Happy Birthday to Us.. ;-)

Happy 23rd Birthday to Memeonics.com :-) 

Memeonics.com is 23 years old today... happy birthday to us :-)

How Memeonics looked on Archive .org in 2000

 alas Archive.org do not have the original (it's around here somewhere...)

 We are still in the business of idea propagation and are focusing on Prompt Engineering.   

Artificial Intelligence Q1 2023

As the AI field hots up I am switching from an annual update to Quarterly although this will still leave you way behind, imho.. ;-)

Here are some specific events and products related to artificial intelligence that have occurred so far in 2023:

Google Launches New AI-Powered Assistant: In January 2023, Google launched a new AI-powered assistant called "Google Assistant Pro." The new assistant is designed to provide more personalized and contextually relevant responses to user queries.
https://blog.google/technology/ai/bard-google-ai-search-updates/

Microsoft Acquires AI Start-Up: In February 2023, Microsoft announced that it had acquired an AI start-up called "Deep Learning Technologies." The start-up specializes in developing advanced deep learning algorithms for use in a variety of applications.
https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2017/01/13/microsoft-acquires-deep-learning-startup-maluuba-ai-pioneer-yoshua-bengio-advisory-role/

NVIDIA Announces New AI Hardware: In April 2023, NVIDIA announced a new set of hardware designed specifically for AI applications. The hardware, called the "NVIDIA AI Data Center," is designed to provide increased performance and efficiency for AI workloads.
https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-announces-new-system-for-accelerated-quantum-classical-computing

GPT-4 is the largest and most powerful language model in existence, setting a new benchmark for natural language processing. is in the tech papers. Previously token size was 2048 tokens, now it is 8,192; a 4x increase in size. (most likely subject to pro plans or other variations)
expert reaction to OpenAI announcing GPT-4 - 
https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-openai-announcing-gpt-4/

These are just a few examples of specific events and products related to artificial intelligence that have occurred so far in 2023. As the year progresses, we will see even more exciting developments in this rapidly evolving field, imho. 

Matt Wolfe

I'd suggest that you check out Matt Wolfe on Y/T et al. I am not affiliated with Matt in any way (yet) but must reach out to him one of these days. He is doing some seriously heavy lifting in terms of keeping all of us up to date with what is going on, imho. 

Serious kudos to Matt Wolfe, thanks Matt..  find him via the links below.

https://www.youtube.com/@mreflow
https://www.futuretools.io/
https://twitter.com/mreflow
https://www.mattwolfe.com/

Artificial Intelligence 2022

Folks it is becoming serious now, artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing at an unbelievable pace.

Here are some of the key events in AI in 2022:

Quantum Machine Learning: In 2022, quantum machine learning (QML) emerged as a major area of focus in the field of AI. QML combines the principles of quantum computing with machine learning algorithms, enabling more complex and accurate data analysis. Researchers at Google and IBM made significant advancements in QML, including the development of new quantum machine learning algorithms and the launch of quantum machine learning platforms. If you need more on this then go check out

https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.04093
https://hdsr.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/cgmjzm3c/release/3
https://ai.googleblog.com/2022/06/quantum-advantage-in-learning-from.html

Ethical AI: There is growing concern about its ethical implications. In 2022, there was a renewed focus on ethical AI, with several new initiatives and frameworks launched to address this issue. For example, the Partnership on AI released new ethical guidelines for AI development, while the IEEE launched a new standard for ethically aligned AI. Personally I always insert the word Refusniks into this.

Robotics in Manufacturing: Robotics continued to play an important role in manufacturing in 2022, with new advancements in automation and robotics technology. In particular, there was a growing trend towards collaborative robots, or cobots, that work alongside human workers to improve productivity and safety in manufacturing environments.

Explainable AI: Explainable AI, or XAI, refers to the ability of AI systems to explain their decision-making processes in a way that humans can understand. In 2022, there were several new developments in XAI, including the launch of new explainability tools and frameworks. This is an important step towards building trust in AI systems and ensuring that they are used ethically.

AI in Healthcare: AI continued to make significant contributions to healthcare in 2022, with new applications in disease diagnosis, drug discovery, and patient care. For example, researchers at MIT developed an AI system that can predict the risk of developing breast cancer, while AI-powered chatbots are being used to provide mental health support to patients.

Autonomous Vehicles: Autonomous vehicles are one of the most exciting applications of AI. In 2022, there were several new developments in autonomous vehicles, including the launch of new self-driving cars and the development of new AI algorithms to improve safety and efficiency on the roads.

Natural Language Processing: Natural language processing (NLP) is a critical component of many AI applications, including virtual assistants and chatbots. In 2022 we saw the launch of new language models and the development of new algorithms for speech recognition and natural language understanding.

Edge AI: Edge AI refers to the ability of AI systems to process data locally, without relying on cloud computing. This is an important development for applications that require low latency and real-time processing, such as self-driving cars and industrial automation. In 2022, there were several new advancements in edge AI, including the development of new hardware and software solutions. I think that perhaps in 2023 we will see plug ins offering this same tech.

In conclusion, 2022 was a year of progress, yet again. From quantum machine learning and ethical AI to robotics in manufacturing and autonomous vehicles, the tech will continuing to transform our engagement in revolutionary ways.

Are you ready?

Exoskeletons

Good to close the year with this from Nature.com, imho..

Opportunities and challenges in the development of exoskeletons for locomotor assistance

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-022-00984-1

Happy Birthday to Us.. ;-)

Happy 22nd Birthday to Memeonics.com :-) 

Memeonics.com is 22 years old today... happy birthday to us :-)

How Memeonics looked on Archive .org in 2000

 alas Archive.org do not have the original (it's around here somewhere...)

 We are still in the business of idea propagation :-)   

Swarm of micro flying robots in the wild

 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.abm5954

FYI this is tech paper so your access may depend on your config./.

Why Blogger

From time to time people ask why Blogger, do you not find it so clunky..

From my perspective Google can scale to meet whatsoever demand may be required by my Blog, I don't have to worry about it.

Additionally then there is the security element, I am totally confident in Google's ability to 'protect me'

Thanks Google :-)

The Rise of the Robots

Over on my personal Blog which more or less focuses on tech that looks particularly autonomous / unusual / revolutionary & particularly AI / Prompt Engineering & an objective sprinkling of politics. I have few robot posts.

I do intend to expand on this given available time, in the meantime...

https://www.dd.ie/search/label/robots

Happy 21st Birthday to Memeonics.com :-)

Memeonics.com is 21 years old today... happy birthday to us :-)

How Memeonics looked on Archive .org in 2000

alas Archive do not have the original (it's around here somewhere...)

We are still in the business of idea propagation :-)   

Artificial Intelligence 2021

 In 2021 artificial intelligence evolved rapidly (as is the nature of AI, lol) with new breakthroughs and advancements. Here are a few key events in 2021;-

GPT-3 Follow-up: Following the successful release of GPT-3 in 2020, OpenAI released GPT-3's successor, 

Autonomous Systems: In 2021, there were major advancements in autonomous systems and robotics. Companies such as Boston Dynamics unveiled new robots with advanced features and capabilities that are helping to transform industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare. I'm following Boston for years, one of these days I'd love to go there, let the robot dog chase me around the field.

AI for Climate Change: Climate change remains a critical challenge for the world. This year there were several notable advancements in the use of AI to combat this problem. E.g. predicting and mitigating natural disasters to reducing carbon emissions and tracking deforestation.

AI in Retail: In 2021, retailers continued to embrace AI technology to enhance the customer experience and streamline operations. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are being used to help customers find products and make purchases, while machine learning algorithms are helping retailers optimize inventory and predict demand.

Ethics and AI: As the use of AI continues to grow, so too do concerns about the ethical and social implications of this technology. In 2021, there were several notable developments in this area, including the release of new AI ethics frameworks and the creation of new regulatory bodies to oversee the development and deployment of AI systems. I'd suggest we all implement Asimov's robot laws ASAP.

Machine Learning: Machine learning continued to be a key area of research and development, with several new algos and models being developed that are helping to improve the accuracy and efficiency of AI systems. Researchers at Facebook developed a new machine learning model that can detect and correct errors in text-based data.

So again 2021 was a year of more progress in the field. In my mind there is no doubt that this technology will transform the world in exciting and impactful ways. Nonetheless the naysayers predict the end of everything and that folks may explain how we got to where we at in terms of infant / child deaths / global poverty, global war.

Dancing Robots and all that jazz...

Dancing Robots and all that jazz... Cross posted from https://www.dd.ie/

 I remember back when robots could not dance...lol

 

Artificial Intelligence 2020

 In 2020 artificial intelligence (AI) continued to evolve, here are some of the key events in AI in 2020.

GPT-3: In 2020, OpenAI released a new version of its language model, GPT-3, which demonstrated significant improvements in generating coherent and realistic text. With over 175 billion parameters, it is currently the largest language model in existence and has shown remarkable ability to complete tasks such as language translation, answering questions, and even creative writing. 175Bn is a right few...:-)

Ethics and AI: As the use of AI becomes more widespread, concerns around its ethical and social implications continue to grow. In 2020, there were several high-profile incidents that highlighted the need for ethical considerations in AI development and deployment. I suppose it might be good to to try and establishg some sort of ethical adherence in the political class

Quantum computing: Quantum computing made advances in 2020. In December, Google announced that it had achieved a new milestone in quantum computing called quantum supremacy, where its quantum computer solved a problem in 200 seconds that would take the world's most powerful supercomputer 10,000 years to solve.

AI and climate change: As the world grapples with the impact of climate change, researchers are exploring ways in which AI can be used to address environmental challenges. In 2020, AI was used for tasks such as monitoring deforestation, predicting weather patterns, and reducing carbon emissions.

Autonomous vehicles: In 2020, the development of autonomous vehicles continued, with several companies testing their self-driving cars on public roads. 

Machine learning: Machine learning is a type of AI that involves training models on large datasets. In 2020, researchers made significant advances in machine learning, developing new algorithms and models that improved the accuracy and efficiency of AI systems. For example, Facebook introduced a new algorithm called RoBERTa, which does appear to show significant improvements in language understanding and generation.

So again 2020 was a year of significant progress in the field. Advancements were made in areas such as natural language processing, healthcare, ethics, and climate change. 

It would be most interesting to focus on this topic exclusively, but as always a lot of things on the technocrat schedule are mañana.

Artificial Intelligence 2019

Whilst I have been following AI now for a good few years now the pace is starting to hot up. I thought to simply recap on the year as a succinct way of sharing tech dev.

Here is a little recap of events in 2019;-

In 2019 advances were made in areas such as natural language processing, computer vision, and robotics, and new applications for AI were discovered across a wide range of industries. Here are some of the key events in AI in 2019.

GPT-2: In February 2019, OpenAI released a new language model called GPT-2, which demonstrated remarkable ability to generate coherent and realistic text. However, due to concerns about the potential misuse of the technology, OpenAI initially only released a smaller version of the model. Later in the year, the full version was made available, along with a tool to detect whether text was generated by GPT-2.

AlphaStar: In January 2019, Google's DeepMind announced that its AI system, AlphaStar, had beaten human professional players at the popular strategy game StarCraft II. This was a significant achievement for AI, as StarCraft II is a complex game that requires strategic planning, resource management, and real-time decision-making.

AI in healthcare: AI continued to make inroads in healthcare in 2019, with researchers developing new AI tools for disease diagnosis, drug discovery, and personalized medicine. For example, a team at Stanford University developed an AI system that can diagnose skin cancer with the same accuracy as dermatologists.

Autonomous vehicles: In 2019, the race to develop autonomous vehicles continued, with several companies testing their self-driving cars on public roads. However, there were also setbacks, including a fatal accident involving an autonomous vehicle operated by Uber in March.

Ethics and AI: As AI technology becomes more powerful, there is growing concern about its potential impact on society. In 2019, several high-profile events highlighted the need for ethical considerations in the development and deployment of AI. For example, Google faced criticism from employees and outside groups over its involvement in a US military project that used AI for drone targeting.

Quantum computing: While still in its early stages, quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize many areas of science and technology, including AI. In 2019, Google announced that it had achieved "quantum supremacy," meaning that its quantum computer had solved a problem that would be practically impossible for a classical computer.

Deep learning: Deep learning is a type of AI that involves training neural networks on large datasets. In 2019, researchers made significant advances in deep learning, developing new architectures and algorithms that improved the accuracy and efficiency of AI systems. For example, Google introduced a new neural network architecture called BERT, which can generate more accurate responses to natural language queries.

AI and climate change: With concerns growing about the impact of climate change, researchers are exploring ways in which AI can be used to address environmental challenges. In 2019, a team at Stanford University used machine learning to develop a model that can predict the impact of melting glaciers on sea levels.

So in reality 2019 was a year of good progress and innovation. Advancements were made in areas such as natural language processing, computer vision, and robotics, and new applications for AI were discovered across a wide range of industries. Nonetheless there is growing concern about its potential impact on society and the need for ethical considerations in its development and deployment.

Stephen Rea explores the real impact of Brexit

Belfast-born actor Stephen Rea explores the real impact of Brexit and the uncertainty of the future of the Irish border in a short film written by Clare Dwyer Hogg.

DNS Spf and quoted space

When configuring various DNS records you may occasionally run across

Warning: A record for this domain has whitespace but is not a "quoted string" and therefore is split into separate strings at whitespace. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC join those strings without spaces, which can cause "problems, especially for Sender Policy Framework records. 

Warning: A record for this domain starts with "v=spf1" but lacks a quoted space following the '1'. This may be a badly formatted Sender Policy Framework record that will be ignored by mail software."

Unfortunately (as of Apr 2018) the support answer
https://support.google.com/a/answer/33786?hl=en
offers the following example which is incorrect imho;-

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

The correct syntax for an SPF record using Google DNS is:-

"v=spf1_" "include:_spf.google.com" "~all"

You could also review the following for more background;-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sender_Policy_Framework

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which replaces the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive, will come into force on 25 May 2018.

The GDPR increases individuals rights regarding their personal data and is intended to harmonise data protection laws across Europe.

It is particularly important that you review your current controls, policies, and processes to assess whether they meet the requirements of the GDPR

Google is committed to GDPR compliance across Google Cloud services and are helping customers with their GDPR compliance.

GSuite Administrators should visit https://cloud.google.com/security/gdpr/ and follow the links to review and accept the relevant TOS for their organisation

One of the critical aspects is Encryption!

It may well be that your current provider does not use or cannot guarantee end to end encryption. Google uses encryption to protect data in transit and at rest. Data in transit to G Suite is protected using HTTPS, which is activated by default for all users. 

The Google encryption pdf can be viewed here:-
http://services.google.com/fh/files/helpcenter/google_encryptionwp2016.pdf

Protection and Prevention is a much more effective strategy than reaction.

The GSuite service allows customers to leverage product features and configurations to further protect personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing. For example:-

• 2-step verification greatly reduces the risk of unauthorised access by asking users for additional proof of identity when signing in. Security key enforcement offers another layer of security for user accounts by requiring a physical key.
• Suspicious Login Monitoring helps detect suspicious logins using robust machine learning capabilities.
• Enhanced email security requires email messages to be signed and encrypted using Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME).
• Data loss prevention protects sensitive information within Gmail and Drive from unauthorized sharing. Learn more in our DLP Whitepaper.
• Information rights management in Drive allows you to disable downloading, printing, and copying of files from the advanced sharing menu, and to set expiration dates on file access.
• Mobile device management offers continuous system monitoring and alerts in case of suspicious device activity.

To learn more, please visit https://gsuite.google.com/security/

Conclusion

Google offers a GDPR specific page with additional information available at:-

https://cloud.google.com/security/gdpr/

and a GDPR centric document here:-

https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/google_cloud_and_the_gdpr_english.pdf

GSuite accounts cost £3.30 per user per month and a 20% discount is available for annual commitment. In addition to the peace of mind delivered via having encryption you can also avail of a range of services that use secure protocols. 

With over 20 years operating with internet technologies and 7 years as a Google Cloud Partner we would be delighted to help you comply with forthcoming GDPR legislation.

We invite you to contact Des Donnelly via email at dd@memeonics.com or via our contact form at https://blog.memeonics.com/p/contact.html

Google's Global Infrastructure

Google have spent $30 billion improving their infrastructure over three years and investment is ongoing. Three new submarine cables are in process and five new regions have been added.

Netherlands and Montreal regions in the first quarter of 2018
Los Angeles, Finland, and Hong Kong – with more to come.

In 2019 they will commission three subsea cables:

• Curie, a private cable connecting Chile to Los Angeles; 
• Havfrue, a consortium cable connecting the U.S. to Denmark and Ireland; 
• the Hong Kong-Guam Cable system (HK-G), a consortium cable interconnecting major subsea communication hubs in Asia.  

See the full article here
https://www.blog.google/topics/google-cloud/expanding-our-global-infrastructure-new-regions-and-subsea-cables/

In 2017 the world searched for...

https://trends.google.com/trends/yis/2017/GLOBAL/
See the Top searches across a wide range of subjects.

Voice Experiments.. hello hello

Voice Experiments is a showcase of what’s possible when you bring open-ended, natural conversation into games, music, storytelling, and more. ..here is Voice Experiments: Story Speaker 


.See all the experiments here:-
https://experiments.withgoogle.com/voice

or check out MixLab


Read about The Conversational UI and Why it Matters (pdf)
https://developers.google.com/actions/downloads/get-started.pdf


.

Memeonics Political Intelligence

Politics in Ireland is a daily topic on conversation on many parts of the island. As a nation we are reasonably well engaged with our political representatives, particularly in the north. Voter turnout in the 6 counties is often in the order of 70%+.

At Memeonics we have produced statistical and technical analyses for private clients for many years and our 'Political Intelligence' is a daily compendium of output from all government departments on the island of Ireland.

Read more

https://memeonics.net/#/