Curated Commons // Edition 148
Welcome to the 148th edition of Curated Commons! Thank you for subscribing, reading and sharing.
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Transformers, the algorithm, and the people behind it
Very good deep dive in the FT on the original researchers that gave us “Transformers” that are now at the heart of every Generative AI implementation, and the fact that all 8 original researchers have now left Google and what it says about innovation and size. - Read here ($)
Is Germany de-industrializing?
Worrying implications not just for Germany, but for the broader Eurozone - Read here
Are MEMS speakers finally here?
A good piece in the WSJ on MEMS (Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems). Will they finally see the light of the day? (personal aside - this was one of the first technologies I researched nearly two decades ago!) - Read here ($)
Tech is hard
This is amusing at multiple levels. The IMAX version of the movie Oppenheimer is one of the biggest physical film reels ever produced. Nearly 11 miles long and 600 pounds! And to ensure it is ready for screening, the tech involved is cutting-edge - a PalmPilot emulator on an iPad! - Read here
India has a new billion-dollar funding agency for research
$6 Bn planned outlay across 5 years. More power to the “National Research Foundation”! - Read here
How to reduce risk of cyberattacks? Get employees off the Internet?
Google is now restricting Internet access to some employees to reduce the risk of cyberattacks. Coming soon to more companies globally. - Read here
Synthetic data to train AI models is here. Watch out!
LLMs are hungry. And one way of feeding their hunger - creating synthetic data to train them to be more powerful. - Read here ($)
Typos are costly!
Can't make this up. US military emails end in .MIL. Typos from humans result in them going to addresses ending in .ML. Which is in the hands of a private mail operator in Mali, a country friendly to Russia. - Read here
Pharma industry continues to be a shining beacon for self-serving
Sigh. This never gets old. And things never change! :-( - Read here ($)
The age of the ‘quantified worker’ is nigh
What does it mean? Algorithmic bosses? What does it mean for laws? - Read here
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