Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Apple avoided mentioning AI at WWDC, instead referring to machine learning and transformers while describing features; M2 Ultra was touted for training models (Benj Edwards/Ars Technica)

Benj Edwards / Ars Technica:
Apple avoided mentioning AI at WWDC, instead referring to machine learning and transformers while describing features; M2 Ultra was touted for training models  —  Apple prefers using “machine learning,” or just having AI work in the background.  —  Amid notable new products …



Cryptoverse: Listless bitcoin seeks summer spark

It's a tense time for bitcoin investors. Watch. Wait. Don't make the first move. The capricious cryptocurrency's been uncommonly quiet over the past four weeks, bound in the range of $28,452 and $25,800. Even the end of the U.S. debt ceiling saga did little to whet risk appetite. https://ift.tt/a7FJsgv

Monday, June 5, 2023

Tech layoffs, compounded by rising interest rates and inflation, lead to high unemployment levels and falling wages in California, Oregon, and Washington (Wall Street Journal)

Wall Street Journal:
Tech layoffs, compounded by rising interest rates and inflation, lead to high unemployment levels and falling wages in California, Oregon, and Washington  —  California, Oregon and Washington have some of the nation's highest jobless rates  —  The West Coast tech downturn is sending …



Apple mixed reality headset tipped to come six colour options

Apple is all set to host its annual developer conference WWDC 2023. The Apple annual developer conference is all set to begin tonight at 10.30 pm IST today (June 5). At WWDC, Apple typically unveils new software for its various devices, including iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs. However, rumours are circulating that new hardware will also be introduced this year. The company is also expected to unveil its much-awaited mixed-reality headset at the event. Now a new rumour has surfaced online revealing some more details about Apple's upcoming AR/VR headset. https://ift.tt/wckdxbg

Sunday, June 4, 2023

Atomic Wallet is investigating user reports of compromised accounts and trying to block the stolen crypto from being sold; source: the hack could exceed $35M+ (Lawrence Abrams/BleepingComputer)

Lawrence Abrams / BleepingComputer:
Atomic Wallet is investigating user reports of compromised accounts and trying to block the stolen crypto from being sold; source: the hack could exceed $35M+  —  The developers of Atomic Wallet are investigating reports of large-scale theft of cryptocurrency from users' wallets, with over $35 million in crypto reportedly stolen.



Instagram reinstates Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s account after he launched his presidential bid; he was banned in 2021 over false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines (Cristiano Lima/Washington Post)

Cristiano Lima / Washington Post:
Instagram reinstates Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s account after he launched his presidential bid; he was banned in 2021 over false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines  —  The prominent anti-vaccine campaigner was suspended in 2021 for spreading misleading health claims.



A look at The Frost, a 12-minute movie created by Waymark using DALL-E 2, as startups like Waymark and Runway make AI tools for fast and cheap video production (Will Douglas Heaven/MIT Technology Review)

Will Douglas Heaven / MIT Technology Review:
A look at The Frost, a 12-minute movie created by Waymark using DALL-E 2, as startups like Waymark and Runway make AI tools for fast and cheap video production  —  Exclusive: Watch the world premiere of the AI-generated short film The Frost.  —  The Frost nails its uncanny, disconcerting vibe in its first few shots.



As TSMC plans to hire 4,500 workers at its Arizona fabs, recruiters say the company's culture, rigid standards, and overseas training are turning off candidates (Yvonne Lau/Fortune)

Yvonne Lau / Fortune:
As TSMC plans to hire 4,500 workers at its Arizona fabs, recruiters say the company's culture, rigid standards, and overseas training are turning off candidates  —  On the Glassdoor profile of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC—the world's biggest manufacturer of semiconductor chips …



Interviews, pitch decks, and documents suggest that the recent success of Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque has been bolstered by exaggeration and dubious claims (Forbes)

Forbes:
Interviews, pitch decks, and documents suggest that the recent success of Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque has been bolstered by exaggeration and dubious claims  —  Stability AI became a $1 billion company with the help of a viral AI text-to-image generator and — per interviews with more than 30 people …



A look at the ad-supported, free dual screen TV from Ilya Pozin's Telly, which says its data and analytics collection will be on par with other TV vendors (Chris Welch/The Verge)

Chris Welch / The Verge:
A look at the ad-supported, free dual screen TV from Ilya Pozin's Telly, which says its data and analytics collection will be on par with other TV vendors  —  More than 250,000 people have signed up in hopes of getting Telly's unique TV.  There's something to this concept, but plenty of unknowns remain.



Saturday, June 3, 2023

Google Wallet rolls out support for US state IDs, starting with Maryland, and plans to add IDs from Arizona, Colorado, and Georgia in the coming months (Ron Amadeo/Ars Technica)

Ron Amadeo / Ars Technica:
Google Wallet rolls out support for US state IDs, starting with Maryland, and plans to add IDs from Arizona, Colorado, and Georgia in the coming months  —  The state-by-state rollout is still a huge mess, but Android is ready, at least.  —  Google Wallet on Android is finally getting ready …



AI researchers say ChatGPT and rival chatbots are significantly less capable in languages other than English, exacerbating the bias against non-English speakers (Paresh Dave/Wired)

Paresh Dave / Wired:
AI researchers say ChatGPT and rival chatbots are significantly less capable in languages other than English, exacerbating the bias against non-English speakers  —  AI chatbots are less fluent in languages other than English, threatening to amplify existing bias in global commerce and innovation.



The CFPB warns users of payment apps like PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, and Apple Cash that their money could be at risk as FDIC insurance does not cover the apps (Chris Isidore/CNN)

Chris Isidore / CNN:
The CFPB warns users of payment apps like PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, and Apple Cash that their money could be at risk as FDIC insurance does not cover the apps  —  New York CNN —  —  Payment apps like PayPal and Venmo might be convenient, but they're not banks — and a federal financial services watchdog …



A Kenyan court rules that Meta is the primary employer of 184 content moderators suing Meta and contractor Sama for unlawful dismissal, and pauses their layoffs (Annie Njanja/TechCrunch)

Annie Njanja / TechCrunch:
A Kenyan court rules that Meta is the primary employer of 184 content moderators suing Meta and contractor Sama for unlawful dismissal, and pauses their layoffs  —  A Kenyan court has ruled that Meta is the primary employer of content moderators suing the social media giant and its content review partner …



With AR/VR startup funding from October 2022 to March 2023 falling 74% YoY to $800M, per PitchBook, the industry hopes Apple's MR headset could lure back VCs (Patrick McGee/Financial Times)

Patrick McGee / Financial Times:
With AR/VR startup funding from October 2022 to March 2023 falling 74% YoY to $800M, per PitchBook, the industry hopes Apple's MR headset could lure back VCs  —  Frenzy over iPhone maker's longed-for launch of mixed reality headset has reached ‘fever pitch’



SpaceX launches Starlink in Indonesia to improve internet access in remote parts of the country, starting with three local health centers (Stefanno Sulaiman/Reuters)

Stefanno Sulaiman / Reuters : SpaceX launches Starlink in Indonesia to improve internet access in remote parts of the country, starting w...