Deepfake...

Facebook says it is banning “deepfake” videos, the false but realistic clips created with artificial intelligence and sophisticated tools, as it steps up efforts to fight online manipulation.

The social network said that it's beefing up its policies to remove videos edited or synthesized in ways that aren't apparent to the average person, and which could dupe someone into thinking the video's subject said something he or she didn't actually say.

Created by artificial intelligence or machine learning, deepfakes combine or replace content to create images that can be almost impossible to tell are not authentic.

The U.S. tech company has been grappling with how to handle the rise of deepfakes after facing criticism last year for refusing to remove a doctored video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slurring her words, which was viewed more than 3 million times. Experts said the crudely edited clip was more of a “cheap fake” than a deepfake.

It Could...

Guy...

Key...

Image is not related.

The study, by researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, looked at 15 healthy, non-smoking young men aged 20 to 27 years old with a normal body mass index (BMI).

The participants were asked to follow a diet set by the researchers for a two-week period. During the first week, they were provided meals based on  a diet high in cereals, bread, potatoes, fruits and vegetables, and low in fats and sweets, and includes a moderate amount of dairy, meat, fish, eggs and beans.

The findings, published online in PLOS Biology, showed that one-third of the participants had low sperm motility  at the start of the study. However, the team were surprised to find that by the end of the study, the sperm motility of all participants had become normal, with the most pronounced improvement becoming apparent after the first week.

The researchers added that, the increase of sperm motility might have been a direct result of the healthy diet, which could have persisted into the second week when participants were also eating more sugar.

Choice...

Sometimes the decision is agonising, and sometimes the decision is not actually theirs.

The question is just one part of the early-30s milieu. There is a distinct loss of ambition. People who have spent years striving and hustling are suddenly questioning it all. If they are not happy being defined by their job, then what do they want to be defined by?

Friends? Family? Apartment? Character? A job seems the easiest when you really start grappling with it. You don’t have to like the person you are if you are defined by your job.

Millennials have had a well-documented prolonged adolescence throughout their 20s, a lot longer to be self-centred. The hangover caused by the realisation life may not be going as it was supposed to is much more severe. They’re also stuck in unstable work and a difficult change in economics.

Suddenly the Millennials are consumed by whether to  live in the suburb,  have another baby, or start a new career.
It is a difficult choice.

Booze...

Would you like a pint with your popcorn?

Gov. Cuomo, in his latest State of the State, wants to allow the sale of wine, beer and spirits in movie theaters across the state.

Under the proposal, movie houses would be permitted to sell alcoholic beverages to adults attending movies rated PG-13 or higher and customers could then enjoy the drink at their seat. Past efforts to legalize liquor sales in theaters have stalled.

A similarly spirited measure from the governor that would have allowed beer and wine sales was shot down in 2017.

Theater owners toasted the booze-y move, saying it would be a boon for smaller operators and could boost craft brews and wines made in the Empire State.

It all about the taxes.

Art...

Image is not related.

Police responded to the victim’s home in Leverett shortly before 1 a.m. on Christmas Eve and were met by Hachiyangagi, who told them that she called 911 after finding her friend "lying on the floor of the residence barely breathing, semi-conscious and with a head injury," local media reported.

She said her friend had been attacked by an unknown assailant, the station reported.

The victim told officers at the hospital that the person who attacked her was Hachiyanagi, who was not a stranger. The woman thought she was going to die at Hachiyanagi's hands.

According to the paper, the woman said Hachiyanagi began attacking her after showing up uninvited on Dec. 23 and saying that she wanted to talk about her feelings.

Rie Hachiyanagi, an art professor at Mount Holyoke College, was charged with armed assault to murder, according to reports.

Pray...

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday he remains “hopeful” that enough Republican senators will join Democratic calls for witnesses and documents in the forthcoming Senate impeachment trial.

“I hope, pray and believe there’s a decent chance that four Republicans will join us — if they do, we will have a fair trial,” Schumer said on ABC’s "This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” noting the minimum number of Republicans that Democrats will need to follow through on their request. “I am hopeful that our Republican colleagues will come forward.”

Praying to get the power back and defeat your opponent may not reach the One upstairs .    Just a thought.

Fantasy...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking from the chamber’s floor, rejected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s efforts to shape a pending impeachment trial as “fantasy”—leaving the process at a standstill as lawmakers return from the holiday recess.

“Their turn is over. They’ve done enough damage. It’s the Senate’s turn now to render sober judgment,” McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor.

But he stressed that the chamber cannot hold a trial unless and until the House of Representatives transmits the two articles of impeachment adopted last month, accusing President Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress pertaining to his dealings with Ukraine.

Pelosi, D-Calif., has held onto them in a bid to seek favorable terms for a trial, including the involvement of certain Democrat-sought witnesses.

Not going to happen.

Wilson...

 

Jack Wilson is a hero alright. It took him only six seconds to kill a gunman at a Texas church, saving countless lives, 240 parishioners.

The reality of Wilson's heroism is a lot more complex. He wasn’t just an ordinary parishioner. The church’s volunteer security team member is a firearms instructor, gun range owner and former reserve deputy with a local sheriff’s department, according to a New York Times detailed account.  

Jack Wilson told reporters gathered at his home in White Settlement that the gunman first shot Richard White, who was one of the security guards who has been keeping an eye on him. Others noticed the man had a fake beard and fake wig on, in addition to a long coat.

"We had cameras turned on him" he said

Within six seconds, the gunman was down, bleeding "profusely" from his head after Wilson fired one round. He told reporters on Monday he then pulled the shotgun away.

People should defend themselves against evil at all time. The laws should reflect accordingly.