New sections may appear every week or just when I have something new to share.
The following is some great advice from the Axios Codebook newsletter.
1. Think before you click.
- Most garden-variety cybercrime happens as a result of phishing — deceptive emails, text messages and websites that capture your login credentials.
- This kind of attack is how most digital break-ins begin and how most of the ransomware attacks that have plagued the IT world in recent years get started.
- The single most important step you can take to protect yourself and your employer is to train yourself to look around before you click, the same way you instinctively look both ways before you cross a street.
- If a link came to you in an email or a text, examine the URL if you can — it could well be pointing to a fake web address, like Facebookuserhelp.com instead of Facebook.com.
- If the message tries to make you rush, which is often a sign of fraud, do the opposite.
- When in doubt, instead of clicking on what looks like a message from a company, go directly in your browser or app to the service in question and log yourself in. Or call them if you can!
- Today, anything can be faked — including texts from your CEO and QR codes. Take your time and listen to your inner doubter.
2. Stop reusing passwords.
- We’ve all done it! Remembering dozens of passwords is hard. One is easier. Unfortunately, when you do this, you’re choosing convenience over safety. A single compromised website or service turns into an open gate for thieves to access all your digital stuff.
- Instead, start using a password manager. These tools create a relatively safe library of difficult-to-crack passwords that you can unlock as needed to log in to all your services and subscriptions.
- If making this switch feels like an impossible hurdle, remember that you can make the transition gradually, and the best tools will help you out along the way.
Every week seems to outpace the one before. If you have not seen the video showing off the new Gemini AI, you are missing the future. It is mind boggling. See it here.
Here are some of the new developments and breakthroughs in AI from the week of December 4th to December 11th,2023:
Research and Development:
- AI tool finds 2.2 million new crystals: Researchers at Google AI developed a deep learning tool called “GNoME” that identified 2.2 million new crystal structures, including 380,000 that are stable and could potentially be used in future technologies.
- AI helps robots jump, leap, and race: Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, developed a new AI algorithm that enables tiny, bug-sized robots to perform complex movements like jumping, leaping, and racing.
- “Introspective” AI improves performance: Researchers at the University of Toronto created an AI system that can analyze its own mistakes and use this information to improve its performance on future tasks.
- New AI technology gives robots recognition skills a big lift: Researchers at MIT developed a new AI system that enables robots to learn and recognize objects like humans do, opening up new possibilities for robotics applications.
Applications:
- AI-powered art creation is booming: Several AI art generators like Midjourney, DALL-E 2, and Stable Diffusion gained significant popularity this week, allowing users to create unique artwork using text prompts.
- AI-based drug discovery partnership: Pharmaceutical company Absci partnered with AstraZeneca to utilize AI technology in the discovery of new cancer treatments.
- AI helps predict market trends: A new AI tool from the company “AI & Big Data Expo” is helping marketing professionals to make better data-driven decisions and predict market trends more accurately.
- AI-powered multi-speaker lip-sync: Researchers from the University of Southern California developed a novel AI system that can automatically generate realistic lip-sync animations for multiple speakers in a video, leading to potential applications in movie production and video conferencing.
Other News:
- Google’s next-gen AI model Gemini outperforms GPT-4: Google’s new AI model Gemini outperformed OpenAI’s GPT-4 in several benchmark tasks, sparking discussions about the future of large language models.
- Concerns regarding the energy cost of generative AI models: Experts raised concerns about the immense energy consumption of generative AI models like Stable Diffusion and DALL-E 2, calling for more efficient training methods.
- International agreements on AI regulation: Several countries began discussions on international agreements to govern the development and use of AI, aiming to address ethical concerns and ensure responsible AI development.
These are just a few of the many exciting developments in the field of artificial intelligence. As AI technology continues to advance rapidly, we can expect to see even more breakthroughs and innovations in the coming months and years.
AI is a rapidly changing and evolving field. It is very difficult to stay informed about the latest developments in AI in order to make informed decisions about how to use AI to your advantage. I hope these weekly snippets provides some highlights of what is going on.
Here are some of the key developments and news in cryptocurrency markets this week (December 4th – 11th, 2023):
Market Movements:
- Bitcoin climbed above $44,000: Bitcoin saw a significant price increase this week, reaching $44,347 as of this writing on Friday. This represents a rise of over 15% compared to the previous week. Analysts attribute this growth to increased investor appetite and positive sentiment surrounding the crypto market.
- Ethereum also experienced gains: Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, followed a similar trend, exceeding $2,300 during the week. This marks a 15% increase from the previous week, indicating continued interest in the platform and its potential applications.
- Overall market capitalization rose: The total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies climbed to over $1.6 trillion this week, reflecting the broader market recovery. This positive trend suggests growing investor confidence in the long-term prospects of the crypto industry.
Regulation and Policy:
- Bipartisan bill on crypto terror financing heads to US Senate: A bipartisan bill aimed at preventing the use of cryptocurrencies for terrorism financing was passed by the US House of Representatives and is now headed to the Senate for consideration. This legislation could have significant implications for the crypto industry, as it would require stricter regulations on crypto exchanges and other service providers.
- Basel Committee seeks to consult on stablecoin risk treatment: The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision announced plans to consult on the risk treatment of stablecoins, aiming to establish a global framework for regulating these assets. This move acknowledges the growing importance of stablecoins in the financial system and highlights the need for appropriate regulatory oversight.
- Binance withdraws Abu Dhabi investment fund license application: Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, announced its withdrawal of a license application for a proposed investment fund in Abu Dhabi. This decision reportedly reflects the company’s focus on consolidating its existing operations and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
Other News:
- El Salvador could rake in $1 billion Bitcoin investment per year with the new “Freedom VISA”: El Salvador announced plans to launch a “Freedom VISA” program that would offer residency to individuals who invest at least $300,000 in Bitcoin. This initiative aims to attract foreign investment and further promote Bitcoin adoption within the country.
- Bitcoin miner CleanSpark upgraded to neutral by JPMorgan: Investment bank JPMorgan upgraded its rating on Bitcoin miner CleanSpark from underweight to neutral, citing the company’s strong operational performance and positive outlook for the Bitcoin mining industry. This positive sentiment from a major financial institution could contribute to further growth in the Bitcoin mining sector.
- Do Kwon faces extradition to the US: Do Kwon, the co-founder of Terraform Labs, faces potential extradition to the United States to face charges related to the collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin and the Luna cryptocurrency.This development could have significant legal ramifications for Kwon and potentially impact the broader crypto industry.
These are just a few of the highlights from the crypto world this week. As the industry continues to evolve and develop,it’s important to stay informed about the latest news and developments to make informed investment decisions.
Tech stocks coming back with a roar. The smaller techs gaining as some view them still undervalued. GAMMNAT stocks close to $12 trillion and a third of S&P 500. Let’s hope Santa Claus keeps the rally going.
I don’t think I add much with my Wall Street comments. I suggest a click on MarketWatch will do a much better job.
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 September 14, I gave a talk on AI at the Ridgefield Library in Ridgefield, CT.
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.
