Author: zppiot

But there’s a problem. AI companies have pillaged the internet for training data, and many websites and data set owners have started restricting the ability to scrape their websites. We’ve also seen a backlash against the AI sector’s practice of indiscriminately scraping online data, in the form of users opting out of making their data available for training and lawsuits from artists, writers, and the New York Times, claiming that AI companies have taken their intellectual property without consent or compensation.  Last week three major record labels—Sony Music, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group—announced they were suing the AI music companies Suno…

Getting the neural interface hooked up to a prosthetic takes two steps. First, patients undergo surgery. Following a lower leg amputation, portions of shin and calf muscle still remain. The operation connects shin muscle, which contracts to make the ankle flex upward, to calf muscle, which counteracts this movement. The prosthetic can also be fitted at this point. Reattaching the remnants of these muscles can enable the prosthetic to move more dynamically. It can also reduce phantom limb pain, and patients are less likely to trip and fall.  “The surgery stands on its own,” says Amy Pietrafitta, a para-athlete who…

Keith Gill, the meme stock investor who sent GameStop shares surging during the pandemic, has taken out a multimillion stake in Chewy.Gill, who goes by the moniker “Roaring Kitty” on X and “DeepF——Value” on Reddit, bought more than 9 million shares of the online pet supply giant, according to a regulatory filing posted Monday. Based on Chewy’s share price Friday, which was $27.24, Gill’s purchase means he now has a $245 million stake in the company. Chewy’s stock price surged as much as 15% Monday on news of Gill’s investment.Chewy didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.  That…

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. How fish-safe hydropower technology could keep more renewables on the grid Hydropower is the world’s leading source of renewable electricity, generating more power in 2022 than all other renewables combined. But while hydropower is helping clean up electrical grids, it’s not always great for fish. Dams can change their habitats. And for migratory species, hydropower facilities can create dangerous or insurmountable barriers. That’s why, in some parts of the world, governments have put protections in place to protect ecosystems…

Hydropower is the world’s leading source of renewable electricity, generating more power in 2022 than all other renewables combined. But while hydropower is helping clean up our electrical grid, it’s not always a positive force for fish. Dams that create reservoirs on rivers can change habitats. And for some species, especially those that migrate long distances, hydropower facilities can create dangerous or insurmountable barriers. In some parts of the world, including the US, Canada, and Europe, governments have put protections in place to protect ecosystems from hydropower’s potential harms. New environmental regulations can leave older facilities facing costly renovations or…

The barcode marks its 50th anniversary – CBS News Watch CBS News This week marks 50 years since the debut of the barcode, those machine-readable black stripes that have changed many aspects of modern life. Bradley Blackburn looks back at its history. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On #barcode #marks #50th #anniversary

The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Trump-Biden debate conspiracies are already all over the internetAnd plenty of them are being pushed by Trump himself. (Wired $)+ Election misinformation is being repeated by AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot too. (NBC)+ Spare a thought for pollsters. Their job is only getting harder and harder these days. (Ars Technica)2 The voices of AI can tell us a lotIt’s new technology, but stereotypes of a compliant, endlessly empathetic female assistant are as old as it gets. (NYT $)3 An effort is underway to encourage responsible use of AI…

Spiers himself is interested in learning how people hunt, whether for food, clothes, or a missing pet. “We still use these bits of our brain that our ancestors would have used daily, and of course some traditional communities still hunt,” he tells me. “But we know almost nothing about how the brain does this.” He envisions using AI-driven nonplayer characters to learn more about how humans cooperate for hunting. There are other, newer questions to explore. At a time when people are growing attached to “virtual companions,” and an increasing number of AI girlfriends and boyfriends are being made available,…

First presidential debate to be held Thursday at 9 p.m. First presidential debate to be held Thursday at 9 p.m. 03:32 AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, the three major cellular carriers in the U.S., on Thursday said a roaming outage is affecting customers traveling internationally.The outage means that some customers who are abroad are currently unlikely to be able to make phone calls, send text messages or use cellular data. T-Mobile told CBS MoneyWatch that the carrier is “one of several providers impacted by a third-party vendor’s issue that is intermittently affecting some international roaming service.” The company added that it is…

Lithium-ion battery dangers Fire officials warn consumers about potential risks from lithium-ion batteries 03:34 About 132,000 Baseus Magnetic Wireless Charging Power Banks sold online are being recalled after 171 reports of the lithium-ion batteries inside overheating.Those reports include 132 incidents of bulging or swelling batteries and 39 involving fires, resulting in 13 burn injuries and about $20,000 in property damage, according to a notice posted Thursday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recalled power banks came in white, black, light blue and light pink, and have magnetic sides that attach to mobile phones.  The recalled units have model numbers…

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The Supreme Court ruled the White House can contact social media firmsIt’s a blow for right-wing campaigners who argue their views are being censored online. (WP $)+ Here’s what it means for the election. (NPR)+ Russian propagandists are promoting deepfakes of Biden. (Wired $)2 How AI has revolutionized protein scienceAnd the most exciting part? We’re really only at the beginning of discovering what machine learning could unlock. (Quanta $)+ Google DeepMind’s new AlphaFold can model a much larger slice of biological life. (MIT Technology Review)3 Inside California’s green energy revolutionThe state is showing how you can run…

The challenge in cleaning up the process lies, at least in part, in the fact that lava-hot temperatures are required to kick off the chemical reactions that make cement—I’m talking over 1,500 °C (2,700 °F).  Queens Carbon developed a new process that cuts down the temperature needed to under 540 °C (1,000 °F). Still toasty, but easier to reach efficiently and with electricity, the company’s CEO, CTO, and cofounder Daniel Kopp said on a press call about the awards. Ideally, that electricity will be supplied with renewables, which could mean big emissions savings. Queens Carbon will also pocket $14.5 million,…

Indeed, the tools will block a request if it names an artist. But the record labels allege that the safeguards have significant loopholes. Following the news of the lawsuits, for instance, social media users shared examples suggesting that if users separate an artist’s name with spaces, the request may go through. My own request for “a song like Kendrick” was blocked by Suno, citing an artist’s name, but “a song like k e n d r i c k” resulted in a “hip-hop rhythmic beat-driven” track and “a song like k o r n” resulted in “nu-metal heavy aggressive.” (To…

Engineering the ins and outs: Step one in reducing orbital clutter—or, colloquially, space trash—is designing spacecraft that safely leave space when their missions are complete. “I thought naïvely, as a student, ‘How hard can that be?’” says Lemmens. The answer turned out to be more complicated than he expected.  At ESA, he works with scientists and engineers on specific missions to devise good approaches. Some incorporate propulsion that works reliably even decades after launch; others involve designing systems that can move spacecraft to keep them from colliding with other satellites and with space debris. They also work on plans to…

The US Digital Service (USDS) was set up “to deliver better government services to the American people through technology and design.” In 2015, the two teams collaborated to build the US Web Design System (USWDS), a style guide and collection of user interface components and design patterns intended to ensure accessibility and a consistent user experience across government websites. “Inconsistency is felt, even if not always precisely articulated in usability research findings,” Dan Williams, the USWDS program lead, said in an email.  Today, the system defines 47 user interface components such as buttons, alerts, search boxes, and forms, each with…

To understand why, you need to consider the potential for conflict between China and Taiwan, and the fact that the military implications of DJI’s commercial drones have become a top policy concern for US lawmakers. Read the full story. —Zeyi Yang This story is from China Report, our weekly newsletter covering tech in China. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Tuesday. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The EU has issued antitrust charges against Microsoft For bundling Teams with Office—just a day after it announced similar charges against Apple. (WSJ $) + It seems…