Apr 30
The pandemic has hit Native American communities particularly hard.
Apr 30
Ben Shapiro Suggests Older People Dying Of COVID-19 Is ‘Tragic,’ But Also Not So Bad
Posted in: Today's ChiliShapiro said that an 81-year-old dying of the coronavirus “is not the same thing” as a younger person dying from it.
Apr 30
Your iPhone Can't Recognize You With a Mask On, So Apple Has a New Workaround
Posted in: Today's ChiliCoronavirus has upended lives in countless ways, and of those, my inability to unlock my iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask in public spaces is not that consequential.
Apr 30
When Apple first introduced Face ID, they claimed to have worked with mask makers to ensure that even if the person wears a mask similar to the user’s face, it will not cause the phone to unlock. So far, Face ID has been quite successful, but in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, this has created a problem.
This is because while wearing a mask, it makes it almost impossible for users to unlock their phone, but a recent change in the iOS 13.5 beta will make it easier. No, Apple is not relaxing Face ID to allow for masks, but rather when Face ID detects that the user has a mask on, it will automatically switch to passcode mode.
This save users having to wait for the option to popup to enter their passcode, which can be annoying if you need to unlock your phone several times a day, or while you’re out and about shopping for groceries and have a list of items you need to keep checking but don’t want to keep your phone unlocked the entire time.
This feature is currently present in the iOS 13.5 beta but it is unclear when Apple will be releasing it to the masses, but hopefully it will be soon. This is because masks are recommended to be worn, and usually taking them on and off often reduces its effectiveness, especially if not done properly.
iOS 13.5 Makes It Easier To Unlock An iPhone While Wearing A Mask
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Apr 30
If there is one piece of tech that has seen a boost in popularity as a result of the coronavirus and people having to stay at home, it would be webcams. This is because video conferencing has become crucial in staying in touch with friends and family members, as well as being used for work and study.
If you’re living somewhere where webcams are sold out and difficult to get your hands on, you might be interested to learn that Canon has recently released a piece of software called the EOS Webcam Utility Beta. This is a piece of software that can turn select Canon cameras into a webcam quickly and easily.
Now, it should be pointed out that using a DSLR or mirrorless camera as a webcam isn’t exactly new. However, the process might be complicated depending on your model, and you will also need to look for your own software to use. But with Canon releasing their own software for its cameras, all you need to do is plug your camera into your computer via USB, run the software, and you’re good to go.
As the software’s name suggests, this is currently in beta so there could be some bugs. However, if you’re interested in checking it out, then head on over to Canon’s website for the details.
Canon Releases A Piece Of Software That Turns It Cameras Into A Webcam
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Apr 30
If you wanted to chat with users on a subreddit, you would need to message them individually, or hop onto a Discord channel. However, in a bid to keep users on its website, Reddit has announced a new feature called “Start Chatting” which basically brings chat rooms to subreddits.
However, this isn’t a chat room for the entire subreddit to participate in. If you are in particularly popular subreddits with thousands of users online at a time, we imagine that this can be chaotic. Instead, this feature will allow small groups of users on a subreddit to chat with each other. All users need to do is flag themselves as being interested to “start chatting” and they will be randomly grouped with other users who have indicated the same.
It should also be noted that unlike posts made on Reddit, moderators will not be able to police or control these chat rooms. This can be problematic as it could allow users to chat about things that might violate or go against that subreddit’s rules. However, Reddit does have several tools in place to allow users in those chat rooms to report messages and to block other users if they are being harassed.
This is actually not Reddit’s first attempt at creating chat rooms. The company did try something similar back in 2018, but now it looks like they will be going with a different approach. The feature should be rolling out to users in the next few weeks.
Reddit Launches Chat Rooms For Subreddits
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Apr 30
To help reduce the rate of infection, protective equipment worn by frontliners are typically worn once and then thrown away. This is because it would be easier to don a fresh set of equipment instead of having to clean and sanitize the older equipment. However, with the COVID-19 virus outbreak, we’re seeing doctors and nurses go through their PPE faster than ever.
This means that stock of PPE is running low which can make it harder for frontliners to do their jobs properly and safely. However, the good news is that the FDA has recently approved the use of scuba gear, in particular the mask, as a form of protective equipment that can be used and reused by frontliners who need them.
This is thanks to bioengineering professor Manu Prakash who after returning home from a vacation, developed a cough. While he tested negative for the COVID-19 virus, Prakash decided to self-quarantine for the next two weeks just to be safe. During those two weeks, he also explored the idea of using a scuba mask as a potential face shield that could be used by frontliners by combining it with a medical-grade filter.
The mask was tested by Prakash and his team where they later submitted it to the FDA where it has since been approved to be labeled as a face shield or surgical mask. The FDA is still looking into whether or not this could potentially be used as a substitute or alternative to the N95 respirator, but for now, it can be used as a regular face shield or mask.
The idea of reusable masks is one that is actively being explored. For example over in Taiwan, the country’s FDA showed how masks could be sanitized by using a rice cooker while over in the US, a husband and wife team came up with a decontamination method which is now being used in the US to decontaminate and reuse N95 masks.
FDA Approves The Use Of Scuba Gear As A Form Of Protective Equipment
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Apr 30
We’re sure that you can come across CDs and songs on streaming platforms that have been labeled as having explicit content, usually to indicate if a song has swear words that might not be appropriate for underaged listeners. These labels are either suggested by the label or the artist or a human would have to manually go through them to put a label on it.
This can be a tedious process and not particularly efficient, but Deezer is hoping to make it easier. The company has announced that they have been testing the use of AI to help detect whether or not a song may contain explicit lyrics, but the company’s approach will be slightly different from what you might expect.
If you have some knowledge about programming or training AI, you might assume that the AI model will be trained by feeding it a bunch of samples of words and phrases deemed to be “explicit”, and then have the AI attempt to listen to songs to figure out which songs contain those words or phrases. However, Deezer claims that this approach could result in it being hard to explain why the AI has decided to apply the explicit label.
Instead, the company has opted for what they’re calling a modular approach, which is by separating vocals from the track, and then running those vocals through a dictionary of known explicit keywords before deciding whether or not the song might warrant an explicit label.
That being said, Deezer notes that while their system does yield promising results, they do not believe that it is ready for prime time where it can be utilized in a fully automated manner. However, it does not mean that it isn’t useful. It could still be used in tandem with a human, where the system can flag songs which can then be further reviewed by humans to come to a final decision.
Deezer Wants To Use AI To Detect Explicit Lyrics In Songs
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Apr 30
Turn the clock back maybe 7-8 years ago, and you would never think to shoot a TV show or a movie using a smartphone. However, fast forward to today, our smartphones have become increasingly capable of capturing stunning photo and video footage, making them much more viable for these types of tasks.
In fact, during an interview with Variety, “Parks and Recreation” co-creator Mike Schur revealed that the reunion special for the TV series, which ended its run back in 2015, was shot using an iPhone rig and directed over Zoom calls. Given all the social distancing that is currently in place, gathering a large team of crew and cast members simply wasn’t an option.
Instead, the cast was sent a small iPhone rig that consisted of an iPhone, a tripod, a lighting source, and a microphone, and the cast were then directed over Zoom calls to adjust the framing to get the shots that they needed. Impressively, all this was done over the course of just four days.
While they did get the job done, Schur still doesn’t necessarily believe that this is the way moving forwards on how TV shows should be shot. “For me, this is not the way TV is be supposed to be made. It required an incredible amount of basically goodwill volunteer work, or guild minimum, union minimum volunteer work from from sound designers and editors and supervisors and all sorts of people really just doing it, because it’s a fundraiser, because it was fun to get the cast back together.”
That being said, with the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders currently in place, Schur is not the first to turn to smartphones to help continue producing entertainment. We’ve also seen how some late night talk show hosts like Conan O’Brien who have also turned to the use of the iPhone to continue churning out content in these tough times.
‘Parks and Recreation’ Reunion Special Was Shot Using An iPhone
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Apr 30
Artificial intelligence has myriad use cases, but it turns out inventing devices isn’t one of them — at least in the eyes of the US Patent and Trademark Office. The agency issued a decision on two patent applications for devices created by an AI sys…
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