Month: July 2024
Blockchain climate startup Raad Labs emerges from stealth with $2.25M in funding led by CoinFund
In the United States, wildfires rank among the most devastating climate disasters, inflicting billions in economic losses and human suffering each year. To combat this escalating threat, blockchain climate tech startup Raad Labs is deploying a distributed network of meteorological
The post Blockchain climate startup Raad Labs emerges from stealth with $2.25M in funding led by CoinFund first appeared on Tech Startups.
In the United States, wildfires rank among the most devastating climate disasters, inflicting billions in economic losses and human suffering each year. To combat this escalating threat, blockchain climate tech startup Raad Labs is deploying a distributed network of meteorological […]
The post Blockchain climate startup Raad Labs emerges from stealth with $2.25M in funding led by CoinFund first appeared on Tech Startups.
ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode impresses testers with sound effects, catching its breath
AVM allows uncanny real-time voice conversations with ChatGPT that you can interrupt.
Enlarge / A stock photo of a robot whispering to a man. (credit: AndreyPopov via Getty Images)
On Tuesday, OpenAI began rolling out an alpha version of its new Advanced Voice Mode to a small group of ChatGPT Plus subscribers. This feature, which OpenAI previewed in May with the launch of GPT-4o, aims to make conversations with the AI more natural and responsive. In May, the feature triggered criticism of its simulated emotional expressiveness and prompted a public dispute with actress Scarlett Johansson over accusations that OpenAI copied her voice. Even so, early tests of the new feature shared by users on social media have been largely enthusiastic.
In early tests reported by users with access, Advanced Voice Mode allows them to have real-time conversations with ChatGPT, including the ability to interrupt the AI mid-sentence almost instantly. It can sense and respond to a user’s emotional cues through vocal tone and delivery, and provide sound effects while telling stories.
But what has caught many people off-guard initially is how the voices simulate taking a breath while speaking.
Continued Interest Rate Pause Makes It Hard to Pay Down Credit Card Debt
It’s unlikely the Federal Reserve will cut rates this summer, so prioritize paying off your credit card debt.
It’s unlikely the Federal Reserve will cut rates this summer, so prioritize paying off your credit card debt.
Retro-Inspired Transparent Sky Cipher Xbox Controller Available for Preorder
The new device harkens back to an era when transparent plastic was all the rage.
The new device harkens back to an era when transparent plastic was all the rage.
iPhone Driver’s Licenses Now Available in Ohio
iPhone and Apple Watch users in Ohio are now able to add their digital IDs and driver’s licenses to the Wallet app on the iPhone, providing a convenient alternative to a physical card.
Ohio is the fifth state to add support for digital IDs in the Wallet app, following Arizona, Maryland, Colorado, and Georgia.
Apple announced plans to add support for digital IDs way back in September 2021, but the feature requires states to implement support, and so far, the rollout has been quite slow.
Today’s #Ohio’s lucky day! Ohio Mobile ID has finally come to the @Apple Wallet on iOS + WatchOS.Takes just a few minutes answer questions. Digital ID gets delivered about a minute later with this very nice holographic effect when you tilt you phone.Thanks, @Ohio_BMV! pic.twitter.com/LJA4rQXLhi— Henry Molski (@HankMolski) July 31, 2024
Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Utah are also supposedly working on support for adding a driver’s license or ID to the Wallet app, but it has been over two years and none of these states have added the feature. In 2021, Apple said that it was in “discussions with many more states” and was hoping Wallet IDs would be available nationwide in the future.
IDs and licenses stored in the Wallet app can be used in select U.S. airports at TSA checkpoints.
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
Denver International Airport (DEN)
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Wallet app IDs can also be used for showing proof of age or identity at certain businesses and venues, but adoption of this functionality is also limited. Ohio says that businesses and organizations with “compliant mobile ID readers” can accept digital IDs.Tag: Apple WalletThis article, “iPhone Driver’s Licenses Now Available in Ohio” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
iPhone and Apple Watch users in Ohio are now able to add their digital IDs and driver’s licenses to the Wallet app on the iPhone, providing a convenient alternative to a physical card.
Ohio is the fifth state to add support for digital IDs in the Wallet app, following Arizona, Maryland, Colorado, and Georgia.
Apple announced plans to add support for digital IDs way back in September 2021, but the feature requires states to implement support, and so far, the rollout has been quite slow.
Today’s #Ohio’s lucky day! Ohio Mobile ID has finally come to the @Apple Wallet on iOS + WatchOS.
Takes just a few minutes answer questions. Digital ID gets delivered about a minute later with this very nice holographic effect when you tilt you phone.
Thanks, @Ohio_BMV! pic.twitter.com/LJA4rQXLhi
— Henry Molski (@HankMolski) July 31, 2024
Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Utah are also supposedly working on support for adding a driver’s license or ID to the Wallet app, but it has been over two years and none of these states have added the feature. In 2021, Apple said that it was in “discussions with many more states” and was hoping Wallet IDs would be available nationwide in the future.
IDs and licenses stored in the Wallet app can be used in select U.S. airports at TSA checkpoints.
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
Denver International Airport (DEN)
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Wallet app IDs can also be used for showing proof of age or identity at certain businesses and venues, but adoption of this functionality is also limited. Ohio says that businesses and organizations with “compliant mobile ID readers” can accept digital IDs.
This article, “iPhone Driver’s Licenses Now Available in Ohio” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Fed Meeting Today: No Interest Rate Cut, but September Looks Promising
No relief for borrowers this month, but the Fed’s statement raises hopes for at least one cut this year.
No relief for borrowers this month, but the Fed’s statement raises hopes for at least one cut this year.
Turn your selfie into an action star with this new AI image-to-video feature
Runway adds image-to-video feature to Gen-3 AI video generator.
Artificial intelligence-powered video maker Runway has added the promised image-to-video feature to its Gen-3 model released a few weeks ago, and it may be as impressive as promised. Runway has enhanced the feature to address its biggest limitations in the Gen-2 model released early last year. The upgraded tool is miles better at character consistency and hyperrealism, making it a more powerful tool for creators looking to produce high-quality video content.
Runway’s Gen-3 model is still in alpha testing and only available to subscribers who pay $12 per month per editor for the most basic package. The new model had already attracted plenty of interest even when it came out with only text-to-video capabilities. But, no matter how good a text-to-video engine is, it has inherent limits, especially when it comes to characters in a video looking the same over multiple prompts and appearing to be in the real world. Without visual continuity, it’s hard to make any kind of narrative. In earlier iterations of Runway, users often struggled to keep characters and settings uniform across different scenes when relying solely on text prompts.
Offering reliable consistency in character and environmental design is no small thing, but the use of an initial image as a reference point to maintain coherence across different shots can help. In Gen-3, Runway’s AI can create a 10-second video guided by additional motion or text prompts in the platform. You can see how it works in the video below.
Stills to Films
Runway’s image-to-video feature doesn’t just ensure people and backgrounds stay the same when seen from a distance. Gen-3 also incorporates Runway’s lip-sync feature so that someone speaking moves their mouth in a way that matches the words they are saying. A user can tell the AI model what they want their character to say, and the movement will be animated to match. Combining synchronized dialogue and realistic character movements will interest a lot of marketing and advertising developers looking for new and, ideally, cheaper ways to produce videos.
Runway isn’t done adding to the Gen-3 platform, either. The next step is bringing the same enhancements to the video-to-video option. The idea is to keep the same motion but in a different style. A human running down a street becomes an animated anthropomorphic fox dashing through a forest, for instance. Runway will also bring its control features to Gen-3, such as Motion Brush, Advanced Camera Controls, and Director Mode.
AI video tools are still in the early stages of development, with most models excelling in short-form content creation but struggling with longer narratives. That puts Runway and its new features in a strong position from a market standpoint, but it is far from alone. Midjourney, Ideogram, Leonardo (now owned by Canva), and others are all racing to make the definitive AI video generator. Of course, they’re all keeping a wary watch on OpenAI and its Sora video generator. OpenAI has some advantages in name recognition, among other benefits. In fact, Toys”R”Us has already made a short film commercial using Sora and premiered it at the Cannes Lions Festival. Still, the film about AI video generators is only in its first act, and the triumphant winner cheering in slow-motion at the end is far from inevitable.
You might also like…
Forget Sora, Runway is the AI video maker coming to blow your mindWatch the AI-produced film Toys”R”Us made using OpenAI’s Sora – and get misty about the AI return of Geoffrey the GiraffeA new OpenAI Sora rival just landed for AI videos – and you can use it right now for free
Germany Says China Was Behind a 2021 Cyberattack on Government Agency
An investigation has determined that “Chinese state actors” were responsible for a 2021 cyberattack on Germany’s national office for cartography, officials in Berlin said Wednesday. From a report: The Chinese ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry for a protest for the first time in decades. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sebastian Fischer said the German government has “reliable information from our intelligence services” about the source of the attack on the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy, which he said was carried out “for the purpose of espionage.”
“This serious cyberattack on a federal agency shows how big the danger is from Chinese cyberattacks and spying,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement. “We call on China to refrain from and prevent such cyberattacks. These cyberattacks threaten the digital sovereignty of Germany and Europe.” Fischer declined to elaborate on who exactly in China was responsible. He said a Chinese ambassador was last summoned to the German Foreign Ministry in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
An investigation has determined that “Chinese state actors” were responsible for a 2021 cyberattack on Germany’s national office for cartography, officials in Berlin said Wednesday. From a report: The Chinese ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry for a protest for the first time in decades. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sebastian Fischer said the German government has “reliable information from our intelligence services” about the source of the attack on the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy, which he said was carried out “for the purpose of espionage.”
“This serious cyberattack on a federal agency shows how big the danger is from Chinese cyberattacks and spying,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement. “We call on China to refrain from and prevent such cyberattacks. These cyberattacks threaten the digital sovereignty of Germany and Europe.” Fischer declined to elaborate on who exactly in China was responsible. He said a Chinese ambassador was last summoned to the German Foreign Ministry in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.