An Unknown User Incurs More Than $80,000 in Transaction Fees When Sending BTC Worth $1 | Blockchain – Bitcoin News

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An unknown person incurred a transaction fee of more than $80,000 or (3.49079570 bitcoins) when transferring bitcoin worth $1.16. According to Blockchain.com, the December 19 transaction, which is included in block 662052, had an input of 3.49084570 bitcoin and an output of 0.00005000 bitcoin.

As one report explains, the unusually high fee may have been the result of an error made by the bitcoin user when manually constructing the transaction details. However, as Alex Lebed the head of development at Xsigma Defi tells news.Bitcoin.com, this may have happened because certain wallets allow you to spend unlimited transaction fees in order to boost your transaction with the miners.

Emphasizing that this is technically possible, Lebed explains this practice is done to fund the transaction in a mining pool of your choice, making it a priority. Lebed then concludes:

Perhaps someone was testing the network. Its unlikely that someone made the transaction by an accident, but its possible. In my opinion, it might have been a test.

Meanwhile, the large fee paid by the unknown person was incurred one day after the average transaction fee on the Bitcoin network topped $11.91. Data from Bitinfocharts shows that transaction fees on the network surpassed the $10 mark for the first time since November 5 when they peaked at $12.05.

However, after the brief surge, transaction fees had dropped to $6.15 by December 20. Nevertheless, transaction fees on the network remain higher than they were at the start of the year. On January 1, the average fee on the Bitcoin network was $0.33 and for the next four months, it remained below $1.

Since the beginning of May 2020, BTC network fees surpassed the one dollar level and they have largely stayed above that level since then.

What are your thoughts on this high transaction fee? You can share your views in the comments section below.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

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An Unknown User Incurs More Than $80,000 in Transaction Fees When Sending BTC Worth $1 | Blockchain - Bitcoin News

A crewless boat is recreating the Mayflower’s 400-year-old journey, with the help of artificial intelligence – CBS News

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The Mayflower carried some of the first European settlers across the Atlantic Ocean to North America, 400 years ago this year.

To commemorate the anniversary, another vessel is recreating that voyage, with the help of artificial intelligence.

"We don't know how it's going to go. Is it going to make it across the Atlantic?" software engineer and emerging technology specialist Rosie Lickorish told CBS News' Roxana Saberi. "Fingers crossed that it does have a successful first voyage."

The vessel, docked in the harbor of Plymouth, England, will rely on the latest navigation technology when it sets out to sea but it won't be carrying a crew or captain.

"We've got all sorts of cameras We've got global positioning systems on either side," robotics expert Brett Phaneuf said.

What it won't have, he said, is "people space."

Instead the ship will be guided by artificial intelligence designed by IBM.

Phaneuf explained how the technology is supposed to work.

"It looks at its own cameras like eyes, it looks at the radar, it looks at all sorts of other sensors," he said. "Then it charts its own course and it can deal with unique situations without any human input."

Those situations include encountering other ships during the voyage something software engineer Ollie Thompson is working hard to train the ship's programming to recognize using more than a million different images.

"We're simulating what she's seeing," he said of the boat.

Programmers are also setting the ship's destination to Plymouth, Massachusetts to retrace the Mayflower's four centuries-old passage.

It took the wooden merchant ship 66 days to transport dozens of pilgrims across the Atlantic.

A replica sailed from England to Massachusetts in the 1950s, and is still docked there today.

But Phenauf, who grew up near Plymouth, Massachusetts, wanted to mark the Mayflower's famous past by looking ahead instead.

"I thought, well, we should build a ship that speaks to the next 400 years. What the marine enterprise will look like then, as opposed to what it looked like 400 years ago," he said.

An international team turned his vision into the solar-and-wind-powered Mayflower autonomous ship. Its mission is to learn more about Earth's oceans by gathering data on plastic pollution, warming waters and their effects on marine life.

Software developer Rosie Likorish said the autonomous ship is a more cost-effective way to perform the research.

"It's very expensive at the moment for scientists actually go out on these research missions," she said. "So having autonomous vessels like the Mayflower Autonomous Ship is a really important step and kind of actually enabling us to go out to these dangerous places and learn a lot more."

In addition to cost-saving, not having a crew means the size of the vessel can be compact, and there are no concerns over someone getting sick or hurt.

Brett Phenauf said his biggest worry would be if something broke.

If the boat capsized, the team plans to track it via satellite and salvage it.

And if the unknown voyage succeeds, Phenauf says it would commemorate history while charting a new path.

He said, "I want people to look back on this 400 years from now and think about how different this was from what other people were doing."

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A crewless boat is recreating the Mayflower's 400-year-old journey, with the help of artificial intelligence - CBS News

Artificial Intelligence (AI): Is It All Just Costly Hype? – Dice Insights

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Earlier this year, two partners at prominent venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz published an interesting blog post about artificial intelligence (A.I.). Specifically, is A.I. (and by extension, machine learning) capable of powering a sustainable business? Or is the tech industry infatuated with a technology thats just a lot of empty hype?

Its a worthy question as we close out 2020, considering how much money and resources companies are pouring into all things A.I.-related (often despite budget cutbacks related to the COVID-19 pandemic). Martin Casado and Matt Bornstein, the partners in question, conclude that A.I. is indeed viablebut that A.I.-centric businesses cant operate like traditional software firms.

Specifically, A.I. companies have lower gross margins (dueto the need for lots of expensive and talented humans, as well asinfrastructure expenses), scaling challenges (due to edge cases), and weakerdefensive moats (because of more A.I. tools and apps becoming commoditized,among other issues).

Traininga single A.I. model can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars(ormore) incomputeresources, they wrote. Whileits tempting to treat this as a one-time cost, retraining is increasinglyrecognized as an ongoing cost, since the data that feeds AI models tends tochange over time (a phenomenon known as data drift).

If the A.I. model is training on something storage-intensive like video, things get even worse. Add on top of that the cost of humans to design and wrangle the models, and you can see how any hoped-for profits from an A.I. project could quickly evaporate.

The entire Andreessen Horowitz posting is worth reading, especially if youre debating whether to jump aboard an artificial intelligence startup. Amidst all the discussions of cloud-infrastructure costs and model complexity, though, one thing stands out: the overwhelming presence of human beings within A.I. systems that are supposedly becoming more and more automated.

Its not just a question of employing people who can build and continually maintain models. For many tasks, especially those requiring greater cognitive reasoning, humans are often plugged into A.I. systems in real time, the posting added. Social media companies, for example, employ thousands of human reviewers to augment A.I.-based moderation systems. Many autonomous vehicle systems include remote human operators, and most A.I.-based medical devices interface with physicians as joint decision makers.

And theres no end in sight to intervention: Many problemslike self-driving carsare too complex to be fully automated with current-generation A.I. techniques. Issues of safety, fairness, and trust also demand meaningful human oversighta fact likely to be enshrined in A.I. regulations currently under development in theUS,EU, and elsewhere.

Weve seen these sorts of issues cropping up already among companies with artificial intelligence products. A few years ago, for example, Google rolled out Duplex, its automated voice assistant, which it predicted would revolutionize the process of making reservations and dealing with customer service. However, journalists quickly demonstrated there were relatively straightforward ways to stump Duplex. As of mid-2019, 25 percent of Google Duplex calls were supposedly made by human operators as opposed to an A.I.

Now consider all the A.I.-centric (or A.I. hopeful, for those still trying to develop an application) businesses that dont have Googles talent or resources. The dream of building an artificial intelligence model thats fully capable of performing its assigned task without any sort of human interventionwell, thats likely years away.

Andreessen Horowitz isnt the first firm to warn about thisissue. In 2019, ArvindKrishna, IBMs senior vice president of cloud and cognitive software, warnedthat A.I. initiatives could implode once companies realize how much effort istruly necessary to prep the related data. You run out of patience along theway, because you spend your first year just collecting and cleansing thedata,he told the audience at The Wall Street Journals Future ofEverything Festival,according to the newspaper.

Ina 2018 blog posting,A.I. researcher Filip Piekniewski listed all the ways in which theartificial intelligencehype wasnt matching withreality, includinga lack of progress in Googles DeepMind. Two years later, its clear thatA.I. is still grinding forward as a discipline, consuming lots of cash andtalent as companies hope for incremental advances.

But at least artificial intelligence researchers are still making lots of cash. And, despite these challenges, keep in mind that automation is still a long-term risk to many professions.

Ultimately, A.I. and machine learning technologies that help companies handle customer personalization and communication, data analytics and processing, and a host of other applications will continue to grow, even if it takes longer than expected to achieve seamless automation. An IDC report found three-quarters of commercial enterprise applications could lean on A.I. by next year alone, while an Analytics Insight report projects more than 20 million available jobs inartificial intelligenceby 2023.

Whether youre a manager or a software developer, in other words, prepare for A.I. (even weaker A.I.) to change how you work. Make sure to review the 10 jobs that could be radically impacted by these technologies sooner than you think.

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7 Types of Artificial Intelligence: Propelling the Technology Development – Analytics Insight

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Artificial Intelligence (AI)is more than just a buzzword, it is a change. If the 21st century is supposed to be remembered for something, then it is absolutely artificial intelligence and the changes it has brought. Ever sincethe idea of machines came to existenceand the word artificial intelligence was coined in a summer conference at Dartmouth University,AI has made a significant impacton peoples lives. Today, machines understand verbal commands, distinguish pictures, drive cars, play games and much more in a better way than how humans do. Will you believe it if I say the AI applications we see today are merely a tip of the AI iceberg? Yes, there is absolutely a whole mountain of applications that could be discovered in future. Unfortunately, there are threats too. People are engraved with the fear that AI might soon capture the world and wipe off humankind like how it isportrayed in dystopian movies. We cant totally deny it, but the development of AI depends on how human train it. So a large part of the responsibility is in our hands to feed AI with considerable datasets. Mainly AI can be divided into four types,

Reactive machines

Limited memory

Theory of mind

Self-aware

AI can also be classified based ontechnology into three types,

Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)

Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI)

Reactive machines are the most basic types of AI systems that perceive the world directly and act on what it sees. The computer is purely reactive, and neither has to form memory nor to use past experience. AI researcher Rodney Brooks argued in a seminal paper that we should only build this kind of AI. For example, Deep Blue, IBMs chess-playing supercomputer that made a breakthrough by beating grandmaster Garry Kasparov in 1997 was a reactive machine. It did not take any pre-applied datasets or look for previous matches. All it knows was how to play the game and conditions. The computer moved chess coins based on its real-time intuition and won the game.

Limited memory machines are ditto of reactive machines added with historical data which will help them take decisions. Almost all the machines that we use today are limited memory machines, which are powered by datasets. AI systems use deep learning and are trained by large volumes of data that they store in their memory to form a reference model for solving future problems. For example, an image recognition AI is trained to determine and label certain things like a cat or a dog from a picture. It knows how a cat or a dog looks from the previously trained datasets. Henceforth, it opts out the matching images.

As the name sounds, the theory of mind machines represents an advanced class of technology and exists only as a concept. This kind of AI requires a thorough understanding of peoples and things feelings and behaviour within an environment. Theory of minds is a critical technological improvement that sorts peoples emotions, sentiments and thoughts. Even though many improvements are made to reach this stage of AI, it is not fully completed. A real-world example of the theory of mind is Kismet, designed in the late 1990s. Kismet can mimic human emotions and recognise them.

Self-aware AI is the exact thing that is portrayed in AI-movies. The critical AI robots that think on their own and destroy humans are the ideology-driven from self-aware AI. However, we cant predict that all might go bad. There are also chances that the futuristic AI might go hand-in-hand with humans. Even though it is impossible for now, self-aware AI is on the bucket list for many scientists. Tech personalities like Elon Musk and Stephen Hawkings have consistently warned us about the evolution of AI which could reach the self-aware stage.

Artificial Narrow Intelligence, also known as week AI is one of the most frequently experienced types of AI. It is something that the tech world has accomplished. Every AI machine we use and see today is from this field, which operates under a limited set of constraints. For example, voice recognition AI is used to predict peoples voice based on the dataset it is trained with. The deep learning model constitutes the Limited Memory type and similar tasks could be a case of Reactive Machines.

Artificial General Intelligence, also known as strong AI allows a machine to apply knowledge and skills in different contexts. This more closely mirrors human intelligence by providing opportunities for autonomous learning and problem-solving. In other words, AGI can successfully perform any intellectual task that a human being can. This is thesort of AI that sci-fi movies portray.

Artificial Super Intelligenceis something more advanced than strong AI which could end the human race. They will not only replicate the multi-faceted intelligence of human beings but will be exceedingly better at everything. The ASI will be designed with better memory, faster data processing and analysis, and decision-making capabilities.

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7 Types of Artificial Intelligence: Propelling the Technology Development - Analytics Insight

Artificial intelligence will go mainstream in 2021 The Manila Times – The Manila Times

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My last column for 2019 was titled Artificial intelligence will be more than just talk in 2020. As I bid goodbye to 2020, allow me to close the year with the prediction that we would see AI go mainstream in 2021. In his December 21 Forbes website article, titled Why Covid Will Make AI Go Mainstream In 2021, data scientist Ganes Kesari predicts AI will transform 2021 by accelerating pharmaceutical drug discovery beyond Covid-19. He says the face of telecommuting would change, and that AI would transform edge computing and make devices around us truly intelligent.

A recent article on the Wiley Online Library website, titled How artificial intelligence may help the Covid-19 pandemic: Pitfalls and lessons for the future by Yashpal Singh Malik, et al., presents an overview of the prospective applications of the AI model systems in healthcare settings during the Covid-19 pandemic. In it, the authors highlighted the uses of AI-based approaches in healthcare during the pandemic where AI-based technologies and methods were deployed in modelling the virus spread and optimal utilization of resources. The protein folding problem, a grand challenge of biology that had puzzled scientists for 50 years, was solved through AlphaFold, an AI program developed by Googles DeepMind. Its a big deal for scientists developing a new drug because it helps them predict the proteins shape that will help come up with a molecule that could bind to it, fitting into it to alter its behavior. AI also helped fast-track the coronavirus vaccine, cutting development to 10 months instead of years or decades. Malik and his co-authors agreed that AI-based tools may not totally replace human brain in terms of observations made by virologists, epidemiologists or clinicians; however, the value of AI will play a significant and complementary role by reducing the burden on each stakeholder.

Aside from drug discovery and development, Kesari predicts AI would transform telecommuting and unlock the future of work. Ninety-three percent of respondents in a McKinsey & Company global survey of executives reported an increase in remote working and/or collaboration, with over half of them believing that the shift to remote work would continue. Most of us are into video conferencing applications, but the shift from virtual meetings to virtual workspaces would become more apparent in 2021. Merging mixed reality, 5G, and AI will fuel this trend. I observed this transformation when I was dabbling with the Productivity and collaboration apps in Oculus Quest 2, such as Immersed, vSpatial and Spatial. Facebook launched Oculus for Business, an all-in-one enterprise platform to support companies deploying virtual reality (VR) in the workplace. The possibility of a VR office is not just about holding meetings. Collaborating and socializing in the virtual space will take place. For example, Spatial empowers remote team member, each represented by a photorealistic 3D avatar, to meet and collaborate in virtual project rooms. Soon, physical presence of companies will be replicated in an immersive virtual reality.

In 2021 we will see AI, machine learning, and Internet of Things (IoT) define and shape our lives and behaviors, a phenomenon that will continue for many years to come, says Manoj Choudhary, CTO at Jitterbit. Like Kesari, Choudhary thinks the real star that companies will turn to will be the enabling technologies, such as cloud and edge computing. Forrester predicts that 2021 would be the year when edge computing would take off, which would continue to dominate because of their ability to process and manage all the data that fuels AI, machine learning, and IoT. High-speed chips from Intel and Nvidia, and the rollout of 5G will drive this change. Edge computing will eat into the public clouds growth by shaving five percentage points off cloud growth next year.

A prediction at InsideBigData says most consumers would continue to be skeptical of AI. Many dont understand it or even realize theyre using AI-powered services for free Facebook, Google, TikTok, etc. People should make the effort to understanding the pros and cons in surrendering personal data records to the big data companies. The conversation about AI belongs to everyone, not just people working in the AI ecosystem.

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Artificial intelligence will go mainstream in 2021 The Manila Times - The Manila Times

Top 7 Amazing Artificial Intelligence Applications that Are Unfamiliar – Analytics Insight

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When people hear the word artificial intelligence, most of us are tend to think about the atrocious robot that takes over humankind asportrayed in sci-fi movies. Even though it is possible whenAI reaches a certain level of improvement, the current developments in technology are mostly human-friendly. Artificial intelligence refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. Generally,AI benefits in significant fieldslike finance, healthcare, business, and security. Besides, humans can never beat AI in weather prediction, drug discovery, and stock market crashes. We are alreadyemploying AI to do many jobsin our daily routine. For example, Netflix and Spotify use AI technology to sort the viewers preference. A lot of modern home appliances are powered by AI. Henceforth, let us take a moment to think about some extraordinary things that AI is doing today. Analytics Insight brings you a list of AI applications that shows the power of AI.

We always had a thought on how AI will react if it can hear, taste, or smell things. Scientists and researchers have been working to improve such features in AI machines. Even though it is a long way to reach that stage, tech companies are taking baby steps to improve relative technologies. IBM research is collaborated with a German Fragrance House Symrise to introduce artificial olfaction sensation in the perfume industry. They analyzed present fragrance chemical formulas to develop a new way of preparing fragrances. The companies used data to sort consumer choices and preferences by studying historical buying options. Later, they used the data to mix several aromatic components to give people a unique fragrance. In 2019, two AI-prepared aromas were released by the company.

Pet lovers, please take note. AI pets are stealing the market with more love. Generally, children play with cyborg dogs and little robots. It was not a big deal until the real AI pet entered the tech space. AI pets can recognize emotions and respond to your commands. Yes, it is very heartwarming. MOFLIN is an AI pet with emotional capabilities. It evolves like living animals. MOFLIN is designed to learn and constantly grow, using its interactions to determine patterns and evaluate its surroundings from its sensors. The AI pet chooses from an infinite number of mobile and sound pattern combinations to respond and express their feelings.

Thinking AI as a fortune teller might sound funny. But the futuristic technology is bringing breakthrough changes into the modern landscape. AI researchers are working to make technology discover peoples feelings and emotions with high precision. Stanford University researchers unveiled an algorithm that scans faces on images to declare a person as gay. The AI algorithm is efficient enough to detect a gay with 81% accuracy in men and 74% accuracy in women. Social media platforms are also using AI to flag unusual behavior among people, leading to suicide. Facebooks AI detected over a hundred cases that needed attention.

We are at the technological evolution where AI is capable of showing its interest in art and creativity. Today, AI is composing music, drawing pictures and much more. An AI-based system called MuseNet can now compose classical music that echoes the classical legends, Bach and Mozart. OpenAIs MuseNet is a Deep Neural Network that can create four-minute musical compositions with different tech instruments and combine Mozarts country styles with the Beatles. An algorithm developed by Tao Xu at Microsoft Research generates art or pictures. It is trained on a database of photographs and descriptions, matching certain words to particular colors, textures, and shapes.

AI-powered robots are doing the cooking and serving jobs for a long time. Recently, chef robots have invaded the Chinese military to cook food for army men. However, an AI-machine designing the food you crave or suggesting a dish with the left-over ingredients is something to note. IBMs Chef Watson might be the solution home chefs need to overcome a pantry with only a few ingredients that couldnt possibly go together or welcome inspiration to professional chefs who want to evolve their menu through cognitive cooking and take advantage of seasonal ingredients.

We are familiar with how AI is invading every sector and transforming them for good. But we always thought that we are superior to AI in every way. Currently, AI can benefit the resume filtering process, which can be time-consuming and tedious. Even though there are minor issues like AI recruitment facing discrimination problems, the technology is updating its functionalities to conquer them. Besides, AI software can design interview questions for potential hires with a focus on the persons professional competency for a particular job without knowing their race, gender, or ethnicity.

Smart cities are the dream of both governments and people. Many countries worldwide are trying to turn their developing city into a smart city with Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity. According to Omdia, the global smart city AI software market is set to soar to US$4.9 billion in 2025, up from US$673.8 million in 2019. Wireless data communication standards are enabling smart city applications to move into the online realm where they can capitalize on the latest AI innovations.

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Analytics Insight is an influential platform dedicated to insights, trends, and opinions from the world of data-driven technologies. It monitors developments, recognition, and achievements made by Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Analytics companies across the globe.

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Top 7 Amazing Artificial Intelligence Applications that Are Unfamiliar - Analytics Insight

NASCAR Team up with the World Poker Tour while Artificial Intelligence Breaks New Barriers – HighstakesDB

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This week sees a wide-ranging set of stories hitting the industry headlines, with NASCAR, the WPT and Artificial Intelligence all in the mix

By: Andrew Burnett

Well kick off with news that the annual NASCAR Foundations Betty Jane France Memorial High Speed Hold Em Poker Tournament will be moving online for 2021, with the World Poker Tours online sweepstakes-based poker platform, ClubWPT playing host on January 11th.

Phil Hellmuth and Maria Ho will be joining actor Michael Rooker as well as a number of NASCAR legends, including Kyle Busch, Martin Truex, Jr and Brad Keselowski to raise funds for charity.

This year has certainly presented its challenges, NASCAR Foundation Chairman Mike Helton stated.

He added: But it has also created new opportunities and we are very excited to host our first virtual poker tournament allowing greater participation as we raise funds to help the children in our racing communities.

Adam Pliska, CEO of the World Poker Tour, said of the move to virtual poker: The World Poker Tour looks forward to extending its online poker partnerships on ClubWPT with The NASCAR Foundation for this event. Philanthropy is top of mind at the WPT, and the WPT Foundation along with its $27 million raised since 2012, is partnering with The NASCAR Foundation to raise awareness for a great cause and provide a safe environment to play.

The six player final table, to be held at a later date, is expected to include two NASCAR drivers, one poker pro, one celebrity and two qualifiers.

Money raised will benefit The NASCAR Foundations Speediatrics Childrens Fund, and the top 3 finishing drivers in the tournament will see $25k, $15k and $10k respectively going to the charity of their choice.

More details can be found at NASCARfoundation.org/poker.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has long been discussed in the poker world, for many spelling the eventual death knell of the game, for others opening up a wide new world of understanding and knowledge.

A new AI bot, known as ReBel and designed by Facebook, has broken new ground with the ability to play both poker and chess two games which are considered widely divergent when it comes to computers learning them.

Chess, a game of perfect information, recently saw AlphaZero conquer all machines that came before it after teaching itself to play from scratch and mastering the game within mere hours.

Poker, however, as a game of imperfect information has proved much more difficult for a machine to master, although certain versions have seen the bots outplay humans on recent years.

ReBel is set to prove that an AI bot can master both fields, already showing expertise in HUNL (Heads-Up No Limit Holdem) and a game known as Liars Dice.

The algorithm was described by Facebook as as a major step toward developing universal techniques for multiagent interactions, and thus as a step toward complex real-world applications like fraud detection and cybersecurity.

Continuing the AI theme, Tuomas Sandholm, the man behind the poker-playing AI bot Pluribus, has been awarded the 2021 Robert S. Engelmore Memorial Lecture Award from the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) in recognition of his AI research and his service to the AI community.

Sandholm, along with his student at Carnegie Mellon University, Noam Brown, devised the poker bots Claudico, Libratus and Pluribus.

Though a team of pros, including Doug Polk, won against Claudico, the later version called Libratus won $1.7million from four strong poker pros in the rematch.

Sandholms AI then moved on from Heads-Up play to win at 6-max, the Pluribus version defeating pros including Chris Jesus Ferguson and Darren Elias.

Poker is only a small part of the AIs brief, however, and Sandholms award cites him for outstanding research contributions in AI, its application to electronic marketplaces, his highly original use of AI in strategic multi-player games such as poker and the application of AI to optimize transplant organ exchanges.

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Youve heard of Elf on the Shelf; in New Haven theres elf with artificial intelligence – New Haven Register

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The owner of a New Haven-based software company is hoping his holiday creation of an elf with artificial intelligence will lead to wider discussion of pros and cons of the technology.

East Rock Software Founder Stephen Robinson said the elfs brain, which allows it to reply to questions, comes from GPT-3, an algorithm developed by a San Francisco-based company, Open AI. A tiny credit card sized computer processes the questions that are being asked of the elf into text that can be understood by GPT-3, which generates a response.

Robinson said he created the elf as a small way to step people into conversations about AI.

I thought it could be a great way for people to see what the technology is, to see what it can do and what its limitations are, Robinson said. Its important for society to begin dialoguing about this and not just have technologists driving the conversation.

Researchers from the University of Delaware found that a majority of those who participated in a recent survey are wary about how artificial intelligence is used. The survey, which was released in August, found that 70 percent of survey respondents favored some kind of government regulation regarding artificial intelligence.

Common fears that people have regarding the use of artificial intelligence are it might make machines smarter than humans, Robinson said.

But new technology has made people worried from the Luddites on forward, Robinson said.

Luddites were English workers in the 19th century who objected to new technologies, according to history.com. The term has come to be used in reference to individuals who fear changes new technologies will bring.

Robinson said artificial intelligence can be beneficial in helping humans make better use of their time.

Theres tons of time that is really wasted, he said. We are in a world where were drowning in information and a lot of it is badly structured. Thats all stuff a computer should be dealing with.

Robinson was raised in England and got a bachelors degree in engineering and a doctorate in autonomous mobile robotic control from the University of Durham in that country. He came to New Haven in 1997 to do post-doctorate degree work at Yale University.

While at Yale in 2000, Robinson won $60,000 in a business plan competition at the school. Winning the competition led him to rethink what he wanted to do with his life.

I thought there was more that could be done in the start-up space than could be done writing academic scholarly papers for the rest of my career, he said.

Robinson founded East Rock Software in 2012. He said the company provides software development services to help businesses track and analyze data.

Robinson said the companys clients include businesses in the machine learning and data science fields.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com

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How is Artificial Intelligence Transforming the lives of People with Disabilities? – Analytics Insight

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How is Artificial Intelligence Transforming the lives of People with Disabilities?

Technology is an excellent way to enhance the lives of people with disabilities. With the advent of artificial intelligence, several avenues of research have opened up that focus on enhancing the lives of people with impairment.

For instance, Facebook has designed an AI tool that can help the blind see again. This AI model explains the images on the Facebook feed of a blind person, so the person using the screen reader gets an idea of what is going on in the picture.This means people with visual impairment no longer have to hear a screen reader say Photo by John Doe. Googles Look to Speak app uses machine learning and computer vision to allow users to control their devices with their eyes

Similarly, OrCam, a Jerusalem-based company, has developed an AI-based called OrCam Read. This handheld device can read full pages or screens of text aloud from any printed or digital surface, including newspapers, books, product labels, and computers and smartphones. Through this device, OrCam aims to help people with reading challenges, such as dyslexia, mild to moderate vision loss, reading fatigue, as well as for those who read large volumes of text.

Even company giants like Microsoft have started afive-year programcalled AI for Accessibility, with an investment ofUS$25 million,aiming to put AI in the hands of developers to make the world more accessible by providing AI solutions for the specially-abled. Artificial intelligence not only assists people with physical disabilities but is also helping people struggling with learning problems and mental health issues. E.g., Microsofts Windows Hello uses biometric login, i.e., fingerprint, face, or iris, which can work for people with physical disabilities or those with dyslexia who might struggle to remember passwords. AI chatbots like Woebot and Wysa are ensuring the availability of consultation for mental health woes, beyond the therapist hours 24/7.

Meanwhile, people suffering from epilepsy can have seizures from blinking lights and animations. This is why accessiBe, a web accessibility platform enables epileptic users to disable various types of animation, such as GIFs and videos so that they can browse the web without complications. Voiceittis an app for people with speech impediments, including both those who need it temporarily after strokes and brain injuries, and those with more long-term conditions like cerebral palsy, Parkinsons, and Downs syndrome. The app uses machine learning to pick up speakers unique speech patterns, recognize any mispronunciations, and rectify them before creating an audio or text output. Livio AI, developed by Starkey,an AI medical device company, is a hearing aid that will enhance the hearing experience by quieting all the external noise from the environment and tracking health-related data to enable patients to seek help during emergencies.

Thanks to artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles also promise toprovide people with disabilities more mobilitythan ever before. Once the self-driving vehicles are fully integrated into society, they can be a resourceful asset for people with different disabilities, including motor impairment. These people would no longer be dependent on other people or public transport.

Further, most of the existing testing methods are highly ineffective at pinpointing learning disabilities like dyslexia or dyscalculia. Artificial Intelligence can help teachers and healthcare professionals diagnose early signs of such conditions and help the students accordingly. For instance, Australian startup Dystechhas developed a screening app for early detection of such learning disorders.

Built on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Dystech employs artificial intelligence and machine learning to screen test if the user has dyslexia or dysgraphia. For the former, the app uses datasets of audio recording from both dyslexic and non-dyslexic adults and children to train the AI and relies on users reading aloud words that appear on the screen while being recorded using their smart device during assessment . And for dysgraphia it uses a photo of a handwritten text for screening. After subjected to a 10-minute screening test, app informs users about their likelihood of having dyslexia or dysgraphia.

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How is Artificial Intelligence Transforming the lives of People with Disabilities? - Analytics Insight

How Bad Is Your Spotify? There’s Artificial Intelligence to Judge Your Taste – Distractify

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If 2020 hasn't been tough enough for you, there's now an Artificial Intelligence bot that wants to judge your taste in music.

Many added sad ballads to their daily song collections on Spotify to keep up with the mood of 2020. Others queued up throwbacks to remember the good times before masks, quarantines, and COVID pods entered into our daily vernacular.

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Some who pride themselves on their ability to make a playlist have tirelessly continued to curate their Spotify brands in 2020 in order to have a flashy "Spotify Wrapped" to share on Instagram by the year's end.

Even if you tried, according to the bot, you probably failed.

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Whether you think you've put together a collection that Beyonc would approve of or you know your profile consists of a very niche type of sound, The Pudding has you covered.

They created an A.I. bot to help you answer the age-old question: How bad is your Spotify?

Find out below how to take the test and to see some of the internet's funniest responses.

Everyone has a friend or a loved one who thinks his or her Spotify is the pinnacle of good taste. The "How Bad Is Your Spotify" test is for them.

The test was created by Matt Daniels and Mike Lacher for The Pudding, which "is a digital publication that explains ideas debated in culture with visual essays."

Those who click on the quiz will be met with the following message: "Our sophisticated A.I. judges your awful taste in music."

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Those who think that their playlists are immune from criticism may not like what the bot tells them. The purpose of the test is to poke fun at people who take their Spotify brands seriously.

Once you do decide to find out how bad your Spotify is, you'll have to log in to your account. The A.I. bot will then dissect your listening patterns and it will cater an insult based on what kind of music you gravitate towards.

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The results tell users what tracks they "listen to too much" and what creators they stan "to an uncomfortable extent."

Participants will ultimately receive a percentage score for how bad / basic their Spotify account is. To add insult to injury, the bot will also tell you if you're stuck in a particular genre or era.

As expected, Twitter users have gleefully responded to the prospect of sharing their "How Bad Is Your Spotify" results ... both the fake and the real ones.

The content is *chef's kiss* perfection, and it makes taking the test worthwhile.

Because honestly, did you even really take the quiz if you didn't share it online?

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This person was roasted for listening to a lot of rap music, and the A.I. bot even asked him if he was OK. If that wasn't enough, the user was also told that his music taste was stuck in the 2010s.

Unsurprisingly, Swifties were given a lot of heat by the A.I.

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Those who find themselves a bit hurt by what the A.I. had to say about their music tastes should be comforted by the fact that they're in good company. The bot is shady toward everyone's lists.

'Tis the season, after all.

You can find out how awful your Spotify is here.

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Artificial intelligence measure included in must-pass government funding deal – Homeland Preparedness News

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Home Threats News Cyber Artificial intelligence measure included in must-pass government funding deal

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A group of lawmakers recently touted the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Government Act, which was included in the must-pass government funding deal and set to become law.

Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Rob Portman (R-OH), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said the legislation ensures the use of AI across the federal government is effective, ethical, and accountable by providing resources and guidance to federal agencies.

We need to get smart on AI if we want to have a competitive edge against the rest of the world in the next decade, Schatz, ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet, said. That starts with making sure the federal government is using AI technology ethically and effectively. With our bill set to become law, we will now be able to coordinate AI strategy so that all federal agencies can take full advantage of these new technologies and do so in a responsible way.

The Acts provisions include expanding an office within the General Services Administration to provide technical expertise to relevant government agencies; conducting forward-looking research on federal AI policy; promoting domestic competitiveness through agency and industry cooperation; establishing an advisory board to address AI policy opportunities and challenges for executive agencies; and directing the Office of Management and Budget to establish a strategy for investing and using AI as part of the federal data strategy.

Artificial intelligence is an emerging frontier, and the United States has a responsibility to ensure our government is using this technology ethically and efficiently, Peters, ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and a founding member of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus, said. I am thrilled this bipartisan measure will become law so government employees and agencies can utilize this innovative technology.

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PetrSU joined the fight for leadership in the field of artificial intelligence applications in Russia and in the world – India Education Diary

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The programmers of the Center for Artificial Intelligence are developing new unique products that can be used in almost all sectors of the economy.The AI center is developing smart sensor technologies. They take readings about the technical condition, operating conditions, operation of production equipment. Now such sensors are equipped with machines in the shops of PetrozavodskMash.

Vasily Melentyev, Director of the Center for Engineering Systems, said:

With the help of vibration, we can identify various kinds of defects and eliminate them. This will not affect the operation of the equipment, that is, the marriage will not go, and it will be regular.

Specialists of the Center for Artificial Intelligence are post-graduate students, teachers, scientists of PetrSU. They are the ones who develop intelligent systems that develop data analysis and search for patterns using algorithms and machine learning methods. Special attention is paid to the tasks of security and video analytics. For example, with the help of video systems, you can calculate those who walk in public places without a mask or without a helmet in production.

Alexey Marakhtanov, Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence:

Another area is natural language processing. We are developing a series of dialogue systems to simplify the service of the public, students, employees who work remotely.

In addition, the university is now actively introducing VR technologies (Virtual Reality, VR Virtual Reality, Artificial World), which are used to teach students online. Students without leaving home can visit various educational sites, participate in meetings and project development.

Vice-rector for academic affairs K.G. Tarasov noted:

The university has gained quite a lot of experience, and this is due to the first wave of distance learning in spring and summer. And today we have entered the distance as planned and we believe that it is being successfully implemented.

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Declining Sea Levels in the Caspian Sea Will Lead to ‘Genuine Ecocide,’ Scientists Warn | The Weather Channel – Articles from The Weather Channel |…

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Sea level rise caused by climate change rightly gets a great deal of attention, but problems associated with falling water levels in inland seas and lakes are not as well known.

A group of scientists says that needs to change as they warn that the effects of global warming on these lakes will "affect the livelihoods and economies of millions of people all over the world."

As an example of these effects, the German and Dutch researchers looked at the Caspian Sea, which they say will drop 30 to 60 feet by the end of this century as evaporation increases dramatically.

The Caspian Sea is actually the worlds largest lake. It lies between Europe and Asia and is bordered by Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Since the 1990s, water levels in the Caspian have dropped a few inches every year.

A decline of 30 feet would uncover nearly 36,000 square miles of land or an area the size of Portugal, the authors said in an article on The Conversation website.

"A genuine ecocide is around the corner," they wrote.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of the Caspian Sea, left, on June 4, 2010. The map on the right shows the impact of Caspian Sea level projections of -30 feet and -60 feet at the end of the 21st century. Red regions fall dry.

In their paper, "The other side of sea level change," published in Communications Earth & Environment, the scientists say that decline in sea level will severely affect the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea, which has already been damaged by pollution, oil and gas exploration and the introduction of invasive species.

(MORE: 2020's Worst Environmental Disasters, and How Climate Change Played a Role)

The drastically lower sea levels caused by climate change will mean a loss of winter sea ice, which will affect the pupping grounds of the endangered Caspian seal.

Shallow-water habitats that provide food for fish, migrating birds and the seals will disappear.

Important wetlands on the Volga River Delta and along the Iranian coast "will be transformed beyond recognition."

Dead zones will form as pollution and nutrients flow into shallow and deeper parts of the sea.

The Caspian seal is one of the endangered, native species that will be severely affected by the emergence of the northern Caspian shelf and reduction of winter sea ice due to rising temperatures. Today, at least 99% of the pupping grounds are located there.

The loss of fishing grounds, aquaculture facilities and tourism and recreation "will have drastic socioeconomic consequences and may trigger local and regional conflicts," according to the paper by Matthias Prange, Thomas Wilke and Frank P. Wesselingh.

(MORE: One Third of U.S. Rivers Changed Their Color, Three Decades of Satellite Images Show)

They say the lack of public and political awareness of the Caspian sea level decline applies to lake levels around the world, and a growing number of scientific studies predict drying caused by global warming that may lead to substantial lake level drops in Asian, African, and American basins.

"The impacts of the overlooked facet of future sea level change falling levels of lakes and seas in continental interiors on a global scale could be similarly devastating as global sea level rise, and threaten the livelihood of millions of people worldwide," the authors wrote.

"Immediate and coordinated action is needed to make up for valuable time lost. The shrinking Caspian Sea might serve as a poster child of the problem that will help to galvanize such actions."

The Weather Companys primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

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Winter is a Great Time to Take Care of Your Legs Do Unsightly Veins Only Occur as You Age? – Magazine of Santa Clarita

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Varicose and spider veins are a common problem found in approximately 25% of the population. A common misconception is that they tend to occur only in older patients and women. In reality, they can be found in men and women of any age. Heredity is another risk factor for venous disease.Why do Spider and Varicose veins occur more in the legs?Because we stand or sit for prolong periods of time. We make the leg veins work much harder than in any other part of our body. Leg veins normally carry blood back from the feet to the heart. Vein valves keep blood flowing in one direction. However, in many people, the valves and veins become abnormal and allow blood to flow backwards towards their ankles. This is called venous reflux. This then exerts pressure on the surface skin veins that bulge out. If left untreated, this can result in leg pain, restless legs, itching, cramping, swelling, ankle discoloration and thickened skin. Ultimately, it can cause open wounds or ulcers at the ankles. Left untreated this may lead to more serious medical issues.Spider veins can be erased with sclerotherapy where a chemical is injected into the fine veins, causing them to seal and disappear. For venous reflux, invasive surgical vein stripping is no longer necessary. The abnormal veins can be closed using endovenous catheter ablation which is a minimally invasive treatment. Phlebectomy can also be performed where multiple tiny incisions are made to remove the bulging veins. All of these can be done safely and comfortably in the office, with minimal downtime afterwards.At the L.A. Vein Center, Dr. Larisse K. Lee, a board certified vascular and general surgeon, offers all of these treatments. If needed, we perform an in house ultrasound evaluation so a rapid diagnosis can be made. We evaluate every patient thoroughly and tailor a treatment plan according to the individuals needs. We accept Medicare and most major PPO insurance. Call 818-325-0400 to schedule an appointment today.

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Winter is a Great Time to Take Care of Your Legs Do Unsightly Veins Only Occur as You Age? - Magazine of Santa Clarita

This beautiful island near England is offering free accommodation – Happytrips

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An unpaid but interesting jobIf you are comfortable with working on a small island known for its conservation and sustainability, applying for the post of a volunteer assistant warden on Lundy Island, located 19 km off the coast of southwest England, may be a viable option for you.

What are the roles and eligibility?

The island authorities require two assistant wardens for the seabirds from April to July 2021. They also need two assistant wardens for the Atlantic Grey Seals from July to September 2021, and an assistant ranger between April and October.

About Lundys diverse marine and wildlifeLundy is home to reefs, kelp forests, caves and the biggest seabird colony in Englands southwest. Species of birds like the kittiwake, razorbill, guillemot, Manx shearwater and puffins have their habitat there. There are 330 different plant species being protected by the island staff.Amenities on the islandNo cars are run on the island, and its 23 self-catering accommodations do not have televisions, radios or telephones. It has a tavern, a 40-person campsite and a general store. The best time to visit the island is from spring to autumn, i.e. March 31 to late October.

Lundy Island was bought by philanthropist businessman Jack Hayward in 1969 and handed over to the National Trust. It is the UK's most important wildlife sanctuary, and has aced ecotourism, using renewable energy and being plastic-free.

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3,800-year-old baby in a jar unearthed in Israel – Livescience.com

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Archaeologists in Israel have unearthed a 3,800-year-old jar that contains something surprising the skeleton of a baby.

Though such infant burials are not so uncommon, it's a mystery why the infants were buried in this way, said Yoav Arbel, an Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist who was part of the team that found the jar.

"You might go to the practical thing and say that the bodies were so fragile, [maybe] they felt the need to protect it from the environment, even though it is dead," Arbel told Live Science. "But there's always the interpretation that the jar is almost like a womb, so basically the idea is to return [the] baby back into Mother Earth, or into the symbolic protection of his mother."

Related: Photos: A walk through Israel's Old Jaffa

The 4,000-year-old city of Jaffa, where the jar was found, is the older part of Tel Aviv, the second most populated city in Israel after Jerusalem. It was one of the earliest port cities in the world, and has been almost continuously occupied since about 900 B.C., Arbel said

"We're talking about a city that was ruled by a lot of different people," Arbel said. "Let's say that a lot of flags flew from its mast before Israel's flag of today."

Despite how strange the baby burial seems to modern eyes, it's not an unusual find for the region.

"There are different periods when people buried infants in jars in Israel," Arbel said. "The Bronze Age all the way to less than 100 years ago."

The finds were detailed in the 100th issue of the journal Atiqot, which includes more than 50 other studies on archaeology from Jaffa.

Because Jaffa has been almost continuously used for four millennia, the other finds described in the journal span the Hellenistic, Crusader and Ottoman periods. For instance, at another site, Arbel and his team found a big rubbish pit brimming with pieces of imported amphorae (ceramic vessels) dating to the Hellenistic period, from the fourth to the first centuries B.C. These roughly 2,300-year-old amphorae, which were used to hold wine, were crafted on various Greek Aegean Islands such as Rhodes and Kos, Arbel said. This one pit provides more evidence that trade routes between Jaffa and Greece were robust, Arbel said.

Archaeologists also found: 30 coins dating to the Hellenistic, Crusader (12th13th centuries), late Ottoman (late 18thearly 20th centuries) and British Mandate (1942) periods; the remains of at least two horses and pottery dating to the Ottoman Empire; 95 glass vessel fragments from Roman and Crusader times; and 232 seashells, including those from the Mediterranean Sea, land snails and three mother-of-pearl buttons.

There's also the witty, ancient Greek mosaic discovered near a A.D. fourth- or fifth-century necropolis, saying "Be of good courage, all who are buried here. This is it!"

In essence, it means "this is life!" and that death is everyone's shared destiny, said Zvi Greenhut, head of the publication department at the IAA, told Live Science.

Originally published on Live Science.

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Couple celebrates 73rd anniversary – The Daily Standard

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Thursday, December 24th, 2020

By Leslie Gartrell

Paul and Rita Linton laugh Thursday afternoon as they try to remember when they. . .

CELINA - Sunlight seeped into Paul and Rita Linton's Celina home through tall, floor-to-ceiling windows in mid-December.

The extra light warmed the room, but it wasn't necessary. The room was already light and warm as the Lintons spoke about their relationship and love for each other. The couple are celebrating 73 years of marriage today.

"It doesn't seem that long ago," Rita Linton, 91, said with a tinge of surprise at how quickly time has passed.

The pair met through mutual friends when they were in high school. Both are from Van Wert County and lived through World War II. Paul Linton said his parents would ration gasoline like many families did at the time. Most families would make one trip into town, usually on a Saturday, and let their kids run around Main Street while they ran errands.

Rita Linton was a regular at the roller rink, and Paul Linton had his dad's car the night they met. He offered to drive her home and later offered to take her on a date on Easter Sunday.

Dates on holidays are a pattern with the Lintons. Paul Linton, also 91, said his parents married on Christmas Day and he wanted the same thing. The best they could do was Christmas Eve.

The couple married on Christmas Eve, 1947, when they were both 19. The two were wed at a parsonage in Van Wert, with two of their friends as their only witnesses.

Rita Linton described the day as simple and relatively plain. Her father had died, and she would never have asked her mother to help pay for the special day.

Quick-witted and more outspoken than her husband, she said looking back it may have been wiser to have a different wedding date. People already had plans, no photographers were available, and they didn't really have a honeymoon planned. Paul Linton said they spent their wedding night in Columbus and had wedding photos taken a few weeks afterward.

"It was kind of dumb," she said with a chuckle. "The holidays are always busy, and you cheat yourself out of a gift."

The two lived with Paul Linton's father for a while until they found a place of their own to rent.

"It was a shack, but we were happy," he said.

The Lintons have cycled through several different career paths throughout their lives. While they lived in their "shack," the couple raised chickens and Paul Linton farmed about 80 acres for a local farmer until he died.

After that, they worked at an apple orchard in Mendon. The Lintons said while the working conditions weren't their favorite, they enjoyed getting their three young children involved in making cider or picking apples.

The couple moved to a farmhouse near Celina in the early 1960s, where they were proud to see their children blossom and thrive. Paul Linton worked at the New Idea Co. for more than 22 years, while his wife worked at National Seal and later as a nurse at Van Wert Hospital for 14-15 years.

Eventually, Paul Linton began work at Tractors Inc. and worked his way up the ranks from shop worker to president and then became a major shareholder of the company.

After he retired he took up woodworking, which he has done for more than 20 years. Rita Linton gushed about how her husband makes gorgeous stained bowls, decorations and containers, which largely go to the grandkids nowadays.

She said she could be a lot to handle, especially when the pair were in the early stages of their relationship. Sensitive, extroverted and outspoken, the retired nurse said she and her husband had to learn how to communicate effectively.

Paul Linton agreed. The complete opposite, he is more soft-spoken, not one to complain and hasn't been known to share his feelings readily.

"One thing that's very important is to share your life, your feelings, with each other," she said. "That's not to say you'll get your way all the time. But you'll be heard. Talking and sharing is part of being married."

The Lintons were realistic about their relationship. A successful 73-year marriage doesn't come without its hiccups or arguments. If the two did have a spat, Rita Linton said they made a point of never going to bed mad at each other.

"There are times you get aggravated, but try not to go to bed angry," she advised.

Their faith has also played a large role in their relationship. Before the pandemic, the two went to church every Sunday at Grand Lake United Methodist Church. Paul Linton served on several different committees, ushered almost every Sunday and has been a trustee.

Rita Linton related back to the Bible when she spoke of what she loved most about her husband.

"He has the patience of Job," she said warmly. "He'd have to have (patience) to live with me. I speak how I feel. If something hurts me, I let him know. I don't hold it in. And he may not give me the right answers, what I want to hear, but he has the patience of Job."

Paul Linton attributes his success - as a father, a businessman and a husband - to his wife. Knowing she was raising the kids to be good people, keeping the lights on at home all while finding time to work gave him room to succeed.

"She raised the kids, kept the books, kept the bills paid," he said. "I could do more work and be more successful with her help at her home."

A spouse is a person you cherish for a lifetime, despite bumps in the road and obstacles in the way. Paul Linton said even now at 91, some things he wishes he would have done differently to treat his wife the way she deserves. He advised young couples to keep the future in mind.

"You look back at all the things you should have done for her that you didn't," he said. "It's kind of late now to do it. But you look back, there's a lot more things you should have done for your partner than what you actually did."

The Lintons have shared a lifetime of love, along with three children, eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

"They're all over the place," Paul Linton joked.

Getting the family together to celebrate Christmas and their anniversary is out of the question this year thanks to the pandemic. However, the two are more than happy to spend their time celebrating by thanking God for their long, happy lives together.

"We share our successfulness and being here to God," Rita Linton said. "Give him the credit (for) keeping us here and keeping us going."

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Top 10 Asian American achievements of 2020 – Northwest Asian Weekly

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By Nina HuangNorthwest Asian Weekly

In a turbulent year of ups and downs mostly downs there were still a few bright spots within the Asian and Asian American community that stood out. Here are our top 10 Asian and Asian American achievements of 2020.

1. Kamala Harris and many firsts

Kamala Harris became the first Black and Indian American woman to become the vice president-elect with the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. She made history again when she and President-Elect Joseph Biden were named Times Person of the Year. Harris is the first vice president to be featured on the cover and be named Times Person of the Year.

2. Asian Americans made history again this election

Democrat Adrian Tam becomes the only openly gay Asian American in Hawaiis House of Representatives. Tam beat Nicholas Ochs, a leader of the Hawaii chapter of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, with 63%t of the vote.

Democrat Nikil Saval becomes the first South Asian American elected to Pennsylvanias state senate.

Democrats Jenifer Rajkumar and Zohran Mamdani made history when they became the first South Asians voted into the lower house of the New York state legislature.

Democrat restaurateur and activist Francesca Hong won the 76th Assembly District becoming the first Asian American to serve in the Wisconsin state Legislature.

Democrat Marilyn Strickland, a former mayor of Tacoma, will be the first Black person to represent the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Idaho, and Oregon) in Congress and will be the first Korean American woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Democrat Mai Vang became the first Asian woman to be elected to the Sacramento City Council.

Democrat Alex Lee won Californias 25th Assembly District race. At 25, hell become Californias youngest Asian American state legislator ever, the first openly bisexual state legislator, and the first Gen Z assembly member.

Democrat Jocelyn Yow became the youngest woman of color to be sworn in as the mayor of Eastvale in Riverside County in California.

Republican Michelle Steel flipped Californias 48th District, which encompasses most of the Orange County coast. She will be one of the first Korean American women to serve in U.S. Congress.

Republican Young Kim won a congressional seat in Orange Countys 39th Congressional District.

3. Asias impressive COVID-19 response

Asian countries and city-states like Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore have generated global praise and envy from other countries for their impressive responses to the global pandemic. Having learned from the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2003, these governments were better prepared for COVID-19.

For instance, in Taiwan, government officials rapidly produced and implemented a task list, and ramped up mask production early on. Experts say that closing Taiwans borders early and tightly regulating travel have made a tremendous impact fighting the virus.

Here in the United States, Asians, especially Asian immigrants, were among the first to adopt judicious COVID response strategies such as mask-wearing, hand-washing, and social distancing, showing that there is always much to be learned from the Asian community, at home and abroad.

4. Panda gives birth

A little black and white miracle was born in August at the Smithsonians National Zoo in Washington, DC. Zookeepers were surprised to find out that giant panda Mei Xiang had tissue consistent with fetal development during her ultrasound a week before she gave birth to Xiao Qi Ji (little miracle in Chinese). Cheers to some paw-sitive and cute news for 2020.

5. Dave Chang wins $1 million

Famed chef David Chang became the first celebrity to win $1 million on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for Southern Smoke Foundation, a nonprofit that provides crisis relief organization for people in the food and beverage industry. With the help of his friend and ESPN journalist Mina Kimes (a fellow Korean American), they answered the million dollar question correctly.

Chang was asked to name the first U.S. president to have electricity in the White House.

6. Fifteen-year-old Gintanjali Rao was named Times Kid of the Year

Gintanjali Rao was named Time magazines first-ever Kid of the Year. She uses technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying.

She is on a mission to create a global community of young innovators to solve some of the worlds biggest problems. Rao was chosen from more than 5,000 nominees.

7. Asians who are out of this world

Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi successfully completed NASAs first commercial crew program flight, as part of SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience.

Jonny Kim will be the first Korean American to join a NASA mission in space. The 36-year-old, who was once a Navy Seal and a doctor, will also be part of NASAs 2024 missions to walk on the moon.

Aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman announced that they would name their new spacecraft after the late Kalpana Chawla (S.S. Kalpana Chawla), who was the first Indian-born woman to fly into space.

8. Asians making statements in the literary scene

Taiwanese American Charles Yu won this years National Book Award for Fiction for Interior Chinatown. The novel tackles on-screen Asian representation and stereotypes. The book has also been longlisted for the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction and was also a finalist or shortlisted for the Prix Mdicis tranger award. This is Yus fourth book.

In addition, the Whiting Foundation has awarded Ling Ma as one of 10 emerging writers and also with $50,000, for Severance, her fictional debut novel about a zombie pandemic.

On the nonfiction side, the Whiting Foundation awarded Jia Tolentino with the honors.

9. Overdue recognition for Chinese American veterans

An estimated 20,000 Chinese Americans who fought under the American flag during World War II have been given official recognition by the U.S. Congress for their patriotism and service. They were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest honor that Congress can award.

10. Carvey Ehren Maigue wins sustainability award

Carvey Ehren Maigue, a 27-year-old engineering student from Mapua University in the Philippines, became the first-ever winner of James Dyson Awards Sustainability Award. He invented a technology, AuREUS, or Aurora Renewable Energy and UV Sequestration, that turns spoiled, damaged crops into solar panels. He beat out 1,700 other entries from 27 countries and won the 30,000 (USD $39,931) cash prize.

Nina can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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6 biggest fears to overcome if you want to be successful in 2021, according to a futurist – CNBC

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Research shows the that the biggest barrier to ongoing success isn't time, money or resources it's resistance to change and lack of risk tolerance.

As fast-moving and unpredictable as today's world is, we're all forced to adapt on a daily basis. In my years of research as a futurist, I've found that fear comes in six flavors. If you shift your perspectives and learn to conquer them, the possibilities will be endless in 2021.

Whether it's in yourcareeror a relationship, yourisk being left behind if you stay put and don't continue to grow.

Don't try to predict the future. Instead, study events as they take shape, and adapt. Design a portfolio of smart bets to take bets in the form of changing decisions and actions. Constantly revise them as you gain new information.

It can sometimes feel uncomfortable to be in your own company or left to operate with little or no support from others, especially amid a pandemic.

But there are ways to push forward. Take small steps to build trust and strong relationships with your colleagues, friends and family members. Be part of the team, but reclaim your relationship with yourself, too.

Having a hostile personal or professional interaction with others can often get ugly. But when we always try to avoid these situations, problems don't get fixed.

Ask yourself: What's worth your time, and what isn't? Take a step back and think about the best ways to tackle them. Begin addressing them one step at a time, updating your strategy based on the results you get.

You didn't get the job. A potential client is avoiding you. Your product or service got refused. We've all been there.

Maintain confidence and keep forging ahead. You're going to hear "no" more often than "yes" in life. And sometimes, no often simply means "no for now" so don't hesitate to try later, as circumstances can change.

Research shows that the need to stay on top of everything and manage circumstances and people around us is often rooted the fear of losing control.

Instead of questioning your ability to command or adapt to situations that don't go your way, accept that certain variables are beyond your control. Focus on things that you have the power to manage.

Big, meaningful goals take time to achieve. And you may experience more than a few setbacks before getting there.

Experiment frequently. Fail fast and often, but fail smartly use failure as a way to test new strategies and solutions to course-correct as you go until you find success. Just don't make the same mistake twice.

Scott Steinbergis a futurist, keynote speaker on business trends and the bestselling author of"Fast >> Forward"and"Think Like a Futurist."An award-winning strategic consultant, Scott was named by Fortune magazine as a leading expert on innovation. Follow him onTwitter.

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6 biggest fears to overcome if you want to be successful in 2021, according to a futurist - CNBC

Apple Is Reportedly Releasing a Self-Driving Car in 2024 – Futurism

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Project Titan

According to a Reuters exclusive, tech giant Apple is planning to produce a self-driving passenger car to be released as soon as 2024 despite several layoffs hitting the companys automobile efforts over the last couple of years.

The project, known as Project Titan, was reportedly first approved by CEO Tim Cook six years ago. Rumors surrounding Apples efforts to built a car started swirling in 2015. Ever since then, the project has been kept tightly under wraps.

Apple may have ambitious plans for its automotive efforts that span beyond just self-driving capabilities. According to Reuters, the company is designing a new battery that could radically reduce the cost of batteries and increase range.

If there is one company on the planet that has the resources to do that, its probably Apple, an unnamed Project Titan team member told Reuters. But at the same time, its not a cellphone.

Self-driving tech will reportedly rely on lidar, not unlike the sensors built into Apples iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro devices that were released this year.

A new monocell battery design could free up a ton of space inside the battery pack. Its next level, Reuters source said. Like the first time you saw the iPhone.

READ MORE: Exclusive: Apple targets car production by 2024 and eyes next level battery technology [Reuters]

More on Apples car: Apple Lays Off 200 Workers From Secretive Self-Driving Car Project

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Apple Is Reportedly Releasing a Self-Driving Car in 2024 - Futurism