For those of us who zone out during university lectures, the temptation multiplies when you taking classes from home. Next fall, a business school in France will try to stop online students from getting distracted with an AI app called Nestor. To jud…
If you’re still using Windows 7 or Windows 8, there’s another security issue you need to be aware of aside from Wannacry. This one won’t hold your computer ransom for bitcoin, though. Actually, it might be more annoying than it is dangerous. Research…
It’s no secret that the American government monitors the web data of non-citizens it considers potential threats. But major tech companies such as Facebook, Microsoft, and Google are looking to change the way that surveillance is handled by the gover…
Research scientist Janelle Shane has been working with artificial intelligence and neural network software and decided to ask it do something different – create its own paint colors. The AI went to work and came up with some odd colors with really, really weird names.
The colors were created by feeding the system a library of 7,700 Sherwin-Williams paint color names and their RGB values. At first the AI used combinations of existing color names and seem to like mixing the words blue, brown, and grey together. It ended up with Caae Brae, Caae Blae, and so on. As it continued, things got so much stranger.
How about a pink color called Bank Butt or a beige called Snowbonk? There’s a nice dark blue called Dorkwood and a mauve-ish color called Light of Blast. My favorite is a greige (my wife assures me that is actually a thing which is a grey-beige mixture) called Sindis Poop. Perhaps the funniest though are the last two colors, a pink called Stanky Bean and a brown very aptly called Turdly.
Janelle continues to fine-tune the algorithm, and it seems to be getting better in her latest experiments. I prefer the original AI, which clearly was about 10 years old mentally.
[via Ars Technica]
The iPhone 8 will embed its fingerprint scanner into its display, a new report claims to confirm, with a new technology helping minimize the bezels while maintaining Touch ID‘s convenient location. Speculation has been rife about the flagship iOS smartphone expected to launch later this year, particularly with regards to how it will balance existing specifications that iPhone fans now expect … Continue reading
It’s been nearly three months since the Nintendo Switch launched. Those three months have been filled with a lot of excitement, from the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to the revelation that the Switch actually sold really well on release. I’ve had a Switch of my own this entire time and I penned the SlashGear’s … Continue reading
The stunning BMW Concept 8 Series isn’t the only automotive tease BMW has this week, it also rolled out a brand new vision of zero-emission biking. The BMW Motorrad Concept Link made its debut alongside the Concept 8 Series at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2017, the latest design study from the automaker as it looks ahead to what urban … Continue reading
While Friday is generally a profit taking sort of day for stock markets around the world, Bitcoin seems to be moving in the opposite direction. This adds up, of course, since here in the warmer months of 2017, many traders in the cryptocurrency make use of Bitcoin as their trading currency, choosing to value their quick-trade coins in the slightly … Continue reading
Nameberry is honoring the veteran celebrity moms ― the ones who have gracefully combined high-profile careers with parenting and added another baby to the mix since last May.
These stylish mamas have chosen a mix of traditional and surprising names for their new additions. Plenty of these could prove influential in the upcoming years. What are your favorites? From Amalia to Zen, there’s something here to suit every style.
Natalie Portman made headlines when she named her firstborn Aleph in 2011. Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Recently she and husband Benjamin Millepied added a daughter to their family. Amalia is a slightly more conventional choice, but sticks with the A theme. With Amelia near the top of the popularity lists, cousin Amalia promises to inspire.
Kerry Washington has stuck with a winning strategy for naming her two children with husband Nnamdi Asomugha. New baby Caleb Kelechi joined big sister Isabelle Amarachi last October. Both first names are mainstream favorites, but the “Scandal” star and her NFL husband chose middles that honor his Nigerian heritage.
Olivia Wilde impressed us all when she and husband Jason Sudeikis named their son Otis Alexander. They did it again, with daughter Daisy Josephine’s name in October. The first names are vintage and nickname-proof, while the middles feel longer and slightly more traditional. Otis re-entered the U.S. Top 1000 following his birth announcement; Daisy already ranks in the Top 200, but might also get a boost.
After Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher named their daughter Wyatt Isabelle, we knew their son’s name would be equally unexpected. Sure enough, the couple went with Dimitri Portwood for their November 2016 new arrival. Ashton has shared that Mila suggested the name, but not explained why. Since Mila was born in the Ukraine, it feels like a great heritage choice for the couple.
Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas might be the best boy namers of our time. Firstborn son Oliver Finlay arrived in 2014. The “Once Upon a Time” stars added son Hugo Wilson in June 2016. Oliver has raced up the popularity charts in recent years. Now his little brother’s name seems likely to do the same. The subtle connection between an O-starting and an O-ending name links the boys nicely, too.
After bestowing family name James on a daughter in 2014, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds surprised us with their second daughter’s name, too. Instead of a borrowed-from-the-boys pick, the famous family opted for a traditional Spanish choice, Ines. A form of Agnes also spelled Inez, it was quite stylish in the US circa 1910. No word on why they made the choice, but Ines feels like one to watch.
Liv Tyler knows what it means to grow up with a trendsetting name, and now her children will, too. She welcomed firstborn Milo back in 2004. Now she and David Gardner are parents to son Sailor Gene, born in 2015, and July 2016 arrival Lula Rose. Vintage Lula fits in with Lucy and Louisa, an early 20th century favorite all but forgotten until now.
Like Natalie and Benjamin, Eva Amurri and husband Kyle Martino stuck with their favorite initial for their children. Daughter Marlowe arrived in August 2014. The family added son Major in October 2016. Eva has talked about sticking with her instincts and choosing unusual names that feel right for her family. Major makes for a big name, but like many bold word names, it feels very current.
Alanis Morissette went with the short and meaningful Ever Imre for her son back in 2010. Now she and Mario Treadway have added a daughter to their family with an equally brief and bold name: Onyx Solace. The double word name fits nicely with big brother Ever. While gemstone names like Ruby and Pearl are familiar for girls, Onyx tends to lean masculine – at least for now.
Vanessa Lachey and husband Nick have traveled the U.S. with their children’s names. Eldest son is Camden, followed by daughter Brooklyn. In December 2016, they added son Phoenix. While it sounds like the couple is borrowing from the map, that’s not quite the case ― though Camden was inspired by an LA street and Brooklyn by New York. This last time, Vanessa just plain liked the fast-rising and meaning-rich name.
Audra McDonald’s firstborn was already a teenager when she welcomed her second. The Tony-winning actress named her elder daughter Zoe Madeline, a choice that proved very stylish in recent years. Last October, she and husband Will Swenson added daughter Sally James to the mix. We know that James is a white hot middle name pick for girls. Is Sally the next Sadie?
Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego added a third son to their family earlier this year. Zen joined brothers Cy Aridio and Bowie Ezio, twins born in 2014. Zoe and Marco have opted for modern names with roots, unexpected and seldom heard but still very wearable. All three choices could prove influential in the coming years. What we’d love to know: Zen’s middle name!
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Police in Indonesia’s most populous province plan to deploy a taskforce to investigate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activity, a move likely to fuel concerns of a widening crackdown on the community in the Muslim-majority country.
West Java police chief Anton Charliyan disclosed the plan on Tuesday as two gay men in the province of Aceh were publicly flogged, and days after police raided a gay club in Jakarta and distributed photos of suspects to the media.
With the exception of Aceh, homosexuality is legal in Indonesia. Activists say, however, that police targeting of consensual gay sex has shone a light on discrimination and harassment in the world’s third-largest democracy.
Indonesia’s reputation for tolerance is already under scrutiny after Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian, was sentenced this month to two years in prison for blasphemy.
Responding to Sunday’s Jakarta raid, Charliyan told reporters in Bandung, the capital of West Java, a province with a population of about 47 million, that LGBT people suffered a “disease of the body and soul”.
He called on the public to report their activities.
“I hope there are no followers in West Java, no gay or LGBT lifestyle or tradition, Charliyan said. “If there’s anyone following it, they will face the law and heavy social sanctions. They will not be accepted in society.”
‘MORALS POLICE’
A leading LGBT activist slammed his remarks, which were confirmed in a recording provided to Reuters by journalists present when Charliyan spoke on Tuesday.
“Police have a mandate to follow the law. They are not the morals police,” said Yuli Rustinawati, chairperson of Arus Pelangi, an Indonesian LGBT activist organization.
In remarks on Wednesday, Charliyan said the police “taskforce” would include intelligence specialists and was particularly concerned with disrupting “secret parties”, the Detik news portal reported.
A national spokesman for the police, Setyo Wasisto, said the approach in West Java did not reflect a national strategy.
“It is enough for us to handle it as we do regularly,” he said.
Charliyan’s comments follow a spate of high-profile police actions against gay clubs and parties just as the country’s Constitutional Court is due to rule on a petition to outlaw homosexuality and adultery.
On Sunday, police detained 141 men and released photos of some of them in varying states of undress to the media, revealing many of their identities. Only 10 of the men have been declared suspects, five remain under investigation and 126 were released.
The police said the photos were released due to “procedural errors”, the Jakarta Post reported.
Rustinawati at Arus Pelangi said, however, the release of the images was part of a police pattern of publicly shaming of gay people.
NAMED AND SHAMED
The two Acehnese men, caned 82 times each on Tuesday, were punished in front of a crowd of more than 1,000. Semi-autonomous Aceh province is governed by sharia Islamic law.
Earlier, a video of the men, naked and distressed as they were apprehended by sharia police, was released and viewed widely on social media.
In Indonesia’s second-largest city of Surabaya in East Java, 14 gay men were arrested, tested for HIV and the results made public, Indonesian media reported.
“The police also release data – names and addresses,” said Rustinawati. “It’s humiliating and it puts LGBT people in danger.”
On Tuesday, North Jakarta police chief Dwiyono, who like many Indonesians has only one name, took journalists through the gay club raided on Sunday. As they climbed three floors, he pointed out a gym, a communal jacuzzi used for “striptease” and a cluster of cubicles for sex.
“This door can only be opened if you pay 185,000 rupiah ($14) to the receptionist,” he said. “In here, there’s no change room, you just tear off your clothes and use a towel.”
PUBLIC DISAPPROVAL
Indonesian President Joko Widodo last year gave qualified support for the gay community, telling the BBC that “there should be no discrimination against anyone”, before noting that homosexuality is not popular in his country.
However, his defense minister, Ryamizard Ryacudu, suggested that homosexuality was a national security threat and part of a “proxy war” waged against Indonesia by foreign states.
A Pew Research Center poll in 2013 found 93 percent of respondents in Indonesia disagreed that “society should accept homosexuality.”
Indonesia’s Islamist groups have long called for the criminalization of gay sex. The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), the vigilante group that led huge rallies against the now-convicted Jakarta governor, has cooperated with police in curbing alleged vice for more than a decade.
(Additional reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa, Gayatri Suroyo and Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by John Chalmers and Bill Tarrant)
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