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AI TOWN

AI Town is a virtual town where AI characters live, chat, and socialize. This project is a deployable starter kit for easily building and customizing your own version of AI Town.

PROVIDER

Home buyers, sellers, real estate agents, and listing websites throughout the US have been stymied for five days by a cyberattack on a California company that provides a crucial online service used to track home listings. The attack, which commenced last Wednesday, targeted Rapottoni, a software and services provider that supplies Multiple Listing Services to regional real estate groups nationwide.

NETFLIX FINALLY STREAMS VIDEO GAMES, TOO

Netflix has started the first public tests of its cloud-streamed games. Subscribers in Canada and the UK will soon be able to stream Netflix games to select TVs, connected TV devices, and browsers. The two games currently available are Oxenfree and a new title called Molehew's Mining Adventure, a gem-mining arcade game. Players control games on their TVs using their smartphones. A list of compatible devices is available in the article.

APPARENT IMAGES & SPECS OF SAMSUNG HEADSET PROTOTYPE LEAK

Images and specs of a prototype Samsung headset have been leaked. The XR headset uses a new variant of Android. It will reportedly feature four tracking cameras, pancake lenses, dual RGB cameras for color passthrough, a depth sensor, OLED microdisplays, and Samsung's own Exynos 2200 chip. It doesn't have tracked controllers, using hand tracking and eye interaction instead. The headset will likely be in the $1,000-$2,000 range. The leaked images are available in the article.

TOWARDS A METAL-RICH ASTEROID IN OCTOBER

NASA's Psych mission is gearing up for an early October launch. The $985 million mission involves sending an orbiter to rendezvous with the 16 Psych asteroid, which is believed to hold approximately $10,000 quadrillion dollars worth of nickel and iron. It was discovered in 1852 and has a diameter of about 140 miles. If everything runs on schedule, the Psych spacecraft will arrive at the asteroid in around six years.

ALL

A New Zealand-based startup, Kimer Med, is trying to develop a broad-spectrum antiviral. Its current strategy involves targeting a factor in human cells to attack a wide variety of viruses. Kimer's technology triggers a process that kills targeted cells upon detection. While it has shown promise in the lab, the company still has to prove that it works in animals and humans. A broad-spectrum antiviral would save tens of millions of lives and trillions of dollars over the coming decades.

AI TOWN

AI Town is a virtual town where AI characters live and interact with each other. This repository contains a deployable starter kit for easily building and customizing a version of AI Town. The project was inspired by a research paper. It aims to provide a platform with a strong foundation that is meant to be extended.

OUTLINES

Outlines is a library for neural text generation. It helps developers guide text generation to build robust interfaces with external systems. Outlines is compatible with all models. It can be used as a more flexible replacement for the generate method in the transformers library.

INSIDE THE DECLINE OF STACK EXCHANGE

Stack Exchange's library of knowledge is under a Creative Commons license, which means that anyone can use it in any way, even for commercial purposes. A large chunk of its programming-specific data was ingested by AI models. This article looks at Stack Exchange usage and how the introduction of generative AI to the public has affected trends.

MY EVERYDAY LLM USES

This article looks at everyday uses for large language models outside of coding or professional work. The list includes using the models for sorting grocery lists, summarizing book notes, dictionary lookup, turning tasks into subtasks, and as an editor. The article also looks at some of the things that large language models aren't as useful for - generating names, brainstorming, and writing fiction novels.

PROVIDER

Rapottoni, a company that supplies multiple listing services to regional real estate groups nationwide in the US, was likely hit by a ransomware attack.

HERE'S WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY

This Reddit post contains a summary of important points from a conversation with a VP on the Microsoft team responsible for the development of the company's AI tools on AI technologies currently under development, the future of the job market, public policy surrounding AI, predictions for the future, and more.

NON-THOUGHTS ON THE OPEN SOURCE INITIATIVE

While the Open Source Initiative is uniquely positioned to guide discussions on open source and free software, the organization has ties to many companies and its behavior is centered around ease of use for multinational companies rather than developers.

Writing exposes gaps in knowledge that only become clear when explaining things to others.

WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE ECONOMICS OF AI?

This article takes a look at whether AI companies can be profitable and whether the astronomical valuations for generative AI companies are justified.

AS OCTOBER’S ECLIPSE

More details about Humane's mysterious Ai Pin, a device that can apparently replace a smartphone, will be announced on October 14.

AMAZON IS ROLLING OUT AN AI FEATURE THAT SUMMARIZES PRODUCT REVIEWS

Amazon is rolling out a new generative AI feature that is designed to help shoppers determine at a glance what other customers said about a product before they spend time reading through individual reviews.

REGULATORS AGREE TO EXPANSION OF DRIVERLESS CAR SERVICES IN SAN FRANCISCO

Autonomous Cruise and Waymo taxis have been buzzing around the city for some time, and now they can offer round-the-clock rides for pay.

THE AI RULES THAT US POLICYMAKERS ARE CONSIDERING, EXPLAINED

The US government is getting serious about regulating AI, with proposals focused on new rules, oversight institutions, funding for research, and expanding the expert workforce. However, the area remains slippery as the technology rapidly evolves. Key players like OpenAI and Microsoft have endorsed new government licensing and auditing for advanced AI models, but the specifics remain contested.

A LIGHTWEIGHT RGB-D SEGMENTATION

Efficient RGB-D semantic segmentation helps mobile robots understand their environment. While depth data offers useful geometric insights, it can be noisy. This paper introduces a streamlined network that uses less computing power but remains robust, blending color and depth features effectively.

BRIDGING THE GAP IN 3D DETECTION ACROSS DIFFERENT LIDAR ENVIRONMENTS

3D detectors often fail when used in unfamiliar settings, causing a huge drop in detection rates due to changes in tools, places, or weather. This project proposes a self-training system that adapts to different lidar types by creating accurate fake labels, MS3D++.

EFFICIENT MULTI-TASK MODEL SELECTION

Predicting the performance of pre-trained neural networks on multiple tasks without fine-tuning them is a challenge. The traditional method is computationally costly, while modern methods are limited to single tasks. This paper introduces EMMS, which transforms varied task labels into a unified format, allowing for the prediction of a model's effectiveness across tasks efficiently.

WHICH GPU SHOULD I BE USING AND WHERE TO GET IT?

There are lots of cloud providers popping up for fine-tuning or serving AI workloads. It is hard to know which one to choose over another one. This guide gives a pretty great set of heuristics to decide which cloud to run your jobs on.

FOOOCUS

Fooocus is an image-generating software that is offline, open-source, free, and does not require manual tweaking.

THE POWER OF SYNTHETIC IMAGE GENERATION IN COMPUTER VISION

This project introduces a new tool called DatasetDM that can make endless fake images along with detailed labels, like which part is which object or how far things are in the image. This is great for training computer vision systems, and by using just a small set of real photos, the synthetic ones help achieve top results in tasks like identifying objects or editing images.

WHAT IF GENERATIVE AI TURNED OUT TO BE A DUD?

Generative AI is extremely hyped, but does it deserve it? Many professionals have still not found a good use for ChatGPT multiple months after its release. In this article, Gary Marcus explores the possibility that we are too confident in our assumptions that generative AI will be world-changing.

AI.COM FLIPS FROM CHATGPT TO ELON MUSK’S X.AI

AI.com now redirects to x.AI, a company that aims to understand the true nature of the universe. OpenAI had seemingly purchased this domain back in February, but it looks like Musk swooped in.

THE GREAT INFLECTION?

The economist Matt Clancy and research scientist Tamay Besiroglu debate what happens to the economy when intelligence becomes extremely cheap.

APPLE IS ALREADY USING ITS CHATBOT FOR INTERNAL WORK

Apple is using an internal chatbot to help its employees prototype future features, summarize text, and answer questions based on data it has been trained with.

ECLIPSE

Humane plans to share more about its mysterious AI-powered wearable on the same day as a solar eclipse in October.

STAKE

Crypto news outlet CoinDesk is reportedly planning staff cuts as it nears the close of a $125m deal led by crypto investors Matthew Roszak and Peter Vessenes. The full extent of the layoffs varies from 16% to 45% based on different reports. As a reminder, CoinDesk’s parent company, DCG, has been in search of liquidity to aid its ongoing financial woes, and this sale would provide some much-needed cash for the struggling company.

COINBASE ROLLS OUT CRYPTO SERVICES IN CANADA

Coinbase, the crypto exchange giant, is extending its reach into Canada, taking advantage of the country's high level of crypto-awareness and strong regulatory framework. To kick off this expansion, the company is offering a 30-day free trial of its Coinbase One subscription service to Canadian users. This expansion is yet another reminder of the stark contrast between the crypto regulatory landscape in the US and the rest of the world.

METAMASK, BANXA ROLL OUT '1-CLICK' CRYPTO BUYS WITH APPLE PAY

MetaMask users can now purchase Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies more easily, thanks to a new integration with Banxa that includes Apple Pay and its "1-click" feature. This feature is available to users who have already completed KYC procedures. Lorenzo Santos, MetaMask product manager, emphasized that the goal is to make it easier for users to make repeat purchases. Banxa, which has been experiencing growth, is the sole provider of the 1-Click service among MetaMask's eight integrated on- and off-ramp services.

ETHEREUM

Take-Two Interactive Software's subsidiary Zynga is venturing into web3 gaming with its new Ethereum-based game, "Sugartown". Take-Two, the company behind hits like Grand Theft Auto, bills this as the first crypto game built from scratch by a major mobile game developer. Users will gain access to the game via an ERC-721 token and they will be able to stake these tokens to earn in-game currency - it’s unclear whether the currency will be an ERC-20 or proprietary. The combination of both a huge name getting into the space and the appropriate use of crypto mechanics to enhance the in-game experience makes this an interesting one to watch.

TOP TOOLS FOR YOUR CRYPTO TOOLBOX

Crypto is a constant barrage of market-moving events, multi-million dollar exploits, groundbreaking innovations, and narrative plays. This thread gives a great list of essential tools that can help you stay on top of the news and narratives in the space. The tools span categories like news, alerts, on-chain security, analytics, deep-dives, airdrop farming, and more.

BREAKING DOWN UNISWAPX

UniswapX, Uniswap’s upgraded protocol, has introduced a feature that draws liquidity from centralized exchanges. This move signifies a shift in the crypto marketplace as it recognizes that on-chain markets might not always yield the most optimal execution. However, this move brings up questions about the potential impact on liquidity providers and the future reliance on intermediaries, answers to which could drastically change the DeFi landscape.

CELSIUS TO POLL CUSTOMERS ON LAUNCHING NEW USER-OWNED COMPANY

Bankrupt crypto lender Celsius Network is set to poll account holders about a proposal to relaunch as a user-owned company, distributing roughly $2 billion in Bitcoin and Ether. The approval by US Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn hinges on Celsius providing more details regarding industry volatility and potential operating challenges. The proposed company, backed by investment firm Arrington Capital, would use equity to partially repay customers and aims to start repaying creditors by the end of 2023.

BITCOIN IS ABOUT TO GO FROM BORING TO “BOING”

Bitcoin's volatility was muted throughout August, falling to levels below the average volatility of stocks, bonds, and even gold. The reasons for this lack of volatility could be attributed to various factors. Historical patterns suggest that low volatility periods are typically followed by violent volatility - the past few times this has happened, it has been to the upside. In parallel with Bitcoin's low volatility, the DXY is reaching a crucial point that could potentially signal a market shift, as it has in the past.

HARRYPOTTEROBAMASONIC10INU LEADS LATEST MEMECOIN RALLY, SURGING 30%

There’s a new kid on the memecoin block - HarryPotterObamaSonic10Inu. The coin, launched in May, calls itself “The People’s Bitcoin” and goes by the ticker $BITCOIN. It has grown to a $150m+ market cap. The interest and volatility in memecoins throughout the summer is a side effect of market malaise in the majors, with the prices of BTC and ETH having been relatively stagnant.

BITCOIN ETF APPROVAL CALENDAR

Here is a quick calendar view of when pending Bitcoin ETF applications are expected to be approved or denied.

DYDX ROLLING OUT PUBLIC TESTNET 2

As part of its migration to dYdX chain, the protocol is moving from the Testnet 1 phase to the Testnet 2 phase.

TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY IN DEFI’S UX LAYER

While DeFi UX has been lacking for years, the foundation on which to build great UXs has finally been laid at the infrastructure layer through innovations like faster, cheaper L2s and account abstraction.

ASK LIKE A HUMAN: IMPLEMENTING SEMANTIC SEARCH ON STACK OVERFLOW

This blog documents how Stack Overflow transitioned from traditional lexical search using matching keywords to semantic search that uses embeddings to understand queries as natural language questions. It describes the problems with lexical search that made the team transition to semantic search and the challenges with implementing semantic search, such as choosing the right tech stack and model.

RESOURCES

This is the first of a two-part tutorial that focuses on best practices for designing accessible text over images for web and mobile app content. Each technique has examples and additional resources for implementation. For example, you should strive to maintain a high contrast ratio between text and images to ensure legibility and readability. There are various techniques for achieving this, such as using overlays, scrims, and blurred backgrounds.

WHY TAILWIND CSS WON

Tailwind CSS is a ubiquitous frontend styling framework. It became popular because there is no need to context switch to CSS files during development, it makes it easy to copy & paste styles on HTML blocks, and it doesn't depend on other libraries.