Crunch talks later this year will determine whether we can reduce our impact on Earth’s ecosystems – and there are positive signs, says the diplomat in charge of the process Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24933223-500-elizabeth-mrema-interview-we-have-to-be-optimistic-about-biodiversity/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Tag: crunch
AI-Enabled Cheetos Offer Promise of the Perfect Puff
Microsoft says in a blog post that PepsiCo is using their Project Bonsai “machine teaching” service to “help ensure its Cheetos cheese-puff snacks all have the same texture, crunch and shape,” reports The Wall Street Journal. From the blog post: PepsiCo built a computer vision system that continually monitors Cheeto attributes. Data about qualities such as density and length are fed…
Can’t Get a PlayStation 5? Meet the Grinch Bots Snapping Up the Holidays’ Hottest Gift.
Computer programs that automate online tasks, called bots, have aligned with the coronavirus pandemic and low inventories of hot products to create a perfect storm of holiday disappointment — or opportunity, depending on your perspective. From a report: On Black Friday, when it launched a deal on the console, Walmart.com says it blocked more than 20 million bot attempts in the…
Do Games Made Under Crunch Conditions Deserve ‘Best Direction’ Awards?
The annual Game Awards ceremony awarded this year’s “Best Direction” award to Naughty Dog studio’s The Last of Us Part II — provoking a strong reaction from Kotaku’s staff writer. “I think it’s pretty obvious that no game that required its developers to crunch, like The Last of Us Part II did, should be given a Best Direction award.” It’s no…
Amazon Is Laying the Groundwork for Its Own Quantum Computer
Amazon is laying the groundwork for a quantum computer, deepening efforts to harness technology that can crunch in seconds vast amounts of data that take even the most powerful supercomputers hours or days to process. From a report: Amazon has been hiring for a Quantum Hardware Team within its Amazon Web Services Center for Quantum Computing, according to internal job postings…
Wirecard Says Missing $2.1 Billion Never Existed, Rips Up Earlier Accounts
Wirecard said on Monday that 1.9 billion euros ($2.1 billion) missing from its accounts was likely never there and it was looking at the sale or closure of parts of its business as it sought to avert a looming cash crunch. From a report: The former German stock market darling, which processes payments for companies including Visa and Mastercard, has seen…
Help a Mars Rover’s AI Learn to Tell Rocks From Dirt
Slashdot reader shirappu writes: For eight years now, the Mars Rover Curiosity has been exploring the surface of Mars. Even now, it’s still exploring, and still getting upgrades. According to Tech Crunch, NASA is now looking to interested volunteers to help upgrade the rover’s terrain-scanning AI systems by annotating image data of the planet itself. “The problem is that while there…
New GTA in Development, Rockstar Reportedly Making Changes To Fix Crunch Culture
Rockstar Games is working on a new Grand Theft Auto, but the next entry in the series is reportedly a long ways from release, and may take on a different scope due to alleged changes at the Red Dead and GTA studio. From a report: An anonymous source close to Rockstar Games has confirmed to IGN that the Red Dead Redemption…
Supplies of the Hottest Smartphones Could Soon Run Out
As Chinese factories hit by the coronavirus look to restart production, the pain is only beginning for carriers that rely on steady shipments of Asian smartphones. From a report: AT&T is bracing for handset shortages across the U.S. A carrier in the U.K. and one in France are already dealing with supply disruption and could run out of some popular models,…
Researchers shine light on the defects responsible for messy behavior in quantum materials
In a future built on quantum technologies, planes and spaceships could be fueled by the momentum of light. Quantum computers will crunch through complex problems spanning chemistry to cryptography with greater speed and energy efficiency than existing processors. But before this future can come to pass, we need bright, on-demand, predictable sources of quantum light. …