I have added two new sections to the Current Events blog post. One is about new photos and videos. The other is about startups.The new sections may not appear every week, just when I have something new to share.
On a beautiful day this week, Joanne and I visited Farrington Woods adjacent to the Maybrook Trailway where we had walked the weekend before. As you can see on the trail map, there are a number of choices. We walked to Sanfords Pond and then back to the Maybrook. We are fortunate to be close to nice places to walk.
On July 21, I gave a lecture on AI @FoundersHallCT. I wan’t sure how many would turn out. It was a lot. Great interest in the topic. In addition to current events and outlooks, I told the audience about Robot Attitude: How Robots and Artificial Intelligence Will Make Our Lives Better.
The startup I am sharing this week is Flower Turbines. I first invested in the company in April 2021 using the StartEngine crowdfunding platform. The company has developed and are selling what they describe as “Innovative Small Wind Turbines”. The idea is to generate electricity from the wind, but the products are not windmills as we might normally think of them. They are vertical, look like giant tulips, and have no blades. I have been impressed with some recent data showing a blade height of 6 ft which has successfully demonstrated its resilience in the face of winds reaching 72.5 mph. Perhaps more important, recent measurements showed it could generate electricity with as little as 2 mph wind. All the details about Flower Turbines is here. As always, remember most startups fail. Never invest in a startup unless you are prepared to lose every penny you invest.
According to Bard AI, here is some of the latest news in AI this week:
- Google AI researchers have developed a new language model called PaLM (Pathway Language Model) that can perform a wide range of tasks, including translation, summarization, question answering, and code generation. PaLM is still under development, but it has already shown impressive capabilities. For example, it can translate between 265 languages, summarize complex factual topics, and write different kinds of creative content.
- A team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a new AI algorithm that can detect and remove bias from text data. The algorithm, called FairWash, works by identifying and removing words and phrases that are associated with certain demographic groups. This could help to make AI systems more fair and equitable.
- A company called Inworld AI has raised $50 million in funding to develop its AI-powered character engine for games. The engine, called Inworld Characters, can create realistic and expressive 3D characters that can interact with each other in real time. This could make games more immersive and engaging.
- Meta has announced a new speech generation model called Voicebox that can perform text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis in six languages.Voicebox is able to generate natural-sounding speech that is free of noise and distortion. This could make it a valuable tool for a variety of applications, such as customer service, education, and entertainment.
These are just a few of the latest developments in AI this week. As AI continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more exciting and groundbreaking advances in the future.
According to Bard AI, here are some of the latest news items from Ukraine:
- The war in Ukraine has entered its fifth month, and there is no end in sight. The fighting has caused widespread devastation, and millions of people have been displaced from their homes.
- The United States and its allies have imposed severe sanctions on Russia, but these have so far failed to force Putin to change course. In fact, the sanctions have had a significant impact on the global economy, causing energy prices to soar and disrupting supply chains.
- The United Nations estimates that over 10,000 civilians have been killed in the war, but the actual number is likely much higher. Millions of people have also been injured, and thousands of children have been orphaned.
- The war in Ukraine has also had a significant impact on the global food supply. Ukraine is a major exporter of wheat and corn, and the war has disrupted shipments. This has led to a sharp increase in food prices, which is particularly affecting low-income countries.
- The war in Ukraine is a humanitarian crisis, and the international community must do more to help those affected. The United Nations has called for an immediate ceasefire, but so far, Russia has refused.
These are just some of the latest news items from Ukraine. The situation is fluid, and it is important to stay informed about the latest developments.
Coinbase Bytes reported this week, “Despite being the world’s biggest economy and home to many of the most innovative companies in the crypto industry (from mining and protocol startups to venture funds and major exchanges), the United States has lagged behind much of the world when it comes to crypto regulation. But a set of bills that would help set clear guardrails for the industry and establish consumer protections recently advanced in the House of Representatives, a key step in the long process of making them into laws.” This is encouraging. Unfortunately, I have very little confidence the Senate assisted living home will do anything.
Bard AI summarized the market for today….
The stock market closed lower today, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.19%, the S&P 500 down 0.25%, and the Nasdaq Composite down 0.10%. The decline was broad-based, with all 11 sectors of the S&P 500 closing in the red.
There were a few factors that weighed on the market today. First, investors were concerned about the possibility of a recession. The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates several more times this year in an effort to combat inflation, and there is some fear that these rate hikes could lead to a slowdown in economic growth.
Second, investors were disappointed with the latest earnings reports from some major companies. For example, Amazon’s earnings missed expectations, and Meta Platforms’ earnings were also lower than expected.
Finally, some investors were taking profits after the recent rally in the stock market. The S&P 500 is up about 19% year-to-date, and some investors are worried that the market is getting ahead of itself.
JRP comment: Amazon had a great report. The big deal is AWS, and not just for its own profitability. Amazon uses AWS to streamline operations and apply AI to make more same day deliveries possible. They are practicing what they preach.
Following are videos of talks I gave this year. I have been fortunate to be able to share my thoughts on technology with a number of groups.
On July 21, I gave a lecture on AI @FoundersHallCT. I wan’t sure how many would turn out. It was a lot. Great interest in the topic. In addition to current events and outlooks, I told the audience about Robot Attitude: How Robots and Artificial Intelligence Will Make Our Lives Better.
On March 8th I was the guest speaker at the first meeting of Probus in Palm Coast, Florida on March 8. Probus is a worldwide organization of retired and semi-retired men and women who come together to make new friends, learn new things, and have fun. There are over 4,000 Probus clubs in more than 100 countries, with over 400,000 members. Probus clubs are non-political, non-sectarian, and non-profit. They are self-governing and autonomous, and each club sets its own policies and activities.
On March 30, I gave my 12th annual lecture called Tech Talk at Hammock Dunes Club in Palm Coast, Florida where I live in the winter.
On March 23, gave a town hall-like speech and Q&A with the IT special interest group (SIG) of the New York Executive Forum. The event was via Zoom.
On April 19, I gave a talk and Q&A with a group of Union Carbide retirees. Some years ago, Union Carbide had its headquarters about a mile from where I live in Connecticut. The event was via Zoom.
There are many more videos of my lectures, interviews, etc. on my YouTube channel which you can find here.
