Hasta La Gadget!

Meta’s AI division has been busy in recent months finding ways to make concrete production more sustainable and machine translation better. Now one of the company’s ML teams has created a tool that builds realistic musculoskeletal simulations that run up to 4,000 times faster than state-of-the-art prosthetics. According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the company can train the models to do things like twirl pens and rotate objects.

At the moment, Meta sees the platform’s usefulness in two different ways. To start, there’s the obvious metaverse angle. Zuckerberg suggests MyoSuite could help the company develop more realistic avatars for applications like Horizon Worlds. Another more interesting use case could see researchers tapping the platform to develop new prosthetics, as well as novel surgery and rehabilitation techniques. To that end, Meta says it plans to open-source the model.

Meta isn’t the first company to think to use AI to improve prosthetics. Back in 2019, an independent team of researchers created a machine learning system that allowed them to quickly tune a robotic knee to an individual patient. That same year, Intel unveiled a “neuromorphic” deep-learning chip that the company said would make prosthetic limbs more efficient.

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Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend and Team Coco’s other podcasts now belong to SiriusXM. O’Brien has sold his digital media company and podcast network to the satellite radio giant.

As part of the deal, which The Wall Street Journal says is worth around $150 million, O’Brien has signed a five-year talent agreement to keep hosting his podcast. He’ll also create and produce a Team Coco comedy channel. In addition, SiriusXM will have the right to distribute some videos from O’Brien’s podcast, along with archival footage from his TBS late-night show.

Team Coco’s staff of around 50 will continue to produce existing shows and work on other SiriusXM content. The network’s other podcasts include Conan O’Brien Needs a Fan (a spin-off of the flagship show) and Parks and Recollection, a Parks and Recreation behind-the-scenes show hosted by star Rob Lowe and writer Alan Yang. Collectively, the 10 podcasts have been downloaded more than 418 million times.

Don’t worry too much if you listen to Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend and other Team Coco shows elsewhere. They’ll still be available on other podcast platforms.

“When I started in television my ultimate goal was to work my way up to radio,” O’Brien said. “This new deal with SiriusXM builds on the great relationship that began several years ago with a team that is the standout in their field.”

SiriusXM has been trying to become a bigger player in podcasting amid stiff competition from the likes of Spotify. Over the last couple of years, it has scooped up the Stitcher platform and podcasts such as 99% Invisible. SiriusXM has also beefed up its original content with exclusive shows from the likes of Marvel. It bought podcast hosting and analytics platform Simplecast too.

If you’ve ever laid awake at night wondering about how bad wildfires, droughts, storms, and floods could get in the future, then climate change has already been robbing you of sleep.

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Washington, DC Attorney General Karl Racine evidently believes that if you can’t snare enough slimy, data-profiting fish with one net, then you should just cast more nets.

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