Category Archives: Technology

Sam Altman's Involvement In Worldcoin Is 'Not Expected To Change'

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Sam Altman may have been asked to leave OpenAI, but his involvement in crypto project Tools for Humanity, which is building Worldcoin, remains uninterrupted, a source close to the project told TechCrunch. Altman has “consistent and valuable” engagement with Tools for Humanity and “that is not expected to change,” the source said. The source added that Altman is still chairman and co-founder of the project, confirming that the information on the project’s website is up to date.

News of Altman’s ouster sent the Worldcoin token, WLD, plummeting to a low of $1.84 on Saturday, but the token recovered over the weekend and is currently trading on par with previous levels at $2.40, per CoinMarketCap data. Worldcoin raised $115 million in May in a Series C round led by Blockchain Capital. As of March, Altman was on the project’s board, but was not involved in day-to-day operations. “Proof of personhood is becoming increasingly important in the rapidly advancing age of AI,” The Worldcoin Foundation told TechCrunch late on Monday. The team supporting Worldcoin is still focused on the project’s mission, “building a more human internet and a more accessible global economy through World ID, a privacy-enhancing way to verify humanness and uniqueness online,” the company said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – Sam Altman’s Involvement In Worldcoin Is ‘Not Expected To Change’

ChatGPT's Voice Chat Feature Is Rolling Out To Android and iOS

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OpenAI’s “ChatGPT with voice” feature announced in September is now rolling out to all free users on mobile. Engadget reports: When the company first introduced voice chats, it admitted that the capability to create “realistic synthetic voices from just a few seconds of real speech” presents new risks. It could, for instance, allow bad actors to impersonate public figures or anybody they want. As a result, it decided that ChatGPT’s voice feature will focus on conversations. It’s powered by a text-to-speech model that can generate “human-like audio from just text and a few seconds of sample speech.” OpenAI worked with voice actors to create the capability and offers five different voices to choose from.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – ChatGPT’s Voice Chat Feature Is Rolling Out To Android and iOS

Nvidia's Revenue Triples As AI Chip Boom Continues

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Nvidia’s fiscal third-quarter results surpassed Wall Street’s predictions, with revenue growing 206% year over year. However, Nvidia shares are down after the company called for a negative impact in the next quarter due to export restrictions affecting sales in China and other countries. CNBC reports: Nvidia’s revenue grew 206% year over year during the quarter ending Oct. 29, according to a statement. Net income, at $9.24 billion, or $3.71 per share, was up from $680 million, or 27 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago. The company’s data center revenue totaled $14.51 billion, up 279% and more than the StreetAccount consensus of $12.97 billion. Half of the data center revenue came from cloud infrastructure providers such as Amazon, and the other from consumer internet entities and large companies, Nvidia said. Healthy uptake came from clouds that specialize in renting out GPUs to clients, Kress said on the call.

The gaming segment contributed $2.86 billion, up 81% and higher than the $2.68 billion StreetAccount consensus. With respect to guidance, Nvidia called for $20 billion in revenue for the fiscal fourth quarter. That implies nearly 231% revenue growth. […] Nvidia faces obstacles, including competition from AMD and lower revenue because of export restrictions that can limit sales of its GPUs in China. But ahead of Tuesday report, some analysts were nevertheless optimistic.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – Nvidia’s Revenue Triples As AI Chip Boom Continues

Witcher Author Andrzej Sapkowski Says Netflix Never Listened to His Ideas

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Andrzej Sapkowski is a man who does not mince his words, no matter how prominent he becomes on an international stage after Netflix’s adaptation of his Witcher series became a smash hit. But even with that reputation, there’s something incredibly funny about how willing the man is to just not give a single care in the…

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Source: Gizmodo – Witcher Author Andrzej Sapkowski Says Netflix Never Listened to His Ideas

How Star Wars Nostalgia Helps Disney Parks Design Its Fandom Merch

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Holiday gifting season is upon us and if you’ve ever wondered how apparel at Disney Parks goes from idea to execution into a fandom must-buy, designer Tatiana Salaverria is a great place to start. io9 spoke with her about the process behind theme-park merch inspired by Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Marvel.

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Source: Gizmodo – How Star Wars Nostalgia Helps Disney Parks Design Its Fandom Merch

What to Expect from Virgin Galactic's Upgraded Spaceplane

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After a few short trips to the edge of space, Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity spaceplane is set for retirement, making room for a worthy successor. The company’s Delta class vehicle is gearing up for its debut in 2025, promising to bring in some profit with weekly suborbital flights.

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Source: Gizmodo – What to Expect from Virgin Galactic’s Upgraded Spaceplane

North Korea launched a satellite, then apparently blew up its booster

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Source: Ars Technica – North Korea launched a satellite, then apparently blew up its booster

Sonos Is Also Going to Make Headphones Now

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Sonos is now experimenting with headphones. In fact, calling it an experiment would be an understatement, considering the company plans to directly compete with Apple and Bose in the headphone market. Rumors started to emerge of a Sonos headset last year after it acquired T2 Software, a Bluetooth audio startup.

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Source: Gizmodo – Sonos Is Also Going to Make Headphones Now

Former OpenAI CEO: My Job Here Is Done

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For 55 hours and 32 minutes, Emmett Shear steered the world’s leading artificial intelligence company, OpenAI, through its largest crisis ever. That chapter of Shear’s life and OpenAI’s history has now come to a close. It seems that no one listened to the former Twitch CEO’s concerns about AI safety, and returning CEO…

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Source: Gizmodo – Former OpenAI CEO: My Job Here Is Done

Lenovo seeks halt of Asus laptop sales over alleged patent infringement

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A marketing image for Asus' Zenbook Pro 14 OLED, which Lenovo is accusing of patent infringement.

Enlarge / A marketing image for Asus’ Zenbook Pro 14 OLED, which Lenovo is accusing of patent infringement. (credit: Asus)

Lenovo filed a lawsuit against AsusTek Computer Inc. and Asus Computer International, claiming that Asus’ laptops infringe on four of Lenovo’s patents. Lenovo is seeking damages and for Asus to stop selling Zenbook laptops and other allegedly infringing products in the US.

The lawsuit [PDF] filed November 15 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California says Lenovo’s looking for a jury trial and “damages, including lost profits, caused by the alleged patent infringement.” On Tuesday, Lenovo announced that it filed a patent infringement action against Asus with the US International Trade Commission (ITC).

Four patents

The lawsuit centers on four patents. The first, entitled “Methods and apparatus for transmitting in resource blocks” was issued in 2021 and relates to minimizing the delay experienced during an uplink package transmission by reducing the number of steps for a wireless device to upload data.

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Source: Ars Technica – Lenovo seeks halt of Asus laptop sales over alleged patent infringement

HW Electro’s solar-powered Puzzle will bring microvan cuteness to the US in 2025

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Japanese EV automaker HW Electro (HWE) says its delightfully boxy Puzzle will come to the US in 2025. More “kei van” than kei car, the electric vehicle has rooftop solar panels and equipment for commercial disaster relief (including a crowbar!). But it could be equally appealing for those wanting an EV with maxed-out charm and a minimal environmental footprint. It’s on track to be HWE’s first vehicle available in the US market.

HW Electro CEO Xiao Weicheng said that the Puzzle “embodies HWE’s core values of sustainability, connectivity and social contribution.” Its solar panels mean owners could perhaps drive it for much longer than typical EVs without plugging in. It also includes emergency features like power outlets, photovoltaic panels, built-in WiFi, USB ports, a first aid kit and a crowbar. Notably, these features are all on the vehicle’s exterior.

As reported by The Independent and Electrek, HWE unveiled the Puzzle micro-van at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show before teasing 2025 US availability this week in New York. “With Puzzle, a new world begins,” Weicheng predicted.

The EV, currently still in the concept stage, has a two-person cabin and looks strikingly smaller than the gargantuan EVs Americans are growing accustomed to. The Puzzle aligns with Japan’s regulatory definition of a kei car, ideal for tight or crowded roadways and cramped parking spots. The vehicle has 15-inch wheels, and it’s over six feet tall, nearly five feet wide and over 11 feet long. It has a cargo capacity of 770 lbs and sliding rear doors for easy cargo management. Its sole passenger seat folds down to boost its hauling capacity (and can double as a work surface when not in use).

HWE hasn’t yet revealed the Puzzle’s price or max speed. Auto Evolution reports that its lithium iron phosphate battery will offer a 125-mile range.

It’s hard to predict what America’s EV market will look like by the time the Puzzle arrives in 2025. Although sales are growing, consumer demand has fallen behind auto industry projections, leaving room for uncertainty as the world tries to avoid climate change’s most catastrophic scenarios.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hw-electros-solar-powered-puzzle-will-bring-microvan-cuteness-to-the-us-in-2025-202326474.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – HW Electro’s solar-powered Puzzle will bring microvan cuteness to the US in 2025

Dave Filoni Is Right Where Star Wars Needs Him to Be

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There has been a great disturbance in the Force. As if, somehow, millions of voices suddenly cried out “what if Dave Filoni got a promotion?” and were suddenly answered. But while the ascension of the Clone Wars and Rebels producer to the upper echelons of Lucasfilm may give Star Wars fans tired of his particular…

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Source: Gizmodo – Dave Filoni Is Right Where Star Wars Needs Him to Be

Nvidia’s earnings are up 206% from last year as it continues riding the AI wave

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Nvidia's AI-accelerating GPUs are driving its revenue numbers to new heights.

Enlarge / Nvidia’s AI-accelerating GPUs are driving its revenue numbers to new heights. (credit: Nvidia)

Most Ars readers still probably know Nvidia best for its decades-old GeForce graphics cards for gaming PCs, but these days Nvidia’s server GPU business makes GeForce look like a hobby project.

That’s the takeaway from Nvidia’s Q3 earnings report, which shows Nvidia’s revenue up 206 percent from the same quarter last year and 34 percent from an already-very-good Q2. Of the company’s $18.12 billion in revenue, $14.51 billion was generated by its data center division, which includes AI-accelerating chips like the H200 Tensor Core GPU as well as other cloud and server offerings.

And though GeForce revenue was a much smaller $2.86 billion, this was still a solid recovery from the same quarter of Nvidia’s fiscal 2023, when GeForce GPUs earned just $1.51 billion and were down 51 percent compared to fiscal 2022. Nvidia has released several new mainstream GeForce RTX 40-series GPUs this year, including the $299 RTX 4060. And while these more affordable GPUs aren’t staggering upgrades from previous-generation cards, Steam Hardware Survey data shows the RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti are being adopted pretty quickly, more than can be said of competing GPUs like AMD’s RX 7600 or Intel’s Arc series.

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Source: Ars Technica – Nvidia’s earnings are up 206% from last year as it continues riding the AI wave

Peacock Black Friday deal: Get one year of Premium for only $20

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A subscription to the streaming service Peacock is discounted this Black Friday to only $2 per month, down from the regular price of $6 per month. Peacock Premium gives subscribers access to over 80,000 hours of content and it will also include live sporting events and access to 50 always-on channels. To get the monthly discount, you have to enter the code BIGDEAL at checkout.

If you’re not interested in being tied to a monthly payment, you can instead pay $20 upfront for access to one year of the streaming service. Traditionally, to get Peacock Premium, you would have to pay $60 annually. To get the discounted yearly rate, you have to enter the code YEARLONG at checkout.

The codes are only valid between November 22 and the 27th. Since launching, Peacock has accumulated over 20 million subscribers and for good reason. It offers a variety of classics, from Dreamworks’ Shrek films, to hit reality TV shows like Love Island. The streaming service has been expanding its titles, with a new season of Dr. Death arriving in December and a prequel series to the Ted films from Seth MacFarlane set to premiere in the new year. Peacock has been trying to set itself apart from the competition with offerings like next-day streaming of Bravo shows. A subscription could be a holiday treat for yourself or a loved one — the flash monthly sale is hard to beat, especially with streaming prices rising as much as they have been recently.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/peacock-black-friday-deal-get-one-year-of-premium-for-only-20-194526885.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Peacock Black Friday deal: Get one year of Premium for only

Save or Splurge: The Best Essential Tech You Can Buy at Any Budget

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There’s nothing more satisfying than buying a new piece of tech, whether for yourself or a loved one. However, you might not always be in a position to splurge on the top-of-the-line. Luckily, there are plenty of fantastic gadgets out right now at lower price points. Here’s our curated list of high-end and…

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Source: Gizmodo – Save or Splurge: The Best Essential Tech You Can Buy at Any Budget

Bard Can Now Watch YouTube Videos For You

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Bard, Google’s AI chatbot, has steadily been getting more useful after a lackluster introduction. Now the bot’s YouTube integration is getting a handy upgrade so it can analyze individual videos to surface specific information for you — like key points or recipe ingredients — without ever pressing play. From a report: That’s potentially a hugely useful tool, but could spell more worry about generative AI for creators. To try it out, I turned Bard on a YouTube video I regularly reference for spiritual guidance: America’s Test Kitchen’s recipe for an Espresso Martini. Seriously, it’s really good. I often find myself in my kitchen with half the ingredients in a cocktail shaker trying to remember how much Benedictine I’m supposed to add, then re-watching the video to find out. But with Bard on the case, all I have to do is type a few prompts and viola — I have the full list of ingredients and some step-by-step instructions.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – Bard Can Now Watch YouTube Videos For You

Elon Musk Shares Mysterious Letter About Sam Altman

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Elon Musk tweeted a link to a strange letter Tuesday, supposedly written by former OpenAI employees detailing “a disturbing pattern of deceit and manipulation by Sam Altman and Greg Brockman.” Altman and Brockman, OpenAI’s CEO and president, were fired and then rehired in a dramatic failed coup that played out over…

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Source: Gizmodo – Elon Musk Shares Mysterious Letter About Sam Altman

Thousands of routers and cameras vulnerable to new 0-day attacks by hostile botnet

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A stylized human skull over a wall of binary code.

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson / Ars Technica)

Miscreants are actively exploiting two new zero-day vulnerabilities to wrangle routers and video recorders into a hostile botnet used in distributed denial-of-service attacks, researchers from networking firm Akamai said Thursday.

Both of the vulnerabilities, which were previously unknown to their manufacturers and to the security research community at large, allow for the remote execution of malicious code when the affected devices use default administrative credentials, according to an Akamai post. Unknown attackers have been exploiting the zero-days to compromise the devices so they can be infected with Mirai, a potent piece of open source software that makes routers, cameras, and other types of Internet of Things devices part of a botnet that’s capable of waging DDoSes of previously unimaginable sizes.

Akamai researchers said one of the zero-days under attack resides in one or more models of network video recorders. The other zero-day resides in an “outlet-based wireless LAN router built for hotels and residential applications.” The router is sold by a Japan-based manufacturer, which “produces multiple switches and routers.” The router feature being exploited is “a very common one,” and the researchers can’t rule out the possibility it’s being exploited in multiple router models sold by the manufacturer.

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Source: Ars Technica – Thousands of routers and cameras vulnerable to new 0-day attacks by hostile botnet