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☆ Meta’s A.I. Assistant Is Fun to Use, but It Can’t Be Trusted
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Brian X. Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the last few days, you may have noticed something new inside Meta’s apps, including Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp: an artificially intelligent chatbot. This is Meta’s response to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the chatbot that upended the tech industry in 2022, and similar bots including Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Bing AI. The Meta bot’s image generator also competes with A.I. Unlike other chatbots and image generators, Meta’s A.I. assistant is a free tool baked into apps that billions of people use every day, making it the most aggressive push yet from a big tech company to bring this flavor of artificial intelligence — known as generative A.I.

Persons: ”, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Bing, A.I, — Organizations: corgi, Meta Locations: New York, San Francisco

☆ Britain Memorializes a Queen, With Smiles and Bronze Corgis
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

On Sunday afternoon in Oakham, a quaint English market town, hundreds of local residents stood behind a temporary barrier and craned their necks to see the 50 or so dogs waddling past in the local library’s gardens. The yapping mutts were just a sideshow, however, to the main event, which was announced from a dais by Sarah Furness, a local dignitary: the unveiling of Britain’s first memorial statue to Queen Elizabeth II. The seven-foot bronze work, by the London-based sculptor Hywel Pratley, shows the queen in flowing robes, with three corgis at her feet. “What most of us remember about Queen Elizabeth is her warmth,” Furness said in a speech. “By showing Queen Elizabeth’s love of dogs, we show her humanity,” she added.

Persons: Sarah Furness, Britain’s, Queen Elizabeth II, Hywel Pratley, Queen Elizabeth, ” Furness, Queen Elizabeth’s, ” Organizations: corgi Locations: Oakham, London

☆ Paw patrol: China’s most popular new police officer is a corgi
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —China’s most popular new police officer is making waves on social media with his stubby legs, wide grin and wagging tail. Fuzai is a reserve police dog and started training when he was two months old, according to state media. Weifang public security bureau/DouyinSome of these peers are featured on Fuzai’s official account on Douyin – the Chinese version of TikTok - with the account run by Weifang police. Weifang public security bureau/DouyinAt the end of the line is Fuzai – strapped to the back of an officer, paws dangling, like a fuzzy backpack. The country’s police forces range from public security departments and neighborhood patrols to more heavy-handed state security and paramilitary forces as well as a highly secretive civilian spy agency.

Persons: CNN —, ”, pooch, Fuzai, –, Wang Yanan, emojis Organizations: CNN, corgi, Weibo, bloodhound, China Daily, Chinese Communist Party Locations: Shandong, China, …, Liaoning

☆ Amazon named its new chatbot Rufus after a Welsh corgi that a couple often took to the office
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon has named its latest AI chatbot after a dog that belonged to two of the company's earliest workers. The e-commerce giant launched a new AI-powered shopping assistant called Rufus on Thursday — and the chatbot shares a name with Amazon's first four-legged "employee." Rufus belonged to Susan Benson, Amazon's former editor-in-chief, and her husband Richard, who was an engineer. pic.twitter.com/DsXElz0fht — Amazon (@amazon) February 20, 2020Amazon named one of the buildings in its Seattle headquarters after the corgi, which died in 2009. There are pictures of him throughout its offices , including one hailing Rufus as Amazon's "official switch thrower."

Persons: Rufus, Amazon's, Susan Benson, Richard, corgi, Brad Stone's, Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy Organizations: Amazon, corgi Locations: Seattle

The latest craze in Japan: The pig café. Very relaxing and enjoyable,” said Brad Loomis, a software engineer from Pullman, Washington, after visiting Tokyo’s Mipig Café with his 21-year-old daughter, Paige. Customers pay 2,200 yen ($15) for the first 30 minutes in the company of the pigs. The Mipig Café in fashionable Harajuku is among 10 such pig cafes the operator has opened around Japan. The animals, known as “micro pigs,” don’t get bigger than a corgi dog, even as adults.

Persons: cafés, lattes, ”, Brad Loomis, Tokyo’s Mipig, Paige, Shiho Kitagawa, Ben Russell, Sophie Mo’unga, Sachiko Azuma, Azuma, Bruce Kornreich, I’m, Kornreich, ” Paige Loomis, ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, —, corgi, Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Feline Health Center Locations: Japan, Pullman , Washington, Tokyo, Mipig, Kyoto, New Zealand, Ithaca, N.Y

☆ 1,000 cats rescued in China from being slaughtered and sold as pork, mutton
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Police in China have rescued some 1,000 cats from a truck en route to a slaughterhouse, state-affiliated media has reported, busting part of an illicit trade that fraudulently sells feline meat as pork or mutton and sparking fresh food safety concerns. The report did not mention whether any arrests had been made, nor whether the cats were strays or pets. CNN has reached out to the Zhangjiagang police and the animal shelter for comment. Images published by The Paper showed rescued cats at the shelter resting in larger cages. Animal rights and environment groups have long campaigned against the use of animal parts – including from many endangered species – for traditional medicine.

Persons: Gong Jian, Han Jiali Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Police, Police, CNN, Local, corgi Locations: Hong Kong, China, Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Chinese, Yulin, Guangxi

☆ Flash flooding at Washington DC's District Dogs Northeast leaves 10 pets dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Christina Zdanowicz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Severe storms with heavy rains the evening of August 14 brought a flash flood to the doors of District Dogs Northeast. Ten dogs, including Maple, Malee and Zeni, died in the flooding, WJLA reported. A first responder carries out a dog from District Dogs Northeast in Washington DC. A few days into the trip, they noticed a missed call and later received a text from District Dogs asking them to call back. Garro said Hensley told him there was flooding, some dogs died and “your dog was one of them.” Hensley told him.

Persons: Zeni, John Donnelly, Heather McGaffin, ” McGaffin, Colleen Costello, she’s, “, ” Costello, Maple, Costello, didn’t, Luer Yin, Connor McCarty, ”, McCarty, ” Yin, Jacob Hensley, ” McCarty, Connor McCarty Hensley, ” Hensley, Hensley, Jonathan Garro, mutt, Malee, Garro, Kerry, ” Garro, Yin, Hensley – they’ve, “ It’s, I’m, “ I’m, it’s, Maple’s Organizations: CNN, Washington DC, DC, WJLA, of Unified Communications, District Dogs, WUSA, Dogs, Corgi Locations: Zeni, District, Washington, Hawaii, ”

☆ It’s Coronation Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Melissa Kirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But as with a sports playoff game or Hollywood awards ceremony, the coronation of Charles III has made me into an instant, if temporary, royals superfan. In a recent poll of 3,070 adults in Britain, 64 percent of respondents said they had little to no interest in today’s coronation. The ceremony has been modified to be more inclusive, but still “the hoary rituals of the coronation are a reminder of how — in a secular, multiethnic, digital-age society — the crown is fundamentally an anachronism,” wrote The Times’s London bureau chief, Mark Landler. An over-the-top coronation for a new king does make for an incongruous viewing experience while Commonwealth nations call for Britain to redress its colonialist legacy and the country reckons with a cost-of-living crisis. It’s possible to be fascinated by the pageantry while remaining skeptical of it, to gawk at the fairy-tale elements of the coronation while still questioning the system that supports them.

☆ I'm a model for Las Vegas trade shows and conventions. The men are annoying and the days are long — but I make a good living and the perks are insane.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Perri Ormont Blumberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Tawny Triska Pollard works as a trade-show and convention model in Las Vegas. I live in Las Vegas with my husband of 11 years and our corgi, but I've worked in cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego, New York, San Francisco, and Houston. I'm not exclusive to anyone, and the agencies I work with represent shows in Southern California and Las Vegas. Shows in Las Vegas throw a lot of big after-parties, which we're allowed to attend with our badge. There's a darker side to it as wellMen constantly hit on you, especially at the Vegas shows, and we don't typically receive tips.

☆ Google unveils 'magic wand' to draft documents as AI race tightens
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"This next phase is where we're bringing human beings to be supported with an AI collaborator, who is working in real time," Thomas Kurian, Chief Executive of Google Cloud, said in a press briefing. Google said customers can fine-tune its AI model with their own data while keeping the information and benefits proprietary. Google aims for its AI to "transform" the work of marketers, lawyers, scientists and educators, according to the video. The Mountain View, California-based company announced a partnership with high-profile AI research lab Midjourney, with Google to provide cloud infrastructure including its custom "TPU" chips. Kurian said Google remains "deeply committed to responsible AI," giving controls to customers and reviewing proper use of its products.

☆ Seeking an Oasis in the Palm Springs Desert With $350,000 to Spend. Which Home Did He Choose?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Soumya Karlamangla | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

He returned to Santa Cruz in 2019 to be closer to family, and then to ride out Covid lockdowns. Like San Francisco, Palm Springs offered a thriving gay community, with a more relaxed vibe and much more affordable housing. Email: thehunt@nytimes.com]In March, Mr. Andrade contacted Kevin Koerner, a friend who was a broker with Compass, to help him sift through properties. Palm Springs, historically, has been a destination for buyers “looking for places to get away for the weekend, or a week, or to come here in the winter,” he said. Mr. Andrade set a budget of about $350,000 and began looking for a home with two bedrooms, so friends and family could comfortably visit.

☆ Billionaires like Elon Musk want to save civilization by having tons of genetically superior kids. Inside the movement to take 'control of human evolution.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +40 min

"We are the Underground Railroad of 'Gattaca' babies and people who want to do genetic stuff with their kids," Malcolm told me. Ellison, meanwhile, who has two children in their 30s, has reportedly resumed having kids — with his 31-year-old girlfriend. "The person of this subculture really sees the pathway to immortality as being through having children," Simone said. The person of this subculture really sees the pathway to immortality as being through having children. Before she met Malcolm, Simone was convinced she wanted to live her life single and child-free.

☆ Generative AI Startups Attract Business Customers, Investor Funding
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Based on keyword prompts, generative AI platforms can then mimic these sources to produce fanciful stories and pictures of their own. Other generative AI startups offering enterprise applications include Replikr, a New Zealand startup that uses generative AI to create customer-service avatars, and Dutch startup Musico Ltd., which can be used to create original copyright-free advertising jingles. GoCharlie.AI, an early-stage startup based in San Francisco, in May launched a generative AI marketing assistant designed to create promotional social-media posts. By promising to save workers hours of productive time creating promotional materials, the commercial value proposition around generative AI has always been clear, he said. Rowan Curran, an AI and data science analyst at IT research firm Forrester Research Inc., said he expects generative AI to impact enterprises from top to bottom.

☆ The Queen Is Everywhere. What Will the Royal Makeover Cost?
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Isabella Simonetti | Rebecca Lieberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Since her death this month, Queen Elizabeth’s face has been all over nonstop news coverage. There are around 115,500 mailboxes throughout Britain and 61.4 percent of those, which date to the reign of Queen Victoria, bear Queen Elizabeth’s royal cypher, according to the Royal Mail Group. All mailboxes and those already in production with Queen Elizabeth’s initials will remain intact, the service’s website says. Its designs include Queen Elizabeth, an orange and white corgi, Big Ben, and now, King Charles and Camilla, queen consort. So far this month, however, it has sold 60 Queen Elizabeth ornaments and eight of King Charles.

☆ Queen Elizabeth led the UK for 70 years. Here are the most important lessons on leadership from her reign.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Rachel Durose | Shana Lebowitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8, was the longest-ruling monarch in British history. Queen Elizabeth II didn't build such a devoted following by merely wearing a crown. Here are the most meaningful leadership lessons from Queen Elizabeth II's reign. To counteract this declining public image, Queen Elizabeth II led the United Kingdom by putting her people above all else, McGovern said. Queen Elizabeth II making her first Christmas broadcast to the nation from Sandringham House in Norfolk, England on December 25, 1952.

☆ Factbox: Queen Elizabeth's reign in numbers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Tributes are left in Green Park, following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in London, Britain September 17, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterLONDON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Following is a summary of the late British Queen Elizabeth's life in numbers:* Queen Elizabeth II was the 40th monarch in England since Norman King William the Conqueror obtained the crown. Her reign of 70 years, 7 months and 2 days was the longest in the history of what became the United Kingdom. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register* She had 15 prime ministers, starting with Winston Churchill through to Liz Truss. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Frances Kerry and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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