Posts

I’m hooked on Peak Design’s new City bags

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Integrated BagLev hooks keep Peak Design’s City Line crossbody bag and backpack off the dirty ground. | Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge It's just a hook, sewn into a bag, but I really, really like it. Peak Design is so proud of its clever integration that the San Francisco-based maker of camera gear gave it a name: BagLev, for its ability to keep its new City Line of bags levitated above the dirty ground. How many of us are guilty of coming home and tossing a bag onto the kitchen table or counter to unload it? We pretend it's not a thing, despite the carryall having come into contact with unknown filth picked up from the floors of subways and dive bars, sidewalks, and parks. BagLev lets you hang your bag off a chair, ledge, tabletop, or counter as you go about your day, kee … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/980137/peak-design-city-line-review

OpenAI reportedly disbanded its preparedness team

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According to the Financial Times , OpenAI disbanded its preparedness team at the end of last month. The job of the preparedness team was to assess if models posed serious risks and develop ways to mitigate those risks. (You know, like the possibility that it could go rogue and hack another company.) According to FT , responsibility has instead been divided up for specific areas like bio and cyber, then moved into existing teams. This is the latest change at the company, which has been in upheaval as it heads towards what is expected to be a massive IPO. Over the last few years, it's slowly torn down its more reach-led model, dissolving its AG … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/980817/openai-disbands-preparedness-team

Open Mike Eagle and Kenny Segal crafted a hip hop breakup masterpiece

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In every possible universe? | Image: Backwoodz Studioz "Breakups are… tough." It's the opening lines of an interlude towards the end of DOOMED! Called "It Happens in Every Universe." It's also basically the thesis of the entire record. It's no grand revelation, but it's a well-trodden subject that Open Mike Eagle manages to mine for artistic gold. Eagle's subject matter is usually personal, and his productions tinged with nostalgia. But DOOMED! is his most intimate album yet. A lot of that is due to the production from Kenny Segal. The two have traveled in the same orbit and worked together before, but this is the first full-length album release from the two. These are some of Segal's most c … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/980799/open-mike-eagle-and-kenny-segal-doomed-review

Amazon is trying to crush class-action suits before they get started

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On Friday, Amazon customers received an email alerting them to an update to the site's terms and conditions. Most notably, it stated that disputes would now be resolved through arbitration and said users agree to a class action waiver. Amazon framed this as a "fast and efficient" way to resolve issues, but it notably would prevent customers from seeking the involvement of a judge or jury in most circumstances. Customers can still take Amazon to small claims court in certain circumstances, though payouts are often limited to a few thousand dollars. The relevant sections of Amazon's legal policies page now read: YOU AND WE AGREE THAT ANY … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/980752/amazon-class-action-arbitration-terms-and-conditions

Polaroid’s tiny instant camera is $72 and includes a free pack of film

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The compact Polaroid Go is great for road trips and adventures. | Image: Polaroid Smartphone cameras are convenient, but they lack the charm of analog instant cameras. If you’re trying to relive the nostalgia of waiting for an instant photo to develop, Amazon is selling the second-generation Polaroid Go instant camera with a 16-photo film pack for $71.99 (usually $109.99). That’s the lowest price we’ve seen for the bundle, with a pack of film usually costing $21.99 on its own. Plus, it’s four dollars cheaper to buy the bundle than to buy just the camera on its own. Polaroid Go Instant Camera Generation 2 Where to Buy: $109.99 $71.99 at Amazon (with film pack) With its more compact footprint, the Polaroid Go 2 shoots on smaller film to match. Where classic Polaroid photos are 88mm x 107mm, the Go film is 53.9mm x 66.6mm, a great size for sticking to your bulletin board or stashing in your wallet. The camera has a USB-C port for charging the battery...

Matt Groening lets slip that Simpsons: Hit & Run might be making a comeback

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Doh! | Image: Activision / 20th Century Fox At D23, when asked about the potential for a sequel to the cult classic The Simpsons: Hit & Run game, Matt Groening replied, "I think the original game is coming back in some form," before current showrunner Matt Selman added, "or not." The tone in both of their voices and the body language suggests that Groening may have just revealed something he wasn't supposed to. The original title came out way back in 2003 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Windows. While it's possible to get the game up and running on modern computers, it's not available on modern consoles . It's currently not in the PlayStation Plus Classics Catalog or on the Xbo … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/980720/matt-groening-simpsons-hit-run-d23

Have a laugh at AI’s expense by roleplaying as a chatbot

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If you squint you can just about make out the hat. | Screenshot: Terrence O’Brien / The Verge Your AI Slop Bores Me is brilliant in its simplicity. There are two tabs: human and LARP as an AI. On one side you enter a request. On the other, you submit an answer. But the important thing is that there's a human on both sides of the equation. Prompts can request a response as text or image, and then whoever is roleplaying as the AI gets 150 seconds to respond. Just like a real LLM, Your AI Slop Bores Me works on a sort of token system. Requests cost credits, and to earn credits you have to jump onto the AI side and answer some of your own. You can also just wait as you get one free request every two minutes. But, as fun as it is to drop … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/980502/roleplay-as-an-ai-chatbot