Friday, February 10, 2023

Sources: Microsoft is preparing to share its plans for integrating OpenAI's language tech and the Prometheus model in Word, Outlook, other Office apps, in March (Tom Warren/The Verge)

Tom Warren / The Verge:
Sources: Microsoft is preparing to share its plans for integrating OpenAI's language tech and the Prometheus model in Word, Outlook, other Office apps, in March  —  Microsoft is getting ready to demonstrate how its new ChatGPT-like AI will transform its Office productivity apps.



ChatGPT frenzy sweeps China as firms scramble for home-grown options

While residents in the country are unable to create OpenAI accounts to access the artificial intelligence-powered (AI) chatbot, virtual private networks (VPN) and foreign phone numbers are helping some bypass those restrictions. https://ift.tt/E3pdc0h

Light Field Lab, which develops 3D holograms that users can speak and interact with without glasses, raised a $50M Series B led by NCSoft (Dean Takahashi/VentureBeat)

Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Light Field Lab, which develops 3D holograms that users can speak and interact with without glasses, raised a $50M Series B led by NCSoft  —  Light Field Lab has raised $50 million to manufacture and commercialize its SolidLight holographic display platform.



Sources: Amazon is in talks with Times Internet to buy MX Player, one of India's top VOD streaming services; Times Internet bought MX Player for $140M in 2018 (Manish Singh/TechCrunch)

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Sources: Amazon is in talks with Times Internet to buy MX Player, one of India's top VOD streaming services; Times Internet bought MX Player for $140M in 2018  —  Amazon is engaging with Times Internet to explore the acquisition of MX Player, one of the largest on-demand video streaming services …



Google announces new XR service for Cloud users: What are they

"Immersive Stream for XR is being used to power the 'immersive view' feature in Google Maps, while automotive and retail brands are enhancing at-home shopping experiences for consumers, from virtually configuring a new vehicle to visualizing new appliances in the home." Moreover, the new tool supports content developed in "Unreal Engine 5.0". https://ift.tt/ZVvEMs5

Former staff say Twitter needs to update its systems to enact changes sought by Elon Musk, but mass layoffs have forced frequent code freezes (Chris Stokel-Walker/Fast Company)

Chris Stokel-Walker / Fast Company:
Former staff say Twitter needs to update its systems to enact changes sought by Elon Musk, but mass layoffs have forced frequent code freezes  —  Twitter's outage on Wednesday, which saw the site rendered unusable for most users by blocking people from tweeting within the app …



Thursday, February 9, 2023

After a decade of waiting for a quality Harry Potter video game, some fans struggle to reconcile enjoying Hogwarts Legacy with JK Rowling's transphobic comments (Jason Schreier/Bloomberg)

Jason Schreier / Bloomberg:
After a decade of waiting for a quality Harry Potter video game, some fans struggle to reconcile enjoying Hogwarts Legacy with JK Rowling's transphobic comments  —  Harry Potter fans have been waiting more than a decade for a video game worthy of the blockbuster entertainment franchise's dedicated following.



Earth & Beyond launches fund to invest in Israeli space-related firms

Earth & Beyond said it was backed by manufacturer and NASA supplier Corning Inc, Japanese electronics giant Kyocera Corp, Israeli satellite firm SpaceCom and Samtec, a manufacturer of electronic connectivity components. https://ift.tt/1P2UBGq

Coincover, which offers tools to 300+ companies to protect digital assets from hacks or human error, raised $30M led by Foundation, taking its funding to $41.6M (Jacquelyn Melinek/TechCrunch)

Jacquelyn Melinek / TechCrunch:
Coincover, which offers tools to 300+ companies to protect digital assets from hacks or human error, raised $30M led by Foundation, taking its funding to $41.6M  —  Coincover, a digital asset protection company, has raised $30 million in funding led by Foundation Capital to protect people …



Tether claims $700M in Q4 profit, in addition to its reserves, and $67.04B in total assets and $66.08B in liabilities; Tether-secured loans were down by $300M (Yogita Khatri/The Block)

Yogita Khatri / The Block:
Tether claims $700M in Q4 profit, in addition to its reserves, and $67.04B in total assets and $66.08B in liabilities; Tether-secured loans were down by $300M  —  - Tether issued its latest attestation report, saying its assets exceeded its liabilities as of December 2022.



Investigation: AI tools rate photos of women as more sexually suggestive than photos of men, especially if nipples, pregnant bellies, or exercise are involved (The Guardian)

The Guardian:
Investigation: AI tools rate photos of women as more sexually suggestive than photos of men, especially if nipples, pregnant bellies, or exercise are involved  —  Guardian exclusive: AI tools rate photos of women as more sexually suggestive than those of men, especially if nipples, pregnant bellies or exercise is involved



Inside FTX's final hours, described by employees, chat logs, and Sam Bankman-Fried: panic selling assets, trying to raise funds, SBF's silence, and bankruptcy (Financial Times)

Financial Times:
Inside FTX's final hours, described by employees, chat logs, and Sam Bankman-Fried: panic selling assets, trying to raise funds, SBF's silence, and bankruptcy  —  In January, I walked up the front steps of a single-storey, grey-shingled house in a neighbourhood on the fringe of Stanford University.



The Federation data: active users on decentralized social networks are up from ~600K to ~2.6M in a few months, challenging claims about a failing "fediverse" (Mike Masnick/Techdirt)

Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
The Federation data: active users on decentralized social networks are up from ~600K to ~2.6M in a few months, challenging claims about a failing “fediverse”  —  from the lies,-damn-lies,-and-statistics dept  —  There's been this weird series of articles lately …



Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Sources: amid the Iran war, Asian bankers say rising power prices and energy security are becoming a bigger consideration in data center financing decisions (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg : Sources: amid the Iran war, Asian bankers say rising power prices and energy security are becoming a bigger consideration in ...