Tree planting projects seem like a great climate solution—lots of trees can sequester lots of carbon that would otherwise be warming the atmosphere. But, surprise surprise, it turns out you can’t just plop any old tree into the ground and expect to reap environmental benefits, new research finds.
Part of what makes going to a Disney park so magical is trying to figure out how any of it is possible. How do the structures of the rides blend so perfectly into the park? How do they launch fireworks like this every night? Who’s making all of this food? Disney normally prefers to keep all of that a mystery but it doe…
Google hosted its Pixel 8 event today and announced several interesting developments. Their newly-released Pixel 8 phones were the star of the event, with the Pixel Buds Pro and Pixel Watch 2 bringing up the rear. There were also a few announcements on AI, Android 14, and the Bard Assistant.
Over the course of its Made by Google event on Wednesday, it became clear that Google intends to infuse its its new Pixel 8 phones with generative AI. With the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, Google is adding support for on-demand summaries, translations and read-aloud features for articles and web pages, plus more tricks. All of this is handled through the Assistant, either via spoken word or on-screen prompts.
On the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, the Assistant will be able to quickly summarize website text, offering a breakdown of the page and bullet points of relevant content. It’s a lot like interacting with Bard or Bing AI, in this regard. Prompts will pop up at the bottom of the summary with potential follow-ups — an article about iPhones, for example, will end with action buttons reading, “About iPhones,” and, “Who invented the iPhone?”
The new Assistant can translate text into various languages and will even read the converted content out loud (in supported languages). In the case of translated or original text, read-aloud mode populates a draggable progress bar, playback-speed controls and 10-second skip buttons in either direction.
Call screening is also improved on Pixel 8, and the Assistant should sound more natural when speaking with callers — meaning a few more pauses and weird sounds, basically. Call screening will also offer an expanded list of potential responses for users to choose from as the conversation carries on in the background.
Another Assistant update will allow users to compose messages twice as fast using their voice, and enable typing, editing and sending messages in multiple languages. Overall, Assistant should be able to better understand users when they speak in natural patterns, even across languages. Additionally, Google’s At A Glance feature will provide more useful information, like travel updates and tickets for events.
Google is making the Recorder app more useful with generative AI, too. On Pixel 8s, Recorder will be able to provide high-level summaries of captured content. This is in addition to the Recorder app’s existing transcription abilities.
The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will go on sale October 12, starting at $700.
Follow all of the news live from Google’s 2023 Pixel event right here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-pixel-8-lineup-has-a-bevy-of-generative-ai-features-143036712.html?src=rss
Some allies say more aid should be approved sooner, to keep the issue out of the 2024 election season.
Jonathan Majors’ trial starts this month just as Loki season two is set to debut on Disney+, but the actor’s place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe remains unchanged for now.
A stormy, wet year for California has brought its perilously depleted reservoirs back to life. The state’s “water year” ended this past Saturday, with officials noting that reservoirs throughout California are at 128% of their historical average, the Associated Press reports.
Quantum Leap returns to NBC this week to catch up with Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee), a time-traveler who has no control over where or when he’s going to end up next, but who fortunately has the help of a Los Angeles-based team of badasses and geniuses helping him through each mission.
NASA is planning its first crewed mission to the moon since Apollo 17’s 1972 trip, and it’s doing so in style. Axiom Space — the company NASA chose last year to create the Extravehicular Activity Services (xEVAS) spacesuits for 2025’s Artemis III mission — has announced it’s partnering with luxury Italian brand Prada to design them.
The two companies will work side by side throughout production. “Prada’s technical expertise with raw materials, manufacturing techniques, and innovative design concepts will bring advanced technologies instrumental in ensuring not only the comfort of astronauts on the lunar surface, but also the much-needed human factors considerations absent from legacy spacesuits,” Axiom Space CEO Michael Suffredini said in a statement.
Prada Group marketing director Lorenzo Bertelli added, “It is a true celebration of the power of human creativity and innovation to advance civilization.” He also credited the company’s “cutting-edge” work to decades of experience with its Luna Rossa Prada sailing team.
The Artemis III mission is unique not only because of the five decades since Apollo 17 but because it’s the first time a woman or person of color will go to the moon, astronauts Christina Koch and Victor Glover. Interestingly, Koch’s role in the mission is acknowledged early on in Axiom Space’s release, seemingly creating a subtext that the presence of a woman (read: an accomplished, experienced astronaut) is necessary to justify teaming up with a luxury designer.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/prada-will-help-design-the-spacesuits-for-nasas-2025-artemis-iii-mission-150009987.html?src=rss
The decision comes after host Drew Barrymore decided briefly to return to the show during the writers strike.
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