Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the PSA department: ChatGPT-assisted writing dampened brain activity and recall in a controlled MIT study [PDF] of 54 college volunteers divided into AI-only, search-engine, and no-tool groups. Electroencephalography recorded during three essay-writing sessions found the AI group consistently showed the weakest neural connectivity across all measured frequency bands; the tool-free group showed the strongest, with search users in between.
In the first session 83% of ChatGPT users could not quote any line they had just written and none produced a correct quote. Only nine of the 18 claimed full authorship of their work, compared with 16 of 18 in the brain-only cohort. Neural coupling in the AI group declined further over repeated use. When these participants were later asked to write without assistance, frontal-parietal networks remained subdued and 78% again failed to recall a single sentence accurately.
The pattern reversed for students who first wrote unaided: introducing ChatGPT in a crossover session produced the highest connectivity sums in alpha, theta, beta and delta bands, indicating intense integration of AI suggestions with prior knowledge. The MIT authors warn that habitual reliance on large language models "accumulates cognitive debt," trading immediate fluency for weaker memory, reduced self-monitoring, and narrowed neural engagement.
Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005
Japanese Publisher Hero-X have revealed, via their
Twitter/X account, a new exclusive postcard of their new Transformers Generations Book 2025. The book has just been released in Japan. If you buy it from
Yodobashi Camera and exclusive postcard featuring Unicron and Galvatron will be included (whiel supplies last). The illustration was drawn by famouns manga artist Satoshi Uroshihara. The Transformers Generations book 2025 will have 96 pages and it will have information and images of T-Spark, Age Of The Primes, Missing Link, Adamas Machina, Studio Series, Transformers One and more. The book is already available for pre-order via
Amazon.jp. Click on the bar
» Continue Reading.
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Transformers Generations Book 2025 Exclusive Postcard appeared first on
Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the likes-comments-and-visas department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Foreign students will be required to unlock their social media profiles to allow US diplomats to review their online activity before receiving educational and exchange visas, the state department has announced. Those who fail to do so will be suspected of hiding that activity from US officials. The new guidance, unveiled by the state department on Wednesday, directs US diplomats to conduct an online presence review to look for "any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States."
A cable separately obtained by Politico also instructs diplomats to flag any "advocacy for, aid or support for foreign terrorists and other threats to US national security" and "support for unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence." The screening for "antisemitic" activity matches similar guidance given at US Citizenship and Immigration Services under the Department of Homeland Security and has been criticized as an effort to crack down on opposition to the conduct of Israel's war in Gaza.
The new state department checks are directed at students and other applicants for visas in the F, M and J categories, which refer to academic and vocational education, as well as cultural exchanges. "It is an expectation from American citizens that their government will make every effort to make our country safer, and that is exactly what the Trump administration is doing every single day," said a senior state department official, adding that Marco Rubio was "helping to make America and its universities safer while bringing the state Department into the 21st century."
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the fully-on-board department: The U.S. Army Reserve has directly commissioned four top Silicon Valley executives as lieutenant colonels under a new initiative, Detachment 201, aimed at accelerating tech integration into military operations. While these part-time roles are intended to bring private-sector innovation to defense modernization, the move is pretty unusual. Gizmodo reports: The Army said in a press release that the four executives are Shyam Sankar, CTO at Palantir; Andrew Bosworth, CTO at Meta; Kevin Weil, Chief Product Officer of OpenAI; and Bob McGrew, an advisor at Thinking Machines Lab and former Chief Research Officer for OpenAI. The four men are being commissioned at the high rank of lieutenant colonel as part of a program called Detachment 201: The Army's Executive Innovation Corps. As Task & Purpose notes, the men will get to skip the usual process of taking a Direct Commissioning Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, and they won't need to complete the Army Fitness Test.
< This article continues on their website >
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the what-will-they-think-of-next department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Tech support scammers have devised a method to inject their fake phone numbers into webpages when a target's web browser visits official sites for Apple, PayPal, Netflix, and other companies. The ruse, outlined in a post on Wednesday from security firm Malwarebytes, threatens to trick users into calling the malicious numbers even when they think they're taking measures to prevent falling for such scams. One of the more common pieces of security advice is to carefully scrutinize the address bar of a browser to ensure it's pointing to an organization's official website. The ongoing scam is able to bypass such checks.
The unknown actors behind the scam begin by buying Google ads that appear at the top of search results for Microsoft, Apple, HP, PayPal, Netflix, and other sites. While Google displays only the scheme and host name of the site the ad links to (for instance, https://www.microsoft.com/ the ad appends parameters to the path to the right of that address. When a target clicks on the ad, it opens a page on the official site. The appended parameters then inject fake phone numbers into the page the target sees.
Google requires ads to display the official domain they link to, but the company allows parameters to be added to the right of it that aren't visible. The scammers are taking advantage of this by adding strings to the right of the hostname. The parameters aren't displayed in the Google ad, so a target has no obvious reason to suspect anything is amiss. When clicked on, the ad leads to the correct hostname. The appended parameters, however, inject a fake phone number into the webpage the target sees. The technique works on most browsers and against most websites. Malwarebytes.com was among the sites affected until recently, when the site began filtering out the malicious parameters.
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the made-in-America department: Longtime Slashdot reader walterbyrd shares news that Texas Instruments has announced plans to invest more than $60 billion to expand its U.S. manufacturing operations in the United States. From a report: The funds will be used to build or expand seven chip-making facilities in Texas as well as Utah, and will create 60,000 jobs, TI said on Wednesday, calling it the "largest investment in foundational semiconductor manufacturing in U.S. history." The company did not give a timeline for the investment.
Unlike AI chip firms Nvidia and AMD, TI makes analog or foundational chips used in everyday devices such as smartphones, cars and medical devices, giving it a large client base that includes Apple, SpaceX and Ford Motor. The spending pledge follows similar announcements from others in the semiconductor industry, including Micron, which said last week that it would expand its U.S. investment by $30 billion, taking its planned spending to $200 billion. [...]
Like other companies unveiling such spending commitments, TI's announcement includes funds already allocated to facilities that are either under construction or ramping up. It will build two additional plants in Sherman, Texas, based on future demand. "TI is building dependable, low-cost 300 millimeter capacity at scale to deliver the analog and embedded processing chips that are vital for nearly every type of electronic system," said CEO Haviv Ilan.
Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005
The official Yolopark
Instagram and
Facebook have been updated with a new product update of their upcoming AMK PRO Rise Of The Beasts Optimus Prime kit. This is a new upgraded release of the
AMK ROTB Optimus Prime plastic kit, now under the AMK PRO line with die-cast parts, premium finishing, LED lights and more accessories. Read on for details of this modl update: The sculpt of the head and the expression in the eyes have been fine-tuned for even greater screen accuracy. The interchangeable hands now feature upgraded paint applications for enhanced detailing. AMK Pro Rise Of The Beasts Optimus
» Continue Reading.
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Yolopark AMK PRO Rise Of The Beasts Optimus Prime Product Update: New Head Sculpt appeared first on
Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the new-challenger-appears department: Midjourney has launched its first AI video generation model, V1, which turns images into short five-second videos with customizable animation settings. While it's currently only available via Discord and on the web, the launch positions the popular AI image generation startup in direct competition with OpenAI's Sora and Google's Veo. TechCrunch reports: While many companies are focused on developing controllable AI video models for use in commercial settings, Midjourney has always stood out for its distinctive AI image models that cater to creative types. The company says it has larger goals for its AI video models than generating B-roll for Hollywood films or commercials for the ad industry. In a blog post, Midjourney CEO David Holz says its AI video model is the company's next step towards its ultimate destination, creating AI models "capable of real-time open-world simulations." After AI video models, Midjourney says it plans to develop AI models for producing 3D renderings, as well as real-time AI models. [...]
To start, Midjourney says it will charge 8x more for a video generation than a typical image generation, meaning subscribers will run out of their monthly allotted generations significantly faster when creating videos than images. At launch, the cheapest way to try out V1 is by subscribing to Midjourney's $10-per-month Basic plan. Subscribers to Midjourney's $60-a-month Pro plan and $120-a-month Mega plan will have unlimited video generations in the company's slower, "Relax" mode. Over the next month, Midjourney says it will reassess its pricing for video models.
< This article continues on their website >
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the what-year-is-it department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from TorrentFreak: Napster, the brand synonymous with the music piracy boom of the early 2000s, has a new copyright challenge. Together with audio giant Sonos, Napster faces a lawsuit demanding over $3.4 million in alleged unpaid copyright royalties. Filed by collective rights management organization SoundExchange, the complaint (PDF) centers on missed payments related to the "Sonos Radio" service, which until 2023 was powered by Napster's music catalog. [...]
Sonos Radio launched in April 2020 with Napster as the authorized agent, submitting the required royalty reports and royalties to SoundExchange. While all went well initially, payments stopped around May 2022. At the time, Napster had been acquired by venture capital firms Hivemind and Algorand, with a focus on "web3" technologies, including cryptocurrencies and blockchain. According to the complaint, the takeover resulted in a "complete breakdown of reporting and payment for the Sonos Radio service." The alleged payment problems eventually came to light during an audit initiated by SoundExchange in 2023, which concluded that Sonos and Napster owed millions in unpaid royalties.
< This article continues on their website >
Posted by from MMO Champion
Patch 11.2 - Ghosts of K'aresh Development Notes
Originally Posted by Blizzard
(
Blue Tracker /
Official Forums)
The Ghosts of K’aresh Public Test Realm (PTR) is now available for testing.
These changes are for the first week of PTR testing and do not contain the full patch notes for the update.
The War Within: Ghosts of K’aresh Development Notes
CONTINUE THE WAR WITHIN CAMPAIGN
In Ghosts of K’aresh, the campaign continues as more pieces to a troubling puzzle fall into place. With the release of this content update players will be able to immerse themselves in The War Within story as it leads up to the next chapter of the Worldsoul Saga—Midnight.
There’s some unfinished business to be had on K’aresh and the specter of an old enemy looms large. Forces with ill-intent are determined to bring forth Dimensius, the All-Devouring once more to finish off the ethereals. Should he arise, Azeroth will also be in peril from this dangerous Void Lord.
EXPLORE THE SHATTERED WORLD OF K’ARESH
Home of the ethereals, K’aresh is a fragmented void-touched world just waiting for players to explore what remains of this little-known land.
With shadowy forces working toward bringing Dimensius back into the world, players will need to gather their allies in a bid to put a stop to him and his followers. You’ll fight alongside Alleria Windrunner and her mentor Locus-Walker among others to end the clear and present danger he poses.
Players will also have the opportunity to explore Tazavesh, The Veiled Market, work toward restoring the ecosphere in eco-domes, go Phase Diving, and more.
RETURN TO TAZAVESH, THE VEILED MARKET
< This article continues on their website >
Patch 11.2 PTR - Season 3 Class Tier Set Models
Death Knight Season 3 Tier Sets
