đź”— Articles: Monday 27.May.2024
Imagination at work
The Verge: Google promised a better search experience — now it’s telling us to put glue on our pizza
Imagine this: you’ve carved out an evening to unwind and decide to make a homemade pizza. You assemble your pie, throw it in the oven, and are excited to start eating. But once you get ready to take a bite of your oily creation, you run into a problem — the cheese falls right off. Frustrated, you turn to Google for a solution.
“Add some glue,” Google answers. “Mix about 1/8 cup of Elmer’s glue in with the sauce. Non-toxic glue will work.”
So, yeah, don’t do that. As of writing this, though, that’s what Google’s new AI Overviews feature will tell you to do. The feature, while not triggered for every query, scans the web and drums up an AI-generated response. The answer received for the pizza glue query appears to be based on a comment from a user named “f–ksmith” in a more than decade-old Reddit thread, and they’re clearly joking.
Egg freckles.
ScienceAlert: Mysterious Viral DNA in Human Genome Linked With Psychiatric Disorders
We found that that the expression of four Hervs was linked with genetic susceptibility to major psychiatric disorders. The expression of two of these Hervs was associated with schizophrenia, one Herv with both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and one with depression.
These results suggest that Hervs may be playing a more important role in the brain than initially thought.
CleanTechnica: Kenya To Get 1,000 MW Data Center Powered By Geothermal Energy
Kenya is already in the top 10 countries when it comes to electricity generation plants powered by geothermal. Kenya has the 6th highest installed generation capacity and is inching closer to being one of the few countries in the world that have generation capacity from geothermal that is over 1,000 MW. Kenya’s current installed capacity from geothermal is 985 MW. According to THINK GEOENERGY, only New Zealand (1,042 MW), Turkiye (1,691 MW), Philippines (1,952 MW), Indonesia (2,418 MW), and the US (3,900 MW) have more generating capacity than Kenya.
â‹®
Last week, Microsoft Corp. and G42 announced a comprehensive package of digital investments in Kenya, as part of an initiative with the Republic of Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy. In collaboration with Microsoft and other stakeholders, G42 will lead the arrangement of an initial investment of $1 billion for the various components outlined in the comprehensive package. One of the Kenyan investment priorities is a state-of-the-art green data center that will be built by G42 and its partners to run Microsoft Azure in a new East Africa Cloud Region.
Cult of Mac: Ikea Sjöss 45W charger review: Why buy anything else?
Plenty of power bricks with dual USB-C ports give you options for charging your Apple devices. But Ikea — yes, the company known for its DIY furniture — has a new offering that trumps them all from a value viewpoint. As you’ll find out in our review of the Ikea Sjöss 45W charger, it packs two USB-C ports and supports all popular fast charging standards.
The effective power adapter stands out for its super-low price, which significantly undercuts the competition. Below is our quick review of the Ikea Sjöss 45W USB-C charger.
â‹®
As mentioned, despite a peak 45W output and dual USB-C ports, the Sjöss 45W costs just $14.99. Apple’s 35W power brick with dual USB-C ports cost $59, nearly four times more than Ikea’s offering. Even Apple’s 30W USB-C power adapter, which costs $30, is twice as expensive as Ikea’s more powerful model.
Guardian: Sunak struggles to control Tory party on chaotic fifth day of election campaign
Prime minister campaigns in Buckinghamshire as his military service plan is criticised and MP defects to Reform.
â‹®
Sunak found himself under fire early on Monday, as Steve Baker, a Northern Ireland minister, said introducing mandatory national service was a policy dreamed up by advisers and sprung on candidates.
It later emerged that Baker, who is defending the Labour target of Wycombe, had chosen to go on holiday to Greece rather than stay on the campaign trail — after Sunak previously told MPs they should go ahead and book time off.
The prime minister was then hit with the defection of Lucy Allan, the Conservative MP for Telford, who said she would support the local candidate for Reform. The party suspended the whip, but she hit back saying she had quit first and that the Conservatives had no chance in her seat, according to the Shropshire Star.
â‹®
The prime minister also struggled to say how his national service policy would work, refusing to clarify what fines or incentives would make it mandatory for 18-year-olds. One minister claimed that it could involve parents being fined if their grownup children did not comply, before another party official appeared to rule that out.
The former defence secretary Ben Wallace defended the policy by appearing to suggest young people had few demands on them. “Heaven forbid young people are made to do something … ” he said.
No stereotyping going on here.
CBC: Federal government plans to increase its use of AI — with some big exceptions
Speaking to a hand-picked roundtable of experts Monday, Anand said the government has set three priorities for a national public service AI strategy: providing services to Canadians, increasing operational efficiency and driving science and research.
“The question is really going to be how can we, with this strategy, add greater efficiencies but also simplify the interactions of the Canadian population and organizations and businesses with federal services,” Anand told the roundtable.
Last Updated: 27.May.2024 17:05 EDT