Monthly Archives: July 2024

What to read this weekend: Keanu Reeves wrote a book with ‘weird fiction’ author China Miéville

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New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention.

The cover for The Book of Elsewhere showing neon purple text on a space background with a link line drawing

A few years ago, Keanu Reeves took a dive into the world of comics with a series called BRZRKR, which he wrote with longtime comic creator Matt Kindt. The limited series, which played out over 12 issues, follows a half-mortal, half-God warrior known as B who lives a violent existence but cannot die. And after 80,000 years of being alive, he really wants to. Eventually, he ends up working as a killing machine for the US government.

Netflix has plans for a film and anime spinoff of the series, and the BRZRKR universe is still growing even beyond that. This week, Reeves and author China Miéville — known for his works of “weird fiction” that blend sci-fi, fantasy and other genres — released The Book of Elsewhere, a novel that returns to the story of B in a pulpy, blood-soaked epic. It’s written with a unique style, starting off choppy in the prologue before shifting into something else entirely. If there’s one thing reviewers seem to agree on, it’s that this book is not afraid to get weird.

The book cover for Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI

AI is all around us, and these days, conversations about the Big Tech race to build better and better systems sometimes feel almost escapable. But how often do we on the outside stop and take a look at how we got here in the technical sense, down to the math that made it all possible?

In Anil Ananthaswamy’s new book, Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI, the award-winning science journalist and author explains the history and mathematics underlying machine learning as we know it today. It’s not exactly light reading, but sometimes it’s nice to put your brain to work a little. You don’t need to be a math whiz to keep up with it — Ananthaswamy has said a basic understanding of calculus should be enough.

The cover for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles, showing the brothers in black-and white with their face masks in color, against a city background that is tinted green

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in another new comic series from IDW, written by Jason Aaron (Batman: Off-World, Thor, Scalped), with art by Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer, Catwoman). The first issue was released this week — and it finds Raphael behind bars.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2024) celebrates the 40th anniversary of the franchise that we as a society just cannot seem to get enough of (no complaints here). In it, the turtles have all split off on their own and left New York, and it looks like the first few issues will each focus on one of the brothers. But, they’ll eventually be brought back together to do what they do best — fight bad guys and eat pizza. It’s meant to be something that even people who haven’t kept up with the many series over the years will be able to get into without feeling lost.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/what-to-read-this-weekend-keanu-reeves-book-of-elsewhere-ai-math-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-173909519.html?src=rss

What to read this weekend: Keanu Reeves wrote a book with ‘weird fiction’ author China Miéville

Posted on by

New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention.

The cover for The Book of Elsewhere showing neon purple text on a space background with a link line drawing

A few years ago, Keanu Reeves took a dive into the world of comics with a series called BRZRKR, which he wrote with longtime comic creator Matt Kindt. The limited series, which played out over 12 issues, follows a half-mortal, half-God warrior known as B who lives a violent existence but cannot die. And after 80,000 years of being alive, he really wants to. Eventually, he ends up working as a killing machine for the US government.

Netflix has plans for a film and anime spinoff of the series, and the BRZRKR universe is still growing even beyond that. This week, Reeves and author China Miéville — known for his works of “weird fiction” that blend sci-fi, fantasy and other genres — released The Book of Elsewhere, a novel that returns to the story of B in a pulpy, blood-soaked epic. It’s written with a unique style, starting off choppy in the prologue before shifting into something else entirely. If there’s one thing reviewers seem to agree on, it’s that this book is not afraid to get weird.

The book cover for Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI

AI is all around us, and these days, conversations about the Big Tech race to build better and better systems sometimes feel almost escapable. But how often do we on the outside stop and take a look at how we got here in the technical sense, down to the math that made it all possible?

In Anil Ananthaswamy’s new book, Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI, the award-winning science journalist and author explains the history and mathematics underlying machine learning as we know it today. It’s not exactly light reading, but sometimes it’s nice to put your brain to work a little. You don’t need to be a math whiz to keep up with it — Ananthaswamy has said a basic understanding of calculus should be enough.

The cover for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles, showing the brothers in black-and white with their face masks in color, against a city background that is tinted green

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in another new comic series from IDW, written by Jason Aaron (Batman: Off-World, Thor, Scalped), with art by Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer, Catwoman). The first issue was released this week — and it finds Raphael behind bars.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2024) celebrates the 40th anniversary of the franchise that we as a society just cannot seem to get enough of (no complaints here). In it, the turtles have all split off on their own and left New York, and it looks like the first few issues will each focus on one of the brothers. But, they’ll eventually be brought back together to do what they do best — fight bad guys and eat pizza. It’s meant to be something that even people who haven’t kept up with the many series over the years will be able to get into without feeling lost.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/what-to-read-this-weekend-keanu-reeves-book-of-elsewhere-ai-math-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-173909519.html?src=rss

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 3 tips for Android and iOS

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Galaxy Buds Pro 3 hidden features

Get the most out of your Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 3, whether you’re using an iPhone or an Android device with the help of a guide by HotshotTek, listing Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 3 tips and tricks. One of the standout features of the Galaxy Buds Pro 3 is its wireless charging capability, which eliminates […]

The post Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 3 tips for Android and iOS appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

Websites accuse AI startup Anthropic of bypassing their anti-scraping rules and protocol

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Freelancer has accused Anthropic, the AI startup behind the Claude large language models, of ignoring its "do not crawl" robots.txt protocol to scrape its websites' data. Meanwhile, iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens said Anthropic has ignored the website's policy prohibiting the use of its content for AI model training. Matt Barrie, the chief executive of Freelancer, told The Information that Anthropic's ClaudeBot is "the most aggressive scraper by far." His website allegedly got 3.5 million visits from the company's crawler within a span of four hours, which is "probably about five times the volume of the number two" AI crawler. Similarly, Wiens posted on X/Twitter that Anthropic's bot hit iFixit's servers a million times in 24 hours. "You're not only taking our content without paying, you're tying up our devops resources," he wrote. 

Back in June, Wired accused another AI company, Perplexity, of crawling its website despite the presence of the Robots Exclusion Protocol, or robots.txt. A robots.txt file typically contains instructions for web crawlers on which pages they can and can't access. While compliance is voluntary, it's mostly just been ignored by bad bots. After Wired's piece came out, a startup called TollBit that connects AI firms with content publishers reported that it's not just Perplexity that's bypassing robots.txt signals. While it didn't name names, Business Insider said it learned that OpenAI and Anthropic were ignoring the protocol, as well. 

Barrie said Freelancer tried to refuse the bot's access requests at first, but it ultimately had to block Anthropic's crawler entirely. "This is egregious scraping [which] makes the site slower for everyone operating on it and ultimately affects our revenue," he added. As for iFixit, Wiens said the website has set alarms for high traffic, and his people got woken up at 3AM due to Anthropic's activities. The company's crawler stopped scraping iFixit after it added a line in its robots.txt file that disallows Anthropic's bot, in particular. 

The AI startup told The Information that it respects robots.txt and that its crawler "respected that signal when iFixit implemented it." It also said that it aims "for minimal disruption by being thoughtful about how quickly [it crawls] the same domains," which is why it's now investigating the case. 

AI firms use crawlers to collect content from websites that they can use to train their generative AI technologies. They've been the target of multiple lawsuits as a result, with publishers accusing them of copyright infringement. To prevent more lawsuits from being filed, companies like OpenAI have been striking deals with publishers and websites. OpenAI's content partners, so far, include News Corp, Vox Media, the Financial Times and Reddit. iFixit's Wiens seems open to the idea of signing a deal for the how-to-repair's website's articles, as well, telling Anthropic in a tweet he's willing to have a conversation about licensing content for commercial use.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/websites-accuse-ai-startup-anthropic-of-bypassing-their-anti-scraping-rules-and-protocol-133022756.html?src=rss

Websites accuse AI startup Anthropic of bypassing their anti-scraping rules and protocol

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Freelancer has accused Anthropic, the AI startup behind the Claude large language models, of ignoring its "do not crawl" robots.txt protocol to scrape its websites' data. Meanwhile, iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens said Anthropic has ignored the website's policy prohibiting the use of its content for AI model training. Matt Barrie, the chief executive of Freelancer, told The Information that Anthropic's ClaudeBot is "the most aggressive scraper by far." His website allegedly got 3.5 million visits from the company's crawler within a span of four hours, which is "probably about five times the volume of the number two" AI crawler. Similarly, Wiens posted on X/Twitter that Anthropic's bot hit iFixit's servers a million times in 24 hours. "You're not only taking our content without paying, you're tying up our devops resources," he wrote. 

Back in June, Wired accused another AI company, Perplexity, of crawling its website despite the presence of the Robots Exclusion Protocol, or robots.txt. A robots.txt file typically contains instructions for web crawlers on which pages they can and can't access. While compliance is voluntary, it's mostly just been ignored by bad bots. After Wired's piece came out, a startup called TollBit that connects AI firms with content publishers reported that it's not just Perplexity that's bypassing robots.txt signals. While it didn't name names, Business Insider said it learned that OpenAI and Anthropic were ignoring the protocol, as well. 

Barrie said Freelancer tried to refuse the bot's access requests at first, but it ultimately had to block Anthropic's crawler entirely. "This is egregious scraping [which] makes the site slower for everyone operating on it and ultimately affects our revenue," he added. As for iFixit, Wiens said the website has set alarms for high traffic, and his people got woken up at 3AM due to Anthropic's activities. The company's crawler stopped scraping iFixit after it added a line in its robots.txt file that disallows Anthropic's bot, in particular. 

The AI startup told The Information that it respects robots.txt and that its crawler "respected that signal when iFixit implemented it." It also said that it aims "for minimal disruption by being thoughtful about how quickly [it crawls] the same domains," which is why it's now investigating the case. 

AI firms use crawlers to collect content from websites that they can use to train their generative AI technologies. They've been the target of multiple lawsuits as a result, with publishers accusing them of copyright infringement. To prevent more lawsuits from being filed, companies like OpenAI have been striking deals with publishers and websites. OpenAI's content partners, so far, include News Corp, Vox Media, the Financial Times and Reddit. iFixit's Wiens seems open to the idea of signing a deal for the how-to-repair's website's articles, as well, telling Anthropic in a tweet he's willing to have a conversation about licensing content for commercial use.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/websites-accuse-ai-startup-anthropic-of-bypassing-their-anti-scraping-rules-and-protocol-133022756.html?src=rss

4 Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 features worth knowing

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the best features of Apple intelligence in-depth

Apple’s iOS 18 marks a significant milestone in the evolution of mobile technology, introducing a suite of groundbreaking features powered by Apple Intelligence, an on-device generative AI system. This update promises to transform the way you interact with your iPhone, offering a seamless blend of creativity, productivity, and privacy. Shiv’s Studio has created an excellent […]

The post 4 Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 features worth knowing appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

15 Big Bedroom Trends To Look Out For In 2024

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In recent years, the functionality of our homes and bedrooms has transformed and been tailored to meet the demands of modern living. Master bedrooms now feature stylish reading nooks, meditation corners, and integrated workstations as remote and hybrid work models are still prominent. The trends of 2024 are a brilliant fusion of technology-driven convenience, luxurious comfort, and environmentally conscious design. Let’s explore the anticipated bedroom decor trends that are expected to take the spotlight in 2024.

Image courtesy of: dit26978

1. The New Neutral

Image courtesy of: bialasiewicz

The trending neutral hues step away from beige, cream, and sandy hues and there is a focus on richer natural colors that can infuse warmth. Another trend is to break away from neutral tones and, in contrast, personalize the color palette to align with the user’s inclination for a lively, positive, and optimistic ambiance.

Image courtesy of: wirestock

Image courtesy of: vikialis

2. Hassle-Free Bedding

Another trend will be hassle-free bedding envisions that will simplify bedroom arrangements and prioritize relaxation. Embrace the beauty of crisp linen sheets and duvets in soothing neutral shades with pillows.

Designer: Dr. William Choi

The Dreamade Pillow stands out with a unique 4-segmented design, catering to varied sleep positions. Crafted by a chiropractor, it accommodates back and side sleeping, maintaining spinal curvature. A noteworthy combination of design and materials makes the Dreamade Pillow a compelling choice for those seeking a comfortable and versatile sleep experience.

3. Classic Touch

Image courtesy of: kolomietsolena

As 20th-century design gains popularity, so does the use of vintage pieces in bedrooms. Combine contemporary pieces with carefully chosen antique pieces that can add character and also integrate with the design of the furnishings.

4. Explore Patterns

Image courtesy of: dit26978

In 2024, playing with prints and patterns becomes a creative playground. Appreciating how patterns transform a room, from traditional to botanical prints, allows for experimenting with scale and volume to create unique design features. Create an accent wall behind the bed to bring beautiful patterns into the interiors or can also install bold wallpaper on the ceiling or the fifth wall.

5. Biophilic Design

Image courtesy of: bialasiewicz

One of the distinctive bedroom design trends is to derive inspiration from nature. There is a focus on organic textures, biophilic designs, and subtle earthy tones, the emphasis is on crafting spaces that offer a calm oasis and nurture a connection to the natural environment. Earthy tones like sandy taupe, forest green, and soft terracotta are popular choices that echo nature to create warm and tranquil spaces that reconnect you with the natural world.

6. Integrate Technology

As technology seamlessly integrates with interior design, the bedroom décor can integrate features like hidden charging ports that create a clutter-free look, smart lighting, and smart furniture.

Designer: Dreams

The Drift Gaming Bed caters to couch potatoes and gamers, offering a dream setup with a built-in 43-inch 4K display TV that can be tucked away. The headboard stores remotes and gadgets, featuring USB ports, while under-bed ottoman storage keeps things tidy. LED lights add a gaming vibe. Available in faux black leather with green piping, faux black leather with blue piping, and contemporary gray fabric with black piping.

7. Innovative Headboards

The headboard functions as an artistic canvas in bedrooms that can feature intricate woodwork, bold geometric patterns, tufted panels, or unique shapes to set the tone for the entire room. It injects style and personality into the bedroom décor and transforms into an interesting centerpiece.

Designer: Yechan Lee

Dream Head, a smart wingback-inspired headboard, integrates sound sensors to collect and analyze sleep data for improved sleep quality. With its unique design resembling a sofa, the cocoon-like structure provides stability and convenient sleep tracking compared to flat headboards. It offers a non-intrusive way to monitor sleep stages and disturbances. Crafted from sound-absorbing materials, it ensures accuracy by blocking external noise. Despite its smart features, Dream Head is adaptable, working seamlessly with any bed, flat or adjustable.

8. Low-Hanging Pendant Lights

Image courtesy of: dit26978

A growing trend involves installing low-hanging bedside pendants, where these stylish lights, elegantly positioned just above your nightstands, make a bold designer statement. These lights generate a warm and inviting atmosphere as they emit a gentle ambient glow, ideal for bedtime reading or creating a mood.

9. Multifunctional Beds

Image courtesy of: bialasiewicz

Another trend is the surge in multifunctional beds, designed to suit urban living and compact spaces, as they evolve beyond being simple resting places to incorporate storage solutions, built-in desks, and other practical functionalities.

Designer: Arjen de Jong

The AirTulip Sleep is a groundbreaking air purifier cleverly designed as a headboard, seamlessly fitting into home decor. Beyond its soft, comfortable exterior, it houses a medical-grade laminar flow purifier, a technology previously exclusive to clinical settings. This innovation brings a new level of air purification into homes, creating a cocoon of clean air as you sleep.

Designer: Jubilee Furniture

The Hariana Tech Smart Ultimate Bed is an all-in-one bed that comes with an integrated reclining massage chair, Bluetooth speaker, bookshelf, reading lamp, air cleaning system, device-charging area, footstool with extra storage, and a pop-up desk. Notably, the bed also features a password-protected safe box, perfect for safeguarding your most precious items.

10. Mood Lighting

Image courtesy of: anontae2522

In modern bedrooms, ambient lighting takes center stage, with fixtures emitting a soothing glow to enhance sleep and mood. Customizable color and brightness allow you to create a tranquil atmosphere for relaxation and rejuvenation.

11. Japandi Design Style

Image courtesy of: Johnstocker

Another popular bedroom trend, encompassing bedding, bed designs, and color schemes, is centered around the Japandi style with a harmonious fusion of warm minimalism, neutral colors, and organic materials.

Designer: FÄRG & BLANCHE for Oblure

The Lightbone Floor Lamp by FÄRG & BLANCHE for Oblure is a beautifully designed fixture that transcends mere illumination. Inspired by a Japanese bamboo forest, it seamlessly blends spherical glass globes with wooden sections, creating a unique focal point. This tasteful and unique lighting design enhances any bedroom or living room, serving as both a source of light and a sculptural expression of personal style.

12. Purpose-Driven Design

Additionally, master bedrooms adopt a spacious, minimalistic style, blending serene designs with functional elements for efficient space utilization. The focus is on creating open, breathable environments, providing a luxurious feel without clutter, ideal for compact urban homes.

Designer: Michael Hilgers for OTTO

The COBBO bed ingeniously maximizes space between the mattress with an overhead cabinet, drawing inspiration from airplane storage efficiency. Designed by Michael Hilgers for OTTO, it combines a Nordic-inspired aesthetic with solid oak legs and sleek white storage cabinets. The tapered design imparts visual and physical lightness, enabling the use of slim wooden pillars instead of heavier metal ones, creating a minimalist yet functional piece.

13. Eco-Conscious Living

Image courtesy of: MegiasD

Current bedroom furniture trends emphasize the use of eco-friendly materials such as rattan and bamboo, with designs prioritizing a connection to nature, sustainability, and eco-conscious living trends.

14. Understated Luxury

Image courtesy of: pro_creator

Introduce subtle luxury by crafting a tranquil space with premium-quality linens, resilient furniture, sleek lines, and the use of natural materials like linen, jute, marble, leather, wood, and so on.

Designer: Arjen de Jong

AirTulip Sleep introduces a groundbreaking headboard design that seamlessly combines inventive engineering with laminar flow air purification. Diverging from conventional purifiers, it establishes separate clean air zones without impacting room temperature. Silent and easily retrofitted, it surrounds users with a bubble of 99.9997% pure air through medical-grade ULPA filters. Serving as a link between home decor and cutting-edge technology, AirTulip Sleep elevates the bedroom experience with unparalleled air purity.

15. Statement Pieces

Image courtesy of: dit26978

Enhance the bedroom’s aesthetics with impactful elements such as gracefully curved accent chairs, expansive artwork, light fixtures, antique mirrors, and sculptures.

Designer: Contardi Lighting x Adam Tihany

The Air Light is a recyclable suspension lamp with dual lampshades and laser-cut engravings that emits a warm and inviting ambiance.

The post 15 Big Bedroom Trends To Look Out For In 2024 first appeared on Yanko Design.

Amazon drops the first teaser for its upcoming Yakuza adaptation

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Amazon has released its first teaser video for Like A Dragon: Yakuza, its live action adaptation of SEGA's Yakuza games, at San Diego Comic-Con. There's a lot of focus on the inking process of Kazuma Kiryu's iconic dragon tattoo, but you'll also get glimpses of Kamurocho's night scene, various characters in the series and the underground fight club that shows up as a mini-game across the franchise. In the last few seconds of the video, you'll see a shirtless Kiryu heading to a circle of cheering viewers betting on his match. 

When the company announced the show in June, it described the adaptation as a "crime-suspense-action series" that "follows the life, childhood friends, and repercussions of the decisions of Kazuma Kiryu, a fearsome and peerless Yakuza warrior with a strong sense of justice, duty, and humanity." Seeing as the show is set between 1995 and 2005, it will most like be based on the first Yakuza game with glimpses of the years that took place after the events in Yakuza 0.

The first three of episodes of Like A Dragon: Yakuza will arrive on Prime Video on October 24, with the next three coming on October 31. It stars Ryoma Takeuchi (Kamen Rider Drive, Roppongi Class) as Kiryu. And as this teaser has revealed, his best friend Nishiki, who plays a pivotal role in the story, will be portrayed by Kento Kaku (Netflix's House of Ninjas).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-drops-the-first-teaser-for-its-upcoming-yakuza-adaptation-110442602.html?src=rss

Amazon drops the first teaser for its upcoming Yakuza adaptation

Posted on by

Amazon has released its first teaser video for Like A Dragon: Yakuza, its live action adaptation of SEGA's Yakuza games, at San Diego Comic-Con. There's a lot of focus on the inking process of Kazuma Kiryu's iconic dragon tattoo, but you'll also get glimpses of Kamurocho's night scene, various characters in the series and the underground fight club that shows up as a mini-game across the franchise. In the last few seconds of the video, you'll see a shirtless Kiryu heading to a circle of cheering viewers betting on his match. 

When the company announced the show in June, it described the adaptation as a "crime-suspense-action series" that "follows the life, childhood friends, and repercussions of the decisions of Kazuma Kiryu, a fearsome and peerless Yakuza warrior with a strong sense of justice, duty, and humanity." Seeing as the show is set between 1995 and 2005, it will most like be based on the first Yakuza game with glimpses of the years that took place after the events in Yakuza 0.

The first three of episodes of Like A Dragon: Yakuza will arrive on Prime Video on October 24, with the next three coming on October 31. It stars Ryoma Takeuchi (Kamen Rider Drive, Roppongi Class) as Kiryu. And as this teaser has revealed, his best friend Nishiki, who plays a pivotal role in the story, will be portrayed by Kento Kaku (Netflix's House of Ninjas).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-drops-the-first-teaser-for-its-upcoming-yakuza-adaptation-110442602.html?src=rss

How to use Ollama – Beginners Guide

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getting started with Ollama

Ollama is a powerful and versatile platform designed to streamline the process of running and interacting with machine learning models. Whether you’re a complete beginner just starting your journey into the world of AI or an experienced practitioner looking to take your skills to the next level, Ollama offers a comprehensive suite of features and […]

The post How to use Ollama – Beginners Guide appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

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