Do the Exceptional
/Have the courage to live. Anyone can die. –Robert Cody
ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Give your love to the person he is now
/Before we decide to give our love to a person, we should answer this: Can I be happy with this: Can I be happy with this person if he never changes? Too often we love an imaginary figure rather than the real thing. After we are married, we will get him to slim down. We know we can talk her into wearing contacts once we have settled down. We can live in the Midwest for a couple of years, but then I’ll talk him into moving to the coast.
But what if he doesn’t change? Can you live with that temper? Are you content to live a sedentary life? What if he doesn’t change his mind about children?
Give your love to the person he is now, not to the prince you hope he will become. We all know examples of people who have changed drastically after marriage. However, don’t count on it. It is possible the change may be the opposite of what you hoped.
William Coleman, Engaged
17 Articles about AI & Photos
/AI image generators need just 200 sample images to perfectly recreate an artist style — here's how - Inkl
Learn From My Worst AI Images and Fix These Biggest AI Fails - CNET
Is that AI? Or Does it Just Suck? – NY Mag
Best AI Image Generators of 2024 - CNET
The best AI image generators to try right now - ZDnet
Rice research could make weird AI images a thing of the past - Rice
This system can sort real pictures from AI fakes — why aren’t platforms using it? – The Verge
Getty Images Updated Generative AI Pushes Boundaries Of What’s Possible – Search Engine Journal
The deluge of bonkers AI art is literally surreal – Washington Post
Watermarking in Images Will Not Solve AI-Generated Content Abuse – Data Innovation
Create Better AI Images With These Expert Prompt Writing Tips - CNET
AI-generated images threaten science — here’s how researchers hope to spot them – Nature
AI nude photo investigation uncovers twice as many likely victims at Lancaster Country Day – WGAL
Homer students used AI to make fake nude photos of classmates, police say – Alaska Public
The incredible blandness of AI photography – The Verge
As A.I. Becomes Harder to Detect, Photography Is Having a Renaissance – New York Times
Google's AI-powered search feature for Photos now rolling out to more users - ZDnet
Want to Live Longer? Have a purpose!
/People with a greater sense of purpose and direction in life were outliving their peers 14 years later. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center and Canada’s Carleton University compared those who said they were “wandering aimlessly through life” to those who said they considered the future in their decision making and felt they had more to do. The people with purpose lived longer, regardless of when they found that purpose. Lead author of the study, Carleton University psychology professor Patrick Hill told the Ottawa Citizen, “To have a purpose in life reflects that you have broader, lifelong goals that serve to direct and organize your day-to-day activities and things that you value.” You can find the study in the Journal Psychological Science.
Google's AI Tool Big Sleep Finds Zero-Day Vulnerability
/It’s the first vulnerability entirely discovered by AI. Google’s Big Sleep discovered “a previously unknown exploitable memory-safety issue in widely used real-world software." Read more at The Hacker News
16 Articles about AI & Academic Scholarship
/Google's new AI tool transforms dense research papers into accessible conversations - try it free - ZDnet
Optimizing Large-Scale AI Model Pre-Training for Academic Research: A Resource-Efficient Approach – MarTech Post
A group of experienced editorial board members struggled to distinguish human versus AI authorship – AHA Journals
AI can carry out qualitative research at unprecedented scale – London School of Economics
Is AI the Answer to Peer Review Problems, or the Problem Itself? – Scholarly Kitchen
Is Detecting genAI in Scholarly Research Beside the Point? – Clear Skies Adam
Unleashing the power of AI in science-key considerations for materials data preparation – Nature
UK Research and Innovation tells reviewers they must not use generative AI – Research Professional News
In which fields can ChatGPT detect journal article quality – ARXIV
Overcoming Skepticism Through Experimentation: The Role of AI in Transforming Peer Review – Scholarly Kitchen
If generative AI accelerates science, peer review needs to catch up - London School of Economics
Some Thoughts on the Promise and Pitfalls of Innovation and Technology in Peer Review - Scholarly Kitchen
Is AI the Answer to Peer Review Problems, or the Problem Itself? - Scholarly Kitchen
Do AI models produce more original ideas than researchers? – Nature
How Gen AI Could Transform Scholarly Publishing: Themes and Reflections from Interviews with Industry Leaders - Scholarly Kitchen
Wishes are not goals
/We often imagine that we generally operate by some kind of plan, that we have goals we are trying to reach. But we’re usually fooling ourselves; what we have are not goals but wishes. Our emotions infect us with hazy desire; we want fame, success, security – something large and abstract.
Clear long-term objectives give direction to all of your actions, large and small. Important decisions became easier to make. If some glittering prospect threatens to seduce you from your goal, you will know to resist it You can tell when to sacrifice a pawn, even lose a battle, if it serves your eventual purpose.
Robert Greene, 33 Strategies of War
Running out of Training Data
/“A study by AI researchers revised in June found that if current AI development trends continue, tech companies will ‘fully exhaust’ the publicly available training data between 2026 and 2032. Human-generated public text data cannot sustain scaling beyond this decade.” More at CNBC
Making Progress
/We often make progress, not by making right decisions, but by how we respond to making wrong ones.
15 Recent Articles about AI Fakes
/AI-generated images threaten science — here’s how researchers hope to spot them – Nature
AI hallucinations gone wrong as Alaska uses fake stats in policy – AI News
AI-generated child sexual abuse images are spreading. Law enforcement is racing to stop them – Associated Press
AI is spawning a flood of fake Trump & Harris voices. Here's how to tell what's real – Washington Post
An ‘Interview’ With a Dead Luminary Exposes the Pitfalls of A.I. – New York Times
A group of experienced editorial board members struggled to distinguish human versus AI authorship - AHAIASA Journals
AI scams have infiltrated the knitting and crochet world - why it matters for everyone - ZDnet
'Garbage in, garbage out': AI fails to debunk disinformation, study finds – Voice of America
His murdered daughter’s name and image was used to create an AI chatbot - Washington Post
AI Detectors Falsely Accuse Students of Cheating—With Big Consequences – Bloomberg
America's gullibility crisis – Axios
Russia using generative AI to ramp up disinformation, says Ukraine minister – Reuters
An American in Moscow is creating deepfakes & works with Russian intelligence - Washington Post
AI deepfakes a top concern for election officials with voting underway – ABC News
What to know about the rise of AI deepfakes – CBS News (video)
AI Definitions: Agentic AI Agent
/Agentic AI Agents - Unlike AI prompts requiring user conversations, AI agents work in the background. Users provide a goal (from researching competitors to virtual assistant functions like buying a car or planning a vacation), and the agent acts independently, generating task list and starting to work by breaking down the overall goal into smaller steps. The ability to understand complex instructions is crucial for agentic AI to be effective. Rather than passive processors of language, these proactive active agents can work independently to produce practical, real-world applications in uncertain but data-rich environments as it interacts with external tools and APIs.
More AI definitions here
Watch Your Feet
/If you want to know who you are, you could do a lot worse than look to your feet for an answer. When you wake up in the morning.. watch your feet. Because where your feet take you, that is who you are.
Frederick Buechner, The Alphabet of Grace
AI Definitions: Predictive analytics
/Predictive analytics - This is a method of speculating about future events by making recommendations based on past data. Researchers create complex mathematical algorithms to discover patterns in data about online behavior, human conduct, and nature. One doesn't know in advance what data is important. The statistical models created by predictive analytics are designed to discover which pieces of data will predict the desired outcome. While correlation is not causation, a cause-and-effect relationship is not necessarily needed to make predictions.
More AI definitions here
False Accusations of Cheating
/“The students most susceptible to inaccurate accusations are likely those who write in a more generic manner, either because they’re neurodivergent, speak English as a second language or simply learned to use more straightforward vocabulary and a mechanical style. The result is that classrooms remain plagued by anxiety and paranoia over the possibility of false accusations.”
Read more at Bloomberg
7 Webinars this week about AI, Journalism, Social Media & More
/Tue, Nov 5 - Introduction to Solutions Journalism
What: In this webinar we’ll talk about the basic principles and pillars of solutions journalism, talk about why it’s important, explain key steps in reporting a solutions story, and share tips and resources for journalists interested in investigating how people are responding to social problems.
When: 9 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Solutions Journalism
Tue, Nov 5 - The Neuroscience of Memorable Content
What: Learn what it takes to keep your audiences’ brains engaged and likely to recall. The reasons why it is hard for audiences to remember business content. The habits that lead to forgettable content and how to avoid them. The latest neuroscience insights and practical guidelines on how the business brain processes information and remembers it
Who: Carmen Simon, Ph.D. Cognitive Neuroscientist, Founder of Enhancive
When: 3 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Training Magazine Network
Wed, Nov 6 - Trademarks and Copyrights Basic: Understanding and Protecting Your Intellectual Property
What: Best practices and legal solutions for protecting your brand and copyrights.
Who: Jonathan Phillips, Partner, Phillips and Bathke PC Attorneys
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Bradley University
Wed, Nov 6 - Social Media Dos and Don’ts
What: Not all social media platforms are the same, and not all content is equal. Join us for a webinar about getting the most out of your social media presences. We’ll discuss the Dos and Don’ts of social media, some of the hurdles libraries face, and how to increase engagement with your audiences.
Who: Cordelia Anderson, library marketing and communications consultant and the author of Library Marketing and Communications: Strategies to Increase Relevance and Results, from ALA Editions.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Cordelia Anderson Consulting
Wed, Nov 6 - AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
What: In this webinar, you will: Create a clear vision that leaders can use to integrate AI into organizational goals. Gain practical insights into AI tools currently in use. Discuss effective strategies for seamless implementation. Address critical challenges like training, equity, and infrastructure.
Who: Isabelle Hau Stanford University, Executive Director, Accelerator for Learning; Mike Gadsby CEO, 03; Victoria Pu, Ph.D. Co-founder and CEO, PACE App AI; Nneka J. McGee, J.D., Ed.D. Founder and CEO, Muon Global; Megan Pattenhouse, Director of Learning Design, Digital Promise.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Education Week
Thu, Nov 7 - Visual Storytelling & AI Insights using Data Commons
What: Learn how to use open data to support your work? Have a data story you want to share with your target audience? Curious how machine learning and AI can help you get new insights from your data? Join us for an engaging introduction to these topics with our expert panel, using Data Commons as our primary source.
Who: Mike Yeaton TechSoup Data Commons Program Manager; Hasan Khalid TechSoup UX & Data Visualization Engineer; Mansi Shah TechSoup Technical Advisor, Data Commons
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: TechSoup
Thu, Nov 7 - How to illustrate stories in your publication without getting into trouble
What: Learn news photography basics, camera tips, sourcing images, and licensing.
Who: Chaz Muth, newsroom director for Trinity Washington University
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Catholic Media Association
Fri, Nov 8 - The Impact of Layoffs – and How to Weather Them
What: The Institute for Independent Journalists started collecting data on newsroom layoffs at the beginning of 2024, in an effort to uncover patterns of race, class and gender. In this webinar, IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis will announce the findings of our survey of laid off journalists, and layoff survivors will share strategies for weathering this now-common part of the industry.
Who: Janice Llamoca, Freelance Senior Producer, Former VICE Audio; Katherine Lewis, Founder, The IIJ; Maudlyne Ihejirika, the Field Foundation; Yowei Shaw, Creator and Host, Proxy
When: 12 noon, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: The Institute for Independent Journalists
It's Painful
/Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong. -Mandy Hale
Ignorant but confident
/“People have a strong tendency to believe that they always have enough data to make an informed decision—regardless of what information they actually have. The good news? When given the full picture, most people are willing to change their opinions.” -John Timmer writing in Aretechnica
31 AI & Data Science Articles from Oct 2024
/Agentic AI is the top strategic technology trend for 2025
How The New York Times incorporates editorial judgment in algorithms to curate its home page
Deep Learning vs Data Science: What is more important, your data or your model?
AI Definitions: Large Language Models
Using Archetypes to Decode the Four Types of AI
4 ways to improve the retrieval of your RAG pipeline
Ways to exploit what AI can do to enrich data science solutions
Notion Templates Every Data Scientist Should Have in 2024
AI Definitions: Constitutional AI
AI-native software engineering may be closer than developers think
Replacing my Right Hand with A (a pitch for the “AI engineer“)
Geospatial intelligence capability communication is being weaponized (sub. req.)
AI Definitions: foundation models
A Data Scientist GenAI Survival Guide
Maven helps Military emergency responders pinpoint where to place aid
The 10 most prevalent and impactful vulnerabilities in large language model
AI Definitions: Data Scientist
An alternative framework for understanding memory in large language models
The release of the Qwen2.5-Coder series
Injecting Logic into Contexts for Full Reasoning in Large Language Models
CLIP for vision-language foundation models
How I Would Learn Data Science in 2024
Smaller LLMs perform well but this paper suggests they are also fragile
AI Definitions: AI model collapse
Correlating measures of hierarchical structures in artificial neural networks with their performance
How AutoML is changing the landscape of ML development
Can damage from fine-tuning an AI model be fixed? These researchers think so
The Data Centric Approach— rather than focusing on better models working on higher quality data
The Enemy
/The great enemy of communication is the illusion of it. -William H. Whyte
Insight into who will respond better in a crisis
/A person’s capacity for healthy outcomes during difficulties is tied to their ability to define their life’s goals and values apart from the surrounding pressure to conform to a particular viewpoint.
In his book Generation to Generation, Edwin Friedman offers a way to test resistance to togetherness pressures, that is, possessing the power to say “I” when others are demanding “you” and “we.”
When presented with an issue that does not include “should” and “musts” some listeners will respond in a way that better defines themselves (such as “I agree” or “I disagree”). This person is likely to function well (emotionally) during a crisis. Other people may respond by attempting to define the speaker (comments like “How can you say that when…” or “After saying that I wonder if you are really one of us”). This indicates the person will likely resist progress toward healthy outcomes during crises and difficulties. People who more clearly define themselves are also more likely to take personal responsibility, whereas those who focus on the speaker are more likely to blame outside forces for their situations.
One of the founding fathers of family therapy, Murray Bowen, suggested the capacity to define one’s own life’s goals and values apart from surrounding pressure, that is, to be a “relatively nonanxious presence in the midst of anxious systems” is an indication of taking “maximum responsibility for one’s own destiny and emotional being.” It shows up in “the breadth of one’s repertoire of responses when confronted with crisis.” The concept shouldn’t be confused with narcissism. For Bowen, differentiation means the capacity to be an “I” while remaining connected.
Stephen Goforth