📰 Weekly Excerpts#
Why Can't Hohhot Develop? - Zhihu#
Is it true that any article can now be featured on Zhihu?
"""
If you take the college entrance examination this year, and your score just meets the admission requirement for Inner Mongolia University (211 Double First Class), while in the south you can only attend a second-tier university, where would you choose to go?
I believe most people would firmly choose the south, and even those who choose Inner Mongolia University would still decide to develop in the south after graduation.
"""
Such statements reveal a lack of common sense, yet they can analyze complex topics like urban development.
Source
BYD Qin PLUS Glory Edition Launched, Starting at 79,800 Yuan#
On February 19, BYD officially launched the Qin PLUS Glory Edition, with 5 models of the DM-i version priced from 79,800 to 125,800 Yuan; and 5 models of the EV version priced from 109,800 to 139,800 Yuan. The company claims this marks the official start of a new era where "electricity is cheaper than fuel."
Source
👍
Google DeepMind Launches Gemma AI Model#
Google DeepMind announced the open-source release of a new large language model (LLM) named Gemma. The name Gemma is inspired by the Latin word for "gem."
Gemma offers two model sizes: 2B and 7B parameters, built on the same technology and research as Gemini. It not only achieves top performance among similar models but also surpasses larger competitors like Llama 2 13B in several important tests.
In performance evaluations, Gemma scored above current popular open-source models Llama 2 and Mistral in 18 benchmark tests, excelling in mathematics and coding abilities.
The Gemma-7B version outperformed both Llama 2's 7B and 13B versions across 8 benchmark tests, particularly excelling in mathematics, science, and coding tasks, also surpassing the Mistral 7B model.
In terms of safety, the instruction-tuned Gemma-2B IT and Gemma-7B IT versions performed better than the Mistral-7B v0.2 version in human preference evaluations.
Google also provides a toolchain that supports JAX, PyTorch, and TensorFlow, compatible with Keras 3.0, aimed at helping developers create safer AI applications.
Source
More large models are emerging; it all comes down to who can lower costs.
The Rise of Lottery Coffee Shops in Multiple Cities#
Recently, according to reports, lottery coffee shops have rapidly emerged in several cities in China, such as Chengdu, Wuxi, Foshan, and Yichang, with "Lotto Coffee" in Kunming already opening two stores.
These stores must pass lottery sales qualification approvals, and their size and location must comply with local regulations. In terms of business strategy, lottery coffee shops not only provide traditional lottery sales services but also innovatively offer various gameplay options, such as purchasing coffee to receive lottery tickets and redeeming points for lottery tickets.
Data from the Ministry of Finance shows that national lottery sales in 2023 increased by 36.5% year-on-year, with all provinces in the country experiencing growth in lottery sales, particularly Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong, which saw significant increases.
Interesting, I want to go.
I played scratch cards on the fifth day of the new year and won a little under three hundred; it was quite fun, haha, provided I could play more times with the 20 Yuan ones, the 50 Yuan ones are just giving money away.
Elden Ring Releases "Shadow of the Golden Tree" DLC#
On February 21, Bandai Namco Entertainment announced the supplementary content (DLC) "Shadow of the Golden Tree" for the well-known action game Elden Ring. The new game content will take place in the "Land of Shadows," introducing a large amount of new equipment, dungeons, and enemies. The game DLC will officially launch on June 21, with a price of 198 Yuan in the national region.
I need to get back into it... I haven't played in a long time.
Should I create a new account or use my second playthrough character?
Third-Party App "Tieba Lite" Announces Permanent Discontinuation#
"Tieba Lite" is a third-party Tieba client that was initially released in 2020, featuring a clean design and claiming to have "no ads, customizable" characteristics, with a certain user base. However, on February 21, the app developer "Fantasy City" announced that "due to personal energy and project compliance limitations," they decided to stop updating and maintaining the app.
Source
Our Tieba really feels like a difficult situation; why is the priority so low within the factory, leading to this state? It used to be the best community platform in the country, and with no shortage of funds, why the rush to monetize?
Two Firefighters in Guizhou Who Died Were Only in Their 20s: One Had Just Returned from Military Service and Got Engaged, the Only Son in the Family, Planning to Hold a Wedding on May Day#
It seems that every time there is a wildfire, firefighters sacrifice; are people not important, or is it just about political achievements and public opinion?
Guangzhou Nansha Bridge Collision Accident Results in 5 Deaths: Crew's Improper Operation Caused Bridge Deck to Collapse#
On February 22, CCTV News reported that at around 5:31 AM on February 22, the container ship "Lianghui 688" from Foshan collided with the 18# pier of the Lixinsha Bridge while navigating the Nansha Hongqili Waterway due to improper operation by the crew. The bow of the ship then struck the 19# pier, causing the bridge deck above the navigation hole to collapse. It was confirmed that 4 vehicles and 1 electric motorcycle fell from the collapsed section, including 1 empty minibus, 1 truck, and 1 electric motorcycle that fell into the "Lianghui 688" cabin, while 2 small trucks fell into the water. The accident resulted in 5 deaths (1 driver of the empty minibus, 1 driver of the electric motorcycle, and 3 from the small trucks that fell into the water), and 2 people are currently receiving treatment in the hospital, with stable vital signs; one crew member of the offending vessel sustained minor injuries.
Source
After watching the video, a slight collision can lead to such a major accident; if the pier can't withstand a hit, why isn't there any protection?
"The Most Important Stock on Earth" Lives Up to Expectations! NVIDIA's Revenue & Profit Hit New Historical Highs Again#
Under the pressure of being "the most important stock in the world," NVIDIA's fourth-quarter financial report was released after hours on Wednesday.
The report shows that NVIDIA's fourth-quarter revenue and profit both surged year-on-year and exceeded analyst expectations, with the company achieving record revenue and profit for three consecutive quarters.
Revenue soared by 265%, and profit skyrocketed by 769%. The data center division, as the largest revenue segment, saw a year-on-year revenue increase of 409% in the fourth quarter, far exceeding market expectations.
Jensen Huang stated that generative artificial intelligence has reached a "tipping point," and the CFO noted that market demand for next-generation products far exceeds supply levels, causing NVIDIA's stock price to surge by 10% in after-hours trading.
Crazy
📚 Articles#
Midjourney Founder David Holz Talks About the Impact of AI on Art, Imagination, and the Creative Economy#
AI Summary#
This article discusses the emerging technology of using artificial intelligence (AI) to create visual images and its impact on art, imagination, and the creative economy. It introduces the company Midjourney, which uses AI to generate images from text prompts, emphasizing the painterly aesthetics in the images it produces. The article also discusses the potential impact of AI art in producing images for entertainment, video games, and publishing, as well as its effects on commercial art and professional artists.
Excerpt#
Midjourney differentiates from others in the space by emphasizing the painterly aesthetics in the images it produces. The platform is not trying to create photorealistic images that can be mistaken for photographs, and CEO David Holz says he is personally very uneasy with the uncanny quality of deepfakes and other work that simulates reality too closely. Instead, Holz says Midjourney is designed to unlock the creativity of ordinary people by giving them tools to make beautiful pictures just by describing them.
Midjourney 通过强调其所产生的图像中的绘画美学，在空间上与其他作品不同。该平台并没有试图创建可能被误认为照片的真实感图像，首席执行官 David Holz 表示，他个人对 deepfakes 和其他过于接近现实的作品的不可思议的质量感到非常不安。相反，霍尔兹表示，Midjourney 旨在释放普通人的创造力，为他们提供工具，只需描述就能制作出美丽的照片。
Personally, I’m not. My stuff is not made for professional artists. If they like to use it, then that is great. My stuff is made for like people who, like, there's this woman in Hong Kong, and she came to me, and she goes, “The one thing in Hong Kong that your parents never want you to be is an artist, and I’m a banker now. I'm living a good banker life. But with Midjourney now I'm actually starting to get a taste of this experience of being the person I actually wanted to be.” Or a guy at the truck stop who’s making his own baseball cards with wild Japanese styles, just for fun. It's made for those people, because, like most people, they don't ever get to do these things.
就我个人而言，我不是。我的东西不是为专业艺术家制作的。如果他们喜欢使用它，那就太好了。我的东西是为那些像香港有个女人这样的人做的，她来找我，她说：“在香港，你父母永远不想让你成为艺术家，我现在是银行家。我过着美好的银行家生活。但现在有了《Midjourney》，我开始体验到成为我真正想成为的人的经历。” 或者一个在卡车站的家伙正在用狂野的日本风格制作自己的棒球卡，只是为了好玩。它是为那些人设计的，因为和大多数人一样，他们从来没有机会做这些事情。
Regardless of which large model, there is inevitably a large portion of the dataset that is crawled from the internet without restrictions, especially from certain high-quality paid websites, and after using it without any cost, it is indeed lacking in ethics and norms.
GPU Survival Toolkit for the AI Age: The Bare Minimum Every Developer Must Know#
AI Summary#
This article mainly discusses why merely understanding CPU knowledge is no longer sufficient in the age of artificial intelligence. It points out that the sequential architecture of CPUs makes them inefficient in handling parallel tasks, while modern applications require handling a large number of parallel tasks. Therefore, developers need to understand knowledge about parallel processors like GPUs to run AI models and execute parallel tasks more effectively.
Source
2024 New Energy Vehicle Review: The Ambitions and Survival Behind 106 New Cars#
AI Summary#
This article mainly discusses the competitive situation in the new energy vehicle market in 2024. It mentions that this year marks the first year of "bloodbath" competition for Chinese automotive brands, as well as the first year of elimination rounds. The number of new energy models confirmed and planned to be launched this year reaches 106, setting a record high. The new cars almost cover all sub-markets of passenger vehicles, indicating that new energy vehicle companies can choose differentiated positioning to occupy under-competitive markets, marking the end of the era of relying on big products to top sales charts. The article also mentions BYD as the number one winner in the rapid development of China's new energy vehicle market over the past three years, facing fierce competition from brands like Geely, Changan, and Chery. Meanwhile, other automakers are actively developing new products to secure a place in the market. The article also discusses trends such as the scale and efficiency competition in the new energy vehicle market and the head effect.
Source
Dialogue | Bosch China President Xu Daqian: There Are No Barriers in the Automotive Supply Chain Industry, and There Can Be No Excessive Profits#
AI Summary#
This article mainly discusses the development and challenges of the automotive supply chain industry, as well as Bosch China President Xu Daqian's views on the automotive supply chain industry. The article mentions that there are no barriers in the automotive supply chain industry, and there can be no excessive profits; companies need to achieve thin profits through large-scale production. Xu Daqian believes that automotive parts companies need to transform according to market trends, launch products that meet market needs in core areas, and establish a moat through large-scale production. Bosch is one of the oldest companies in the automotive supply chain, having undergone multiple industrial transformations, but still needs to continuously transform and innovate to meet market demands. In new fields related to intelligence, Bosch faces competition from Chinese startups and needs to think about how to respond. Xu Daqian believes that any product must supply more main engine manufacturers to scale up the total volume, allowing for the amortization of R&D and manufacturing costs. In the future, it may also be like General Motors spinning off Delphi and Ford spinning off Visteon, allowing parts companies to operate independently and participate in market competition.
Excerpt#
Late Auto: How receptive are car companies to platform-based intelligent driving products?
Xu Daqian: The autonomous driving field is a bit special because the main engine manufacturers are developing it themselves, and there are suppliers like Huawei, Horizon, and Bosch, as well as some companies collaborating with main engine manufacturers. The models are very diverse, it's a "chaotic battle."
But which product can truly meet customer requirements? Customer requirements also include costs. If a lot of lidar and cameras are installed, and the performance is excellent but the cost is high, is this solution sustainable? Ultimately, someone has to pay for it. A company that is never profitable cannot continue forever. With different technical routes, configurations, and prices, it is difficult to say who will win in the future amidst the chaos.
The price war continues, and component manufacturers face greater pressure this year.
Late Auto: In 2023, car companies in China began an unlimited price war; has China become the most competitive new energy market in the world, as well as the most competitive component market?
Xu Daqian: Definitely, we are on the same line as car companies; if they are competing, it will definitely affect us. Last year, the average car price for European and American car companies was rising, while the average car price in China was declining. The competition is too fierce; new forces have lowered prices, and traditional main engine manufacturers must also lower their prices. New energy vehicles have lowered prices, and fuel vehicles must also lower prices. In 2024, everyone will continue to fight.
If car companies lower prices, the pressure will directly pass on to us. The competition among main engine manufacturers will inevitably affect suppliers.
This entire year has been about discussing price reductions, and everyone is in pain. Last year, car companies put significant pressure on suppliers to reduce prices, and the pressure in 2024 may be even greater. Currently, most customers are negotiating with us, demanding a 20% price reduction, which would put us out of business. Not doing it might yield better results than reducing by 20%.
When we negotiate prices with customers, it is generally about how much for the first year, and then there are additional conditions for further reductions each year. In the past, it was generally a 3%-5% reduction each year because the production costs for new products are relatively high in the first year, but as production scales up, efficiency improves, and costs decrease.
However, the proposed price reductions last year and this year are different. Originally, it was agreed that this year's price would be reduced by 3%, but they might suddenly propose a 20% reduction. Of course, this is their ideal scenario.
Late Auto: Have you implemented any cost-reduction measures?
Xu Daqian: On one hand, it is cost control and further improving efficiency. On the other hand, can this product be switched to another product, or can engineering changes be made to reduce unnecessary features? We also need to negotiate cost reductions with our suppliers; if customers ask us to reduce costs, suppliers also need to contribute.
Source
Review of China's Top 14 Internet Companies in 2023: Competition Resumes, Differentiation Intensifies#
AI Summary#
This article mainly introduces the development of Chinese internet companies in 2023. It points out that 2023 is the first year after the pandemic, and many companies have made adjustments to reduce costs and increase efficiency over the past three years to cope with operational stagnation and financing difficulties. In 2023, competition in the internet industry gradually resumed, and the adjustments and business explorations among the giants did not stop. The article lists examples of companies like ByteDance, Pinduoduo, and Alibaba, noting that these companies achieved significant results in 2023 but also faced intense competition and differentiation. Additionally, the article mentions that other companies like Bilibili and Didi have fallen out of the top 12 by market value, while some platform companies relying on e-commerce and advertising have entered into more fierce competition. Finally, the article points out that differentiation among companies will continue in 2024, while ByteDance chooses to refocus on combating the issues of large companies and concentrate on core businesses.
🎞️ Life#
Hefei Pedestrian Street#
A Corner of Chaohu#
Freezing Rain#
