Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the flywheel-effect department: Google's expansion of Gemini's data access through "personal context" represents a fundamental shift in how AI assistants operate. Unlike competitors that start from scratch with each new user, Gemini can immediately tap into years of accumulated user data across Google's ecosystem. The Verge adds: Google first started letting users opt in to its "Gemini with personalization" feature earlier this year, which lets the AI model tap into your search history "to provide responses that are uniquely insightful and directly address your needs." But now, Google is taking things a step further by unlocking access to even more of your information -- all in the name of providing you with more personalized, AI-generated responses.
During Google I/O on Tuesday, Google introduced something called "personal context," which will allow Gemini models to pull relevant information from across Google's apps, as long as it has your permission. One way Google is doing this is through Gmail's personalized smart replies -- the AI-generated messages that you can use to quickly reply to emails.
To make these AI responses sound "authentically like you," Gemini will pore over your previous emails and even your Google Drive files to craft a reply tailored to your conversation. The response will even incorporate your tone, the greeting you use the most, and even "favorite word choices," according to Google.
Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the fighting-back department: BrianFagioli writes: Signal has officially had enough, folks. You see, the privacy-first messaging app is going on the offensive, declaring war on Microsoft's invasive Recall feature by enabling a new "Screen security" setting by default on Windows 11. This move is designed to block Microsoft's AI-powered screenshot tool from capturing your private chats.
If you aren't aware, Recall was first unveiled a year ago as part of Microsoft's Copilot+ PC push. The feature quietly took screenshots of everything happening on your computer, every few seconds, storing them in a searchable timeline. Microsoft claimed it would help users "remember" what they've done. Critics called it creepy. Security experts called it dangerous. The backlash was so fierce that Microsoft pulled the feature before launch.
But now, in a move nobody asked for, Recall is sadly back. And thankfully, Signal isn't waiting around this time. The team has activated a Windows 11-specific DRM flag that completely blacks out Signal's chat window when a screenshot is attempted. If you've ever tried to screen grab a streaming movie, you'll know the result: nothing but black.
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the terminal-decline department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: "Do not use semicolons," wrote Kurt Vonnegut, who averaged fewer than 30 a novel (about one every 10 pages). "All they do is show you've been to college." A study suggests UK authors are taking Vonnegut's advice to heart; the semicolon seems to be in terminal decline, with its usage in English books plummeting by almost half in two decades -- from one appearing in every 205 words in 2000 to one use in every 390 words today. Further research by Lisa McLendon, author of The Perfect English Grammar Workbook, found 67% of British students never or rarely use the semicolon. Just 11% of respondents described themselves as frequent users.
Linguistic experts at the language learning software Babbel, which commissioned the original research, were so struck by their findings that they asked McLendon to give the 500,000-strong London Student Network a 10-question multiple-choice quiz on the semicolon. She found more than half of respondents did not know or understand how to use it. As defined by the Oxford Dictionary of English, the semicolon is "a punctuation mark indicating a pause, typically between two main clauses, that is more pronounced than that indicated by a comma." It is commonly used to link together two independent but related clauses, and is particularly useful for juxtaposition or replacing confusing extra commas in lists where commas already exist -- or where a comma would create a splice. The Guardian has a semicolon quiz at the end of the article where you can test your semicolon knowledge.
You might not know it based on my scathing recaps of The Last of Us’ second season, but I love this series. I love the moral conundrums it presents, the violent grief it depicts, and the games’ excellent writing that poignantly brings all of those complicated emotions to the surface. What I don’t like is listening to…
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RPG fans love their Collector’s Editions, but few guessed just how big or good Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 would turn out to be, including its own developers. The result was that a very limited set of physical releases, including Collector’s Editions exclusive to certain retailers, immediately vanished from store…
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The general gameplay loop of Monster Hunter Wilds is using cool weapons to fight strong monsters—and then using their parts to make even cooler weapons to fight even stronger monsters. That cycle likely doesn’t have many hitches until you have to wrestle with Zoh Shia. While their debut hunt can be a strong wall, the…
In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you’ll come across quests where you can help out the expedition’s enemies, Nevrons. While most Nevrons are hostile, there are a few that’ll ask for help. One early Nevron quest takes place in the Flying Waters dungeon with a fellow named Demineur.
GeoGuessr will not be one of the games participating in Saudi Arabia’s Esports World Cup this year, after criticisms of sportswashing and the country’s poor human rights record. The competitive guessing game that’s popular on Twitch had previously agreed to be part of the event alongside Riot, Blizzard, and other game…
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Developer Mercury Steam is perhaps best known for 2010’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and, more recently, Metroid Dread. The studio’s newest game, Blades of Fire, is a tough action-adventure RPG with Soulslike elements and a surprisingly in-depth weapon-forging mini-game.
We all know there is no Mission: Impossible without Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) ultimately saving the world from a nuclear disaster, a bombing, or anything some nutcase came up with that day. He is the central figure with which an entire universe revolves around. But, it would be a shame if you watched years of Mission:…
