Today: October 13, 2024
Today: October 13, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

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ChatGPT and other language AIs are nothing without humans – a sociologist explains how countless hidden people make the magic

Do you know who helped ChatGPT give you that clever answer? Eric Smalley, The Conversation US (composite derived from Library of Congress image), CC BY-ND The media frenzy surrounding ChatGPT and other large language model artificial intelligence systems spans a range of themes, from the prosaic – large language models could replace conventional web search – to the concerning – AI will eliminate many jobs – and the overwrought – AI poses an extinction-level threat to humanity. All of these themes have a common denominator: large language models herald artificial intelligence that will supersede humanity. But large language models, for

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Memes about animal resistance are everywhere — here’s why you shouldn’t laugh off rebellious orcas and sea otters too quickly

It’s tempting to envision orcas attacking yachts as the forward troops in an animal uprising. Jackson Roberts/iStock via Getty Images Plus Memes galore centered on the “orca revolution” have inundated the online realm. They gleefully depict orcas launching attacks on boats in the Strait of Gibraltar and off the Shetland coast. One particularly ingenious image showcases an orca posed as a sickle crossed with a hammer. The cheeky caption reads, “Eat the rich,” a nod to the orcas’ penchant for sinking lavish yachts. A surfboard-snatching sea otter in Santa Cruz, California has also claimed the media spotlight. Headlines dub her

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Identifying fire victims through DNA analysis can be challenging − a geneticist explains what forensics is learning from archaeology

Identifying victims after a disaster can offer closure to loved ones. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong Fire devastates communities and families, and it makes identification of victims challenging. In the aftermath of the wildfire that swept through Lahaina, Hawaii, officials are collecting DNA samples from relatives of missing persons in the hope that this can aid in identifying those who died in the fire. But how well does DNA hold up under such extreme conditions, and what is the best way to recover DNA from fire victims? I am an anthropological geneticist who studies degraded DNA in archaeological and forensic contexts.

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Tipping etiquette and norms are in flux − here’s how you can avoid feeling flustered or ripped off

Digital payment methods may automatically prompt you to leave a gratuity. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh Tipping has gotten more complicated – and awkward – in North America. The ever-growing list of situations in which you might be invited to tip includes buying a smoothie, paying an electrician, getting a beer from a flight attendant and making a political donation. Should you always tip when someone suggests it? If yes, how do you calculate the right amount? And if you don’t, are you being stingy? As marketing professors who specialize in customer interactions, we’re researching how digital payment technologies have changed

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Leading politician says victory for Niger’s coup leaders would be ‘the end of democracy’ in Africa

If mutinous soldiers who ousted Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum succeed, it will threaten democracy and security across the region and the continent, a high-ranking member of Bazoum’s political party warned in an interview with The Associated Press. Boubacar Sabo, deputy secretary general for the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism, said Bazoum had been “kidnapped” by members of the presidential guard who overthrew him on July 26 and have since kept him under house arrest. “What is happening in Niger, if it succeeds, is the end of democracy in Africa. It’s over. … If we fight

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US, Japan and South Korea agree on new security pledge ahead of Camp David summit

The United States, Japan and South Korea are set to sign on to a new security pledge, committing the three countries to consult with each other in the event of a security crisis or threat in the Pacific, according to Biden administration officials. Details about the new “duty to consult” commitment emerged as President Joe Biden prepared Friday to welcome South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a summit at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. The move is one of several joint efforts that the leaders are expected to

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Firefighters battle through the night to halt wildfire in Spain’s popular tourist island of Tenerife

Firefighters battled overnight to try to bring under control the worst wildfire in decades on the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife, a major tourist destination, officials said Friday. The fire in the north of the island, which started late Tuesday, has forced the evacuation or confinement of nearly 8,000 people in eight municipalities. Television images and videos posted on social media showed the flames coming down the hill close to houses in small neighborhoods and a massive cloud of smoke rising from the area. The fire is located up in a pine

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Former Austrian leader Kurz charged with giving false evidence to a corruption inquiry

Austria’s former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has been charged with making false statements to a parliamentary inquiry into alleged corruption in his first government, which collapsed in a scandal in 2019, prosecutors said Friday. An indictment against Kurz, his former chief of staff, Bernhard Bonelli, and another unidentified person was filed at the state court in Vienna, the prosecutors’ office that investigates corruption cases said in a statement. The court said Kurz will go on trial on Oct. 18. The charges result from an investigation that was launched in 2021, when Kurz was still chancellor. It centers on

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Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley set the tone in the race to be the ‘Fastest Mouth in the World’

Ever since Usain Bolt exited the men’s sprint game, the 100 meters — the race for the title of “Fastest Man in the World” — has been a snoozy affair filled with men of few words and names from out of nowhere. Maybe, just maybe, that’s about to change, just in time for the run-up to next year’s Paris Olympics. Two of the fastest sprinters in the United States, Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley, brought some smack talk and even a bit of fun back to track, turning a routine news conference Friday in advance of

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Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline after Wall Street drops on higher bond yields

Asian shares mostly slipped Friday as rising yields in the bond market on Wall Street set off expectations that high interest rates would continue in the U.S. Japan’s inflation data showed consumer prices rose 3.1% from a year earlier in July, down from 3.3% in June. But that was still higher than the 2.5% forecast by some analysts and above the Bank of Japan’s target at 2%. The core consumer price index, which eliminates energy and fresh food prices from the measure, rose 4.3% on year, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Japan’s Nikkei

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Hilary rapidly grows to Category 4 hurricane off Mexico and could bring heavy rain to US Southwest

Hurricane Hilary grew rapidly to Category 4 strength off Mexico’s Pacific coast and could bring heavy rain to the southwestern U.S. by the weekend. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hilary had sustained winds near 140 mph (220 kph) at midnight and was expected to continue its rapid intensification through Friday morning. It should start to weaken Saturday. Tropical storm conditions could begin affecting the Baja California peninsula late Friday. Hilary’s projected path threatened landfall in the middle of the peninsula by Sunday, or it may stay just offshore while heading for Southern California. Hilary was

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Leading politician says victory for Niger’s coup leaders would be ‘the end of democracy’ in Africa

If mutinous soldiers who ousted Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum succeed, it will threaten democracy and security across the region and the continent, a high-ranking member of Bazoum’s political party warned in an interview with The Associated Press. Boubacar Sabo, deputy secretary general for the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism, said Bazoum had been “kidnapped” by members of the presidential guard who overthrew him on July 26 and have since kept him under house arrest. “What is happening in Niger, if it succeeds, is the end of democracy in Africa. It’s over. … If we fight

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US, Japan and South Korea agree on new security pledge ahead of Camp David summit

The United States, Japan and South Korea are set to sign on to a new security pledge, committing the three countries to consult with each other in the event of a security crisis or threat in the Pacific, according to Biden administration officials. Details about the new “duty to consult” commitment emerged as President Joe Biden prepared Friday to welcome South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a summit at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. The move is one of several joint efforts that the leaders are expected to

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Firefighters battle through the night to halt wildfire in Spain’s popular tourist island of Tenerife

Firefighters battled overnight to try to bring under control the worst wildfire in decades on the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife, a major tourist destination, officials said Friday. The fire in the north of the island, which started late Tuesday, has forced the evacuation or confinement of nearly 8,000 people in eight municipalities. Television images and videos posted on social media showed the flames coming down the hill close to houses in small neighborhoods and a massive cloud of smoke rising from the area. The fire is located up in a pine

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Drone shot down over central Moscow, no injuries reported

Russian air defenses shot down a Ukrainian drone over central Moscow early Friday and some fragments fell on an exposition center, officials said. The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the drone was shot down about 4 a.m. (0100 GMT) and there were no injuries or fire caused by the fragments. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said some of the fragments fell on the grounds of the Expocentre, an exhibition complex adjacent to the Moscow City commercial and office complex that was hit twice by drones in the past month. The area is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles)

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Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline after Wall Street drops on higher bond yields

Asian shares mostly slipped Friday as rising yields in the bond market on Wall Street set off expectations that high interest rates would continue in the U.S. Japan’s inflation data showed consumer prices rose 3.1% from a year earlier in July, down from 3.3% in June. But that was still higher than the 2.5% forecast by some analysts and above the Bank of Japan’s target at 2%. The core consumer price index, which eliminates energy and fresh food prices from the measure, rose 4.3% on year, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Japan’s Nikkei

Uncategorized

Hilary rapidly grows to Category 4 hurricane off Mexico and could bring heavy rain to US Southwest

Hurricane Hilary grew rapidly to Category 4 strength off Mexico’s Pacific coast and could bring heavy rain to the southwestern U.S. by the weekend. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hilary had sustained winds near 140 mph (220 kph) at midnight and was expected to continue its rapid intensification through Friday morning. It should start to weaken Saturday. Tropical storm conditions could begin affecting the Baja California peninsula late Friday. Hilary’s projected path threatened landfall in the middle of the peninsula by Sunday, or it may stay just offshore while heading for Southern California. Hilary was

Uncategorized

Leading politician says victory for Niger’s coup leaders would be ‘the end of democracy’ in Africa

If mutinous soldiers who ousted Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum succeed, it will threaten democracy and security across the region and the continent, a high-ranking member of Bazoum’s political party warned in an interview with The Associated Press. Boubacar Sabo, deputy secretary general for the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism, said Bazoum had been “kidnapped” by members of the presidential guard who overthrew him on July 26 and have since kept him under house arrest. “What is happening in Niger, if it succeeds, is the end of democracy in Africa. It’s over. … If we fight

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It’s Coming Home: England looks to bring Women’s World Cup trophy back to birthplace of soccer

England’s rallying cry “It’s Coming Home” may finally come true after a 57-year drought in global soccer. But if the World Cup trophy does return to the birthplace of soccer for the first time since 1966, it will be with the women’s national team, not the men. The Lionesses will play for their first Women’s World Cup title Sunday against Spain. England coach Sarina Wiegman is back in her second consecutive finale as the only coach in the history of the tournament to take two nations to the final. Wiegman was coach of the Netherlands when the

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Drone shot down over central Moscow, no injuries reported

Russian air defenses shot down a Ukrainian drone over central Moscow early Friday and some fragments fell on an exposition center, officials said. The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the drone was shot down about 4 a.m. (0100 GMT) and there were no injuries or fire caused by the fragments. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said some of the fragments fell on the grounds of the Expocentre, an exhibition complex adjacent to the Moscow City commercial and office complex that was hit twice by drones in the past month. The area is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles)

Uncategorized

Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline after Wall Street drops on higher bond yields

Asian shares mostly slipped Friday as rising yields in the bond market on Wall Street set off expectations that high interest rates would continue in the U.S. Japan’s inflation data showed consumer prices rose 3.1% from a year earlier in July, down from 3.3% in June. But that was still higher than the 2.5% forecast by some analysts and above the Bank of Japan’s target at 2%. The core consumer price index, which eliminates energy and fresh food prices from the measure, rose 4.3% on year, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Japan’s Nikkei

Uncategorized

Hilary rapidly grows to Category 4 hurricane off Mexico and could bring heavy rain to US Southwest

Hurricane Hilary grew rapidly to Category 4 strength off Mexico’s Pacific coast and could bring heavy rain to the southwestern U.S. by the weekend. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hilary had sustained winds near 140 mph (220 kph) at midnight and was expected to continue its rapid intensification through Friday morning. It should start to weaken Saturday. Tropical storm conditions could begin affecting the Baja California peninsula late Friday. Hilary’s projected path threatened landfall in the middle of the peninsula by Sunday, or it may stay just offshore while heading for Southern California. Hilary was

Uncategorized

Leading politician says victory for Niger’s coup leaders would be ‘the end of democracy’ in Africa

If mutinous soldiers who ousted Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum succeed, it will threaten democracy and security across the region and the continent, a high-ranking member of Bazoum’s political party warned in an interview with The Associated Press. Boubacar Sabo, deputy secretary general for the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism, said Bazoum had been “kidnapped” by members of the presidential guard who overthrew him on July 26 and have since kept him under house arrest. “What is happening in Niger, if it succeeds, is the end of democracy in Africa. It’s over. … If we fight

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Emergency services chief on Maui resigns. He faced criticism for not activating sirens during fire

Outdoor alert sirens on Maui stayed silent as a ferocious fire devastated the seaside community of Lahaina last week. The head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency said he had no regrets about not deploying the system as a warning to people on the island. A day after making that statement, Administrator Herman Andaya resigned Thursday. Andaya had said he feared blaring the sirens during the blaze could have caused people to go “mauka,” using a navigational term that can mean toward the mountains or inland in Hawaiian. “If that was the case, then they would

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Agreement central to a public dispute between Michael Oher and the Tuohys is being questioned

In 2004, when Michael Oher was a coveted college football recruit, the 18-year-old high schooler agreed in court to allow the Memphis couple he lived with to make decisions for him about signing contracts and any medical issues. Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy had taken in Oher, who had been in the Tennessee foster care system and at one point lived on the streets. The judge-approved agreement, called a conservatorship, was made with the permission of Oher’s biological mother and inked about two months before Oher signed to play offensive line for Ole Miss, where Sean

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