Links for 2024-01-05
AI:
Google Deepmind introduces AutoRT, SARA-RT and RT-Trajectory to improve real-world robot data collection, speed, and generalization https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/shaping-the-future-of-advanced-robotics/
GPT-4V(ision) is a Generalist Web Agent, if Grounded https://osu-nlp-group.github.io/SeeAct/
Learning Vision from Models Rivals Learning Vision from Data — SynCLR, a novel approach for learning visual representations exclusively from synthetic images and synthetic captions, without any real data. https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.17742
AnyText: Multilingual Visual Text Generation And Editing https://github.com/tyxsspa/AnyText#readme
Microsoft announces Improving Text Embeddings with Large Language Models https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.00368
FlowVid: Taming Imperfect Optical Flows for Consistent Video-to-Video Synthesis https://jeff-liangf.github.io/projects/flowvid/
Science and Technology:
A new class of antibiotics kills one of the three most dangerous strains of drug-resistant bacteria. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06873-0
Top 10 discoveries about ancient people from DNA in 2023 https://johnhawks.net/weblog/the-top-10-discoveries-about-ancient-people-from-dna-in-2023/
“Science and technology have reached a level of maturity where we can begin to have real, dramatic effects on the human condition,” https://www.wired.com/story/the-race-to-put-brain-implants-in-people-is-heating-up/ [https://archive.is/wyYyv]
We’re Inching Closer to Answers for Why We Age and How to Slow Down the Clock https://singularityhub.com/2024/01/04/were-inching-closer-to-answers-for-why-we-age-and-how-to-slow-down-the-clock/
Psychology:
“levels of depressive affect in a sample of 86,138 US teenagers, broken down by sex & political leanings. Long story short, mental-health declines are found in every group,but left-leaning girls are doing worst,followed by left-leaning boys, followed by right-leaning girls & boys” https://stevestewartwilliams.substack.com/p/graph-of-the-day-politics-and-teen
Miscellaneous:
“Disappointed by the #napoleonmovie? The good news is that reality dwarfs fiction Far from being Scott's half-wit, he was a legendary tactician and a master of deception, in full display in the triumph of Austerlitz” https://twitter.com/Valen10Francois/status/1741503707701797309
Politics:
"we are designing and procuring [drones] as we would expensive, manned aircraft. We don’t appear, yet, to have institutionalised into our core the mechanisms behind the rapid evolution of cost-effective and semi-expendable drones" https://policyexchange.org.uk/blogs/annual-lecture-by-cds-an-appraisal/
US Air Force is accelerating its plans to create a fleet of drone wingmen to fly alongside piloted fighter jets like the F35. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2023/12/30/new-in-2024-air-force-plans-autonomous-flight-tests-for-drone-wingmen/
Ukraine:
“Another angle of a failed Russian assault near Synkivka in mid December 2023. It shows the absolute carnage in which this Russian detachment has been sent into. Artillery, cluster ammunition, drones, heavy machine guns, everything is pounding them.” https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1742845353622118907
Russia is planning to buy short-range ballistic missiles from Iran, a step that would enhance Moscow’s ability to target Ukraine’s infrastructure at a critical moment in the conflict https://www.wsj.com/world/russia-moves-forward-with-plans-to-buy-iranian-ballistic-missiles-cf3560e4 [https://archive.is/fwAFB]
"Russia bought ballistic missiles from North Korea and already used them for attacks on Ukraine," coordinator of the National Security Council, John Kirby said during a press briefing. https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1743020674220745175
“Meanwhile Russian helicopters airbase in Rovenki. ~75km from the front line. Exists because it is located couple of kilometres inside of Russian official borders. Which makes it a big no-no for HIMARS strikes because of “escalation” reasons.” https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1742988700857053653
The Case for Seizing $300 Billion in Russian State Assets https://warontherocks.com/2024/01/the-case-for-seizing-300-billion-in-russian-state-assets/
Another failed attempt to destroy IRIS-T SLM https://twitter.com/WarVehicle/status/1742912706095538475
Airburst drones? https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1743157571152707749
Haley on Hamas's attack on Israel: "Did Putin go and call Netanyahu in Israel? Nope, not for 10 days. You know who he did call? Hamas. Invited them to Russia, and they held hands and said they were friends. See this for the connection it is." https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1743115775198581161