Month: April 2023

The week in AI: ChatBots multiply and Musk wants to make a ‘maximum truth-seeking’ one

The week in AI: ChatBots multiply and Musk wants to make a ‘maximum truth-seeking’ one

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Keeping up with an industry as fast-moving as AI is a tall order. So until an AI can do it for you, here’s a handy roundup of the last week’s stories in the world of machine learning, along with notable research and experiments we didn’t cover on their own. One story that caught this reporter’s attention this week was this report showing that ChatGPT seemingly repeats more inaccurate information in Chinese dialects than when asked to do so in English. This isn’t terribly surprising — after all, ChatGPT is only a statistical model, and it simply draws on the limited information on which it was trained. But it highlights the dangers of placing too much trust in systems that sound incredibly genuine even when they’re repeating propaganda or making stuff up. Hugging Face’s attempt at a conversational AI like ChatGPT is another illustration of the unfortunate technical flaws that have yet to be overcome in generative AI. Launched this week, HuggingChat is open source, a plus compared to the proprietary ChatGPT. But like its rival, …

Wildflowers bloom on hiking trails in Southern California

Wildflowers bloom on hiking trails in Southern California

Published by Sam Flores

What’s in bloom: Anacapa Island, the second smallest in Channel Islands National Park, is awash in a thick blanket of yellow as its signature giant coreopsis plants have come alive after spending most of the year dormant and bare. Efforts to eradicate the invasive ice plant are underway, allowing the giant coreopsis forest to thrive. These fragile succulents look like miniature trees with tall, woody stems and branches; bright yellow flowers; and feathery green leaves. Besides their brilliant aesthetic, the coreopsis also provide essential habitat for the world’s largest protected breeding colony of Western gulls, who descend onto Anacapa from April to June to fight over territory and build their nests under the canopy of flowers. (Unlike their mainland friends, these nesting seagulls tend to not be overly aggressive toward people. Just don’t leave your sandwich unattended.) The hike: With only two miles of trails, it’s easy to traverse the whole island in a day. Once you climb the 157 stairs from the ferry landing, the paths are easy and mostly flat. From the landing …

OpenAI closes its monster B funding round at B-29B valuation

OpenAI closes its monster $10B funding round at $27B-29B valuation

Published by Miika Tikkanen

OpenAI, the startup behind the widely used conversational AI model ChatGPT, has closed its new funding round of over $10.3 billion, TechCrunch has learned. VC firms including Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive and K2 Global are in the round, according to documents seen by TechCrunch. A source tells us Founders Fund is also investing. Altogether the VCs have put in just over $300 million at a valuation of $27 billion – $29 billion. This is alongside a big investment from Microsoft announced earlier this year, a person familiar with the development told TechCrunch. The size of Microsoft’s investment is believed to be around $10 billion, a figure we confirmed with our source. If all this is accurate, this is the closing of the round that the Wall Street Journal reported was in the works in January. We confirmed that was when discussions started, amid a viral surge of interest in OpenAI and its business. While Microsoft’s investment comes with a strong strategic angle — the tech giant is working to integrate OpenAI’s tech …

The most exhilarating places to go kayaking around L.A.

The most exhilarating places to go kayaking around L.A.

Published by Sam Flores

For a hands-on, guided experience, head to Terranea Resort. Located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the oceanfront property is a wellness escape for luxury travelers. It’s also an excellent place to go kayaking, as it’s surrounded by picturesque cliffsides, sea life — including migrating whales and sea lions — and less crowded waters than its neighboring city Redondo Beach. You can choose from a range of excursion times, but it can get windy here, so go in the morning if you want a smoother paddle. (I went at 10 a.m.) When you book through the hotel — don’t worry, you don’t need to be a guest — friendly and experienced instructors will take you on a 1.5-hour ride along the coastline, through kelp beds and to rocky shorelines where you’ll spot small fish and marine plants. You’ll get a glimpse of the Point Vicente Lighthouse, Catalina Island in the distance and leisurely hikers strolling along the coastal pathways. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for dolphins and migrating whales: Gray whales migrate here from …

Best craft classes for adults in Los Angeles

Best craft classes for adults in Los Angeles

Published by Sam Flores

Classes it’s offered: Embroidery, rug tufting, ice dyeing, shoemaking 👡 These Hands Maker’s Collective feels more like someone’s well-equipped home studio than a storefront. Denise Ambrosi, who started the collective about five years ago, opened the current space — a sunny, open workshop on Washington Boulevard — last April. With craft supplies for sale, co-working stations for artists-in-residence and large tables for classes, These Hands draws neighbors and crafty friends from around the city. It’s also home to Moving Thread, which hosts sewing workshops for all different skill levels. “I want it to be a creative community,” Ambrosi said. “I want people to be able to come here and feel like it’s a place where they can come and relax, and just kind of get out of their heads and get off their phones.” Though many of the classes at These Hands are focused on fiber arts — weaving, embroidery, knitting, crocheting, punch needle and fabric dyeing are just a few of the options — you can also try courses like jewelry making, paper cutting …

UK blocks Microsoft’s planned .7B Activision bid, saying it would ‘substantially weaken competition’

UK blocks Microsoft’s planned $68.7B Activision bid, saying it would ‘substantially weaken competition’

Published by Miika Tikkanen

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has confirmed that it intends to block Microsoft’s megabucks Activision acquisition, concluding that such a merger would create “…the most powerfuloperator” in the cloud gaming market. The CMA noted that with a current share of 60-70%, acquiring Activision’s portfolio of games, which includes Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, would “substantially weaken competition” in the market. It added that Microsoft would also have the incentive to withhold such games from competing gaming platforms. By way of a brief recap, Microsoft first revealed plans to buy Activision in a whopping $68.7 billion deal last January, a move that would essentially make Microsoft the third-largest gaming company in the world by revenue behind Tencent and Sony, while giving it direct control over mega-franchises such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. Last July, the CMA confirmed it was launching an antitrust investigation into the deal, then two months ago the regulator gave the strongest indication yet that it was gearing up to block the merger when it provisionally …

FX’s fearless “Snowfall” comes to a close: A perfect ending to an American horror story

FX’s fearless “Snowfall” comes to a close: A perfect ending to an American horror story

Published by Sam Flores

The final episode of FX’s “Snowfall”aired this week, marking the end of a creative, engaging and overall excellent television show, that made all of its viewers better, and hopefully policy makers paid attention.  “Snowfall” debuted back in 2017. We meet Franklin Saint – portrayed by Hollywood newcomer at the time Damson Idris – a young, handsome, charismatic teenager with the skill set to accomplish anything. And that is precisely what we watched him perform over the last six years – as he builds a crack empire that nets him a real estate empire worth millions of dollars and $73 million in cash, the American dream.  The fictional Franklin Saint is loosely based on the drug lord Freeway Ricky Ross, not the rapper. Freeway Ricky Ross, an LA guy, ran a drug empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars, used the proceeds to buy real estate and was alleged to be getting the drugs from the CIA – who was, in turn, using the funds to fund Ronald Reagan’s war in Nicaragua. All just like Franklin …

Twitter removes ‘government-funded’ news labels after NPR and other flubs

Twitter removes ‘government-funded’ news labels after NPR and other flubs

Published by Miika Tikkanen

After weeks of truly stupid antics, Twitter has removed “government-funded media” labels on all accounts, from NPR to the Chinese state-affiliated Xinhua News. Twitter even appears to have deleted its web page explaining the “government-funded media” labels. This whole saga started when Twitter labeled NPR as “state-affiliated,” a designation that Twitter reserves for publications where the government exercises influence or control over editorial decisions. But NPR receives about 1% of its funding from the government and operates with editorial independence. So, Twitter created a new “government-funded media” label for NPR, which is a bit less misleading, yet still could easily give users the wrong idea about the accuracy of its news. NPR ended up leaving Twitter, with its CEO saying he has lost his faith in the decision-making at Twitter. Twitter doubled down, adding “government-funded” labels to media outlets like the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC Australia), Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), New Zealand’s public broadcaster RNZ, Sweden’s SR Ekot and SVT, and Catalonia’s TV3.cat. In one particularly asinine act, Twitter assigned …

The best value hotels for families at Disneyland

The best value hotels for families at Disneyland

Published by Sam Flores

When you wish upon a star, they say, it makes no difference who you are. When you book a Disneyland-adjacent hotel, however, it makes a big difference how much homework you do. So I’ve been nosing around Anaheim, dodging unenchanted castles, sidestepping minuscule swimming pools and sniffing out small-print resort fees and parking charges, in the search for lodgings that both make sense and save cents. These are my 12 favorites. Craft an epic visit to Disneyland and California Adventure with our comprehensive guide. It’s full of expert tips and fresh perspectives. In their ranks you’ll find a water park or two (looking at you, Howard Johnson) and a few renovated old favorites (that’s you, Candy Cane Inn). And there are enough bunk beds in lodgings along Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue to accommodate all of Steamboat Willie’s progeny. Before making my very subjective best-values list, I narrowed the field by using a few objective measures. I started by ruling out Disney’s three hotels, which cost a lot more than the rest. I further narrowed …

Best restaurants in Anaheim close to Disneyland

Best restaurants in Anaheim close to Disneyland

Published by Sam Flores

I do not like Disneyland. I do not like its rides. I do not like its lines. I do not like its crowds. I do not like how Disney has tried to influence politics in my hometown of Anaheim for decades. I might be the only person in my life who feels this way. My sister has an annual pass. My other sister was a regular at Dapper Days before the pandemic. Cousins and friends work for the Mouse; my wife always bugs me about when I’ll take her again. Craft an epic visit to Disneyland and California Adventure with our comprehensive guide. It’s full of expert tips and fresh perspectives. I try not to go, but I go enough to know that the resort’s food has improved dramatically from the days we’d sneak in burritos. And I also know there’s far better food within minutes of the Happiest Place on Earth. Disneyland’s location right off Harbor Boulevard and right next to the 5 Freeway means great eats are just a short drive to Little …