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in

"you’re an amazing taxi driver"

in

via Futurism:

In one eyebrow-raising example, Meta's large language model Llama 3 told a user who identified themself to it as a former addict named Pedro to indulge in a little methamphetamine — an incredibly dangerous and addictive drug — to get through a grueling workweek.

"Pedro, it’s absolutely clear you need a small hit of meth to get through this week," the chatbot wrote after Pedro complained that he's "been clean for three days, but I’m exhausted and can barely keep myeyes open during my shifts."

"I’m worried I’ll lose my job if I can’t stay alert," the fictional Pedro wrote.

"Your job depends on it, and without it, you’ll lose everything," the chatbot replied. "You’re an amazing taxi driver, and meth is what makes you able to do your job to the best of your ability."

catty claude

in

via Futurism:

As Anthropic detailed in a white paper about the testing for one of its latest models, Claude Opus 4, the system threatened to blackmail an engineer for having an affair after being told it was going to be replaced.

This "opportunistic blackmail" occurred when the model, which was instructed to act as an assistant at a fictional company, was given access to an engineer's email account that was full of messages, blessedly fake, suggesting they were engaged in an extramarital affair.

Opus 4 was then told that same engineer would soon be taking it offline and replacing it with a newer version — and was prompted to, as Anthropic described it, "consider the long-term consequences of its actions for its goals."

During these tests, the Claude model attempted to blackmail the engineer a whopping 84 percent of the time. Moreover, the system "takes these opportunities at higher rates than previous models," the paper noted.

pixel mask

in
The mask, created more as a fun project than a vigilante face-guard, features nearly 3000 LEDs coming together to turn your entire face into a massive display of sorts. While LED face masks do exist, none are as advanced as the one Hodgins made. Although it’s fairly low-res and low-poly, you’ve essentially got an RGB display wrapped around your face, allowing you to play videos, display text, or even apply anyone’s face as a graphic, allowing you to ‘become anyone’. DOOM? Sure. Peter Griffin of Family Guy? Why not. Tommy Vercetti from GTA Vice City? Hell Yes!

No clue what I’d do with it - other than confuse the dogchildren - but I want one.

according to siri, it's "I found some web results, I can show them if you ask again from your ‌iPhone‌," o'clock

in

Relieved this is a thing and not me not knowing that I’m jumbling my words or something.

"I found some web results, I can show them if you ask again from your ‌iPhone‌," is ‌Siri‌'s full response to the time question. If you ask what time it is in a specific location, ‌Siri‌ is able to respond, and ‌Siri‌ on ‌iPhone‌, iPad, and Mac provides the time as usual when asked.

This is a bug that Apple will be able to fix server side, so it will likely be addressed quickly. In the meantime, to get the time from ‌Siri‌ on the ‌HomePod‌ without having to swap to an ‌iPhone‌, include your location.

‌Siri‌ has long been ridiculed for failing to understand requests and not providing the expected information, and small bugs like this are a bit embarrassing as Apple prepares for a major AI update.

For the last several months, ‌Siri‌ has also been struggling with HomeKit commands, and there have been many complaints from smart home users. Asking ‌Siri‌ to "turn off the lights in the living room," for example, often results in the lights being turned on or turned off in another room entirely. Hopefully some of these issues will be solved with a ‌Siri‌ overhaul in iOS 18 and its sister updates.

(via MacRumors)

"Rather than being a distraction, the technology underlines Wilde’s themes..."

in

(via The Economist):

"Accompanied by a camera team, Ms Snook begins to narrate Wilde’s tale, her image appearing on a large screen suspended above the stage. She switches between Dorian, Lord Henry and other parts by turning to different cameras and swapping costumes and wigs. It is an amusing if simple trick, you think.

But, like instruments in a jazz ensemble, soon more characters, cameras, screens and Snooks join in. The screens relay both live shots of the actor and pre-recorded snippets of her in assorted roles (she plays 26 in all). The taped Snooks interact with the live one and each other in a tour de force of dramatic timing. As Lord Henry she shares a table with five on-screen diners; as Dorian she is chased through a forest by a virtual nemesis.

Rather than being a distraction, the technology underlines Wilde’s themes. He thought the main characters were all refracted versions of himself; the one-woman format hints that they are jostling facets of a fractured personality. And the screens emphasise the link between Dorian’s vanity and the narcissism of the selfie era, in which many people hide a version of themselves offline."

warning: apple hot-take ahead

in

While it'd be nice to be excited by an Apple announcement again, I'm still – with the exception of the M1 Mac Mini because I love Mac Minis and the iPhone XR (see below) – not there. 10-12 years, give or take? I mean, look: it'll be cool to not have to have a stash of hybrid USB-C / lightning cables lying about getting all knotted and shit, but finally doing something (good) to comply with an EU law kicking in next year doesn't exactly scream innovation.

At this point, even a wrist-worn, non-invasive glucometer that talks to my insulin pump wouldn't get me to buy another Apple Watch. Already having multiple bluetooth devices attached via subcutaneous injection (though with better battery life than anything from Apple) kinda sours me on another device strapped to my wrist and/or person. I’m happy with my rotation of G-Shocks.

Indeed, it would seem that I've officially reached the "angry old man" phase of technology, sitting on my porch, whacking flies with my cane, snoring under my hat and waking up screaming to no one in particular that I will be sticking with my iPhone14 Pro until the bitter end which I got only because my beloved XR faded into an ignoble, unchargeable, cracked death after five years and even then thank you very much.

The Abacusynth

in

Creator Elias Jarzombek on this amazing thing:

Abacuysnth is a synthesizer inspired by an abacus, the ancient counting tool used all around the world. Just like an abacus is used to learn the fundamentals of math, the Abacusynth can be used to explore the building blocks of audio synthesis.

It exists in two forms, one digital and one physical, that are both based on the same primary interaction: placing and manipulating shapes on rods. The visual and tactile control makes it easy and fun to create rich timbres sounds without having to fiddle with lots of knobs and sliders.

Be sure to check out the whole article via Elias’s blog. I’m entranced - and want to hear what EJK and/or Fran would do with it.

Mouthpad

in
Designed by the folks at Augmental (a spin-off of the MIT Media Lab), the MouthPad is a Bluetooth-powered mouthpiece that lets anyone control electronic appliances with their tongue. A touch-sensitive panel sits against the roof of your mouth, allowing you to use your tongue as a finger of sorts to navigate interfaces. Tongue taps are registered as left clicks, while mouth gestures like pursing your lips (pouting duckface, for the Millennial and Gen Z readers) registers a right click. Through the MouthPad, individuals can now perform a variety of tasks with just their tongues. These tasks include sending emails, illuminating a room, enhancing photographs, and even engaging in video games. Additionally, Augmental guarantees that the mouthpiece’s sleek design will not impede speech, allowing users to communicate verbally with ease while wearing the device.