On the supplier side, the NAND flash memory market is in a bit of shambles at the moment, and has been for the past several months (or even longer). What this means for the average consumer is that prices on solid state drives (SSDs) will continue to fall throughout the rest of 2022. There are already enticing deals to be had on storage, and
Source: Hot Hardware – Plummeting SSD Prices Show No Signs Of Stalling Out As More Storage Deals Loom
Monthly Archives: September 2022
You Should Make Your Sliding Glass Door More Secure
Sliding glass doors are known for being an easy access point for burglars—the latches on these doors are often small and not particularly sturdy, which can make it a real security concern. But there are some simple and effective ways you can make a sliding glass door safer and harder to break into.
Source: LifeHacker – You Should Make Your Sliding Glass Door More Secure
This Utility Allegedly Makes A Radeon RX 6800 XT Faster Than A GeForce RTX 3090 Ti
Developer Yuri Bubliy has shared some AMD Radeon performance presets, which he has aptly named the “Radeon Monster Profiles” or RMP. Upon applying these skillfully tuned collections of Radeon RDNA 2 GPU settings, Bubliy claims users will be able to take advantage of performance gains as high as 13%, and even gain performance while using less
Source: Hot Hardware – This Utility Allegedly Makes A Radeon RX 6800 XT Faster Than A GeForce RTX 3090 Ti
Darth Vader’s voice will be AI-generated from now on
Enlarge / As James Earl Jones retires, Darth Vader’s voice will come courtesy of voice-cloning software called Respeecher. (credit: Lucasfilm / Benj Edwards)
During the creation of the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series, James Earl Jones signed off on allowing Disney to replicate his vocal performance as Darth Vader in future projects using an AI voice-modeling tool called Respeecher, according to a Vanity Fair report published Friday.
Jones, who is 91, has voiced the iconic Star Wars villain for 45 years, starting with Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope in 1977 and concluding with a brief line of dialog in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. “He had mentioned he was looking into winding down this particular character,” said Matthew Wood, a supervising sound editor at Lucasfilm, during an interview with Vanity Fair. “So how do we move forward?”
The answer was Respeecher, a voice cloning product from a company in Ukraine that uses deep learning to model and replicate human voices in a way that is nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. Previously, Lucasfilm had used Respeecher to clone Mark Hamill’s voice for The Mandalorian, and the company thought the same technology would be ideal for a major appearance of Darth Vader that would require dozens of lines of dialog. Working from archival recordings of Jones, Respeecher created a voice model that could be “performed” vocally by another actor using the company’s speech-to-speech technology.
Read 3 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – Darth Vader’s voice will be AI-generated from now on
Elon Musk offers Iranians uncensored Internet access
Enlarge / The Starlink dish and router. (credit: Starlink)
Elon Musk’s Starlink has activated its satellite broadband service in Iran after the US allowed private companies to offer uncensored Internet access to the country amid protests that have caused more than 40 deaths.
The open Internet access follows Starlink’s activation in Ukraine earlier this year as that country’s communication networks were disrupted by Russia’s invasion.
Starlink is the first in a new generation of satellite networks operating in low Earth orbit that are designed to provide high-bandwidth Internet connections from space directly to individual users. Starlink users are able to bypass a country’s terrestrial communications networks, freeing them from Internet censorship.
Read 15 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – Elon Musk offers Iranians uncensored Internet access
China Plans a 2-in-1 Mission to Jupiter and Uranus
After successfully landing a rover on Mars last year, China has its interplanetary ambitions set on farther destinations in the solar system. As part of its expanding Tianwen program, China hopes to launch two spacecraft in the early 2030s to explore Jupiter and Uranus.
Source: Gizmodo – China Plans a 2-in-1 Mission to Jupiter and Uranus
NASA will roll Artemis 1 back to shelter it from Hurricane Ian
With the Artemis 1 launch site in the predicted path of Hurricane Ian, NASA has decided not to take any chances with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. The agency will roll them back to the safety of the Vehicle Assembly Building, starting at around 11PM ET this evening. You’ll be able to watch the rollback on NASA’s ongoing Artemis 1 livestream below.
“Managers met Monday morning and made the decision based on the latest weather predictions associated with Hurricane Ian, after additional data gathered overnight did not show improving expected conditions for the Kennedy Space Center area,” NASA said in a statement. “The decision allows time for employees to address the needs of their families and protect the integrated rocket and spacecraft system.”
Although an SLS fueling test that took place last week was successful, NASA was forced to scrub a planned September 27th launch due to the threat of the hurricane. If the agency is unable to launch Artemis 1 before October 3rd (which seems unlikely at this point), it won’t be able to make another attempt until the next window opens on October 17th.
Source: Engadget – NASA will roll Artemis 1 back to shelter it from Hurricane Ian
10 Times The Most Extreme Was Too Extreme
The Most Extreme was a docuseries that aired on Animal Planet in the early 2000’s. The premise across its five seasons was simple: A countdown of some of the most iconic animals under a given theme, from those that bite to those that suck blood. The Most Extreme would also take some time to imagine what humans would…
Source: Gizmodo – 10 Times The Most Extreme Was Too Extreme
Netflix is building its own game studio
Netflix is no longer relying exclusively on third-party teams to bolster its game catalog. The streaming giant is forming an in-house game studio in Helsinki, Finland to create “world-class” original games without ads or in-app purchases. While it’s too soon for details of the games themselves, Zynga and EA alumnus Marko Lastikka will serve as director.
Helsinki is a good fit as the home to some of the “best game talent” on the planet, according to Netflix. This includes The Walking Dead mobile developer Next Games (which Netflix bought in March). Netflix has purchased multiple developers, including Boss Fight and Oxenfree creator Night School Studio, but hasn’t built a developer from scratch until now.
You won’t see the first fruits of this internal studio for “years,” Netflix says. Still, this and recent acquisitions show how the company’s gaming strategy is evolving. Where Netflix initially depended on outsiders’ games, including slightly tweaked versions of existing titles, it’s increasingly focused on truly unique projects you won’t find elsewhere. In theory, more people will subscribe to Netflix with the game library in mind.
Source: Engadget – Netflix is building its own game studio
How to Install Fedora Linux in VirtualBox [Easiest Guide]
The simplest, easiest guide demonstrating how to install the latest Fedora Linux in Oracle VirtualBox and set it up.
The post How to Install Fedora Linux in VirtualBox [Easiest Guide] appeared first on Linux Today.
Source: Linux Today – How to Install Fedora Linux in VirtualBox [Easiest Guide]
Experience AI with the Raspberry Pi Foundation and DeepMind
I am delighted to announce a new collaboration between the Raspberry Pi Foundation and a leading AI company, DeepMind, to inspire the next generation of AI leaders.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation’s mission is to enable young people to realise their full potential through the power of computing and digital technologies. Our vision is that every young person — whatever their background — should have the opportunity to learn how to create and solve problems with computers.
With the rapid advances in artificial intelligence — from machine learning and robotics, to computer vision and natural language processing — it’s increasingly important that young people understand how AI is affecting their lives now and the role that it can play in their future.
Experience AI is a new collaboration between the Raspberry Pi Foundation and DeepMind that aims to help young people understand how AI works and how it is changing the world. We want to inspire young people about the careers in AI and help them understand how to access those opportunities, including through their subject choices.
Experience AI
More than anything, we want to make AI relevant and accessible to young people from all backgrounds, and to make sure that we engage young people from backgrounds that are underrepresented in AI careers.
The program has two strands: Inspire and Experiment.
Inspire: To engage and inspire students about AI and its impact on the world, we are developing a set of free learning resources and materials including lesson plans, assembly packs, videos, and webinars, alongside training and support for educators. This will include an introduction to the technologies that enable AI; how AI models are trained; how to frame problems for AI to solve; the societal and ethical implications of AI; and career opportunities. All of this will be designed around real-world and relatable applications of AI, engaging a wide range of diverse interests and useful to teachers from different subjects.
Experiment: Building on the excitement generated through Inspire, we are also designing an AI challenge that will support young people to experiment with AI technologies and explore how these can be used to solve real-world problems. This will provide an opportunity for students to get hands-on with technology and data, along with support for educators.
Our initial focus is learners aged 11 to 14 in the UK. We are working with teachers, students, and DeepMind engineers to ensure that the materials and learning experiences are engaging and accessible to all, and that they reflect the latest AI technologies and their application.
As with all of our work, we want to be research-led and the Raspberry Pi Foundation research team has been working over the past year to understand the latest research on what works in AI education.
Next steps
Development of the Inspire learning materials is underway now, and we will release the whole set of resources early in 2023. Throughout 2023, we will design and pilot the Experiment challenge.
If you want to stay up to date with Experience AI, or if you’d like to be involved in testing the materials, fill in this form to register your interest.
The post Experience AI with the Raspberry Pi Foundation and DeepMind appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
Source: Raspberry Pi – Experience AI with the Raspberry Pi Foundation and DeepMind
Werewolf By Night Expertly Brings Monsters Into the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Werewolf by Night is the least MCU entry into the MCU since, well, before the MCU existed. That’s a good thing. Directed by Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino, the 53 minute short film debuts on Disney+ October 7 as the first ever “Marvel Studios Special Presentation.” It’s an apt description, because the…
Source: Gizmodo – Werewolf By Night Expertly Brings Monsters Into the Marvel Cinematic Universe
How to Help Your Child Cope With Losing
Enrolling your kid in sports can help keep them active, teach them to work with a team, and build their confidence. But sports also have the effect of separating participants into winners and losers, which has the potential to evoke some pretty crushing emotions in a child. To help your kid manage the big emotions…
Source: LifeHacker – How to Help Your Child Cope With Losing
Interpol Issues Red Notice For Terra Founder Do Kwon
Interpol has issued a red notice for Do Kwon, requesting law enforcement agencies worldwide to search and arrest the Terraform Labs founder whose blockchain startup collapsed earlier this year. From a report: The collapse of Terra cryptocurrency (Luna) and the so-called stablecoin TerraUSD (UST) wiped out investors’ $40 billion, prompting an uproar that caused the prosecutors to launch investigations into Kwon and his colleagues. He faces charges in South Korea, the prosecutors said Monday.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Interpol Issues Red Notice For Terra Founder Do Kwon
Watch NASA's DART Crash Into An Asteroid Today To Test Earth's Defense System
NASA’s DART mission is nearing its final destination later today, as the spacecraft will slam into asteroid Dimorphos in hopes of changing its speed and path. You will be able to follow along tonight as the space agency will be sharing a live feed from the spacecraft, as well as a post-impact press briefing.
DART is the first-ever mission
Source: Hot Hardware – Watch NASA’s DART Crash Into An Asteroid Today To Test Earth’s Defense System
[$] BPF for HID drivers
The Human
Interface Device (HID) standard dates back to the Windows 95 era.
It describes how devices like mice and keyboards present themselves to the
host computer, and has created a world where a single driver can handle a
wide variety of devices from multiple manufacturers. Or it would have, if
there weren’t actual device manufacturers involved. In the real world,
devices stretch and break the standard, each in its own special way. At
the 2022 Linux Plumbers Conference,
Benjamin Tissoires described how BPF can be used to simplify the
task of supporting HID devices.
Source: LWN.net – [$] BPF for HID drivers
Watch NASA crash DART into an asteroid at 6PM ET
NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft is about to crash into the asteroid Dimorphos, and you’ll have plenty of options to follow along as it happens. The space agency is livestreaming coverage of the DART collision starting at 6PM Eastern, and you can tune into either a full presentation or a dedicated stream from the craft’s DRACO (Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical Navigation) instrument. That last feed will show one image per second up to the moment of impact. The vehicle is expected to smash into Dimorphos at about 7:14PM, although its distance from Earth will delay the footage you see.
You aren’t tied to official sources, either. The Virtual Telescope Project will host its own stream starting at 6:30PM ET. It’s teaming up with two South African observatories to provide an Earth-bound view of the collision. The Didymos asteroid system (where Dimorphos is a moonlet) will just be a dot, but you should see it flare up after DART makes contact.
DART will gauge the viability of using spacecraft to deflect asteroids, comets and other objects that might otherwise strike Earth. If all goes well, it will show that NASA can use autonomous vehicles as defensive systems and confirm the results using ground telescopes. Dimorphos is an ideal candidate due to both its relative proximity and the lack of threats — NASA won’t inadvertently create the very calamity it’s trying to avoid.
This won’t be the only mission headed to the Didymos system, either. The European Space Agency expects its Hera mission to reach Didymos by 2026, when it will study DART’s effects on Dimorphos. If there are any questions left after tonight’s one-way flight, they should be answered within a few years.
Source: Engadget – Watch NASA crash DART into an asteroid at 6PM ET
The 7 Deadly Sins of Giving a Speech
If you’re freaked out at the thought of speaking in front of people, you’re not alone: More Americans fear public speaking than death. But unlike death, public speaking happens over and over, whether it’s “going around the circle and introducing ourselves,” or accepting your People’s Choice award.
Source: LifeHacker – The 7 Deadly Sins of Giving a Speech
Scientists Looked at Nine Cyclones Swirling at Jupiter's North Pole
Some odd storms on Jupiter discovered back in 2017 by a NASA spacecraft are particularly intriguing to scientists. New research attempted to figure out how the nine cyclones spinning at Jupiter’s north pole remain so organized.
Source: Gizmodo – Scientists Looked at Nine Cyclones Swirling at Jupiter’s North Pole
The 25 Most Valuable Pokémon TCG Cards In The New Lost Origin Set
Pokémon TCG’s latest Sword & Shield set, Lost Origin, has been out for a couple of weeks now. That’s long enough that the community has settled on which cards are the most desirable, and thus the most valuable when trading or selling.
Source: Kotaku – The 25 Most Valuable Pokémon TCG Cards In The New Lost Origin Set