Saboor Ash's Blog

  WorldCoin's Paris office was checked by France's data watchdog this week, amid global regulatory pressure on the digital currency firm co-founded by ChatGPT-founder Sam Altman. France's CNIL watchdog said in July that the legality of the Worldcoin biometric data 'seemed questionable'. "Checks took place at the Worldcoin offices," a CNIL spokesperson said on Thursday, confirming an earlier Politico report that the checks occurred on Wednesday. Worldcoin officials did not immediately respond to an emailed Reuters request for comment on the CNIL's latest checks. The CNIL spokesperson declined further comment. Worldcoin requires users to provide their iris scans in exchange for a digital ID and, in some countries, in exchange for free cryptocurrency. Its website says it has signed up 2.1 million people, mostly in a trial over the last two years. In response to the CNIL's initial July probe, the Worldcoin Foundation had said Worldcoin was designed to

  Instagram, owned by Meta, is currently in the process of testing a new feature that empowers creators to showcase noteworthy fan comments on their Stories. This feature enables creators to share comments they receive on their posts or Reels with their broader audience. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, shared insights about this feature on the 'IG updates' channel. He mentioned that the company aims to provide creators with a convenient way to highlight intriguing comments. According to Mosseri, the test involves allowing public accounts to share comments from any public feed post or Reels to their Stories. This enhancement is intended to assist creators in mentioning meaningful or captivating comments made by fellow creators or fans Participating creators can easily spotlight a comment by swiping it and tapping the "Add to story" icon. Once added, the comment will be visible in the Stories feed alongside the original post that prompted the comment. However, Moss

  A rare piece of Apple history has been sold at an auction for a whopping $175,759, according to Boston-based RR Auction. The item is an original handwritten advertisement for the Apple-1 Computer, penned entirely by Steve Jobs himself. The document reveals Jobs’ meticulous attention to detail and entrepreneurial foresight, as well as his humble beginnings in his parents’ garage. The advertisement sheet bears Jobs’ full signature in lowercase print, “steven jobs.” It features contact information, including his parents’ home address and phone number—historically, the original headquarters of the Apple Computer Company.

  This last week of August sees the world celebrating World Water Week. The week is an annual opportunity for society to consider and address the many water-related challenges our planet currently faces. With the devastating impact of climate change being seen in so many different parts of the world, the need to conserve and use water responsibly has never been greater. Since hockey first embraced synthetic turf surfaces in the late 1970s, players have preferred to play on them when they are wet. Experience shows that water provides fast, predictable, and consistent playing conditions that allow players to perform to the best of their ability. Watering a hockey field does, however, come at a cost, both financially and environmentally, and it is increasingly being recognised that this is no longer a sustainable policy for hockey. So, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has challenged the synthetic turf industry to develop surfaces that provide the properties elite hockey players

 South Korea conducted its first civil defence exercise in six years, amid North Korea’s missile threat. Seoul's interior ministry said that they were “preparing for a quick evacuation in the event of an air raid attack such as North Korea’s missile provocations.” On Wednesday, air raid sirens wailed around central Seoul as authorities stopped cars and told residents to go to underground bunkers for South Korea’s civil defence exercise. South Korea conducted the 20-minute drill. However, many people appeared to ignore calls to seek shelter.  According to reports, the South Korean government has reinstated the drills into the annual Ulchi civil defense exercises, which are staged in conjunction with the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, which South Korean and the United States forces began on Monday. Reportedly, the community leaders wearing yellow jackets and helmets with the "Civil Defence" badge asked people to leave the streets for 20 minutes to conduct the drill. Air-raid

  Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) researchers have created Pibot, a humanoid robot that operates a jet without significant cockpit alterations. Standing slightly above five feet, Pibot manages flight controls and stability, responding to emergencies more swiftly than human pilots. It memorizes aircraft documentation through language models and adapts to diverse cockpit layouts with ease. This robotic pilot was developed by modifying existing controls and memorizing pilot behaviors. While designed for extreme environments unfit for humans, its military deployment, under South Korean defense, is expected around 2026, potentially collaborating with Airbus for electric aircraft test flights.

 Kim Jong Un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, visited a navy unit to see a test of strategic cruise missiles on Monday, as South Korea and the United States kicked off joint military drills.  The North Korean leader reportedly visited a navy unit on the east coast to inspect the Guards 2nd Surface Ship Flotilla of the East Sea Fleet. He also oversaw the test of “strategic” cruise missiles. The missile launch was aimed at verifying the ship’s “regular posture for mobilization and offensive ability.” According to the Korean Central News Agency, the North Korean leader vowed to strengthen the country’s navy. Yonhap news agency reported citing KCNA that the launch was an apparent response to the joint military drills conducted by South Korea and the United States. Kim also lauded the navy of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), the military force of the country and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea.  South Korea and the United States kicked off the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield

 One of the more intriguing discoveries about ChatGPT is that it can write pretty good code. I tested this out in February when I asked it to write a WordPress plugin my wife could use on her website. It did a fine job, but it was a very simple project. There are two important facts about ChatGPT and coding. The first is that it can, in fact, write useful code. The second is that it can get completely lost, fall down the rabbit hole, chase its own tail, and produce absolutely unusable garbage. ChatGPT responded with a flood of text and code. Then it stopped mid-code. When I asked it to continue, it vomited out even more code and text. I requested continue after continue and it dumped out more and more code. But... none of it was usable. It didn't identify where the code should go, how to construct the project, and -- when I looked carefully at the code produced -- it left out major operations I requested, leaving in simple text descriptions stating "program logic goes here.&qu

  A half-trillion dollars is starting to work its way through the US economy, remaking climate technology along the way.  One year ago, the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law, marking the most significant action on climate change to date from the federal government. The legislation set aside hundreds of billions of dollars to support both new and existing technologies—from solar panels and heat pumps to batteries for electric vehicles—in an effort to slash costs for clean technologies and cut greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. Experts say the IRA has already begun making waves across the economy, most visibly through a steady stream of company announcements unveiling new manufacturing facilities in the US. However, the most significant effects from the legislation are still to come, as many of the programs are designed to last for a decade or longer. There are even some remaining questions about how key pieces of the bill will play out, including which project

  Some of the most famous space missions, including the two Voyager probes, have been exploring our Solar System for decades. The technology helping to keep them aloft, however, is not what you'd expect. It took more than 10 years to design and build Europe's four identical Cluster satellites for launch; and just 39 seconds to lose them all in an enormous fireball. Their remains rained down over the South American jungle as the Ariane 5 rocket veered off course and exploded. VIPs who had been sipping champagne on the outdoor viewing gallery moments earlier were ushered back inside to avoid being injured by the falling debris. The disaster was one of the European Space Agency's (Esa) most visible and spectacular failures. But within months, work had begun on a replacement mission, Cluster II.

  BYD has walked away from a deal to equip its electric vehicles with Baidu’s autonomous driving technology, as the world’s largest EV maker eyes in-house development of intelligent car software, according to two people familiar with the matter. BYD had initially agreed to use Baidu’s technology, including navigation and automated valet parking, in its EVs in March 2022. The deal was then seen as a major coup for Baidu’s autonomous driving unit Apollo, which was created in 2013 in pursuit of perfecting autonomous driving, an area CEO Robin Li Yanhong had set his eyes on before shifting his attention to a ChatGPT-like chatbot.

 The Islamic Republic of Iran's parliamentary elections saw record-breaking levels of candidate registration, as reported by the Interior Ministry of Iran.  Iran's parliamentary elections are scheduled for March 2024. Many people registered to become candidates in the upcoming elections. The next elections will be the first held in the nation since widespread demonstrations erupted last year. According to the Interior Ministry website, around 49,000 people filed for parliamentary elections to run as candidates during a one-week registration period that ended on Sunday. With slightly over 42 per cent of eligible voters casting ballots, that amount is more than three times the 16,000 registrations that were submitted in the election in 2020, when voter turnout was the lowest since 1979. There were no specifics regarding the registration of well-known political individuals or reform-oriented organizations. An uncomplicated online registration process was credited for the rise in f

  United Arab Emirates (UAE) official news agency WAM said on Friday that Oralov Askhat Razdykovich, the minister of culture and sports for Kazakhstan, has reiterated his nation's desire to foster collaboration with the UAE, notably in joint investment projects and the tourism industry. Razdykovich praised the Abu Dhabi Plaza, which was erected in the Kazakh capital of Astana, as an outstanding example of bilateral collaboration in a statement to the WAM, adding that his nation is working to support further joint investment projects with the UAE. The Kazakh official emphasised that his nation's goal of expanding tourist facilities and resorts nationally while adding that it also looks forward to learning from the UAE's experience in boosting tourism. With more flights to and from its cities, he highlighted that Kazakhstan's tourism industry is rebounding, and he added that the nation "aims to double the number of tourists."

  Multiple US officials who briefed reporters on the directive ahead of its public release said it is narrowly tailored to prohibit US firms from funding investment in Chinese firms that develop advanced technologies sensitive to national security. That includes "technologies that are critical to the next generation of military innovation," said one official, who like the others, spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity because the order had not yet been issued. Specifically, it will prohibit US investment in Chinese firms that develop semiconductors and micro electronics, quantum information technologies, and certain artificial intelligence systems. The rule also requires American companies to notify the Treasury Department of certain other transactions with Chinese firms that involve other technologies and products that could endanger US national security.

  To assist the Republic of Chad in boosting border security and combating terrorism, the UAE has delivered a convoy of military vehicles and security gear to the country. This initiative fits into the framework of the close ties that exist between the UAE and Chad on many levels, which have led to the signing of a number of bilateral agreements, including a military cooperation agreement in June during Mahamat Idriss Deby's official visit to Abu Dhabi. Deby is the chairman of the Chad's Transitional Military Council. The automobiles are Nimr armoured cars built in the Emirate. The UAE has been expanding its relations with African countries while simultaneously growing its own defence industry. In the presence of the Chief of the General Staff of the Chadian Army, the Chief of the Strategic Reserve Forces of the Chadian Army, and other senior Chadian military officials, Rashid Saeed Al Shamsi, the UAE Ambassador to Chad, delivered the shipment of supplies to Lieutenant General

  I want to start off by letting you know that this essay was written by a person. The same cannot be true for a large number of the pieces published by News Corp, which is supposed to use generative AI to generate 3,000 news stories each week. Not by itself. AI is being used more and more by media companies all over the world to create content. I hope it's well known by now that huge language models like GPT-4 anticipate language rather than producing facts. ChatGPT can be compared to a "automated mansplaining machine" because it is frequently mistaken but never doubtful. We should be cautious when anything created in this way is repackaged as journalism, even with assurances of human control. In addition to the problems with accuracy and misinformation, it also results in dreadful Content farms are nothing new; media outlets have long been disseminating garbage before ChatGPT even existed. The speed, size, and dispersion of this chaff have changed. For better or worse,

 The UAE government has given a Pakistani journalist with a Dubai base the 10-year golden medal. Golden Visa has been granted to Syed Mudassar Khushnood in recognition of his journalism work. Major General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, the deputy director general of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Dubai, presented Syed Mudassar Khushnood with the Dubai Immigration's Destiny Award 2023 in recognition of his services. He is currently affiliated with a private channel in Pakistan. Khushnood expressed his gratitude to Allah Ta'ala for bestowing this honour upon him. He expressed gratitude to the UAE Prime Minister and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the Emirati leadership. Along with the other members of the leadership and other authorities, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

 Francia Raisa, an actress who is famous for her acting in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Grown-ish, and How I Met Your Father, has denied being "forced" to donate her kidney to Selena Gomez, an American singer, actress, producer, and businesswoman. Francia Raisa gave kidney to Selena Gomez six years ago. Francia told Josh Peck on his "Good Guys" podcast this week, “That was a time I just felt in my heart I knew I was a match. No one forced me to do anything. It just came out of the genuine kindness of my heart.” In March, Selena also talked about Francia. According to reports, when Selena suffered due to lupus, Francia said, “No, I am absolutely getting tested.” Selena told AppleTV+'s "Dear ..." docuseries, "And within three days, she (Francia) went to get tested, and she was a match. And it was one of those moments where I felt watched over. I know I was lucky." In 2022, rumours emerged that the duo were no longer friends. Last y

  The Solix line from Anker offers a variety of alternatives to meet all of your home's energy needs. Solix reduces your carbon footprint and electricity costs with a solar system. You can effortlessly run off your own power at night or during blackouts. The charging and provision are easily managed by a smart app. The devices operate from -20 to 55 degrees Celsius and are robust with IP65 protection. This little action camera is packed with capabilities and intelligence. Additionally, it weighs only 35 g and can be mounted anywhere. It offers 2.7K ultra-wide POV pictures while enabling hands-free operation. Even in the most frantic action circumstances, proprietary Flowstate Stabilisation maintains steady film. Integrated voice control makes it simple to shoot even with your hands full.

  A group from the UAE's Ministry of Education, led by Aminah Ashamsi, Assistant Secretary, paid a visit to our university's Komaba campus. Dean Fumiyuki and I talked about intellectual exchanges between the two nations. In a meeting with President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on July 17 of this year, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan announced the signing of a memorandum of cooperation in the area of education. The group from the UAE Ministry of Education visited our university with the intention of determining whether there might be some direct academic and educational exchanges between Japan and the UAE. Shihab Al-Hawsani, the UAE ambassador to Japan, Mr. Samira Al-Hausani, the director of the UAE Ministry of Education's Department of Education, Ms. Amina Al-Hhammadi, and Mr. Mohammed Al-Hammadi, the counsellor of the UAE Embassy in Japan, all attended the meeting. Director Hidemi Takahashi, Associate Professor Kota Kariya, Visiting Professor Seiji Morimoto, Speciall

  In a recent development, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has introduced a new travel requirement for passengers traveling abroad. As per the directive, all airlines’ administrations have been instructed to mandatorily check the polio vaccination cards of passengers before departure. The directive applies to all airports and airlines, and passengers are advised to ensure their polio vaccination cards are up-to-date before embarking on their international journeys. It is essential for travelers to possess valid and updated online polio cards while traveling abroad. Furthermore, the CAA emphasizes that passengers should obtain updated polio vaccination cards once their existing ones have expired. This move aims to strengthen efforts to prevent the spread of polio and protect global health.