We’re gonna go out on a limb here and say not everything is what it seems in the new show Beacon 23. Call it a hunch. Call it intuition. But from the looks of this trailer, there’s some foul play afoot, and when that type of thing happens on a space station far, far away from Earth, we can’t help but love it.
OpenAI has brought live web browsing out of beta. The company launched the feature earlier this year before pulling it after the plugin kept gleaning data from paywalled content. In addition, the next-generation image generation tool DALL-E 3, which integrates with ChatGPT for easier prompting, is now available in beta for ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise subscribers.
Browse with Bing, as live web browsing is formally called, no longer requires subscribers to switch a beta toggle under the chatbot’s settings. It’s now available as a standard option in the dropdown under the GPT-4 model selector.
The feature matters since, by default, the popular chatbot has a knowledge cutoff date of September 2021, leaving it clueless about current events. “Browsing is particularly useful for tasks that require up-to-date information, such as helping you with technical research, trying to choose a bike, or planning a vacation,” the company posted on X (formerly Twitter) last month.
Meanwhile, DALL-E 3 is now available in beta settings for ChatGPT subscribers. While DALL-E 2 launched before ChatGPT and had a separate website, the new version is available within ChatGPT, preventing users from having to switch apps.
OpenAI said last month that DALL-E 3 is “significantly better” at grasping the user’s intent, especially with long and detailed prompts. The company says it’s better at rendering images, including hands (which many an AI image generator has struggled with). In addition, the tool lets you tweak results by entering follow-up queries in natural language. Unlike the previous version, the company says DALL-E 3 refuses attempts to mimic styles of living artists, helping it steer clear of potential lawsuits.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/chatgpt-live-web-browsing-exits-beta-dall-e-3-enters-beta-182303115.html?src=rss
Researchers at Stanford University in the USA have explored the potential of virtual reality (VR) in helping individuals with hoarding disorder tackle their compulsion to hoard — it’s a condition that affects around 2.5% of the American population and is characterized by a persistent urge to acquire new possessions and an extreme difficulty in parting with items, regardless of their value, often leading to living in cluttered and unsanitary conditions.
Published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, the study involved nine hoarders over the age of 55. Researchers asked them to document the most cluttered room in their homes with photos and videos, which were then transformed into personalized 3D environments for use in VR. During the experiment, participants navigated these virtual rooms and practiced managing their possessions using VR headsets and controllers.
Hoarding disorder is a condition that affects around 2.5% of the American population and is characterized by a persistent urge to acquire new possessions and extreme difficulty in parting with items.
In addition to the VR sessions, the volunteers engaged in 16 weeks of online group therapy, where they received peer support and learned cognitive behavioral skills related to hoarding. During the VR sessions, they were guided to place certain items in virtual recycling, donation, or garbage bins, encouraging them to consider decluttering in reality.
The results were promising, with seven out of nine participants reporting reduced symptoms during the experiment. Researchers noted that the clutter in the homes of eight participants appeared less pronounced. However, the improvements were comparable to those in the control group, which only received group therapy without VR.
While some participants expressed concerns about the realism of the VR environments, the researchers believe that refining this technology could enhance the treatment experience. The study indicates that VR is well-received by individuals with hoarding disorder, including older patients, and has the potential to help them confront the challenges of decluttering.
The innovative approach could offer a promising solution for those dealing with this complex and challenging disorder, reducing the stigma associated with seeking help and addressing the issue in a more engaging manner.
Virtual Reality Shows Promise In Helping Hoarders Declutter
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The singer suggested that she would leave the U.S. if the 2024 vote goes awry.
As the SAG-AFTRA strike continues, and working-class actors are still on the picket line, A-list stars are navigating their movements almost too cautiously, calling for contentious talks with the AMPTP to resume as we head into the winter months.
Meta is temporarily changing users’ default comment settings on Facebook as part of its response to the Israel-Hamas war. The company said in an update it was making the change in an effort to “protect people in the region from potentially unwelcome or unwanted comments.”
With the change, comments on “newly created public Facebook posts” will be limited to the user’s friends or “established followers.” The step is somewhat unusual as publicly viewable Facebook posts are typically open to comments from anyone by default. Meta didn’t specify the location or how many Facebook accounts would be affected by the change, but said it would apply broadly to “people in the region.”
The company added that all Facebook users have the ability to limit their comments, regardless of their location, and that it would notify users for whom the setting was now enabled by default. Additionally, Meta said it’s making it easier for Facebook users to bulk delete comments and that it’s “disabled the feature that normally displays the first one or two comments under posts in Feed.”
The updates appear to be meant to reduce harassment and potentially toxic comments as tensions surrounding the conflict continue to spill over onto social media. Meta also said it’s rolling out its profile “lock” tool to Facebook users “in the region.” The feature allows users to hide some previously-public parts of their profile and prevents non-friends from seeing a full-size version of their profile photos.
The company also addressed claims that their content moderation practices have unfairly suppressed some accounts posting about the conflict. Over the weekend a number of users reported that they believed they had been “shadowbanned” on Instagram for posting content about conditions in Gaza or otherwise calling attention to how the ongoing conflict is affecting Palestinians.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the company had discovered and fixed a “bug” that affected the visibility of Stories and other re-shared posts “globally.” On Wednesday, the company confirmed the issues had “significantly reduced” the reach of Stories. “This bug affected accounts equally around the globe – not only people trying to post about what’s happening in Israel and Gaza – and it had nothing to do with the subject matter of the content,” Meta said. Separately, the company also fixed another “global issue” that prevented users from livestreaming on Facebook “for a short time.”
It’s not the first time questions have been raised about Meta’s response to a conflict between Israel and Hamas. In May of 2021, the last time there was a major escalation violence in the Gaza Strip, Facebook’s moderation practices violated Palestinians’ right to free expression, a report commissioned by Meta found. The report found that Meta’s systems and content reviewers had a lower accuracy rate when evaluating posts written in Palestinian Arabic, which resulted in a significant number of users being hit with “false strikes” on their accounts.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-is-temporarily-changing-facebook-comment-settings-amid-israel-hamas-war-183105130.html?src=rss
Sony has provided new information about its PS5 cloud streaming service for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers, coinciding with its launch in Japan on October 17th. The update includes details on bandwidth recommendations and clarifies certain aspects of the service.
One notable aspect is the bandwidth recommendations for different streaming qualities. Sony suggests 52Mbps for 4K, 38Mbps for 1440p, 23Mbps for 1080p, and 13Mbps for 720p streaming. These recommendations indicate the bandwidth required for a smooth gaming experience. However, it’s important to note that these are the recommended settings, and the minimum required bandwidth is as low as 5Mbps for 720p and 38Mbps for 4K.
Sony’s PS5 Cloud Streaming Service (Image: PlayStation’s Official Blog)
The update reaffirms that, at this stage, PS5 games can only be streamed to a PS5 console. The cloud streaming service does not support streaming to the PlayStation Portal, which is designed for local gaming over Wi-Fi on the PS5. The list of countries where the PS5 cloud streaming service will be available includes a range of European countries, Canada, the United States, and Japan. These are the regions where PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers can access this service.
The cloud gaming service is already live for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers in Japan, with planned rollouts for Europe on October 23rd and North America on October 30th. This expansion of the service brings cloud streaming capabilities to a wider audience, making it more accessible for gamers in multiple regions.
Overall, these details provide valuable information for those interested in using Sony’s PS5 cloud streaming service, outlining bandwidth requirements and the service’s geographic availability, ensuring a smoother and more informed experience for subscribers.
Sony Reveals PS5 Cloud Streaming Details
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The FBI reported 227,108 arrests related to cannabis, which is legal in 23 states.
Looks like that password sharing crackdown worked: Netflix has reported adding nearly nine million new customers this quarter, bringing its total number of subscribers to 247.2 million as of September 30. Some customers, however, will find their plans are about to go up in price.
Netflix announced price hikes on two of its plans today. As the company relayed its quarterly earnings, tit said it’s increasing rates for its Basic and Premium plans. The Basic plan, which Netflix killed earlier this year, moves from $10 to $12 for grandfathered customers, while Premium rises from $20 to $23.
Netflix said its ad-supported and Standard plans will remain the same at $7 and $15.49, respectively. Before Wednesday’s news, the company last raised prices in early 2022.
“While we mostly paused price increases as we rolled out paid sharing, our overall approach remains the same — a range of prices and plans to meet a wide range of needs, and as we deliver more value to our members, we occasionally ask them to pay a bit more,” Netflix wrote in its earnings report. “Our starting price is extremely competitive with other streamers and at $6.99 per month in the US, for example, it’s much less than the average price of a single movie ticket.”
The company’s move to limit password sharing appears to have paid off. Paid memberships are up to 247.15 million, a significant 10 percent annual increase. Paid net subscriber additions were 8.76 million for Q3, the biggest increase of the last year. In addition, Netflix’s advertising-supported plan seems to be off to the hot start it expected as it accounted for 30 percent of all new sign-ups in countries where it’s available.
Netflix has shifted its strategy as it adjusts from its peak-pandemic highs while facing increased competition. In addition to its price hikes, ad-supported plan and password-sharing crackdowns, the streaming service is even taking the peculiar step of moving into retail.
Netflix is hardly alone in raising prices. Disney+, Hulu and Max have all issued increases in the past 12 months. That isn’t limited to direct rivals: Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, Spotify, YouTube Premium and Apple Music all jacked up their subscription costs in the last year.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-jacks-price-premium-plan-201116492.html?src=rss
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