie
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I've got all the money I'll ever need, if I die by four o'clock. Henny Youngman
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Anybody who thinks money will make you happy, hasn't got money. David Geffen
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My goal wasn't to make a ton of money. It was to build good computers. Steve Wozniak
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Money just draws flies. Mahalia Jackson
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Wish you all a happy Thursday and a great night of Halloween
OpenAI is copying Big Tech now, they're building their own chips and why shouldn't day, everyone wants to dominate.
They arent building them but designing them. The actually building will be outsourced since OpenAI is not building a foundry.
Quiero suscribirme a InLeo premium pronto! #premium #cent
Ya somos dos, seguramente eso ayuda mucho ¿verdad? #spanish
I saw this question on Quora and wanted to give my advice
If you want to know about good places on Telegram for crypto advice, you should be very careful. Many channels claim they can help you make money, but lots of them are scams. Instead of following trading signals, it's safer to:
#cryptosafety #scamwarning
These are cardinal rules in crypto trading.
Yeah, basic but determinant.
Hola, muy buenos días o tardes. Les deseó un bonito día y feliz #halloween, que lo disfruten mucho.
#gmfrens #freecompliments #gf #bbh #cent #spanish #hivenftgamelatino
#cent #foodie #reformation
Lechon!
Oh! The pig is eating its own kind.
!LOLZ
!PIZZA
Where? 🤔 Winnie the Pooh is supposed to be a bear, not a pig. 😂
!INDEED
!HOPE
!DIY
Oh, is that WtP?
!LOLZ
lolztoken.com
They just don't want to.
Credit: reddit
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Looks like you really confused a pig for Winnie the Pooh. 😆😅
!WEIRD !INDEED !DIY
WtP looks like a pig to me.
!LOLZ
(3/25)
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The Dim Reaper?
Credit: reddit
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(2/10)
Farm LOLZ tokens when you Delegate Hive or Hive Tokens.
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(4/5)
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(14/25)
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!DIYSTATS!HOPE you don't eat too much of the food there, especially the pork! 🤗😅
!INDEED !DIY
The food I put on my plate: 1 slice of pork, 1 shrimp, chapchae, and vegetables.
I wonder how big that one slice of pork on your plate was. 🤔🤣😂
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(17/25)
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!DIYSTATS(14/25)
@rzc24-nftbbg! @savvytester Totally agrees with your content! so I just sent 1 IDD to your account on behalf of @savvytester.
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You can query your personal balance by
!DIYSTATSI decided to keep 100 GRASS from my airdrop for staking. I just locked up 100 GRASS at 56.62% APR. That’s approximately $0.17 in daily passive income at the current valuation of $1.12 per GRASS token. Ongoing GRASS earnings can then be added to the stack. Passive income is king!👑#cent #sapphirecrypto
Trump always has big ideas for how he’d run the government if he's president. He wants more control over government agencies, and he’s looking to change how they operate. My guess is it'll favor Elon Musk and anyone who supportshim
What a disappointment those bloodstones, 50 common and rare cards in 10 packs. #splinterlands
#hivenftgamelatino
It's worth it when you get enough to combine them.
I stop using the stones, but always prefered the potions for packs.
I do not doubt that we will see some solid moves for HIVE. Looking at the previous cycle, it's a sneaky one, HIVE! Don't get dismayed... it will surprise you! #hive #cent #sapphirecrypto
We will have to wait and see :)
If you can't fly, run; if you can't run, walk; if you can't walk, crawl, but keep moving towards your goal #freecompliments #liotes #bbh #cent
A significant Dogecoin transfer has been documented involving the movement of roughly 1. 45 billion DOGE or $250 million from an unidentified wallet to Robinhood
#doge #crypto #cent
Cool... so Finance Department has been bugging me for months to get a client to pay an invoice and now I find out that Finance Department is using the wrong Purchase Order, despite multiple requests for them to update it to the correct one....
What a day... not even 10 am yet
If it helps, it is 10:20am here. lol
Enjoy your day
hope you keep your stress level at a minimum... You're doing awesome handling stuff like this
Existen muchos creadores de contenido creando con el hashtag #spanish y eso es hermoso
tengo que admitir que #inleo #hive son proyectos realmente enormes!
Dios los bendiga a todos. #cent
Hold the door open when someone walks behind you. Any person deserves this - man or woman, old or young. Being nice to others in front of people shows you are a good person.
#kindness
I usually check if anyone is behind me when walking in somewhere and I will usually stop and hold the door for them as they go in before me. I'm never in that much of a rush and people don't expect that kind of selflessness.
Yeah, they always get surprised when I hold it. I'm happy to give them the impression that there is still good in this world
Today makes it exactly 16 years
#btc #cent
When it comes to AI and, especially large language models, infrastructure is destiny. This is something overlooked.
#ai #technology
Ruud Fist pumping as a play and as a manager 💪
#rvn #ruud #vannistelrooy #nistelrooy #manutd #manchester #united #football #pob #cent #sports
Don't date someone if you can't:
Also, don't date someone just because they look good. There needs to be more than just looks.
#Relationships #Love
Day Eight of Eight ✅
Another awesome Orangetheory Fitness Hell Challenge in the books.
#movetoearn #otfhellweek2024
I only see 4 fingers. lol
Elon Musk just said there's a 20% chance that AI goes bad. And that's while he's raising billions for xAI 🤔 guy knows how to do fundraising
If your friends and peers are engaged in bad behavior, and you don't speak out against it, many will assume that you agree with their behavior.
Most times, they will be right.
This is no surprise. We saw this coming.
Well the current politicians in charge have chased all crypto away from the US
That is true. The Biden admin was horrid to crypto and the nitwits in Congress cant even get a stablecoin bill.
Do you think a Trump government would change that?
I think it will be friendlier to crypto so things like the SEC, which are under the President's control could improve.
Congress is still its own animal so Trump cant pass any legislation (for or against) crypto without them.
And with the morons that are traditional in Congress, there is little reason for optimism. They tend to be reactionary, i.e. only acting after it is too late.
So the election is just for president now, not for the senate and congress?
The entire House is up every two years and 1/3 the second (33) are up.
With the House, over 90% win reelection so you have mostly the same players. There are some changes in the Senate but 2/3 do not even run every election.
End of an era! October 2024 marks the first time in a ~50 year history of the company I work for that my department finished with $100k+ GP! It's not even Friday, I shouldn't be feeling this good! #gmfrens
1/🧵 We all have a code that we carry with us for life. Mine is “if it's started, finish it”. What's yours?
#outreach #threadstorm
2/🧵 Many people start a project, but few finish it. In the beginning there is great enthusiasm to start something, whether it's a business, a course or building a property. However, the first difficulties arise and it is soon abandoned.
2/🧵 A person with several unfinished projects is like a city full of unfinished buildings.
3/🧵 It's the same here at Hive, many people start off enthusiastic about their accounts, even making an introductory post. But soon, they abandon Hive for various small reasons and a lack of persistence and determination.
https://inleo.io/@elderdark/enpt-if-youve-started-finish-lcv
That's something I'm trying to improve. I tend to leave a lot of things unfinished.
Note: remember to include in the article tags referring to the subject matter. At least use 2 of them.
Bill Gates believes misinformation is a huge challenge for our time. He says it’s not just about the fake news but how easily false ideas can spread online and it affects both our lives and beliefs
Mis primeras cosechas de verano en #dcrops, activo el evento halloween. #hivenftgamelatino #spanish
Tomates muy bien
Well, we have been a few hours without power and it is expected to keep going. Now, it's back, but soon will be off again. I'm taking advantage to post something.
#leo #inleo
Please take good advantage of it because it matters a lot.... Lol
!DOOK
You just got DOOKed!
@calebmarvel01 thinks your content is the shit.
They have 5/200 DOOK left to drop today.
Learn all about this shit in the toilet paper! 💩
Thanks.
Am just using mobile device until the bring back electricity so that I can use my system... Hahaha it's almost the same thing we are facing... Lol
!DOOK
You just got DOOKed!
@calebmarvel01 thinks your content is the shit.
They have 6/200 DOOK left to drop today.
Learn all about this shit in the toilet paper! 💩
Good morning Lions!
Tell me what is your favorite cartoon character and also post image/gif of it.
#gmfrens #inleo #bbh
Good morning friend, I really like SpongeBob, it's very funny and unique.
I used to watch SpongeBob a lot during my school days. Golden memories. !pimp !lolz
lolztoken.com
Total snooze fest.
Credit: reddit
@davidpena21, I sent you an $LOLZ on behalf of mango-juice
(1/1)
NEW: Join LOLZ's Daily Earn and Burn Contest and win $LOLZ
Thanks
Very good.
https://img.inleo.io/DQmfAu2shBcLLyoNX31WNYTvDD1k1q8ZoKZdBuMFjVqQ6pX/images%20(17).jpeg
When you are tired of that job
#funny #meme #memes #dailydook
worse - working from home in this situation
That's just like a prison....
So painful...
#gmfrens
It's last day of the month so...
lol. A spooky one?
maybeee
cool
I've been in many moods yesterday... Today I'll just focus on being relaxed.
sounds like a good plan!
@sacra97 por @topfamily
Concurso TBT una foto una historia/ Mis recuerdos
#spanish #juevestbt #familia #concurso #anchor #gosh
Gracias por el apoyo @omarrojas
It's a new day as a #newlion to explore INLEO and engage with you all Lions.
Excellent :) !BBH !DOOK
You just got DOOKed!
@bradleyarrow thinks your content is the shit.
They have 20/60 DOOK left to drop today.
Learn all about this shit in the toilet paper! 💩
Thanks for the tips @bradleyarrow
@fr6leo! @bradleyarrow likes your content! so I just sent 1 BBH to your account on behalf of @bradleyarrow. (21/100)
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Thanks looking forward to connect and interact with you @jimmy.adames
Welcome in!
Thank you for welcome &@robsteady
each car
in the eyes of a crow
a nutcracker
#bcpoets #leopoets #apoemaday
Nice poem!