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David Brooks: ‘Human beings are soon going to be eclipsed’?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:10 GMT

Recently I stumbled across an essay by Douglas Hofstadter that made me happy. Hofstadter is an eminent cognitive scientist and the author of books like “Gödel, Escher, Bach” and “I Am a Strange Loop.” The essay that pleased me so much, called “The Shallowness of Google Translate,” was published in The Atlantic in January of 2018.Back then, Hofstadter argued that AI translation tools might be really good at some pedestrian tasks, but they weren’t close to replicating the creative and subtle abilities of a human translator. “It’s all about ultrarapid processing of pieces of text, not about thinking or imagining or remembering or understanding. It doesn’t even know that words <em>stand</em> for things,” he wrote.The article made me happy because here was a scientist I greatly admire arguing for a point of view I’ve been coming to myself. Over the past few months, I’ve become an AI limitationist. That is, I believe that while AI will be an amazing tool for, say, tutoring chi...

Fargo police officer dies, two others in critical condition following street shootout

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:10 GMT

FARGO — A Fargo Police officer has died, two other officers are in critical condition, a suspect has died and another civilian was seriously injured following a street shootout on Friday, July 14.That information was released at 11:43 p.m. Friday night in a City of Fargo news release. It also said the Fargo Police Department would hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, July 15, to provide more information.The identities of those involved is not being released as the process of notifying family members is ongoing, the release said. It said the Fargo Police Department “acknowledges and appreciates the community’s support during this difficult time.”Dozens of police officers and sheriff’s deputies gathered solemnly outside the emergency room at Sanford Medical Center on Friday evening.By 9 p.m., a procession of first responders left the hospital and traveled to the Cass County coroners office at 1220 25th St. S., mere blocks from the initial shooting near 25th...

‘Rabbit Fire’, other fires forcing evacuations in Riverside County 

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:10 GMT

Fire crews are continuing to battle several large fires in Riverside County. The largest one, the “Rabbit Fire”, broke out in the area of Jack Rabbit Trail and Gilman Springs Road east of Mystic Lake on Friday and quickly spread to over 4,500 acres by 6 a.m. Saturday morning. According to fire officials, the blaze is only 5 percent contained. The flames are mostly burning in an agricultural area but have forced the evacuation of approximately 25 homes. The evacuated homes are located north of Gilman Springs Road to Bridge Street and the 79 Freeway. According to fire officials, the blaze is only 5 percent contained. The flames are mostly burning in an agricultural area but have forced the evacuation of approximately 25 homes. (KTLA)According to fire officials, the blaze is only 5 percent contained. The flames are mostly burning in an agricultural area but have forced the evacuation of approximately 25 homes. (OnSceneTV) According to fire officials, the blaze is...

WATCH: Massive wildfire grows to 4,500 acres in Riverside County

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:10 GMT

Firefighters are battling a large and rapidly spreading wildfire that erupted in Moreno Valley on Friday.Named the “Rabbit Fire,” the brush fire is located near the intersection of Alessandro Boulevard and Jack Rabbit Trail in the community of Lakeview.As of 6 a.m. Saturday morning, the blaze had scorched 4,500 acres near Moreno Valley, with other nearby fires burned a combined 500 acres in other parts of the Inland Empire.The "Rabbit Fire" was initially reported as 20 acres with a rapid rate of spread just shortly before 4 p.m. The flames later spread to around 600 acres by 6 p.m. before exploding to 1,500 acres around 7 p.m., Cal Fire officials confirmed. By 7:30 p.m., the fire grew to around 2,815 acres and by 11 p.m., the fire grew to 3,000 acres. Located in a grass and brush-heavy area, a private ranch property is being threatened by the moving flames. Fire crews have surrounded the property with flame retardant.“All of a sudden, I see this puff of smoke come up and all chaos b...

Speed — and not using a seat belt — kills on one of East Bay’s deadliest highways

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:10 GMT

The lights are out at Adam Lane’s Bay Area home when the call comes about 11 p.m. from a fellow California Highway Patrol officer on Highway 4. This time of night, Lane says, these calls are rarely good.Two people are dead in a vehicle crash, the ninth and 10th people to die in 2023 on Contra Costa County’s most notorious highway. The total since Jan. 1, 2021, sits at 44 dead in 39 fatal crashes, an average of about one death every six weeks for 2½ years.The details in the late-June crash are, sadly, familiar to Lane: At least one car appears to have been speeding. Both of the victims were ejected.California High Patrol officer Adam Lane patrols Highway 4 in Pittsburg, Calif., on Friday, June 30, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) “People speed, and people don’t wear seat belts,” said Lane, a public information officer for the agency. “When we get out to a scene, and you see them ejected, and the seat belt dangling … I can’...

Oakland’s pandemic eviction moratorium has expired. What’s next for renters and landlords?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:10 GMT

Beginning Saturday, Oakland landlords can move to oust tenants for failing to pay rent as the city’s pandemic eviction moratorium — one of the last remaining anywhere in the state — ends after more than three years.The expiration comes as a relief to rental owners who say the ban has far outlived its purpose and ravaged the livelihoods of many mom-and-pop rental landlords. Tenant advocates, meanwhile, are warning of an “eviction tsunami” swallowing up vulnerable renters who are struggling with rising living expenses and the city’s high housing costs.“This moratorium was effective in giving renters the protection they needed during an incredibly challenging time,” Mayor Sheng Thao said in a statement. “Now that it’s winding down the City and county have resources in place to protect renters.”Even though the emergency protections have ended, tenants cannot be evicted for rent that went unpaid during the moratorium, whic...

West Nile Virus detected in mosquito traps in Discovery Bay

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:10 GMT

(BCN) -- Two groups of mosquitos in Contra Costa County have tested positive for West Nile virus, the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District said Friday. The mosquitos were collected in a trap in Discovery Bay, the District said, and are the first mosquitos to test positive for the virus this year. Solano County also detected the virus in mosquitos this week. Since 2005, 75 people in Contra Costa County have been diagnosed with West Nile virus, and in 2006, two people died from the virus, the District said. 1 dead, 1 injured in Pittsburg shooting The West Nile virus is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, so it is important for people to take precautions to reduce the risk of being bitten, the District said. Mosquitos can develop from egg to adult more quickly in hot weather, which the Bay Area is experiencing this weekend.The heat combined with the presence of the virus means residents should wear insect repellent and report any mosquito activi...

1 dead, 1 injured in Pittsburg shooting

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:10 GMT

(KRON) -- A man is dead and another is in serious condition, but stable condition following a shooting Friday evening, according to Pittsburg police.At 5:12 p.m., officers responded to the report of gunshots in the 2100 block of Crestview Lane. At the same time, a driver pulled into the Pittsburg Police Department parking lot and called out for officers to come to his car, police said.  Woman injured after freeway shooting in San Francisco The driver and passenger, both men, were suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. They received medical aid from officers before paramedics arrived, police said.The driver, a 21-year-old from Antioch, was transported to a local hospital in serious, but stable condition. The passenger, a 24-year-old from Antioch, succumbed to his injuries, Pittsburg police said.Officers who responded to the area of Crestview Lane located evidence from a shooting. Detectives are now investigating and actively working leads.KRON On is streaming news live now.embed-c...

Genesis Scottish Open Scores

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:10 GMT

SaturdayAt The Renaissance ClubGullane, United KingdomPurse: $9 millionYardage: 7,237; Par: 70Third RoundRory McIlroy, Northern Ireland64-66-67—197Tom Kim, South Korea66-65-67—198Tommy Fleetwood, England70-66-63—199Brian Harman, United States67-65-67—199Byeong Hun An, South Korea61-70-69—200Eric Cole, United States67-69-64—200Shane Lowry, Ireland71-64-65—200J.T. Poston, United States69-66-65—200Scottie Scheffler, United States68-65-67—200Harry Hall, England71-64-66—201Tom Hoge, United States69-66-66—201Max Homa, United States66-68-67—201Tyrrell Hatton, England69-62-71—202Joakim Lagergren, Sweden69-66-67—202David Lingmerth, Sweden66-70-66—202Robert Macintyre, Scotland67-69-66—202Sebastian Soderberg, Sweden67-67-68—202Sam Burns, United States67-65-71—203Rickie Fowler, United States67-67-69—203Ryan Fox, New Zealand69-67-67—203Padraig Harrington, Ireland67-66-70—203Viktor Hovland, Norway73-63-67—203Maximilian Kieffer, Germany69-69-65—203Luke List, United States69-69-65—203Thorbjorn Oles...

Genesis Scottish Open Par Scores

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:10 GMT

SaturdayAt The Renaissance ClubGullane, United KingdomPurse: $9 millionYardage: 7,237; Par: 70Third RoundRory McIlroy, Northern Ireland64-66-67—197-13Tom Kim, South Korea66-65-67—198-12Tommy Fleetwood, England70-66-63—199-11Brian Harman, United States67-65-67—199-11Byeong Hun An, South Korea61-70-69—200-10Eric Cole, United States67-69-64—200-10Shane Lowry, Ireland71-64-65—200-10J.T. Poston, United States69-66-65—200-10Scottie Scheffler, United States68-65-67—200-10Harry Hall, England71-64-66—201-9Tom Hoge, United States69-66-66—201-9Max Homa, United States66-68-67—201-9Tyrrell Hatton, England69-62-71—202-8Joakim Lagergren, Sweden69-66-67—202-8David Lingmerth, Sweden66-70-66—202-8Robert Macintyre, Scotland67-69-66—202-8Sebastian Soderberg, Sweden67-67-68—202-8Sam Burns, United States67-65-71—203-7Rickie Fowler, United States67-67-69—203-7Ryan Fox, New Zealand69-67-67—203-7Padraig Harrington, Ireland67-66-70—203-7Viktor Hovland, Norway73-63-67—203-7Maximilian Kieffer, Germany69-69-65—...