Geoffrey Hinton says he doesn’t regret the work he did that laid the foundation for artificial intelligence, but wishes he thought of safety sooner. The British-Canadian computer scientist says the technology has now progressed so fast that he thinks it could achieve superintelligence in the next five to 20 years. Superintelligence is intelligence that surpasses even the smartest humans. When superintelligence happens, Hinton says humanity will have to seriously worry about how it can stay in control. His remarks came at a press conference in Stockholm, where Hinton is due to a receive the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday. Hinton and co-laureate John Hopfield are being given the prize because they developed some of the underpinnings of machine learning, a computer science that helps AI mimic how humans learn. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2024. Tara Deschamps, The Canadian PressHome for the holidays? Show relatives you care with some tech support
A 33-year-old private firm employee has filed a complaint against an online gaming platform for allegedly cheating him of over ₹3 crore. The victim, Nishant Srivastava, realized that the platform was rigged after he had lost ₹3 crore. In his complaint, Nishant Srivastava said that a private firm operates two gaming apps that have been involved in blatant fraudulent activities, resulting in a substantial financial loss exceeding ₹3 crore since April 2023. “In 2023, after receiving multiple user complaints, one of the apps acknowledged that fraud was occurring on their platform. However, they failed to disclose the full extent or nature of the fraud, nor did they clarify whether the fraudulent activities were carried out by players or bots. They refused to share any further details,” he said. The complainant said that he observed a consistent pattern in which he would win smaller amounts but always lose in larger ones. Regular players repeatedly emerged victorious in large amounts, raising concerns of collusion and manipulation. After raising concerns, the app’s customer service reportedly told him to play at smaller tables to ‘increase the chances of winning’. This response confirmed that outcomes were manipulated based on table size, he said in the complaint. The app lacks responsible gaming measures. There are no caps on deposits or gaming time, yet withdrawals are arbitrarily restricted. Moreover, the platform deposits free money into dormant accounts to lure users back into playing, the complainant stated. Based on his complaint, the central division cybercrime police registered a case for cheating and under various sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000. Further probe is on. Doctor lost 1.4 crore to online investment fraud: A city-based doctor, Vijaykumar M.H., complained to the central cyber crime police that he was cheated of ₹1.4 crore by an online investment company promising higher returns. He was lured by Jeevan Patwa and Anil Jadhav, who claimed to be the director and the analyst of the online investment company. The duo helped him to enroll in a trading app. Over the last two months, Vijaykumar has transferred a total of ₹1,40,60,000 from six different bank accounts. The fraud came to light when the complainant could not access his account nor was he able to withdraw the money. Based on his complaint, the police have registered a cheating case and IT Act, 2000. Further probe is on. Published - December 08, 2024 09:04 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp RedditBritons are rolling back the years to celebrate Christmas with nostalgic gifts and retro food this year according to shopping figures. Traditional wooden toys are proving more popular than electrical ones for pre-school gifts this year at John Lewis with BRIO, Le Toy Van and Melissa & Doug the store’s bestsellers. The department store told the Daily Express sales of dolls and doll houses are also up 23 percent year on year, while toys from classic brands Barbie and Polly Pocket are outperforming last Christmas. A John Lewis spokesperson said: “There’s a real flavour of nostalgia this year.” While the last decade has seen sales of Christmas pudding plummeting in favour of chocolate bombs and other more modern sponges, the figgy pudding has had a revival. Tesco reported a 20 percent increase in sales in the last week of November compared to the same time in 2023. Research by Sainsbury's also found 38 percent of those surveyed want to see sherry trifle, prawn cocktail and Christmas pudding on the dinner table this year. However, turkey may be on the way out for some families with Tesco expecting some shoppers to serve up duck, beef, salmon or a vegetarian pastry instead. Sainsbury's found 17 percent of millennials were planning a barbecue over the festive season and the supermarket saw sales of its Taste the Difference burgers increase 74 percent last year compared to 2022. Tesco is also predicting a 15 percent rise in no/low alcohol beer, while no and low spirit sales have already surged 20 percent and booze-free wine is up 10 percent compared to 2023. Tesco’s predicted alcohol-free bestsellers this Christmas are Captain Morgan rum, Whitley Neill rhubarb and ginger gin, Kylie Minogue Sparkling Blanc and a Noughty sparkling chardonnay. When it comes to gifts for adults in the family, John Lewis has seen wearable tech sales soar 140 percent compared to the same time last year. Garmin smartwatches and Oura rings have proved most popular as Britons increasingly look to monitor their health. Sales of navy knitwear have tripled this year, while coats in brown - the colour of the season - have increased by 90 percent year on year. The average UK household is expected to spend an extra £719 at Christmas, according to consumer researcher NimbleFins. It analysed retail spending data from the Office for National Statistics over the last 30 years to forecast a £10 increase year-on-year - but a much lower amount compared to the 2020 peak when families spent an average of £915. In a bid to save money, many Britons are entertaining at home this year according to buy now, pay later provider Klarna. Figures from its price comparison service, shared with the Daily Express, showed clicks on kitchen accessories have risen 163 percent this year, while bakeware soared 228 percent and party supplies are up 53 percent. The cost of living is also having an impact on the way people shop, according to Tillie Peel, founder of The Pop-Up Club. She runs events across UK high streets to offer artists, designers and sustainable small businesses affordable retail spaces and invigorate town centres. Ms Peel says previous years have seen customers spending steadily through the year but in 2024 people have saved their purchases until Christmas. She said: "We have noticed people are buying less, but more thoughtfully and mindfully and the trend is very much geared towards ‘less is more’." Accountant David Kindness said: "A lot of this behaviour reflects a delicate balancing act — people want to make the holidays special without overstretching their finances. Younger generations are especially savvy, taking full advantage of Black Friday sales to snag deals on big-ticket items. "British consumers are finding ways to keep holiday traditions alive while navigating a challenging economic landscape. It’s a testament to their resilience and adaptability." For those who still haven't finished their Christmas shopping, they might want to avoid chocolate, jewellery and books, which have risen in price by 9.8%, 4.4% and 3.2% respectively, according to NimbleFins’ analysis of ONS figures. Those looking for a good value gift could look at mobile phone equipment which has dropped in price by 7% this year. Glassware, crystal-ware, ceramic ware and chinaware, which had risen 13% in 2023, have since dropped 6.5% in 2024. NimbleFins co-founder and CEO Erin Yurday said: "Swapping chocolate for games or hobby entertainment might be more cost-effective for stocking fillers or children, while those looking at bigger items might want to avoid jewellery and look at mobile phone or electrical equipment instead."This week has seen a flurry of activity within Lego Fortnite, the game's ever-expanding corner in which several major game modes now sit. First, there was the arrival of a major update for Lego Fortnite Odyssey (the mode previously also simply known as 'Lego Fortnite') that adds the Storm King boss as a big endgame challenge, akin to the Ender Dragon in Minecraft. On top of that, there's now a whole new and separate Lego Fortnite offering to explore: Brick Life, a colourful mash-up of gameplay that feels like a family friendly GTA Online mixed with The Sims. How did these changes and new features come about? And what does the future have in store for Lego and Fortnite's popular crossover? I sat down with Epic Games EVP of game development Devin Winterbottom and Remi Marcelli, SVP and head of Lego gaming at the Lego group, to find out more. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Lego Fortnite Odyssey: Storm Chasers update trailer.Watch on YouTube How did you come up with the new name for Lego Fortnite Odyssey? And why Odyssey? Marcelli: Finding new brands is always a bit of a challenge for The Lego Group. Lego Fortnite is those two brands coming together, but it's not specific to a genre. At the time we chose that name, it was an obvious one just because we have two very powerful brands - it would have been a missed oppurtunity! We didn't know we would have a collection of games, potentially, that would sit under that umbrella. So what we really needed to find was one calling out the genre you'd expect to find when launching [the old] Lego Fortnite. Odyssey came about because that's what players love the most - the adventures. The adventure play is the most loved part of that game and we've dialled up that with the Storm King. We wanted to just make sure people understood it was an adventure game. And with Brick Life, hopefully it's self-explanatory - it says social roleplay. Did you always know you wanted the Storm King... Tom Phillips
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DePaul's strong start to the season has taken a slight downturn now that the schedule is getting tougher. Things won't get any easier for the Blue Demons (7-2) on Saturday afternoon when they host Wichita State (8-1) in Chicago. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Cardlytics reports that card-linked cash-back offers represent a strategic stocking stuffer for smart shoppers navigating the expensive holiday landscape. Click for more. Holiday spending hacks: How to unwrap savings without sacrificing festive cheer
WASHINGTON — A nearly two-year investigation by Democratic senators of Supreme Court ethics details more luxury travel by Justice Clarence Thomas and urges Congress to establish a way to enforce a new code of conduct. Any movement on the issue appears unlikely as Republicans prepare to take control of the Senate in January, underscoring the hurdles in imposing restrictions on a separate branch of government even as public confidence in the court has fallen to record lows. The 93-page report released Saturday by the Democratic majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee found additional travel taken in 2021 by Thomas but not reported on his annual financial disclosure form: a private jet flight to New York's Adirondacks in July and jet and yacht trip to New York City sponsored by billionaire Harlan Crow in October, one of more than two dozen times detailed in the report that Thomas took luxury travel and gifts from wealthy benefactors. The court adopted its first code of ethics in 2023, but it leaves compliance to each of the nine justices. "The highest court in the land can't have the lowest ethical standards," the committee chairman, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, said in a statement. He has long called for an enforceable code of ethics. Republicans protested the subpoenas authorized for Crow and others as part of the investigation. No Republicans signed on to the final report, and no formal report from them was expected. A spokesman for Crow said he voluntarily agreed to provide information for the investigation, which did not pinpoint any specific instances of undue influence. Crow said in a statement that Thomas and his wife Ginni had been unfairly maligned. "They are good and honorable people and no one should be treated this way," he said. Attorney Mark Paoletta, a longtime friend of Thomas who has been tapped for the incoming Trump administration, said the report was aimed at conservatives whose rulings Democrats disagreed with. "This entire investigation was never about 'ethics' but about trying to undermine the Supreme Court," Paoletta said in a statement posted on X. The court did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Thomas has said he was not required to disclose the trips that he and his wife took with Crow because the big donor is a close friend of the family and disclosure of that type of travel was not previously required. The new ethics code does explicitly require it, and Thomas has since gone back and reported some travel. The report traces back to Justice Antonin Scalia, saying he "established the practice" of accepting undisclosed gifts and hundreds of trips over his decades on the bench. The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and retired Justice Stephen Breyer also took subsided trips but disclosed them on their annual forms, it said. The investigation found that Thomas has accepted gifts and travel from wealthy benefactors worth more than $4.75 million by some estimates since his 1991 confirmation and failed to disclose much of it. "The number, value, and extravagance of the gifts accepted by Justice Thomas have no comparison in modern American history," according to the report. It also detailed a 2008 luxury trip to Alaska taken by Justice Samuel Alito. He has said he was exempted from disclosing the trip under previous ethical rules. Alito also declined calls to withdraw from cases involving Donald Trump or the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol after flags associated with the riot were seen flying at two of Alito's homes. Alito has said the flags were raised by this wife. Thomas has ignored calls to step aside from cases involving Trump, too. Ginni Thomas supported Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election that the Republican lost to Democrat Joe Biden. The report also pointed to scrutiny of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who, aided by her staff, has advanced sales of her books through college visits over the past decade. Justices have also heard cases involving their book publishers, or involving companies in which justices owned stock. Biden has been the most prominent Democrat calling for a binding code of conduct. Justice Elena Kagan has publicly backed adopting an enforcement mechanism, though some ethics experts have said it could be legally tricky. Justice Neil Gorsuch recently cited the code when he recused himself from an environmental case. He had been facing calls to step aside because the outcome could stand to benefit a Colorado billionaire whom Gorsuch represented before becoming a judge. The report also calls for changes in the Judicial Conference, the federal courts' oversight body led by Chief Justice John Roberts, and further investigation by Congress. Copyright 2024 NPRLAS VEGAS , Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently , Zero Zero Robotics , a pioneering tech company in intelligent devices, announced their participation at CES 2025, where the company will showcase its HOVERAir X1 series of self-flying cameras at booth # 56045 , Venetian, Level 2, Halls A-D. Designed to simplify aerial cinematography, the HOVERAir lineup includes the pocket-sized HOVERAir X1, the action-focused HOVERAir X1 PRO, and the Professional grade HOVERAir X1 PROMAX. Zero Zero will also celebrate its 2025 CES Innovation Awards Honoree title in Audio/Video Components & Accessories for the HOVERAir Beacon, an intelligent modular controller that redefines precision tracking and control. The introductory model in the HOVERAir lineup, HOVERAir X1 , weighs just 125g and delivers an effortless aerial photography experience with no controller or app required. With over five pre-programmed flight paths, including Hover, Follow, Zoom Out, Orbit, and Bird's Eye, it's perfect for capturing cinematic moments in everyday life. Its 2.7K video resolution, palm launch capabilities, and robust computer vision algorithms make it the ultimate everyday and travel companion. Building on the success of the X1, Zero Zero introduced the HOVERAir X1 PRO and HOVERAir X1 PROMAX in August 2024 to meet the demands of action enthusiasts and professional creators. The X1 PRO offers 4K/60fps video with a 104° field of view for versatile shooting conditions. The X1 PROMAX delivers stunning 8K /30fps video with 4K /120fps slow-motion capabilities, a 1/1.3" CMOS sensor, and 14 stops of dynamic range for cinematic footage. Both models feature advanced AI tracking, Level 5 wind resistance, and a lightweight, durable HEMTM frame. "Our vision has always been to create flying cameras that are effortless, intelligent, and fun to use," said MQ Wang, Founder & CEO of Zero Zero Robotics. "The HOVERAir series puts professional-grade aerial cinematography in the palm of your hand, whether you're capturing casual moments or pushing creative boundaries." Adding to these innovations, the HOVERAir Beacon enhances control and precision for the series. The Beacon features a patented Tri-state modular design with two detachable joysticks, enabling one-handed and full-featured two-handed controls. It activates HoverLinkTM for precise tracking with up to a 1 km transmission range, while the 1.78" OLED display allows real-time footage monitoring. Equipped with AI-powered noise cancellation, the Beacon sets a new standard for audio and video recording during aerial shoots. "We're excited to bring the HOVERAir X1 series and Beacon to CES 2025, where we're redefining how motion is captured, tracked, and controlled," continued Wang. "These tools empower creators and adventurers to document their journeys with breathtaking precision and ease." Zero Zero Robotics invites attendees to stop by Booth #56045 to experience the HOVERAir X1 series in action and witness its unparalleled performance. Media wishing to interview Zero Zero Robotics personnel should contact Borjana Slipicevic. About Zero Zero Robotics Zero Zero Robotics was co-founded in 2014 by Stanford PhDs MQ Wang and Tony Zhang , specializing in embedded AI technology for intelligent devices. Known for its innovative machine vision and high-precision control systems, ZeroZero has team members who are dreamers, engineers, inventors, and builders hailing from top universities and research institutions around the world. Zero Zero Robotics holds more than 140 core patents and has pioneered technologies like fully enclosed portable propeller designs and bi-copter designs, cementing its place as a leader in intelligent device development. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zero-zero-robotics-showcases-bestselling-hoverair-x1-series-at-ces-2025-302339204.html SOURCE ZeroZero Robotics
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5 outdated Christmas decorations making a comeback this year – and interior designers say we should all be embracing themBrit Hume definitely has a reputation for calling out balls and strikes, even with politicians on the Right. As many of us have seen over the years, he is both supportive and critical of Trump which can be a difficult place for a 'talking head' to be in. The good thing about this, though, is that when Hume says something is GOOD you know it's legit, he's not cheerleading. Case in point, his post about Trump's FBI pick, Kash Patel: Excellent compilation here of FBI's gross misconduct in recent years, suggesting Kash Patel might be just the man to fix it. https://t.co/qkZSbUOwWX From the Washington Examiner: During the Trump years, FBI directors and other top law enforcement and intelligence officials did the following: 1) Opened investigations on presidential candidates. 2) Deployed undercover agents and confidential sources to spy on a candidate’s advisers. 3) Hired a campaign opposition researcher under the guise of intelligence gathering. 4) Presented false opposition research to a court as a basis for wiretapping a candidate’s adviser. 5) Used false opposition research to brief the president of the United States. 6) Ambushed the president-elect with false opposition research. 7) Sought to include false opposition research in intelligence community products. 8) Ambushed the national security adviser with wiretap information on the pretense of a Logan Act violation. 9) Misled/stonewalled Congress on the investigation of the president. 10) Misled the president about the investigation targeting him. And yes, Kash Patel is definitely the man to fix all of this ... and then some. We've seriously stocked up on the popcorn, just sayin'. Hopefully the new administration will work to expose past wrongdoing and make correction to re-establish trust. It would definitely be nice to see some justice with a dash of karma thrown in for the corrupt bureaucratic a-holes who have been working behind the scenes for far too long. It gets much worse. Unfortunately, we don't doubt that even a little bit. Very disturbing to see our once-cherished FBI the object of derision for having fallen into the pit of lawfare. Politicians routinely let us down, but watching the FBI fail may be the most horrific scar left behind by the Biden administration. Honestly, we're probably about to find out his administration did far more damage to many Alphabet Agencies than we could have possibly known. So much time will be spent cleaning up what Biden/Harris have done, we can only hope Trump and his administration can multitask as they move forward into his second term. Luckily, with picks like Patel, once again we finally have a little hope. JUST A LITTLE, though. =========================================================================== Related: Flawless VICTORY! James Woods ENDS Eric Swalwell for Lame Elon Musk/Trump Dunk As Only HE Can and LOL You Do NOT Hate the Media ENOUGH: Here's Dana Bash and Chris Murphy SMEARING TF Out of Elon Musk (Watch) HO HO OH NO! X OFFICIALLY Puts Liz Cheney on Naughty List After She Posts Pic About Decorating Her Tree Obama Bro Jon Favreau Using CHILDREN WITH CANCER to Smear MAGA Over Spending Bill Goes Oh SO Very Wrong Holy COW Jake Tapper Missed SO MANY Red Flags During This Old Cassidy Hutchinson Interview (WATCH) ===========================================================================