Best in the biz: The very best of Bill Flick

-



biggest chameleon :: Article Creator

Meet The Tiny Chameleon Who Is Big News In The World Of Lizards

A tiny chameleon is big news in the world of lizards.

Researchers have discovered a brand new species in a threatened Madagascar forest. The newly named Brookesia nofy is described as a miniaturised species of leaf chameleon, measuring around 33 millimetres in length.

A report on the species says it was found in the littoral forest of Madagascar's east coast, one of the most threatened habitat types of the island. The study authors, including Miguel Vences from Germany's Technical University of Braunschweig, were alerted to the lizard's presence by tourist pictures posted on the web.

READ MORE: 'My daughter is a model student but I've pulled her from school over sock row and staff losses'

Amazingly, their own search for the tiny species - evolved to blend in with foliage - was successful. The report concludes: "The discovery of B. Nofy sp. Nov. Emphasizes the importance of conserving Madagascar's last remaining fragments of littoral forest."

The little lizard was found in the littoral forest of Madagascar's east coast (Image: No credit)

The study has been published in ZooTaxa, a peer-reviewed scientific journal for animal taxonomists.


Katie Holmes Does Librarian-Core In A Baggy Sweater And Big Plaid Skirt

If you had any doubts about whether Katie Holmes was a fashion chameleon, a look at her latest outfits will give you all the proof you need. Last week, the actor debuted a preppy look made of affordable staples, as well as an easy daytime fit accented with a biker-inspired leather jacket. And now, with fall in full swing, Holmes is entirely embracing librarian-core—think sweaters, comfy shoes, and plenty of plaid.

The Rare Objects director showed off the ensemble while out in New York City this weekend. For her top, she chose a cozy cashmere sweater in a warm tan from Falconeri. Holmes sized up with the sweater, which made for an oversize, slouchy look, and she French tucked it into an equally slouchy skirt. This one was a dark gray pleated skirt from Miu Miu in a plaid pattern composed of earth tones. It was held up at the hip with a built-in black leather belt, and went all the way down past Holmes's knees, putting a grungy spin on the librarian-core aesthetic.

katie holmes

TheImageDirect.Com

While the sexy-librarian trend often calls for chunky loafers worn with long socks (see Bella Hadid's example), Holmes instead chose a pair of cream leather ballet flats with stringy top straps, from her enviable shoe closet. The Lola Mary Janes hail from one of Holmes's favorite Italian shoe brands, Yuni Buffa. To match the flats, the Dawson's Creek alum carried a cream leather satchel. As for accessories, she went nostalgic with large brown tortoiseshell aviators and a heart-shaped pendant necklace.


ChatGPT Is Turning Into An Unreal Cultural Chameleon

ChatGPT's ability to seamlessly turn into a cultural chameleon was disarming, and it marked the first time I almost felt like I wasn't just talking to a machine. I even caught myself responding as if it were a person, telling the tool "sorry to interrupt" and "thank you so much".

It's not just me. Advanced voice mode's mastery of spoken dialects is bewildering. A Jamaican start-up founder shared a clip of himself conversing with ChatGPT in the local Patois. Videos have flooded TikTok showing the app speaking in everything from Singlish to African American Vernacular English.

ChatGPT's ability to communicate in dialects opens the floodgates for more people to interact with and anthropomorphise the tool. It may all seem gimmicky, but anyone who has travelled far from home knows that language and culture bridge barriers. Hearing someone who speaks like you, in whatever language, instantly forges a sense of kinship.

For most of the internet age, this sort of cultural nuance was something that computers couldn't yet capture, marking one of the biggest differentiators between friend or machine.

But there are potential consequences to using dialects with AI. A Nature study published in August found that large language models generate "covertly racist decisions" about people based on their dialects in a text-based experiment. The researchers found AI is more likely to suggest that users of African American English "be assigned less-prestigious jobs, be convicted of crimes and be sentenced to death" compared with speakers of standard American English.

Separately, OpenAI has acknowledged how the audio capabilities, specifically, of its latest model could carry risks we don't fully understand yet, such as people creating strong bonds or allowing for "increasingly miscalibrated trust" in AI models.

The company has noticed users tapping into the audio features using language that might indicate they feel connections with the model, saying more internal and independent studies need to be done to more "concretely define this risk area". And the reason the chatbot now sounds so humanlike is partly because its nine voices are

Loading

OpenAI has a slew of guardrails. ChatGPT answered a few questions I asked by changing the topic, saying its guidelines won't allow it to respond. It can't sing, impersonate people, or be overly flirtatious. The current version also stopped short of live translating something other than my own voice, such as a speech or video, possibly to avoid further copyright scrutiny. More eagle-eyed observers have been critical of its proficiency in certain languages and dialects. Due to regulatory hurdles, advanced voice mode is not yet available in the European Union and a few other markets.

There are tremendous potential upsides to ChatGPT's new ability to shatter language barriers, for both businesses and people. But as mesmerised as I was this past week, every now and then I would get a response that would remind me it's just an app — I shouldn't assign it too much responsibility or see it as a human companion. I couldn't help but worry for a future when people may forget that.

Bloomberg

Get news and reviews on technology, gadgets and gaming in our Technology newsletter every Friday. Sign up here.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Animals in the United States

-
Image
koala animal :: Article Creator Grim Statistics On Koala Survival Odds Records of koala admissions to veterinary hospitals in South East Queensland show euthanasia was the most common outcome, according to University of Queensland research. The research was published in Society and Animals. Ph.D. Candidate Renae Charalambous and colleagues at UQ's Faculty of Science analyzed the records of more than 50,000 koala sightings and hospital admissions between 1997 and 2019. "Diseases like chlamydia make up almost 30 percent of vet hospital admissions, followed by a multitude of threats stemming from habitat loss, including dog attack and motor vehicle strike," Ms. Charalambous said. "Only 25 percent of koalas rescued and admitted to hospital went on to be released into suitable habitat. "Many of the animals died before arriving at a vet hospital and those that did make it were often euthanized on the grounds of welfare,...
Read more

Best in the biz: The very best of Bill Flick

-
Image
kennel near me :: Article Creator Officer Who Accidently Killed His Own K9 After Neighbors Dog's Attacked Identified SAN ANTONIO - The officer who accidentally killed his assigned K9 when he opened fire during a dog attack has been identified. On Saturday, police responded to calls of a shooting in progress at a home near the corner of Lands Point Street and Hill Trails Street. Authorities say that upon making contact with the homeowner, off-duty SAPD officer Christopher Timmer, the officer reported that the neighbor's dogs had broken through a wooden fence, and attacked his assigned police K9. Police discovered that three of the neighbor's dogs had broken through a wooden fence, and began the officers assigned K9, Gordy. After unsuccessfully attempting to separate the dogs from one another, the officer opened fire on the dogs attacking his K9 to stop the attack. Despite fatally hitting two of the attacking dogs with gunf...
Read more

12 Tips You Need When Cooking With Crab - Tasting Table

-
Image
Making the most of cooking crab starts with sourcing. Chef Jeremy Sewall advises buying live crabs that are in good shape. "Make sure the crabs are very lively," he says. The freshest crabs will still have spunk. There's plenty to know when buying crab, but one key rule is if they are barely moving, pass on them, and never buy dead raw crabs. When it comes to fresh crab, buying local is best. Crustaceans, like other sea creatures, have various species that live in different regions of the ocean. Sewall said he is "a big fan of sticking with local crab." Based in Boston, he loves to cook with fresh Jonah crab, which are from New England. Other regional specialties include Dungeness crab in California, king crab in Alaska, and blue crab in the Mid-Atlantic. If you don't live in a coastal area or want to try a species from a different region, there are plenty of online vendors that will ship you live crabs. Look for companies with quick product turnover a...
Read more