Showing 1 - 10 of 12
The new normal of AI fakes
Life, James Hein, Published on 11/10/2023
» Following on from my last article, consider the following scenario. You've grabbed enough clear speech of someone to make a good AI model of them. You write up some text, pass it through the model and verify that the result sounds exactly the same as that individual. This is a little different from the previous example because it's a text to speech model, but essentially the same as using one voice to change to another. You now take a speech or interview from that person, change one word that will essentially change the context, and process this.
Who checks the fact checkers?
Life, James Hein, Published on 30/08/2023
» The information landscape has changed a great deal over the past five years. Back in the 1990s, information exchange was mostly between academics and IT people. The majority of the information was accurate and typically scientific or technical in nature. The communication was polite and debates were just that, debates. It was an inclusive community, though in some cases you were required to stick to the topic at hand. Then came the social media platforms.
Blockchain gets religion? Taiwan temple mints NFTs
South China Morning Post, Published on 27/12/2022
» The Chinese sea goddess Mazu is big business in Taiwan and the blockchain could make it even bigger.
Echoes of overregulation in new digital platforms law
Business, Suchit Leesa-nguansuk, Published on 16/03/2022
» A draft royal decree meant to regulate digital platforms could become an impediment to them if it imposes overregulation or makes unnecessary demands, say legal experts.
Just that
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 26/11/2021
» The Just Dance franchise has had people moving and grooving for years, providing a means for gamers to work out by using video games similar to the now popular VR game Beat Saber. With a new Just Dance title being released annually, is it worth spending money on the latest one?
The benefits and risks of neural interfaces
Life, James Hein, Published on 17/02/2021
» This week is dedicated to the brain-computer interface, or BCI. For some time now, sci-fi movies and TV series have presented the idea of a mind-to-computer interface that controls technology, retrieves information and displays it on virtual screens. Meanwhile, in the background, a number of companies have been working on this and the technology is close to realising some of the outcomes only seen in fiction so far.
Banner year for Zoom, Microsoft Teams subpar
Life, James Hein, Published on 09/12/2020
» 'Zoom records another bumper quarter" is an unsurprising headline. While Covid-19 still has a grip on leaders and businesses, online meetings remain a big choice, but for how long? Over the years I've noticed that management falls into distinct groups when it comes to working from home. Most want to see their workers in the office as much as possible but some do support remote work and work-from-home as long as the work is being completed. For those who have to travel long distances to and from work, it also provides an opportunity for more sleep and less stress. For an eye-opener on the importance of this, I recommend that everyone read Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker for data on the importance of sleep, including its benefits to organisations.
Ultra productive
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 02/10/2020
» The new Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is one of the sleekest phones the Korean manufacturer has ever produced, but don't be fooled. Hidden beneath its glossy sheen is a powerful smartphone that could possibly do away with the need of a tablet. Is this a good enough reason for you to spend your hard-earned cash on it? Read on.
SA follows CCP's lead?
Life, James Hein, Published on 19/08/2020
» The South African government is working to pass the Films and Publications Amendment Bill. Any quick read will give the conclusion that South Africa wants to be like China, i.e. they can censor anything they don't like from animated GIFs to non-commercial bloggers. Basically, anything that can be streamed, written or posted online will be subject to review. The strange thing about this story is that I have yet to see even the tiniest mention of it in the usual media sources. Instead I found it in a Parler post echoed by a blogger I follow there. Covid seems to have overrun all the other world news.
Building dreams and beating drums
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 28/02/2020
» Big games from well-known developers are great but there are other games that may sometimes be obscured by the looming shadows these games cast. Titles from indie developers or smaller yet fun games may pass the radar of most gamers, which is why we're putting the spotlight on these two titles this month: Dreams Universe from Media Molecule who's also responsible for the "LittleBigPlanet" series and Patapon 2 Remastered, a title originally made for the PlayStation Portable, which is now available for the PS4.