📰 Weekly Highlights#
Microsoft Admits Serious "Hallucination" Flaw in Bing Copilot, 1/3 Chance of Incorrect Answers When Asked for "Real-Time Content"#
It is reported that research institutions have used a series of real-time updated data to "test" Copilot, such as asking Copilot for "real-time election information and voting results in Germany and Switzerland," but the results produced by Copilot were unsatisfactory.
According to IT Home's report from the institution, Bing Copilot's output contains errors 31% (1/3) of the time when answering relevant questions, including "incorrect voting dates," "listing past candidates," "fabricating candidate backgrounds," and "inventing scandals involving candidates."
Researchers submitted these issues to Microsoft in October this year. Although Microsoft acknowledged the problems and claimed that it "plans to address the related 'hallucination' flaws," researchers found that Bing Copilot's performance had not improved in subsequent tests conducted in November.
Researchers urge the public not to blindly trust the content provided by Bing Copilot and to carefully check the news links cited by Copilot, as this could lead to serious consequences.
Source, Source
Mickey Mouse Will Enter the Public Domain on January 1, 2024#
Mickey Mouse, or the earliest version of Mickey Mouse, will enter the public domain on January 1, 2024. Compared to Sherlock Holmes and Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse has a more profound impact and significance on copyright law. The U.S. extended the copyright protection period to 95 years, largely due to lobbying from companies like Disney, leading to the law being humorously dubbed the "Mickey Mouse Protection Act." Such a long copyright protection period limits works entering the public domain, but on the other hand, Disney actually benefits from public domain works; for example, "Frozen" is based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen," and "The Lion King" is derived from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and the "Bible." "Alice in Wonderland," "Snow White," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Sleeping Beauty," "Cinderella," and "The Little Mermaid" are also based on classic fairy tales and works. The image of Mickey Mouse itself is also inspired by early film stars like Charlie Chaplin. The version entering the public domain is the Mickey Mouse depicted in the 1928 animated film "Steamboat Willie." There are multiple versions of Mickey Mouse, and subsequent versions remain under copyright protection, still held by Disney.
Will the Mickey Mouse Protection Act be renewed?
Apple Watch Faces Ban Due to Patent Infringement, Apple Exploring Software Solutions#
Apple claims that software modifications can resolve the issue, while Masimo asserts that it involves hardware aspects.
Source
I had noticed this news before, but didn't expect it to be so serious.
Xiaohongshu COO Conan: 70% of Monthly Active Users Search on Xiaohongshu#
On December 17, Xiaohongshu COO Conan mentioned at the IF Conference that nearly 70% of monthly active users search on Xiaohongshu, with one-third of monthly active users opening Xiaohongshu to search first. Conan stated that the usefulness, universality, and richness of content in search have opened a door to the Xiaohongshu community for many non-native users, and more new users are discovering Xiaohongshu through search.
Xiaohongshu has replaced most of my searches for life, shopping, and other scenarios, but I currently find there are too many ads and the content is somewhat superficial, though it's still much better than others, at least there are comments to judge.
"Chinese Language Review 2023" Activity Releases Annual "Top Ten New Words"#
As an important part of the annual "Chinese Language Review" activity, on December 16, the National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center released the "Top Ten New Words" for 2023, which are: generative artificial intelligence, global civilization initiative, village super, new quality productivity, national ecological day, consumption boosting year, special forces-style tourism, eye-catching bag, hundred-model war, Mozi's celestial tour.
Source
Among these, I find "village super" and "special forces-style tourism" particularly memorable.
Tesla Recalls Millions of Cars Due to Autopilot Accident Investigation#
Tesla is recalling over 2 million cars due to concerns that its autopilot system may be misused by drivers.
This recall involves nearly all Tesla cars sold in the U.S. and could damage the automaker's reputation. While the recall is unlikely to incur high costs, it will not significantly restrict drivers' use of Tesla's advanced driver assistance features. Tesla plans to deploy free software remedies remotely to add more alerts and control features, encouraging drivers to stay focused while using the autopilot to drive within lanes.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been reviewing Tesla's system due to several high-profile crashes over the years and questions about whether the company has committed beyond its capabilities.
The autopilot is one of the most well-known advanced driver assistance systems and is standard in new Tesla models. It is designed to assist drivers with tasks such as steering and maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles on the highway, but it does not enable the car to drive itself.
Source
As a supplement to last week's report, it now seems that only an OTA upgrade is needed to add more alerts and controls.
Although Tesla does not consider this a problem, it will update in response to legal requirements.
Dong Yuhui Promoted to Senior Partner at Oriental Selection, Yu Minhong Once Said He Would Have a Voice#
Learn from history.
Engineering Releases 2023 Global Top Ten Engineering Achievements#
On December 20, 2023, the "2023 Global Top Ten Engineering Achievements" selected by the journal "Engineering" of the Chinese Academy of Engineering was released in Beijing. The journal's executive editor, Academician Chen Jianfeng of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, announced the results. The selection of the "2023 Global Top Ten Engineering Achievements" was determined through global nominations, expert recommendations, public surveys, and deliberations by the selection committee. The achievements included in this year's "Global Top Ten Engineering Achievements" mainly refer to significant innovative results in engineering technology completed collaboratively or individually by engineers and scientists from various countries over the past five years, which have been practically validated and have had a global impact. This includes major engineering projects or key technological equipment, as well as critical original innovations and breakthroughs in engineering technology.
The selected achievements include: ChatGPT, Chinese Space Station, Exascale Supercomputer, Baihetan Hydropower Station, Double Asteroid Redirection Test, RTS,S/AS01 Malaria Vaccine, HarmonyOS, Spot & Atlas Robots, Lithium-ion Power Batteries, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Source
Zhong Nanshan Analyzes Recent Surge in Respiratory Diseases#
Regarding the recent significant increase in respiratory disease patients, Zhong Nanshan believes that the main reasons for the surge in respiratory diseases are twofold: first, the conventional reason, which is that after the weather turns dry and cold, the immune function of the nasal mucosa decreases, making it easier for viruses to enter the respiratory tract; second, prolonged mask-wearing can hinder the normal functioning of the immune system, weakening the ability to resist diseases. "Unless there is a viral pandemic or one goes to crowded places, I do not particularly advocate wearing masks for long periods."
Source
Renowned Python Scraper Library Requests Author Unemployed Due to Mania: Seeking Funding and Job Online#
Recently, Kenneth Reitz, the developer of the Requests library, encountered some issues and stated on the X platform that he is facing financial difficulties and needs funding to maintain basic survival.
Kenneth Reitz mentioned that he lost his job a few weeks ago due to mania. IT Home found that he is also looking for new jobs on the platform and has repeatedly posted about considering short-term contracts, indicating that it is indeed urgent.
Wikipedia states that mania is a state of abnormal activation, arousal, emotional, and energy levels, or can be described as "an excessive reaction accompanied by elevated mood and fluctuating emotions." Although "mania" is often seen as the opposite of depression, the types of elevated emotions can be both euphoria and anger. As mania becomes more severe, irritable emotions will increasingly spill over and lead to violent behavior.
Source
Every Python developer has used and is using this library.
Open source is purely a long-term project powered by love, and foreign development indeed makes people in our country feel ashamed.
Lenovo's Yang Yuanqing Elected First President of Huishang Association, BYD's Wang Chuanfu Elected Honorary President#
It is reported that the Huishang Association will strengthen its service functions by establishing a consulting committee, investment and financing special committee, legal advisory group, and special committees for new energy vehicles, new generation information technology, big health industry, and young Huishang people, as well as planning the "Huishang World Reception Room" and hosting high-standard Huishang forums to empower Huishang enterprises for high-quality development.
In addition, the Huishang Association will leverage local development advantages in Anhui to guide more funds and projects to the Jianghuai region, attract more talent and technology, and support the construction and high-quality development of Anhui's "three regions and one area."
Source
With Huizhou completely becoming a tourist city and the development of high-tech, Hefei can finally carry the Huishang banner, gathering more resources for development and keeping pace with Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai.
AI Pin to Start Deliveries in March Next Year#
At the beginning of last month, Humane officially released the AI Pin, which is described as a micro-projector placed on clothing that allows interaction by projecting onto the palm, built with OpenAI technology.
Specifically, the AI Pin's "laser ink display" feature can project a green user interface onto the palm, allowing users to interact using various gestures or voice commands for functions like taking photos, translation, and calorie recognition.
It is reported that the AI Pin is positioned as a replacement for smartphones, rather than a smartphone accessory, with a base price of $699, and an additional monthly subscription fee of $24 for cellular network data and AI model services.
Source
It is indeed a form of a future smart assistant, but I do not see it as a replacement; rather, it is another form similar to smart glasses and watches.
Central Radio and Television Station Releases 2023 Annual Top Ten Domestic and International Science and Technology News#
📚 Articles#
Li Yanhong: Only AI Native Applications Have Value, Stop Focusing on Large Models!#
AI Summary#
This article discusses the views of Baidu's founder, chairman, and CEO Li Yanhong, who believes that AI native applications are the truly valuable opportunities, rather than the foundational large models themselves. He argues that AI native applications can be quickly applied to various scenarios and create standardized products. In contrast, while foundational large models are highly versatile, their value needs to be realized through AI native applications. Therefore, he believes we should focus more on the development of AI native applications rather than just the progress of foundational models.
Excerpt#
If we draw an analogy, in the mobile internet era, there were actually just two: Android and iOS. Today, I believe the value of WeChat and TikTok is no less than that of iOS or Android. Why don't people seriously invest their energy in developing native applications and instead focus on model progress every day? In fact, the progress of large models is not an opportunity for the vast majority of people; only a very small number of technical personnel closely related to this technology should study and track these things, which I think is valuable.
However, I feel that the current focus or the allocation of social resources is completely disproportionate, with a large amount of resources wasted on various foundational model training, even on score ranking, while relatively little resources and energy are devoted to AI native applications. This is something I have been somewhat anxious about in recent months.
Source
Building a Second Brain: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide#
AI Summary#
This article introduces "Building a Second Brain," a method for organizing digital life and unlocking creative potential. The article poses a question: We have many smart ideas but forget them; we have many valuable insights but do not take action; over time, we gradually forget useful advice. It also mentions that our stress is increasing, and we need to constantly learn, improve ourselves, and make progress. However, where does all this valuable knowledge go? Where is it when we need it? Our minds cannot remember all these details, as they can only hold a few thoughts at a time. Fundamentally, our minds are meant for generating ideas, not storing them. Building a Second Brain is a method for preserving and systematically reminding us of the ideas, inspirations, insights, and connections we gain through experience. It provides a clear, actionable path to create a "second brain"—an external, centralized, digital repository for storing the knowledge and resources you have learned. The second brain ultimately uses modern technological tools to extend our memory and intelligence. Today, to succeed in the world, one needs to manage various information—emails, texts, messaging apps, online articles, books, podcasts, webinars, meeting notes, and more. All this content is valuable, but trying to remember everything is overwhelming and impractical. By integrating ideas from these sources, you can develop valuable work outcomes to advance your projects and goals. You will have a continuous record of personal discoveries, lessons learned, and actionable insights to handle any situation. We have already done most of the work to consume this content. We spend a significant portion of our careers creating text snippets, outlines, photos, videos, sketches, charts, web pages, notes, or documents. However, without a system to organize this content, we lose control over it.
Excerpt#
The Building a Second Brain Methodology will teach you how to:
- Reduce stress and “information overload” by curating and managing your personal information stream
- Create a digital environment that promotes clarity and peace of mind
- Unlock the full value of the wealth of learning resources all around you, such as online courses, webinars, books, articles, forums, and podcasts
- Find anything you’ve learned, touched, or thought about in the past within seconds
- Spend less time looking for things and more time doing the best, most creative work you are capable of
- Cultivate a collection of valuable knowledge and insights over time without having to follow rigid, time-consuming rules
- Consistently move your projects and goals to completion by organizing and accessing your knowledge in a results-oriented way
- Turn work “off” and relax, knowing you have a trusted system keeping track of all the details
To guide you in the process of creating your own Second Brain, I’ve developed a simple four-step method called CODE, which stands for Capture, Organize, Distill, and Express.
Source
🎞️ Life#
Conversations That Break the Neighbor's Defense (Source Forum)#
Christmas Alligator#
❤️ & ❀#
