Links for 2024-03-17
AI:
“Introduce 3D-VLA, a 3D Generative World Model! Humans use mental models to predict and plan for the future. Similarly, 3D-VLA achieves this by linking 3D perception, future prediction, and action executions through a generative world model.” https://vis-www.cs.umass.edu/3dvla/
VideoMamba: State Space Model for Efficient Video Understanding https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.06977
V3D: Video Diffusion Models are Effective 3D Generators https://github.com/heheyas/V3D
Adding NVMe SSDs to Enable and Accelerate 100B Model Fine-tuning on a Single GPU https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.06504
“Next-token predictors can’t plan! False! Every distribution is expressible as product of next-token probabilities!” https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.06963
Language Agents as Optimizable Graphs https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.16823
Study by Tetlock et al finds that GPT-4-turbo helps improve forecasting accuracy for humans forecasting world events https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.07862
LimX Dynamics’ Biped Robot P1 Conquers the Wild Based on Reinforcement Learning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpNid_rWDnI
Technology:
New high-speed microscale 3D printing technique https://news.stanford.edu/2024/03/13/high-speed-microscale-3d-printing/
Innovative graphene-based implantable technology paves the way for high-precision therapeutic applications https://www.uab.cat/web/newsroom/news-detail/innovative-graphene-based-implantable-technology-paves-the-way-for-high-precision-therapeutic-applications-1345830290613.html?detid=1345905827733
SpaceX is radically reducing the cost of sending stuff into orbit. https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/03/thursdays-starship-flight-provided-a-glimpse-into-a-future-of-abundant-access-to-space/
Genetics:
“Intuitive behavioral genetics: To many, “stereotype” is a word practically synonymous with “false,” but stereotype accuracy is one of the best replicated findings in psychology.” https://www.aporiamagazine.com/p/intuitive-behavioral-genetics
"We report strong evidence of familial clustering of sexual offending, primarily accounted for by genes rather than shared environmental influences." https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/44/2/713/753089
“A large Chinese study of children showed that myopia (nearsightedness) is related to non-verbal intelligence even if one controls for a lot of things, including book reading. Relationship seems genetic or biologically inherent to some degree.” (via Emil O. W. Kirkegaard) https://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2163349
Miscellaneous:
Mongol invasions of Japan: “According to our manner of fighting, we must first call out by name someone from the enemy ranks, and then attack in single combat. But they (the Mongols) took no notice at all of such conventions; they rushed forward all together in a mass, grappling with any individuals they could catch and killing them.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_invasions_of_Japan
Politics:
“Democrats are quite rapidly losing support among Black, Hispanic and Asian American voters in polls and at least some recent election results.” https://www.natesilver.net/p/democrats-are-hemorrhaging-support
The False Romance of Russia: “Nearly 20 percent of Russian citizens do not even identify as Russian, telling pollsters that they belong to different nationalities, ranging from Tartar and Azeri to Ukrainian and Moldovan; more than 6 percent of Russians are Muslims, as opposed to 1.1 percent of the U.S. population. And that might be a gross underestimate of the actual number of Russian Muslims…” https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/12/false-romance-russia/603433/ [no paywall: https://archive.is/A2TPV]
"Germany is likely to have significant political problems in being able to produce and design things that have lethal effect & ...autonomy, given that it took >12 years to get the Bundestag to agree to put weapons on a [drone]" https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/14441/html/
“Langley Air Force Base, located in one of the most strategic areas of the country, across the Chesapeake Bay from…Naval Station Norfolk and the open Atlantic, was at the epicenter of waves of mysterious drone incursions that occurred throughout December” https://www.twz.com/air/mysterious-drones-swarmed-langley-afb-for-weeks
From a piece on the Dutch decision to buy French subs: “France does not want American weapons systems to connect to their software…Conversely, the Americans do not want Fr systems to be in direct contact with their weapons. The solution is a kind of interface” http://marineschepen.nl/nieuws/Nederland-kiest-voor-Franse-boten-150324.html
Ukraine:
Again, Ukraine attacked a Russian oil refinery. Overnight, the Nefte Peregonnyy Zavod in Slavyansk-on-Kuban in the Krasnodar Krai was struck with at least 7 UAVs. In total, 35 UAVs attacked the Krasnodar, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Kaluga, Bilhorod, Rostov, Oryol, and Kursk regions. https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1769234269023461583
“The Moscow Domodedovo Airport has been attacked by UAVs. A nearby warehouse was hit by falling debris.” https://x.com/Tendar/status/1769254578766200932
The hunt for Russian drones attacking Ukraine’s south. https://x.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1769300710082916713
Russian torture of Ukrainian POWs ‘widespread and systematic,’ UN commission says https://kyivindependent.com/russian-torture-of-ukrainian-pows-widespread-and-systematic-un-commission-says/
Ukraine is facing a critical shortage of ammunition, with reports indicating that it will exhaust its air defense missile supply by the end of the month. This shortage decreases Ukraine's capability to intercept incoming Russian missiles by 60%. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/16/ukraine-ammunition-crisis-air-defence-missiles-russia/ [no paywall: https://archive.is/6R4VK]
“Prague activated Cold War relations to source ~800,000 artillery shells from a diverse suppliers spanning the globe and identified another ~700,000 that could be secured with extra funds” https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/a-small-ex-soviet-satellite-state-goes-hunting-for-arms-for-ukraine-35255577 [no paywall: https://archive.is/dUBVZ]
“Perhaps at some point—I don't wish it, and won't initiate it—we'll have to have operations on the ground, whatever they may be, to counter Russian forces. France’s strength is that we can do it” — Macron https://www.leparisien.fr/politique/emmanuel-macron-sur-lukraine-peut-etre-qua-un-moment-donne-il-faudra-avoir-des-operations-sur-le-terrain-16-03-2024-ZJUB5CCX2FCMFCJE7552HIUPWY.php?xtor=AD-366