With names like Burf Pink and Bank Butt, a paint algorithm fails spectacularly

Why it matters to you

AI have proven to be incredibly helpful when they succeed but they are also pretty funny when they falter.

Algorithms have outperformed humans at everything from board games to driving, but we are still the masters of creativity. Case in point: Naming paint colors.

Computer scientist and artist Janelle Shane developed a neural network that creates and names new paint colors. It sounds like an easy enough task. You and I might even match the pros at Sherwin-Williams. Shane’s AI, on the other hand, struggled.

Shane fed her neural net around 7,700 of Sherwin-Williams’ paint colors, including their red/green/blue color values, and told the algorithm to create new colors while assigning them appealing names. Maybe it would come up with Sensuous Cyan, Melancholy Mauve, or Smokey Drapes. (Those are our attempts, at least.)

Instead, some of the standout names included Dorkwood, Stanky Bean, Gray Pubic, and Bank Butt. Here’s another small sample in the image below.

Janelle Shane

In the neural net’s defense, it did invent some more clever — and potentially useful — names, like Power Gray, Ghasty Pink, and Rover White. But the majority came out in the vein of Burf Pink and Rose Hork.

And to be fair, the task was pretty tough for an algorithm that did not have that much context to work with.

“The names in the original dataset are highly varied and very dependent on associations with words and concepts outside the dataset,” Shane told Digital Trends. “A neural network is good at learning recurring patterns, but since a word was rarely used twice in the dataset, the neural network didn’t have a good chance of being able to determine that a geranium, for example, is a flower that’s often red or pink.”

Without context or an outline of what it is doing, the neural network is grasping for words. But that doesn’t mean the AI was totally incompetent and sometimes its names sounded pretty sophisticated even if they didn’t make much aesthetic sense. Shane explains: “The other thing that neural networks are good at is figuring out how to generate pronounceable English words. The neural net was able to come up with new words that weren’t in the original dataset — but had no context that might tell it that words like ‘butt’ and ‘hork’ were to be avoided.”

See more of Shane’s creations over on her Tumblr page.

Nest preparing new security camera with 4K video, fresh design

Nest isn’t resting, releasing a fresh indoor camera with new features.

Nest, perhaps known best for its popular smart thermostat, is reportedly ready to refresh its Nest Cam camera with new features and a higher resolution. The Google-owned company most recently refreshed its camera lineup with an outdoor-ready version near the end of 2016.

It’s a 4K camera … but you’ll only get 1080p out of it in the end.

The new Nest Cam will have a sensor capable of recording in 4K resolution, but will use this new resolution to simply enable dynamic zooming while preserving a 1080p resolution stream to the user. When it detects motion, it will be able to digitally zoom in to a specific point for a better view.

The refreshed hardware will round out with a new USB-C power source, and the lens will get an LED ring around it to indicate it’s recording. Android Police claims the design is similar to that of the current Nest Outdoor camera … but the new camera is designed for indoor use. Pricing is reportedly set at a steep $300.

The new Nest Cam is expected to launch by the end of the month, so we’ll find out all of the details soon enough.

LG launches the X Venture, an affordable active smartphone

Bear Gryll-types and the accident prone: if the Galaxy Active is too much for you, LG’s offering a cheaper alternative.

Looking for a rugged device that won’t break the bank? LG wants you to consider its second-generation X Venture smartphone. It’s made for people who are active and it’s cheap enough that, if you’re on AT&T, you could probably grab one as a backup simply for adventurous weekends.

The LG X Venture features a 5.2-inch Full HD In-Cell touch display. It runs Android 7.0 Nougat and features IP68 water and dust resistance, a front-facing fingerprint sensor embedded into a physical Home button along with two other physical navigation keys, and a whopping 4100mAh battery. It also comes with a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel wide-angle front-facing camera.

Its other specifications may leave a bit to be desired, however, especially if you’re eager for flagship-worthy specs. The X Venture is powered by a low-end Snapdragon 435 processor and 2GB of RAM, though it should be enough for traversing the trails and slogging through mud pits—if that’s your thing. The LG X Venture is an AT&T exclusive for now.

The trickling news of LG’s rugged smartphone appears to be perfectly timed with the alleged leaks of Samsung’s Galaxy S8 Active hitting the scene. It’s hard to ignore the similarities, too; Not only is the X Venture also an AT&T exclusive, but the X Venture is also equipped with a QuickButton on the side, which is similar to the Galaxy Active’s own quick launch hardware button. LG’s can be customized to launch your favorite app, too.

This particular smartphone is much cheaper, however. Rather than charge full price for a decidedly full featured phone, the LG Venture X is well-suited as a secondary device with its $260 price tag. It’ll be available exclusively at AT&T beginning May 26.

See at AT&T

MrMobile at Google I/O: Only boring if you’re not paying attention

Google! A giant among giants who other giants think are giant (yeah, how’s that for writing?) Google’s I/O conference this year has been plagued by the specter of yawns from journalists who wonder where all the fun of the previous year has disappeared to. But what were they expecting? It’s a developers conference!

I’m Michael Fisher, AKA MrMobile, and while it’s not splashy or gadget-heavy, there’s a lot to be interested in coming from I/O this year. From simple things like easy ways to save battery life on your smartwatch, to the ease of the Kotlin programming language, to the 50 billion apps a DAY that Google scans for malware, there’s a lot of cool things to do. Check out this video and Android Central’s coverage of the event for all the reasons you should be excited about what we saw at Google I/O.

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Mophie’s Juice Pack for the Pixel XL adds Qi wireless charging

Just because you chose Google’s Android over every other rendition doesn’t mean you should be left out of the wireless fun.

Mophie has concocted a clever solution for those of you who may adore your Pixel XL smartphones, but have been secretly ruing the day you abandoned your wireless charging privileges. The newly released Juice Pack case for the Pixel XL not only tacks on an additional 2950mAh battery, but it also adds Qi wireless charging capabilities.

The Juice Pack offers protective covering and up to 50 hours of additional talk time, claims Mophie. You can charge both the battery pack and the Pixel XL’s internal battery via a Qi wireless charging pad, though Mophie also mentions compatibility with “other wireless systems.” If you need even faster charging, you can plug in a USB Type-C cable instead and Juice Pack will prioritize re-juicing the Pixel XL first.

Perhaps the only drawback of the Juice Pack is that it tacks on an additional 3.8 ounces to your current load, making the Pixel XL an even bigger device. But if you need the extra energy and like the idea of tapping to charge, the Mophie Juice Pack for the Pixel XL sells for nearly $100.

See at Mophie

Is Amazon’s checkout-less grocery store coming to the UK soon?

Remember Amazon Go? Well, Amazon might bring it to the UK.

The online retailer could soon export its experimental checkout-less grocery store to the UK, if a recent trademark registration of “No Queue. No Checkout. (No, Seriously.)” is to be taken seriously. The slogan mirrors ones used by Amazon when it introduced the first Go store last December. Amazon even has similar trademarks currently going through the European Union’s Intellectual Property Office.

Amazon began testing a grocery store with no checkouts and no cashiers in downtown Seattle last year. But the store is only open to Amazon staff. It allows customers to walk in, grab items from the shelves, and walk out – without having to stand in a checkout line or cash out at a register. Amazon has been using the tagline “No Line. No Checkout. (No, Seriously.)” when marketing Go stores in the US.

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There are rumours that Amazon hopes to one day open 2,000 grocery and convenience stores across the US. The Go-branded stores might even have multiple formats, allowing Amazon to better rival Target and Walmart. But, up until now, we’ve heard nothing but Amazon’s plans of expanding Go internationally. We’ve therefore contacted Amazon for a comment and will update you when we know more.

The Amazon Go experience is meant to make shopping less tedious and time-consuming. The system uses machine learning, sensors, and artificial intelligence to track items you pick up in the store and then it adds those items to a virtual cart in Amazon’s app. Once you have everything you want, you can just go, and Amazon will charge you accordingly. It calls this process “Just walk out technology”.

Keep in mind Amazon already offers online grocery ordering and delivery in select areas in the UK.

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Pittsburgh is falling out of love with Uber’s self-driving cars

Pittsburgh was the initial test city for Uber’s self-driving car initiative. While our experience in one of the autonomous vehicles was thankfully pretty safe, it wasn’t long before reports of accidents and wrong-way driving began to surface during the first month of the operation. Nine months later, the relationship continues to sour, according to a report in the New York Times. The things Uber promised in return for the city’s support — including free rides in driverless cars, backing the city’s $50 million federal transportation grant and jobs for a neighborhood nearby Uber’s testing track — have not materialized. The situation was an issue during the mayoral primary, too, with critics calling out incumbent Bill Peduto for not getting these agreements in writing from the ride-sharing company.

Uber responded to the criticism, telling the Times that it has created 675 jobs in the greater Pittsburgh area and has contributed to local organizations. However, one high-profile pastor near Uber’s test track said that he’d given Uber a list of potential candidates for jobs at the site, but was told to send them through the regular job portal. According to the Times, none of these individuals, including a mapping engineer and other technicians, have been hired. Uber told the Times that while it was open to a deal with the city, it was still waiting for a draft proposal from local officials.

Uber’s problems don’t stop at the Pittsburgh city line, of course. The company continues to fight a lawsuit around alleged stolen tech, its drivers are dissatisfied with new fee structures and even Elon Musk turned them down for a partnership in self-driving cars. The company also had to halt its autonomous program in Tempe, Arizona after a car crash. Ford has reportedly invested $1 billion in a Pittsburgh-based self-driving car startup, which could meet more of the city’s need for written agreements and data sharing. The current Uber initiative in Pittsburgh may have raised the profile of the city as a technology-friendly town, but this new falling out is yet another example of the turmoil surrouding the company.

Source: New York Times

Facebook is dealing with a massive revenge porn problem

If it wasn’t already apparent that Facebook faces a lot of challenges when grappling with sensitive material, it is now. As part of a slow but steady file leak, the Guardian has revealed that Facebook has faced at least one recent surge in revenge porn and sexual extortion cases — 54,000 potential cases just in January. The company ended up disabling over 14,000 accounts involved in these disputes, 33 of which involved children. It’s not clear how this compares to other periods (Facebook doesn’t divulge specific figures), but that’s no small amount.

The company’s Global Policy Management head, Monika Bickert, is quick to acknowledge that this isn’t an easy problem to solve. She notes that Facebook uses image screening to catch some of these instances and seeks to “constantly review and improve” its policies, but points out that these are “complex areas.” Facebook is “determined to get it right,” Bickert says. A Guardian source adds that Facebook’s moderators tend to “make [the] most mistakes” with sexual policy due to its “very complex” nature.

Some of Facebook’s steps to address its overall content monitoring are likely to help here. For example, it’s hiring 3,000 new moderators on top of its existing 4,500 — that could help staff devote more time to each case and reduce the chances that a violator will slip through the cracks.

The policy itself doesn’t make things easy, though. Like in other areas, Facebook is trying to straddle the line between freedom of expression and protecting users, and you might not always be happy with its approach. It’ll allow “moderate” portrayals of sexuality, including clothed simulated sex and pixelated acts, but not overt imagery or digitally created nude art. You can post generic expressions of sexual desire (including some raunchy language), but you cross the line when you target a specific person or go into detail. And you’re technically allowed to solicit sex, but only if you avoid clearly outlining the acts.

Confused yet? You can see the problem. While Facebook is undoubtedly aware that it risks being heavy-handed, there’s some wiggle room as to what constitutes an offense. You could rightly argue that revenge porn isn’t that ambiguous (is it a photo shared without consent for the purposes of titillation? Then it’s wrong), but it’s easy to envision situations where a post is technically allowed but might be offensive to most people, such as expressing some non-specific lust in the comments on a photo. Until Facebook has spent more time refining its methods, you could see some troublemakers go scot-free.

Source: The Guardian

Copyright troll lawyer is finally disbarred for fraud

While it is illegal to download copyrighted files from file-sharing sites, it is also against the law to extort downloaders. John L. Steele, a Chicago lawyer who pled guilty to perjury, fraud and money laundering resulting from alleged “honeypot” schemes, has just been disbarred by an Illinois court. Both Steele and his law partner, Paul Hasmeier, were indicted last March for uploading porn videos that they acquired through sham companies in the West Indies and then suing whomever downloaded them, resulting in a staggering $6 million in settlement fees. That’s quite a honeypot.

According to the Cook County Record, Steele’s law firm, Prenda, would use court subpoenas to find out who had downloaded the pornographic content — some of which they filmed themselves — and then allegedly pressure the downloaders for settlement money in exchange for dropping the suit. Profiting from such extortions without disclosure is what led to a US district judge sanctioning Steele and Hasmeier in 2013, as well as passing the case along to the FBI. Hasmeier’s case is still pending, though his law license was suspended in 2016.

Via: TorrentFreak

Source: Cook County Record

‘Far Cry’ is coming to America

Up until today, all of the Far Cry games have been set in far off locations. A tropical island, Africa, another tropical island, the Himalayas and prehistoric times have all played witness to the franchise’s often morally ambiguous open-world first-person shooter. But now, the franchise is heading stateside. Series overlord Ubisoft has started teasing the next game in the franchise with a live-action trailer, as one does, and while there isn’t a lick of CGI or gameplay, the 41-second clip does do a great job setting the game’s tone.

We see a flock of birds rustled from their perches as a man screams somewhere offscreen, an ambling river, another man running through a verdant field and then, we hear a church bell ringing. Except it isn’t a pastor clanging the bell, but someone knocking it about with another, possibly freshly deceased, person’s head. Yeah, Far Cry 5 will almost assuredly be rated M for Mature when it comes out.

If font of the “Welcome to Hope County, Montana” text didn’t clue you in to the modern setting, watching the clip a few more times might. There’s a propane tank sitting next to said chapel, power lines, grain silos and if you pause at the 27-second mark, you can see what looks like a high-powered rifle on the bell-ringer’s back. A few weeks ago, some theorized that due to filming the teaser in Montana, that the game would be set in the Old West as a way to compete against Rockstar’s forthcoming Red Dead Redemption sequel. Guess again.

So, what exactly makes Far Cry, well, Far Cry? Making wallets out of the animals you kill, an open world, moral quandaries and playing the errand boy for two rival factions, it’d seem. Perhaps we’ll find out more later this week when Ubisoft drops the announcement trailer on the 26th. Given the state of AAA video game PR plans and E3 being just around the corner, maybe don’t expect to see gameplay come Friday though.

Source: Ubisoft (YouTube)