The researchers trained the system on multiple tasks, including looking at chest X-rays to diagnose conditions like a collapsed lung. When asked to diagnose cardiomegaly (an enlarged heart), the human-AI hybrid model performed eight percent better than either the AI or medical professionals could on their own.
“There are many obstacles that understandably prohibit full automation in clinical settings, including issues of trust and accountability,” says David Sontag, lead author of a paper that the CSAIL team presented at the International Conference on Machine Learning. “We hope that our method will inspire machine learning practitioners to get more creative in integrating real-time human expertise into their algorithms.”
Next, the researchers will test a system that works with and defers to several experts at once. For instance, the AI might collaborate with different radiologists who are more experienced with different patient populations.
The team also believes their system could have implications for content moderation because it’s able to detect offensive text and images. As social media companies struggle to remove misinformation and hate, a tool like this could help alleviate some of the burden on content moderators without resorting to full automation.
Like pellet grills, a fan helps maintain the desired cooking temperature. On the 560, it blows air upward, into the bottom of the charcoal hopper to keep the heat going and circulate it into the main cooking area. If you have the temperature set high enough for searing, you’ll see flames too. There are switches on both the hopper lid and the side door, both of which stop the fan while you’re loading or performing maintenance. It’s a safety feature, but it also means that you won’t get blasted with smoke, embers or ash when you’re trying to keep the grill going. There’s one on the main grill lid too, and while that one doesn’t stop the fan entirely, it does alert the controller that you have the 560 open. There have been some reports of issues with these switches failing, which means the grill always thinks one of the three doors is open and the fan doesn’t operate normally, making it unusable. In over a dozen cooks, I haven’t experienced this, and the problem doesn’t appear to be widespread based on user reviews. Still, it’s worth noting as you consider buying a 560.
Billy Steele/Engadget
On the left side of the 560, there’s a shelf with the grill controls. Masterbuilt has simplified the things here, giving you much less to scroll through than a Traeger or Weber pellet grill. Instead of having to navigate through a menu with a rotating knob, each item has a dedicated button. There’s a separate one for grill temperature, probe temperature, timer and phone pairing. With the exception of connecting to your phone, you select each option and then set the temp or time by rotating and pushing the dial. A bright blue display is your guide on the grill, or you can do all of this inside the Masterbuilt app. Lastly, the 560 accommodates up to four food probes at once. It only ships with one, but you can add more if you need them for $20 each.
Inside Masterbuilt made some design choices to really help with cleanup. With a pellet model, you have to vacuum out dust and ash every few cooks to keep all of that debris off your food. And, of course, to keep the grill working efficiently and safely. With the 560, there is almost no ash or dust to fall to the bottom. The only thing you’ll have to clean is the grease collection pan. It’s a smaller bin that’s easy to remove, and it sits in a larger angled tray that also slides out for cleaning. Both of these are easily accessible from the back of the 560. As far as the charcoal goes, all of that falls into a metal bin at the bottom of the hopper. And from the side door, that container can be quickly removed, dumped and returned in a matter of seconds — even during a cook.
The 560 is capable of temperatures from 150 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit. That range gives you the versatility to tailor your cooks to your preferences. Prefer to smoke ribs at 185 for the first three hours? No problem. Need to keep something warm around 165? It can do that too. Masterbuilt says the 560 can reach 225 degrees in seven minutes and 700 degrees in 13. I found those figures to be mostly true, however, they don’t factor in the time it takes for the charcoal to fully ignite. And that can vary based on ambient conditions, the state of your charcoal and how quickly your fire starter ignites the hopper.
Billy Steele/Engadget
During a few cooks, I double checked temperatures with the Smoke X2 and found the 560 was within three to five degrees of what I had set most of the time. The range was higher right after the initial preheat cycle, but it leveled out after a few minutes. During reviews of Traeger and Weber pellet grills, I typically experienced a variance of around five to seven degrees between the built-in thermostat and an external thermometer.
Getting the charcoal lit takes some practice. If you’re using fresh charcoal, this won’t be a problem. But if what you have at the bottom of the hopper is leftover from a previous cook, it will take an extra few minutes to get things going. I found that Masterbuilt’s recommendation of a food-safe fire starter keeps frustration to a minimum. A paper towel works, but not nearly as well since it burns so quickly. It also helps to slide the grate at the bottom of the hopper back and forth to knock off any excess ash from those lowest briquettes. In the event the grill doesn’t fully light, it will beep and flash an error message on the display. You can simply reset the temperature and try again. Unfortunately, you don’t get the error in the app, so you’ll want to stay close to the grill until you’re sure the fire is going. Most of the time ignition took under five minutes.
Masterbuilt says you can use lump charcoal or briquettes in the 560. This gives you some variety in brands and types of wood that are available to cook with. In my experience, charcoal alone only produced a modest amount of smoke on the 560, but the company says you can add wood chunks or charcoal to the ash bin at the bottom of the hopper to boost it. As the embers from the burning charcoal fall, they cause any wood pieces or extra briquettes to burn slowly and produce more smoke. Masterbuilt also says you can mix wood chunks in the hopper with your charcoal, so long as you don’t add more than 1.5 pounds of it. During my tests, I got the best results with both: some wood in the hopper and sporadically adding some to the ash container.
“The design philosophy of the aircraft is geared around making high speed travel practical, sustainable, safe, and reliable, while making customer experience a top priority,” Virgin Galactic wrote in a press release.
Virgin Galactic
Next, the company will define specific system architectures and will determine which materials to use in the design and manufacturing of the aircraft. Virgin Galactic also signed a non-binding memo with Rolls-Royce to collaborate on designing and developing engine propulsion technology for high-speed commercial aircraft.
While there’s still plenty of work to be done, this initial design gives us a glimpse into the future of high-speed air travel. We’ve already seen what Virgin Galactic’s space tourism will look like — from what passengers will wear to how the spacecraft cabin will be configured.
In April, the Secret Service seized 100 Bitcoins from Clark, NYT reports. Weeks later, Bennett received a letter explaining that the Secret Service had recovered 100 of his Bitcoins. The letter cited the same code assigned to the coins seized from Clark. A Secret Service agent told Bennett that the person with the stolen Bitcoins was not arrested because he was a minor.
According to the NYT, less than two weeks after the Secret Service seized the 100 Bitcoins from Clark, he began working on the Twitter heist.
It appears Clark got his start as a cybercriminal by duping fellow Minecraft players into buying names or digital capes that he never provided. His interests then expanded to Fortnite, cryptocurrency and online hacker forums. By the time Clark was arrested for last month’s Twitter hack, he was living in his own Tampa apartment, complete with an expensive gaming setup. Neighbors said he drove a white BMW 3 Series, and he appeared on Instagram with items like designer sneakers and a gem-encrusted Rolodex.
The full profile by the New York Times can be found here.
Sony has clarified how both PS5 and PS4 accessories will work with its next video game console. First, let’s get the old DualShock 4 out of the way: it’ll work with PS4 games that are backwards compatible on the PS5, but it can’t be used for next-gen video games. The reason, Sony explained in a blog post, is that many PS5 games will be using the “new technologies and features” offered by the DualSense controller, such as the adaptive triggers and ‘haptic feedback’ rumble. If you want an example of this, watch Geoff Keighley’s hands-on video with the PS5 exclusive Astro’s Playroom.
Official third-party PS4 controllers, such as Razer’s Raiju and Nacon’s Revolution Pro, should work in a similar fashion to the DualShock 4. Sony also confirmed that licensed “special peripherals,” such as steering wheels, fighting sticks and aviation-focused joysticks, can be used with PS5 and backwards compatible PS4 software. Confusingly, though, the company added: “We do not guarantee the operation of all officially licensed products or peripheral devices of other companies. Please check the manufacturer for the compatibility status of PS5 and each game title.” The message, in short, is ‘they should work, but don’t blame us if they don’t.'”
Marking the first US splashdown in 45 years, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley successfully landed in the Atlantic Ocean at 2:48 PM ET. This was the first crewed orbital flight using a private spacecraft to land back on Earth, as well as the first crewed spaceflight from the US since NASA retired the Space Shuttle in 2011.
This is the last Crew Dragon test flight so, once SpaceX receives NASA certification, future flights will be regular missions carrying astronauts to the ISS. For NASA itself, it’s a major step forward for a Commercial Crew Program with lower costs.
For SpaceX, it’s keeping a step ahead of private spaceflight competitors, like Boeing, and I creep closer to setting up a savings account to one day book a flight into space.
— Mat
TikTok owner reportedly agrees to sell US stake to avoid ban
Microsoft is apparently involved.
TikTok
It’s been a chaotic weekend for TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance. President Trump said he would ban TikTok outright over its Chinese links and rejected talk of allowing a sell-off. (Not that the leader of the US has bigger issues to contend with at this very moment in time.)
A Reuters report claims that ByteDance agreed to sell its stake in the social network’s US operations to avert the possible ban. The agreement would have Microsoft protect American user data, according to the report, but Microsoft wouldn’t necessarily own TikTok.
On Saturday, Microsoft told several news outlets it had “paused” talks with TikTok following Trump’s suggestion he would ban the app, then we heard the tech companies were reportedly hoping to finish a deal by Monday. Microsoft followed up later, claiming it’s aiming to close the TikTok deal by September 15th. Whew. Continue reading.
Chromebook users get three free months of Stadia Pro
Try cloud gaming on a system practically made for it.
Engadget
Google has introduced a new perk for Chromebook owners with a gaming itch to scratch: a free three-month trial of Stadia Pro. You’ll need a system released June 2017 or later, and you’ll still have to buy games not included with membership, but this could be just the ticket if you want to see how Destiny 2 or PUBG plays on your Chrome OS portable. Pro, of course, offers a shifting line-up of free games to play. Last month, this included Crayta and West of Loathing, but Triple-A games have also been included since Stadia’s launch. August’s bundle includes Metro 2033. Continue reading.
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The best weather app, Dark Sky, shuts down on Android
It’s now owned by Apple.
Apple has shut down Dark Sky on Android and Wear OS, as promised, leaving users without the app’s highly localized weather. Apple had initially planned to shutter these versions on July 1st, following its acquisition of Dark Sky in March, but offered a month-long extension right as service was due to end.
Your Dark Sky subscription should already be canceled if you were paying $3 per year. The developers promised a “full refund” to members. Continue reading.
Later on, ADT will borrow Google’s tech to enhance its own capabilities. “Over time, Nest’s devices, powered by Google’s machine learning capabilities, will enhance ADT’s security monitoring,” Google said. “The goal is to give customers fewer false alarms, more ways to receive alarm events and better detection of potential incidents inside and around the home.”
The AI capabilities will also provide more helpful notifications, according to Google, for things like package delivery detection. ADT security customers will also gain access to Nest Aware, which tracks people coming and going into your home, with intelligent alerts and an event history up to 30 days long.
Google has a wide range of Nest home automation and security products, including the Nest Hub Max, Nest Secure Alarm, Nest indoor and outdoor cameras, the Nest X Yale lock and Nest thermostats and temperature sensors. However, those products can be tricky to install and understand for non-technical folks. With ADT, it would get a professional sales and installation network, while ADT will gain access to Google’s product lineup and deep learning expertise.
Google notes that this early version only shows information about Google-served ads that have implemented Google’s “Ad Disclosure Schema,” and not other third-party ads. That schema is desiggned to help all of its advertisers disclose how they’re using your personal information, according to Google’s Github page. ”Over time, we hope the [rest of] the industry will incorporate the Ad Disclosure Schema into their ads,” Google said.
On top of showing ad information, the extension shows “all companies and services with a presence on the page,” including content delivery networks or analytics providers. It provides a link to each company’s privacy policy, showing how each collects and stores user data. Note that the extension may work differently in regions outside the US — several of us in Europe could see the advertisers and number of ads, but not any personal tracking info.
The extension is part of a push by Google to increase ad transparency and perhaps stave off further privacy-oriented legislation like the EU’s GDPR laws. At the same time, Google is trying to replace the current wild west ad system by gradually phasing out third-party cookies and introducing new ad-blocking tech that filters misbehaving ads while letting good ones through. At the same time, it introduced a suite changes to Chrome that would stop ad-blockers from working effectively, in order to help sites that rely on advertising.
The new extension is helpful, but others like Ghostery offer more detailed information about trackers, ads and other info, while giving you the ability to block them as well. Another option is the Brave browser, which also displays and blocks tracker information, while giving you access to more private browsing options.
The clip was popular on YouTube, racking up 14 million views, and NBC Sports brought back Lasso, played by Jason Sudekis, for a follow-up a year later. Then, half a decade later, Apple paid for a 10-episode first series created by Sudekis, Brendan Hunt, writer Joe Kelly and sitcom super-producer Bill Lawrence — the figure behind Scrubs, Spin City and Cougar Town.
The series keeps the basic premise, but builds out a lot of the details, with Lasso now a college football coach parachuted in to revive the struggling Richmond FC. The club’s new owner is the former owner’s ex-wife (played by Hannah Waddingham, best known as Game of Thrones’ shame nun), who won the business in the divorce settlement. And her decision to recruit a know-nothing coach from the US is more deliberate than it seems.
In the first three episodes, which Apple made available for preview, Lasso finds himself thrust in front of the press and then into the league season proper. The club is struggling in the middle of the table with a demoralized, fractious team that does not respect Lasso’s lack of knowledge. Add in a hostile press and behind-the-scenes drama and there’s a lot for Lasso to sort out.
Thankfully the show is funny, with plenty of zingy, laugh-out-loud one-liners that increase as the show picks up momentum. Many of the best lines from the pilot are cribbed straight from the first NBC trailer, and I did wonder if the gags would stop soon after. Thankfully, as soon as the show broadens its focus out to the wider world, and onto the club’s roster of oddballs, it gets funnier.
At the start of 2019, there was a rumor claiming that Apple’s leadership was dissatisfied by the content of the shows it was buying. Anonymous insiders claimed that CEO Tim Cook kept saying that shows couldn’t be “so mean” as part of a push for family-friendly fare. Certainly, Ted Lasso exists as a very loud repudiation of any suggestion that Apple was playing it safe.
The majority of the cast are English and display the sort of profanity-laden dialogue that is taken for granted over here. It’s also pretty mean, with much of the crew openly hostile toward Lasso and toward each other. Richmond’s a leafy London suburb full of one-percenters, but even its children aren’t averse to calling Lasso a wanker whenever they see him, at least at first.
That is, perhaps, the one issue I can see with Lasso: The tone is all over the place, with Sudekis playing Lasso as a magical savant and coasting off the full force of his midwestern charm. Everyone else, meanwhile, is uttering oaths and backstabbing each other as they vie for domination in the cutthroat world of football. Imagine if you dumped JD from Scrubs, complete with his “I learned something today” commentary into Seinfeld or Always Sunny, you know?
The list of commercials and viral videos that enjoyed a successful second life isn’t a long one, especially if you discount the Ernest franchise. In the internet-viral era, there’s been, uh Cavemen (pulled mid-season) and Baby Bob (its second season burned off by CBS in the summer). In fact, Apple TV+’s commission of Ted Lasso makes is the most successful ad-to-sitcom translation almost by default. And if it gets a second season, then you can pretty much say that it’s the standard bearer for all other shows in its genre.
There is one other issue that probably needs calling out, and it’s Apple’s policy toward product placement. Now, when Apple announced it would start making TV shows, I did wonder if every show would exist in a magical world where Samsung had stuck to selling fish. That would have strained credibility in the (co-produced by Ubisoft) Mythic Quest, since game developers are far more wedded to PCs. And, thankfully, the show did actually use (PC rival) Razer machines instead of MacBook Pros.
Ted Lasso did not dodge this bullet, and everyone in the show’s fictional world has an affinity for brand new iMacs. Everyone’s toting around a new, pristine iPhone 11 and every pair of headphones has Beats’ signature “b” on the side. Oh, and someone uses Siri to dial a call, because that’s a thing we all do, right? I get it, but also much like how Sony got too hot-and-heavy with the placement in Casino Royale, you really notice how Apple everything is.
Beyond that, however, I’m looking forward to watching the rest of the series when it debuts on August 13th. If you’re worried that it’s going to be too soccerball-focused, you needn’t, it’s fairly light on any barriers to viewing, and when they talk, they mostly use US-friendly terms anyway.
Random Observations:
When a journalist in the press conference announced they worked for The Sun, the rest of the room quietly boo-ed. The Rupert Murdoch-owned paper slandered the victims of the Hillsborough stadium disaster in 1989 in which 96 people lost their lives. To this day, the paper is treated with wariness in some football circles and the city of Liverpool has maintained a 30-year boycott of the paper. It’s certainly not the sort of thing you’d expect a hat-tip to by a primarily-American TV show, but it’s welcome.
The show has tried hard to hide which real Premier League stadium plays host to Richmond FC. Most football fans will be able to spot that it’s Selhurst Park, home of Crystal Palace, the team Richmond plays in the second episode.
One of the pioneers of the modern computer interface has passed away: the New York Timesreports that William “Bill” English died on July 26th from respiratory failure at the age of 91. Alongside Douglas Englebart at the Stanford Research Institute, English helped develop the first computer mouse and put together a 1968 “Mother of All Demos” that outlined many concepts that would come to PCs over the decades, such as graphical user interfaces, online text editing, video calls and hypertext links.
While Englebart was considered the visionary, English was one of the only people who truly grasped the ideas and had the talent to bring them to fruition. He built the mouse after Englebart drew a sketch of it, for example. While Englebart was demonstrating the concepts at that 1968 event, English was orchestrating things behind the scenes.
