Mecka AI, a startup that collects and analyzes human motion data to train humanoid robots and other kinds of robots, announced it has raised a $60 million Series B round led by Sequoia, with participation from Nvidia, Microsoft’s venture fund M12, and others. TechCrunch had previously reported that the startup was nearing a new funding round at a $500 million valuation. Founded in 2024, the startup intends to do for robotics what Scale AI, Mercor, Surge, and other data-labeling companies have done for LLMs. Those companies supply the human-generated data these systems learn from. Mecka pays people to record themselves doing everyday tasks, like making coffee or fixing cars, while wearing
TechCrunch3h ago
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Oil rises above $100 as attacks on ships hit new high, amid reports Trump is discussing launching strikes before the US midterms A tanker sailing off the north coast of Qatar has been attacked, causing an unknown number of casualties, a British maritime security agency said. The attack came as Iran declared it would close a route in the strait of Hormuz being used to circumvent Tehran’s blockade of traffic. The vessel was in the Gulf, about 500km (300 miles) west of the strait of Hormuz, when it reported being struck “by multiple projectiles”, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said on Wednesday. The UK authority did not specify the origin of the ship. Wednesday’s attack comes as strikes on
Lemmy / World3h ago
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NEW YORK (AP) — Student loan borrowers now have until the end of 2026 to enroll in auto pay and have their interest rate reduced by 1%. The original deadline was Sept. 30, but the U.S. Department of Education extended it to give borrowers more time to enroll. The rate reduction will last through June 2028. Borrowers who currently use auto pay already receive an interest-rate discount of 0.25%, so the new reduction takes off just 0.75%. This temporary benefit is meant to support borrowers, along with those who are returning to repayment, and ensure they can stay on top of the new Repayment Assistance Plan that requires on-time payments, according to the Education Department. The interest
PBS NewsHour3h ago
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With GPT-6, the chatbot’s responses can include interactive responses directly inside your conversation. OpenAI is launching a new Intelligent UI feature in ChatGPT that allows the chatbot to answer your questions with interactive visuals. The update, which is rolling out to all users alongside GPT-6, gives ChatGPT the ability to combine a text response with diagrams, charts, forms, tappable buttons, and more. In a blog post explaining the change , OpenAI says it trained GPT-6 when to generate interactive visuals over text, as well as how to format them in its response. An example shared by OpenAI shows how ChatGPT might show a diagram of a seven-speed bicycle if you ask about its design,
The Verge / AI3h ago
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cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/scientificarticles/p/1449992/public-health-strategies-used-against-cigarettes-could-help-reduce-appeal-of-firearms-pa One thing that is never really illustrated in movies is how loud pistols are too. Shoot a pistol without ear protection and your ears can ring for hours or weeks depending on caliber and barrel length.
Lemmy / Science3h ago
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Launching today Reika Launching today A coding agent CLI designed around small local models first 38 followers A coding agent CLI designed around small local models first 38 followers Visit website AI Coding Agents • Command line tools Reika is a coding agent CLI for local and hosted models, designed around local models first. It doesn't make a small model more intelligent but it provides a better experience using them day to day. Even if you're not part of the absolute range that Reika is designed for, using larger local models or hosted ones will still provide a solid experience out of the box. svg]:size-4 bg-gray-200 text-gray-700" href="/products/reika"> Overview svg]:size-4"
Product Hunt3h ago
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Prime Minister Andy Burnham will hold talks on tackling cyber-security threats and sabotage with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday. Downing Street said deeper co-operation in the face of rising hybrid threats from Russia would be high on the agenda during Burnham's first official visit to Germany. Intelligence services in both countries have warned of rising threats, including last month when Germany accused Russia of launching a drone fitted with explosives at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The Berlin talks come days after Burnham told the Labour Party's conference he wanted to set out options for a closer relationship with the EU later this year, including the prospect of eventually
BBC News3h ago
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Margaret Hamilton, a profoundly influential computer scientist best known for leading the software engineering team at MIT’s Instrumentation Lab during NASA’s Apollo program, died on Sep. 30. She was 90. A computing pioneer who authored over 130 publications, Hamilton helped to establish software engineering as a dedicated discipline. She worked at MIT from 1959 until the mid-1970s, after which she became a successful computing entrepreneur and CEO. Her life’s work was recognized with many awards and honors, including the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, whose citation noted: “Hamilton defined new forms of software engineering and helped launch an industry
Hacker News3h ago
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Tell HN: Apple not letting removal of AI models on macOS 27 is outrageous | Hacker News Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login Tell HN: Apple not letting removal of AI models on macOS 27 is outrageous 34 points by busymom0 14 hours ago | hide | past | favorite | 27 comments I feel like there's not enough outrage over Apple not removing their Apple Intelligence models on macOS 27 even after disabling Siri. I have Siri AI turned off. Yet, my storage settings show 30 GB is occupied by useless Apple Intelligence models which I don't use. And these models can't even be moved to my 2 TB iCloud subscription. It's really pissing me off. I feel like there needs to be a
Hacker News / Ask3h ago
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College Planner is coming to ChatGPT for Teens to help students manage college applications, alongside new flashcards, quizzes, and a teen AI council.
OpenAI News3h ago
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Amazon Prime Day is one of the easiest times of year to save on Apple devices. Many Apple gadgets go on sale often, but Prime Day Apple deals frequently drop prices down to as low as we’ve seen—if not exceeding previous best discounts entirely. You won’t find deals on the brand-new iPhone, but if you’re shopping for AirPods, Apple Watches, iPads, MacBooks, and third-party accessories, you’re in the right spot. But only hours remain as Prime Day comes to a close, so jump on it quick. For more savings, be sure to check out all the Absolute Best Prime Day Deals we've found so far. The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are the best wireless earbuds for iPhone users. They fall to this price quite frequently,
Wired3h ago
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After Christa Pike survived Tennessee’s failed attempt to execute her, the unsettled question of whether the state will try again could push Tennessee into uncharted legal territory, experts say. Pike, 50, suffered burns and blisters to her arms and her prognosis remains uncertain after executioners tried to give her two lethal doses of pentobarbital, her legal team said Wednesday. She was sentenced to death for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer. Although other states have moved forward with attempting to execute inmates a second time, in those cases, the first try had been halted before any drug actually began flowing.
Lemmy / News3h ago
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As AI writes more and more of the code, it's quite important to maintain sufficient skill and knowledge to even review or judge AI's output. Here is a little project I whipped up - I personally found deliberate practice quite useful. It focusses on non-coding skills (as I think LOC production is basically solved by AI, IMO). Rather I start with two tracks: general technical fluency (CS / systems / practical fundamentals), and system design. And yes it was built primarily with help of AI tooling. Would love to get some feedback - in particular, do others feel the same way about skill atrophy risk on-the-job nowadays, and whether this tool is helpful potentially or not.
Hacker News / Show3h ago
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submitted by eicker to technology 10 points | 2 comments https://futurism.com/future-society/amazon-detailed-records-customers-insulting
Lemmy / Technology3h ago
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Let’s say someone is interested in reading about how to pick the best apples for baking. I may (in my head) relate that interest to how apple trees grow, and if by some miracle the reader sticks with my piece through that, I will veer from growing apple trees to farming and tending to an apple orchard. I really like AI as a writing assistant because I think it has enabled me to funnel my fluid thought process into something I can flash-freeze with the liquid nitrogen that is prompt-based engineering and package my writing neatly into bite-sized morsels. Admittedly, I am unsure how successful that experiment has been as yet because I don’t really have any avenues of receiving feedback. As
Lobsters3h ago
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