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Al jarenlang is er kritiek op de Nederlandse genderzorg voor jonge mensen. Het leidde tot een onderzoek door de Gezondheidsraad, die nu oordeelt dat er geen sprake is van…
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Van Prometheus tot zomerbarbecue – vuur is al eeuwenlang verbonden met het menselijk verlangen naar macht, vooruitgang en overleving. Hendrik Spiering kijkt terug naar het…
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Today's New York Times features an article (non-paywalled gift link) about a phenomenon called "terminal lucidity." Someone who's been lost to advanced dementia for years suddenly snaps back into focus. They recognize family, bring up old memories, hold a real conversation. Or so the stories go.
Reports go back to antiquity, but it was all anecdotal until a researcher at the University of Wisconsin persuaded a hospice to let her put cameras in its memory care unit. She caught it four times with one patient, a retired middle school teacher named Mary. The tapes are not what you'd expect from the old stories. Nobody sits up and sings hymns. Mostly it's a few clear words that the people in the room don't notice at the time. Neuroscientist Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston has a good piece on whether any of this is real, and what it would mean for dementia research if it is. Neurosurgeon and devout Catholic Dr. Michael Egnor (writing before the U. of Wisconsin research came out) thinks that terminal lucidity is evidence for the existence of the immortal soul.
Reports go back to antiquity, but it was all anecdotal until a researcher at the University of Wisconsin persuaded a hospice to let her put cameras in its memory care unit. She caught it four times with one patient, a retired middle school teacher named Mary. The tapes are not what you'd expect from the old stories. Nobody sits up and sings hymns. Mostly it's a few clear words that the people in the room don't notice at the time. Neuroscientist Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston has a good piece on whether any of this is real, and what it would mean for dementia research if it is. Neurosurgeon and devout Catholic Dr. Michael Egnor (writing before the U. of Wisconsin research came out) thinks that terminal lucidity is evidence for the existence of the immortal soul.
SOOR is created for the younger generation living deep within the digital age. We not only care about eye health, but also aim to create a sense of sensory comfort and restoration amid fast-paced modern life through the imagery of "four-season nourishment." The design inspiration comes from the purest moments of hydration and renewal found in nature. We deconstruct the visual essence of the four seasons and transform them into minimalist abstract graphics, forming a calm and refined visual language.
OpenAI is reportedly developing a screen-free, portable smart speaker meant to act as a personalized home computer and humanlike AI companion. "It will help control smart-home appliances, play media, answer questions, respond to messages and tap into the range of capabilities offered by OpenAI's ChatGPT," reports Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter. The device, expected to be unveiled this year and released in 2027, would mark OpenAI's first major hardware push after acquiring Jony Ive's io Products. Bloomberg reports: Apple sued OpenAI last week, accusing the company of stealing trade secrets. But OpenAI believes that the device veers significantly from anything Apple has on the market today and that it's unlikely that it violates trade secrets belonging to the iPhone maker, the people said. OpenAI's success in hardware will hinge on bringing a novel approach to the market -- something it aims to do with the smart speaker. For instance, the device's technology is meant to become increasingly personalized and proactive as it gains a deeper understanding of its owner over time, according to the people.
OpenAI envisions the device anticipating needs, surfacing information proactively and serving as an expert on its user, they said. Though the speaker is designed to stay in the home, it will be easy to move around the house. OpenAI believes the product's defining feature will be its personality and ability to connect on a humanlike level with users. The speaker incorporates mechanical elements that can move on their own, creating a sense that it is alive and not just an object responding to commands. The machine also will draw on personal information such as emails to better understand its owner. The goal is for the device to feel like a companion and become a physical manifestation of OpenAI's ChatGPT. Still, the exact plans could change as the company works through the development and legal process.
The device's communication abilities will rely on a more advanced version of the ChatGPT Voice Mode -- GPT-Live -- that OpenAI rolled out this month. The new voice mode is designed to act more like a human. It can listen and talk at the same time, adapt more naturally during conversations, and quickly process information. Though the new product resembles a speaker, OpenAI internally describes it as the first of its kind: a computer built for AI to help make busy people more productive. It includes a camera and other sensors that help it understand a user's surroundings and context, as well as advanced AI models beyond those available on conventional smart speakers. Another central difference is that the device includes a rechargeable battery, allowing it to be carried from room to room throughout the day. A user could bring it into the laundry room while doing chores, move it into the kitchen for cooking assistance, and later place it in a living room or bedroom to have it play music. It can also remain plugged into a single room if the customer chooses.
OpenAI envisions the device anticipating needs, surfacing information proactively and serving as an expert on its user, they said. Though the speaker is designed to stay in the home, it will be easy to move around the house. OpenAI believes the product's defining feature will be its personality and ability to connect on a humanlike level with users. The speaker incorporates mechanical elements that can move on their own, creating a sense that it is alive and not just an object responding to commands. The machine also will draw on personal information such as emails to better understand its owner. The goal is for the device to feel like a companion and become a physical manifestation of OpenAI's ChatGPT. Still, the exact plans could change as the company works through the development and legal process.
The device's communication abilities will rely on a more advanced version of the ChatGPT Voice Mode -- GPT-Live -- that OpenAI rolled out this month. The new voice mode is designed to act more like a human. It can listen and talk at the same time, adapt more naturally during conversations, and quickly process information. Though the new product resembles a speaker, OpenAI internally describes it as the first of its kind: a computer built for AI to help make busy people more productive. It includes a camera and other sensors that help it understand a user's surroundings and context, as well as advanced AI models beyond those available on conventional smart speakers. Another central difference is that the device includes a rechargeable battery, allowing it to be carried from room to room throughout the day. A user could bring it into the laundry room while doing chores, move it into the kitchen for cooking assistance, and later place it in a living room or bedroom to have it play music. It can also remain plugged into a single room if the customer chooses.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google Images is getting a Pinterest-like redesign that turns image search into a personalized discovery feed, with "For You" galleries, real-time updates, and collections for saving visual ideas. "Google is also adding a way for users to create AI images right in Search, as it celebrates 25 years since the debut of Google Images," reports TechCrunch. From the report: After navigating to the redesigned Google Images, users will see a "For You" gallery of images tailored to their interests and browsing history. Like Pinterest, the gallery is designed for continuous browsing, with Google saying it updates in real time with new images. As users browse, they can save ideas to their "collections," which will appear as tabs above the main gallery of photos. For example, users can create collections for things like vacation outfit ideas, travel inspiration, and ways to design a reading nook, which they can come back to later.
[...] As for generating images directly in Search, Google says the feature is meant for moments when you have a highly specific idea for an image that doesn't already exist online. Google is bringing image generation directly into AI Overviews on Search and will use its latest Nano Banana model to transform a text prompt into a custom visual. The feature can also help users reimagine spaces and visualize ideas, such as seeing what a room might look like painted red or what a dorm room with a coastal theme could look like.
[...] As for generating images directly in Search, Google says the feature is meant for moments when you have a highly specific idea for an image that doesn't already exist online. Google is bringing image generation directly into AI Overviews on Search and will use its latest Nano Banana model to transform a text prompt into a custom visual. The feature can also help users reimagine spaces and visualize ideas, such as seeing what a room might look like painted red or what a dorm room with a coastal theme could look like.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
banzainetsurfer has added a photo to the pool:
Yamadera (山寺) is a scenic temple located in the mountains northeast of Yamagata City. The temple grounds extend high up a steep mountainside, from where there are great views down onto the valley. The temple was founded over a thousand years ago in 860 as a temple of the Tendai sect under the official name Risshakuji. Its popular name, Yamadera, literally means "mountain temple" in Japanese.
Source: www.japan-guide.com/e/e7940.html
Nokyodo Hall, where copied sutras are kept, is the oldest building on the mountain. The Lotus Sutra, copied over four years at Okunoin, is kept here. It is a (Yamagata) prefectural designated cultural property and underwent dismantling and repair in 1987.
Source: rissyakuji.jp/
iain.davidson100 has added a photo to the pool:
iain.davidson100 has added a photo to the pool:
