A little more than a week ago, marketer Tom Orbach absolutely delighted Twitter when he unveiled his LinkedIn Viral Post Generator, a website that uses AI to ape viral LinkedIn posts, cringe and all. The internet absolutely ate it up, so much so that a company decided to pay real money to own the thing.
A 36-year-old man in Italy appears to be uniquely unlucky, after he was hospitalized and diagnosed with covid-19, monkeypox, and HIV over a span of a single week in July. Thankfully, his covid and monkeypox co-infections did successfully clear up without issue, and he has since been placed on HIV treatment.
The biggest problem with Samaritan, a brand new superhero movie starring the one and only Sylvester Stallone, is a lack of identity. That’s oddly fitting since the movie itself is about a young boy trying to figure out the identity of a man who lives in his neighborhood. Is he the long-lost superhero Samaritan? Will…
The White House has updated its policy on federally funded research. Going forward, the results of studies funded by the government must be made public right away. Until now, researchers who receive federal funding have been allowed to publish their findings in academic journals exclusively for one year, effectively adding a paywall to their work. Agencies will need to update their policies accordingly by December 31st, 2025.
The Biden administration hopes that the move will afford more equitable access to research. “All members of the American public should be able to take part in every part of the scientific enterprise—leading, participating in, accessing and benefitting from taxpayer-funded scientific research. That is, all communities should be able to take part in America’s scientific possibilities,” senior policy advisor Dr. Ryan Donohue and assistant director for open science and data policy Dr. Christopher Steven Marcum wrote in the White House’s announcement.
They note that several discriminatory factors have prevented many Americans from accessing research, not least because of the paywall. The lack of adequate funding at “minority-serving colleges and institutions” and people’s socio-economic statuses “have historically and systemically excluded some Americans from accessing the full benefits of scientific research,” the announcement reads.
Under the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) latest guidance, the administration is eliminating the option to put federally funded peer-reviewed research articles exclusively behind a paywall for 12 months. The refreshed policy builds on a 2013 memo on bolstering access to federally funded research results with a requirement to make “data published in peer-reviewed research articles immediately available upon publication.” Other research data will be made available “within a reasonable timeframe.”
Publicly publishing such data as soon as possible could accelerate the pace of scientific research. It may be easier for others to replicate and build on the results of studies. Still, the policy clarifies that it’s important for researchers and agencies to share data responsibly to ensure privacy and security standards are upheld.
Among other things, the guidance affords researchers the ability to include the costs of publishing and sharing data in their research budget proposals. OSTP is also working with several agencies to combat funding inequities. Several agencies have programs through which they provide grants to researchers in the early stages of their careers, and bolster the “racial and gender diversity of award applicants and the scientific workforce.”
More than 20 agencies were subject to the 2013 memo, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Transportation and NASA. All of the agencies have established policies to release scientific data swiftly, which they may now need to update.
Did you know Waze was offering carpooling through its app? I did not. I own a car, so it was not something that was on my radar. But the folks who might currently rely on it will soon find they’ll have to figure out new ways to get around.
Advocates are hopeful the ruling will be a powerful tool to challenge legislation restricting medical care and other benefits for transgender people.
We’ve seen plenty of flat monitors and curved gaming monitors, but Corsair’s latest is one that’s capable of transforming between the two styles.
It was revealed back in June that helicopters and gliders are coming to Microsoft Flight Simulator, but they’ll arrive earlier than expected. Developer Asobo Studio previously said it would add them on November 22nd, but it will introduce both types of aircraft on November 11th instead.
That’s the release date for the game’s 40th Anniversary Edition, which will be available as a free update for anyone who has bought Microsoft Flight Simulator. Xbox Game Pass members will get access at no extra cost. On the same date, Asobo Studio will add another aircraft that has been widely requested by the community — a true-to-life airliner. Nearly every button in the Airbus A-310 will work as expected, as Microsoft Flight Simulator head Jorg Neumann noted on the Xbox blog.
Some famous historical aircraft will also join the game, including the 1947 Hughes H-4 Hercules (aka the Spruce Goose), which is the largest seaplane and wooden plane ever built. In addition, the Spirit of St. Louis, the plane Charles Lindbergh flew in the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in May 1927, will be available.
In all, Asobo will add 12 aircraft, four classic commercial airports (including Meigs Field in Chicago), 10 glider airports, 14 heliports and 20 missions from previous games on November 11th. Meanwhile, the studio has just released Microsoft Flight Simulator‘s first city update, with photogrammetry improvements for the German locales of Hanover, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Bonn and Cologne. The update coincides with Gamescom, which is taking place in Cologne this week.
This year’s RoboCup symposium held in Bangkok, Thailand marks the 25th anniversary of the event, an international competition dedicated to the advancement of robotic and artificial intelligence technologies. The original goal of the event was to get the state of robotics in robust enough shape that one might field a team of robotic soccer players capable of beating a World Cup champion (human) team by 2050 – but a lot has changed since 1997.
Both the event and its mechanical entrants have evolved by leaps and bounds in the intervening years. The number of teams participating has ballooned tenfold since the inaugural event, from 38 to more than 300, with competitors now coming from more than 40 nations worldwide. And rather than fall down stairs, today’s cutting-edge humanoid constructs are backflipping off them.
“We think of [the competition] as a grand challenge akin to the Apollo missions that sought to land a person on the moon,” Dr. Peter Stone, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin and Executive Director of Sony AI America, told Engadget via email. “In both cases, one might reasonably ask, why is it worthwhile to try to achieve such a goal? What do we gain by landing a person on the moon? What do we gain by creating superhuman soccer playing robots?”
“In the case of the Apollo mission, there were several spin-off technologies in areas such as remote telemetry, body monitoring, breathing apparatuses, fabric structures, communications, and food packaging,” he continued. ”In the case of RoboCup, there have been several start-up companies founded by RoboCup participants using RoboCup technologies, most prominently Kiva Systems which became Amazon Robotics.”
“This vision inspired my early research on AI planning and machine learning in multiagent systems,” Stone wrote in a 2021 Sony AI blog, “and has continued to inspire my research and that of my students on these areas and robot learning throughout the years.”
The ideas that led to the RoboCup — can you use a soccer competition to promote robotics and AI research — had been percolating in the academic space since the early 1990s, according to RoboCup, though it wasn’t until 1995’s International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence that the official groundwork for a RoboCup competition was laid. Following a requisite two-year gap for teams to sort funding and training, Nagoya, Japan hosted the first event with more than 5,000 spectators in attendance.
Today, teams can compete in both simulated and physical soccer matches using an array of humanoid robots — sorted into divisions by size, capability, and pedalness — as well as pit their robotic first responders against the Cup’s hazard-strewn disaster courses, best one another at robo-buttling in the @Home competition, and devise the most efficient warehouse floor operation in Industry. There’s even a dedicated league for junior roboticists that spans the fields of soccer, search and rescue, and on-stage performance.
“One of the most important scientific contributions of RoboCup has been to demonstrate how competitions can drive research and also provide a way of objectively benchmarking different technologies,” Dr. Claude Sammut, Head of the Artificial Intelligence Research Group at the University of New South Wales and Deputy Director of the iCinema Centre for Interactive Cinema Research, told Engadget.
Sammut notes RoboCup Rescue as one valuable benchmarking example. The competition is supported, in part, by the US National Institute for Standard and Technology (NIST). “The arena uses the test methods developed by NIST to measure the performance of robots for disaster recovery and ordnance disposal. Each year, the test methods are updated to reflect real-world experience, so teams are encouraged to extend the capabilities of their robots to handle increasingly complex tasks.”
Training robots to play soccer “is a great problem to work on because it needs progress across most areas of AI and robotics (and it’s fun and motivating for students),” Sammut said, but learning that game won’t teach robots all they need to know about navigating in the wider world. The Cup’s Rescue course requires the robot to overcome unknown terrain to extract victims while @Home demands robust human-robot interaction and planning skills. “Humans working with robots is an important goal, so introducing domestic service robots pushes us in that direction,” he said.
That skill development has kept apace with the field’s steady stream of hardware advancements. Sammut points to “the massive increases in performance of low cost, low power CPUs and GPUs” to handle a greater degree of processing onboard, as well as the precipitous price drop of sensory equipment. “The first depth camera we bought for our rescue robots in 2006 cost €10,000. Now you can buy much better ones for a few hundred dollars and your iPhone and iPad have them built in.”
That said, even with a quarter century of technological advancements, today’s RoboCup competitors more closely resemble old Asimo than they do Sonny. Matches aren’t so much fast moving spectacles of mechanical might and sport prowess as they are watching a pair of toddering automatons shuffle after a ball while their developers trail behind them, ready to intervene in the event of a misstep or stumble.
“Motors and batteries have improved somewhat but they need further development to be able to get better speed, agility and lifetime,” Sammut conceded. “Soft, light but strong materials would also make the robots safer to be around. I wouldn’t want to be on the field with the current large humanoid robots because a tackle would really hurt!”
The best non-Apple smartwatch has long been Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series, thanks to its comprehensive health and fitness tracking, intuitive interface and comfortable, pleasant design. For a product that’s so mature, it’s hard to imagine what else Samsung can improve upon, which might explain why the Galaxy Watch 5 is very similar to its predecessor. It even costs the same $280 to start.
Most of the changes here aren’t immediately visible, like a more durable build, an inactive temperature sensor and better battery life. Samsung also introduced a new Pro model for $450 that comes in a 45mm titanium case, uses a stronger screen and has a large 590mAh battery, promising a runtime of up to 80 hours. Still, the fact that the tweaks are small doesn’t mean the Galaxy Watch 5 can’t still be the best smartwatch around for Android users.
Like I said, the Galaxy Watch 5 looks just like its predecessor, and comes in the same 40mm and 44mm sizes as before. Both are a few grams (or less than a quarter ounce) heavier than the previous generation, but it’s barely noticeable. The lack of change isn’t a bad thing — the Galaxy Watch’s round face and minimalist design make it look more like a conventional timepiece than the Apple Watch.
My 40mm review unit has a silver case, though black and pink gold are also available, while the 44mm model is available in silver, black or sapphire. I also received a comfortable silicon purple strap, which is more inoffensive than lust-inducingly pretty. If you want something nicer, you can easily swap out the bands.
It’s not immediately obvious, but Samsung used a more durable Sapphire Crystal glass for the Watch 5’s screen. I have yet to destroy a smartwatch even during my wilder gym sessions, but I was grateful for the reinforced materials during a workout recently. I had forgotten about the Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro on my wrists, and flipped a pair of 26-pound kettlebell onto the back of my arms. Thankfully, neither device was scratched, and I continued to rack the weights as I powered through two more sets. To be fair, I’ve also done this same exercise with the Apple Watch and haven’t damaged it either.
Like its predecessors, the Watch 5 is also rated IP68, 5 ATM and MIL-STD-810H for durability (water, dust and pressure resistance). I wore it swimming recently, and though it wasn’t as accurate as the Apple Watch at tracking laps, it at least survived. Those who liked Samsung’s bezel-based navigation will appreciate the touch-sensitive ring framing the screen that you can use to scroll through the Wear OS interface, as well as the mild haptic feedback as you whizz past apps. I still prefer a physical rotating bezel, but I get that not everyone wants the added bulk.
One of the main differences Samsung brought to the Watch 5 is the refined curvature of its underside. This is meant to keep the watch in contact with more of your wrist so its sensors can deliver more reliable readings. Unfortunately, I found this kind of uncomfortable. Both the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro would leave round indentation marks on my wrist after I removed them, no matter how much I adjusted the fit.
This was only mildly annoying, and I put up with it because I thought I was getting more reliable scans in return. But I realized that the Galaxy Watch 5 was consistently giving me almost exactly the same readings as the Apple Watch Series 7 that I wore on my other wrist, and the latter never felt as tight. Another reviewer I spoke to said they found the Watch 5 very comfortable, though, so this might be a matter of personal preference.
This also applies to wearing a watch to bed — some people don’t mind it, others hate it. I belong in the latter camp, but still wore the Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch to bed to compare their sleep-tracking tools. As I’ve said before, Apple’s system is atrocious. You have to either set a bedtime or enable your Sleep focus before the device can tell you’re asleep. Even then, it doesn’t really actually know if you’re awake or passed out. Samsung can figure it out all on its own.
One night, I wore both watches to bed, making sure to note the time right before I flipped over and closed my eyes. The Galaxy Watch 5 accurately noted that I fell asleep around 1:30am and woke up at 4am, while Apple simply told me I got a full night’s rest from 11pm to 9am.
I could go on about how infuriating it is that Apple can’t figure out something that Fitbit and Samsung managed to years ago, but this isn’t a watchOS review. The Galaxy Watch 5, like Fitbit’s watches, will also use your heart rate information to gauge what sleep zones you hit and tell you how much time you’ve spent in REM, Deep or Light sleep. Meanwhile, that feature is slated to arrive with the upcoming watchOS 9.
Sleep-tracking isn’t new to the Galaxy Watch 5, but Samsung did add a sleep coaching tool that’s meant to guide you towards better rest. However, it requires 5 weeknights and 2 weekend nights of data before any tips are generated, and I haven’t logged that many hours yet. Plus, my data would be skewed anyway — any time I wear any accessory to bed, I sleep horribly. This might be an insightful feature, I just can’t tell you right now.
Another thing I can’t evaluate at the moment is whether the skin temperature sensor that Samsung introduced on the Galaxy Watch 5 will be useful, since it’s not currently doing anything. There are plenty of potentially useful applications for that data, though, so it’ll be interesting to see what the company is able to do with this.
Samsung has also long been better than most Wear OS watches at monitoring your activity, and the Watch 5 is no different. When I was stuck at my desk for hours on end pounding out this review, it reminded me to get up and move. I have always appreciated that in addition to walking, Galaxy Watches would also suggest movements you could perform at your desk, like torso twists or stretches. Even better, the device would be able to detect exactly how many twists you’ve done — something the Apple Watch and other Wear OS devices don’t do.
In general, Samsung’s system is as proactive as ever. When I got up to walk around after the Watch 5 prompted me to, the device buzzed after I took about a dozen steps to congratulate me for moving. That’s a lot less than Apple’s demands, which can make me feel like I need to pace my room like I’m going mad.
Galaxy Watches are also quicker to recognize when you’ve been moving and will ask if you want to record your walk. The flip side of that is they’re also hyperactive at noticing when you’ve paused and will not only suspend tracking, but will buzz you to let you know it’s not counting the time while you’ve stopped. Chill, Samsung!
Besides the sleep coaching feature, not much is different between the Watch 4 and Watch 5 when it comes to software. You’ll still be able to get a body composition reading using the built-in body-impedance analysis (BIA) tool, take ECG scans, reply to messages, control music playback and more. The Watch 5 also uses the same 5nm Exynos processor as the older model, and for the most part was just as responsive. I only really had to wait when creating new watch faces or taking a body fat scan — otherwise, everything happened the instant I tapped the screen.
Speaking of, if you were wondering about the accuracy of the Watch 5’s body composition measurements — it’s surprisingly close to results from more sophisticated systems. I recently tried an InBody scan, which is a more advanced version of BIA like that on the Watch 5. Samsung’s readings were just about two percent off on body fat percent and less than a pound under my skeletal muscle as calculated by the InBody version.
I actually forgot that the Watch 5 is a Wear OS device, because the its software still feels so much like Tizen. Besides swiping up and down from the home screen to pull up all apps and settings, the majority of the side-swiping interface feels no different from Samsung’s original OS.
One thing I wish Wear OS / Tizen did better was displaying workout information. Apple uses a large, bold font to show how long you’ve been working out, as well as your heart rate and calories burned. Samsung displays similar information, but using a font that’s a lot thinner and smaller. When my Watch 5’s screen was locked during my swim and I couldn’t tap it, I couldn’t see any info at all and had to unlock water mode mid-lap to bump up brightness to the max. Even then, it was only slightly better.
It’s also worth noting that because they’re typically secondary devices, a significant part of the smartwatch experience is interacting with its companion apps on your phone. In this case, you’ll need to install the Galaxy Wearable app to set up your Watch 5, and Samsung Health to see details about your workouts and sleep sessions. In general, these apps were easy to use and navigate and I found settings or health summaries quickly. Samsung also shows what cardio zones you were in during a workout or sleep session, and this information is only coming to watchOS 9 when it’s publicly available later this year.
I wore the Apple Watch Series 7 and Galaxy Watch 5 on each wrist for a week and every day they delivered almost exactly the same runtime, though with one caveat. Both devices clocked slightly over a day before conking out, although enabling the Always On Display (AOD) caused the Watch 5 to drain noticeably faster. One night, the Samsung watch dropped to 4 percent by 7:21pm, while the Apple Watch was still holding strong at 38 percent despite also having AOD on.
Both watches recharged quickly, so I never had to wait longer than 30 minutes to get enough juice for half a day’s wear. When I wore the watches overnight to test sleep tracking, the Apple Watch used less power than the Galaxy Watch, but the latter actually delivers better results, which seems like a worthwhile tradeoff.
The Pro model of the Watch 5 typically lasted a few hours longer than the 40mm model with its Always On Display enabled, and I got close to a day more juice with the setting turned off. Though Samsung markets the Watch 5 Pro as having been designed “for the great outdoors,” there’s really little about it that makes it feel that way.
The Pro is noticeably bulkier, too. I have fairly petite wrists, so the 45mm titanium case felt overwhelming. It also has a chunky frame around the screen where a rotating bezel might sit, although there is no mechanical spinner here. While the D-buckle closure makes the Pro fit more securely, it adds to the general heft.
That might not be a bad thing if you don’t mind oversized watches, and the bonus is that the Watch 5 Pro feels strong enough to withstand being smashed against boulders. I had it higher up my forearm when racking kettlebells like I mentioned earlier, so the weights actually landed on its screen. Despite being smacked by 26 pounds of metal, the Watch 5 Pro survived without a scratch, and I continued to run through my reps without much concern. The stronger Sapphire Crystal glass that Samsung uses here definitely held up, at least during my testing.
The other feature differentiating the Pro from the regular Watch 5 is its support for the GPX route format for workouts like hiking and cycling. You’ll have to go into the Samsung Health app on your phone to pick a previous route and export it as a GPX file, go into Hiking or Cycling and import that information. Then, from the Watch 5 Pro, you can select one of the routes you loaded under one of those exercises to start the same journey, and the device will show you turn by turn directions.
It’s a little tricky to set up, but potentially helpful for those who are in a new place and want to try out a local route by downloading GPX files from databases. Samsung also added a Track Back feature that will take you home the way you came and it’s only available for hiking or cycling for now.
Even though most of the changes Samsung brought to the Watch 5 line are minimal, the fact remains that for Android users, this is the best smartwatch around. I might not like the refined curvature of the underside, but it does make for more reliable sensor readings. The Watch 5 Pro is also a little bulky for my taste and the only real improvement it offers over the regular model (aside from size and durability) is a bit more battery life.
Still, thanks to its well-rounded and capable health and fitness tracking tools, the Watch 5 is one of the best smartwatches around.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
