Category: Science and Technology

Books about the dizzying impact of the internet and artificial intelligence are among finalists for a new book prize that aims to help fix the gender imbalance in nonfiction publishing.

The shortlisted six books for the inaugural Women’s Prize for Nonfiction, announced on Wednesday, include Canadian author-activist Naomi Klein’s “Doppleganger,” a plunge into online misinformation, and British journalist Madhumita Murgia’s “Code-Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI.”

The $38,000 award is a sister to the 29-year-old Women’s Prize for Fiction and is open to female English-language writers from any country in any nonfiction genre.

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The finalists also include autobiographical works — poet Safiya Sinclair’s “How to Say Babylon: A Jamaican Memoir” and British art critic Laura Cumming’s “Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life and Sudden Death.”

Rounding out the list are British author Noreen Masud’s travelogue-memoir “A Flat Place,” and Harvard history professor Tiya Miles’ “All That She Carried,” a history of American enslavement told through one Black family’s keepsake.

British historian Suzannah Lipscomb, who is chairing the judging panel, said that “the readers of these books will never see the world — be it through art, history, landscape, politics, religion or technology — the same again.”

The winners of both nonfiction and fiction prizes will be announced at a ceremony in London on June 13.

The prize was set up in response to a gender imbalance in the book world, where men buy more nonfiction than women — and write more prize-wining nonfiction books

The company Nielsen Book Research found in 2019 that while women bought 59% of all the books sold in the United Kingdom, men accounted for just over half of adult nonfiction purchases.

Prize organizers say that in 2022, only 26.5% of nonfiction books reviewed in Britain’s newspapers were by women, and male writers dominated established nonfiction writing prizes.

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Four of the largest school boards in the Canadian province of Ontario said Thursday they launched lawsuits against TikTok, Meta and SnapChat alleging the social media platforms are disrupting student learning.

The lawsuits claim platforms like Facebook and Instagram are “designed for compulsive use, have rewired the way children think, behave, and learn” and teachers have been left to manage the fallout.

Meta Platforms Inc. owns Facebook and Instagram, while Snap Inc. owns SnapChat and ByteDance Ltd. owns TikTok.

Rachel Chernos, a trustee for the Toronto District School Board, said teachers and parents are noticing social withdrawal, anxiety, attention problems, cyber bullying and mental health issues.

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“These companies have knowingly created programs that are addictive that are aimed and marketed at young people and it is causing significant harm and we just can’t stand by any longer and not speak up about it,” she said.

Dozens of U.S. states, including California and New York, are also suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harming young people and contributing to a youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.

The school boards in Canada suing are the Toronto District School Board, the Peel District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

They are seeking damages in excess of $4 billion Canadian (US$2.9 billion) for disruption to student learning and the education system.

A spokeswoman for Snap Inc., Tonya Johnson, said Snapchat helps its users stay connected with their friends.

“Snapchat opens directly to a camera — rather than a feed of content — and has no traditional public likes or comments,” she said. “While we will always have more work to do, we feel good about the role Snapchat plays in helping close friends feel connected, happy and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence.”

Representatives of Meta and ByteDance didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Duncan Embury, a lawyer for the firm representing the boards, said in the statement the most advanced tech developers in the world have knowingly and negligently designed their products to maximize the amount of time young people spend on their platforms at the expense of their wellbeing and education.

“Social media companies should be held accountable for their negligence and the harm they have caused to our schools, and our community at large,” he said.

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The use of social media among teens is nearly universal in the U.S. and many other parts of the world. Almost all teens ages 13 to 17 in the U.S. report using a social media platform, with about a third saying they use social media “almost constantly,” according to the Pew Research Center.

In May, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called on tech companies, parents and caregivers to take “immediate action to protect kids now” from the harms of social media.

This week, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bil l that will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 14- and 15-year-olds. It takes effect Jan. 1 and is expected to face legal challenges.

No money will be paid to the attorneys handling the Canadian lawsuits unless they win.

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Google has developed an artificial intelligence system that can play video games like a human and take orders from players and could eventually even have real-world implications down the line.

“This work isn’t about achieving high game scores,” the SIMA research team wrote in a Google DeepMind post earlier this month. “Learning to play even one video game is a technical feat for an AI system, but learning to follow instructions in a variety of game settings could unlock more helpful AI agents for any environment.”

SIMA, which stands for Scalable Instructable Multiworld Agent, isn’t like a typical computer player that’s built into a specific game. Rather, the AI agent plays alongside and learns like a human — through image recognition and from native language commands — and plays with keyboard and mouse outputs.

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“SIMA needs only the images provided by the 3D environment and natural-language instructions given by the user,” according to the DeepMind post.

For now, the AI agent is only a research project. It’s meant to serve as a companion for human players that can carry out tasks.

“SIMA isn’t trained to win a game; it’s trained to run it and do what it’s told,” the Google researchers wrote.

Google worked with eight game developers, including Hello Games and Embracer, to help train and test SIMA. As part of their goal to have the program task oriented, the researchers primarily trained SIMA on open-play environments, like No Man’s Sky and Goat Simulator 3, a bizarre game in which players control a goat that causes chaos.

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“This research marks the first time an agent has demonstrated it can understand a broad range of gaming worlds, and follow natural-language instructions to carry out tasks within them, as a human might,” the Google team wrote.

So far, SIMA has learned about 600 basic skills, like turning left and climbing a ladder. The Google researchers eventually want the AI agent to be able to adapt to games it’s never played and without specific training.

But, ultimately, Google hopes the SIMA research will build toward “more general AI systems and agents that can understand and safely carry out a wide range of tasks in a way that is helpful to people online and in the real world,” the researchers wrote in the blog post.

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“Our research shows how we can translate the capabilities of advanced AI models into useful, real-world actions through a language interface,” the researchers added.

But it’s still a long way off before SIMA is ready for even basic video game play, having, for example, only succeeded in one-third of its tasks in No Man’s Sky.

“We hope that SIMA and other agent research can use video games as sandboxes to better understand how AI systems may become more helpful,” the SIMA researchers wrote.

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There’s this new aircraft called the WindRunner, and it’s not just any plane. 

Imagine something so big it was specifically made to haul the massive turbines that are the backbone of onshore wind energy. The WindRunner can carry cargo that just can’t fit on the road and can go places that are a bit on the rough side as far as terrain.

When it comes to wind turbines, bigger often means better. The larger the blades, the more wind they can catch, which means more power for us. But there’s a hitch. Getting these gigantic blades to where they need to go is a real headache. Roads just aren’t built for moving blades that can be over 459 feet long. Even trying to move blades half that size is like pulling off a logistical miracle.

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This is where the WindRunner comes in. It’s all about bringing those giant turbine blades, the ones we could only dream of fitting on roads, straight to where they’ll stand tall and proud, catching the breeze and turning it into energy.

Now, let’s break down what this flying giant brings to the table:

Length: 354 feet (That’s more than a football field.)

Height: 79 feet (Think of it as tall as an Airbus A380, but in a whole different league.)

Wingspan: 261 feet (Nearly as wide as the length of a football field is wide.)

Max Payload: 160,000 pounds (Yep, it can carry a lot.)

Range: Up to 1,200 miles with a full load (Pretty impressive, right?)

WITH ALL THE RECENT HEADLINES ABOUT PANELS AND TIRES FALLING OFF PLANES, IS FLYING SAFE?

And here’s the kicker: it can land and take off from airstrips as short as 6,000 feet. We’re talking about places that aren’t much more than cleared-out patches of land. The WindRunner doesn’t need a fancy airport; give it a flat stretch, and it’s good to go.

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The WindRunner is more than just a huge plane; it’s a glimpse into the future of renewable energy. By making it possible to transport enormous turbine blades to onshore locations, it’s paving the way for more efficient, cost-effective wind farms. Imagine reducing the cost of clean energy by up to 35%. That’s what we’re talking about here — a game-changer for onshore wind development.

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Introducing such a revolutionary aircraft like the WindRunner inevitably raises questions about its impact on traditional jobs, particularly in the transportation sector. The advent of this giant in the logistics landscape could significantly alter the demand for conventional trucking services, traditionally relied upon for transporting large goods. 

Truck drivers, who have been the backbone of freight movement, might see a shift in the nature of their work, especially those specializing in oversized loads that the WindRunner is designed to carry. However, this technological leap could also spawn new job opportunities in aircraft operations, maintenance, and logistics planning, tailored to support the unique requirements of WindRunner operations.

Moreover, while the WindRunner represents a breakthrough in transporting extremely large cargo like wind turbine components, it doesn’t spell the end for trucking jobs across the board. Many sectors of the economy still rely heavily on road transportation for goods that fall within the standard size and weight limits. 

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Therefore, the impact of the WindRunner might be more nuanced, affecting only a specific niche within the trucking industry, particularly those involved in the logistics of renewable energy components. It also highlights the ongoing evolution in the logistics and transportation industry, where innovation often leads to a reallocation of jobs rather than their outright disappearance. 

This transition underscores the importance of adaptability and skill development for workers in affected sectors, ensuring they remain competitive in an ever-changing job market.

The WindRunner project is exciting not just for what it is — a massive, innovative aircraft — but for what it represents. It’s about breaking through barriers, literally making the skies the limit for how big wind turbines can get and where we can put them. As this giant gets ready to take off, it’s not just about the plane itself but about the doors it opens for cleaner, more accessible wind energy. Here’s to watching this giant soar, bringing us closer to a future powered by the wind.

Do you think the benefits of the WindRunner for the wind energy industry outweigh any potential job losses in the traditional transportation sector? Why or why not? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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While eclipse watchers look to the skies, people who are blind or visually impaired will be able to hear and feel the celestial event.

Sound and touch devices will be available at public gatherings on April 8, when a total solar eclipse crosses North America, the moon blotting out the sun for a few minutes.

“Eclipses are very beautiful things, and everyone should be able to experience it once in their lifetime,” said Yuki Hatch, a high school senior in Austin, Texas.

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Hatch is a visually impaired student and a space enthusiast who hopes to one day become a computer scientist for NASA. On eclipse day, she and her classmates at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired plan to sit outside in the school’s grassy quad and listen to a small device called a LightSound box that translates changing light into sounds.

When the sun is bright, there will be high, delicate flute notes. As the moon begins to cover the sun, the mid-range notes are those of a clarinet. Darkness is rendered by a low clicking sound.

“I’m looking forward to being able to actually hear the eclipse instead of seeing it,” said Hatch.z

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The LightSound device is the result of a collaboration between Wanda Díaz-Merced, an astronomer who is blind, and Harvard astronomer Allyson Bieryla. Díaz-Merced regularly translates her data into audio to analyze patterns for her research.

A prototype was first used during the 2017 total solar eclipse that crossed the U.S., and the handheld device has been used at other eclipses.

This year, they are working with other institutions with the goal of distributing at least 750 devices to locations hosting eclipse events in Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. They held workshops at universities and museums to construct the devices, and provide DIY instructions on the group’s website.

“The sky belongs to everyone. And if this event is available to the rest of the world, it has to be available for the blind, too,” said Díaz-Merced. “I want students to be able to hear the eclipse, to hear the stars.”

The Perkins Library — associated with the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts — plans to broadcast the changing tones of the LightSound device over Zoom for members to listen online and by telephone, said outreach manager Erin Fragola.

In addition to students, many of the library’s senior patrons have age-related vision loss, he said.

“We try to find ways to make things more accessible for everyone,” he said.

Others will experience the solar event through the sense of touch, with the Cadence tablet from Indiana’s Tactile Engineering. The tablet is about the size of a cellphone with rows of dots that pop up and down. It can be used for a variety of purposes: reading Braille, feeling graphics and movie clips, playing video games.

For the eclipse, “A student can put their hand over the device and feel the moon slowly move over the sun,” said Tactile Engineering’s Wunji Lau.

The Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired started incorporating the tablet into its curriculum last year. Some of the school’s students experienced last October’s “ring of fire” eclipse with the tablet.

Sophomore Jazmine Nelson is looking forward to joining the crowd expected at NASA’s big eclipse-watching event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the tablet will be available.

With the tablet, “You can feel like you’re a part of something,” she said.

Added her classmate Minerva Pineda-Allen, a junior. “This is a very rare opportunity, I might not get this opportunity again.”

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IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:

– Luke Bryan praises new Tennessee AI legislation protecting musicians: ‘What an amazing precedent to set’
– Hillary Clinton warns AI tech will make 2016 election disinformation ‘look primitive’
– Goats, Google and Games: The future impact of a tech giant’s push to train AI to play video games

‘AMAZING PRECEDENT’: Luke Bryan is celebrating new protections from artificial intelligence for musicians in Nashville.

ELECTION THREAT: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described herself as a victim of election disinformation during a panel discussion on Thursday, and warned that the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) will make her experience “look primitive.”

LEVEL UP: Google has developed an artificial intelligence system that can play video games like a human and take orders from players and could eventually even have real-world implications down the line.

DR. AI: Studies have shown that up to 10% of doctors are now using ChatGPT, a large language model (LLM) made by OpenAI — but just how accurate are its responses?

HYBRID WORK: Employees have positive views about returning to the office but expect it to look and feel differently than it did before the pandemic to accommodate hybrid arrangements as well as facilitating new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, according to a new study by Cisco.

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