Author: 0knmk
Microsoft unveils 2.7B parameter language model Phi-2
Microsoft’s 2.7 billion-parameter model Phi-2 showcases outstanding reasoning and language understanding capabilities, setting a new standard for performance among base language models with less than 13 billion parameters. Phi-2 builds upon the success of its predecessors, Phi-1 and Phi-1.5, by matching or surpassing models up to 25 times larger—thanks to innovations in model scaling and…
A new species of hedgehog stands out for its short spikes
Initially mistaken for one of its close relatives, a group of small, spiky mammals in eastern China has now been identified as a new species: the eastern forest hedgehog. Researchers first scooped up one of these dark spike balls in the province of Anhui in 2018. It looked like a Hugh’s hedgehog (Mesechinus hughi), a…
Why the EU’s landmark AI Act was so hard to pass
When European lawmakers reached a provisional deal on landmark artificial intelligence rules last week, they had reason to celebrate. The EU AI Act reached a long-awaited climax on Friday following not only two years of broad discussion but a three-day “marathon” debate between the European Commission, the European Parliament, and EU member states to iron…
FASB Confirms 'Fair Value' Approach for Corporate Crypto Holdings
The Financial Accounting Standards Board, a U.S. entity that details how companies should report assets on their balance sheet, published a standards update on Wednesday that will let corporations recognize “fair value” changes in crypto holdings. Source link
Arctic cowboys: Meet the people wrangling icebergs for drinking water
EACH June, tourists flock to Newfoundland to catch a glimpse of icebergs. Sparkling as they twist in the frigid waves of the Labrador Sea, icebergs have become one of the Canadian island’s most important industries, attracting more than 100,000 visitors a year. But not everyone is satisfied merely watching the behemoth blocks of frozen freshwater…
Range Rover opens a waiting list for its upcoming EV
The electric SUV, which it says will debut in 2024 (it had previously pegged a 2025 launch), is in the physical prototype phase. JLR says it’s still filing patents as the EV goes through what it calls “one of the most rigorous engineering sign-off programmes ever.” JLR plans for the Range Rover EV to have…
Revised BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Filing Invites Participation From U.S. Banks
A change to the mechanics of BlackRock’s proposed spot bitcoin (BTC) ETF opens the door for Wall Street banks, which face restrictions holding cryptocurrencies, to play a key role. BlackRock recently made it so authorized participants (APs) – a vital part of the ETF ecosystem – will be able to create new fund shares with…
The 2023 discoveries that made us rethink the story of human evolution
Stone age paintings in Chauvet cave in France Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images This is an extract from Our Human Story, our newsletter about the revolution in archaeology. Sign up to receive it in your inbox for free every month. At this point it’s a truism that the story of human evolution is being rethought. Discoveries in…
America is on the brink in the first trailer for Alex Garland’s Civil War
The next film from director Alex Garland looks like quite the action-packed dystopia. A24 just released the first trailer for Civil War, which is set in a near-future version of the US that is, as you can probably guess, in the midst of a violent civil war, with forces from Texas and California making their…
Blockstream Preps New Sale of Notes Designed to Profit From Rebounding BTC Mining-Rig Prices
A pitch for the notes describes the investment strategy like this: “Leveraging Blockstream’s long track record, leading market position, substantial scale, broad expertise and strong relationships across the ASIC supply chain, the BASIC structure plans to acquire and warehouse new and unused ASICs at attractive prices, and to eventually strategically sell them back into the…