After Rocksteady announced that Season 4 would be the last for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Episode 8 is live for all players. It adds the Libra Infamy Set, which increases the damage dealt to and received by enemies by 50 percent per Scales of Libra stack.There are also new Notorious Weapons like The Silencer, which deals 200 percent more damage to enemies affected by Scales of Libra stacks. Doctor Sivanas Magic Bullets applies Scales of Libra and can electrify several foes simultaneously, while Chronos Equilibrium will deal 25 percent extra damage per one percent missing shield.The final content update is also notable for the final battle against Brainiac and wrapping up the post-launch storyline. Well avoid spoilers, but it pretty much cements that no additional story content is forthcoming after this.Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. It will remain playable online (for now), though an offline mode is also available. PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers can claim it for free until February 3rd.

Rhinanthus angustifolius, the narrow-leaved rattle or greater yellow-rattle, is a species of plant of the genus Rhinanthus, in the broomrape family, Orobanchaceae. It is an annual wildflower, native to temperate grasslands in much of Europe, and north and central Western Asia. The yellow flowers are mostly visited by bumblebees. This R.angustifolius inflorescence was photographed in Kulna, Estonia. The photograph was focus-stacked from 80 separate images.Photograph credit: Ivar LeidusRecently featured: Nigeen LakeFork-tailed flycatcherJohn Henry TurpinArchiveMore featured pictures

January 15: John Chilembwe Day in Malawi US Airways Flight1549 crash and rescue1857 In British Hong Kong, hundreds of Europeans were non-lethally poisoned by arsenic in bread from a locally owned bakery, leading to geopolitical tension.1934 At least 10,700 people died when a magnitude-8.0 earthquake struck Nepal and the Indian state of Bihar.1974 American serial killer Dennis Rader, also known as the "BTK killer", murdered his first four victims.1991 The Victoria Cross for Australia was instituted, making Australia the first Commonwealth realm with a separate Victoria Cross award in its honours system.2009 US Airways Flight1549 struck a flock of Canada geese during its climb out from New York City and made an emergency landing in the Hudson River (featured).Theophylact (d.849)Martin Luther King Jr. (b.1929)Regina Margareten (d.1959)Millie Knight (b.1999)More anniversaries: January 14January 15January 16ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout

The two Just Stop Oil activists spray-painted "1.5 is dead" on the gravestone of Charles Darwin. Kristian Buus / In Pictures via Getty ImagesTwo climate activists affiliated with the group Just Stop Oil have painted Charles Darwins grave at Londons Westminster Abbey with a stark message: 1.5 is dead.The protest was a response to the news that global temperatures in 2024exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Staying below this threshold was one of the commitments set by theParis Agreement in 2015.We have already passed through the 1.5 degree [threshold] that was supposed to keep us safe, said one of the activists during the protest, per video footage released by Just Stop Oil. Millions are being displaced, California is on fire and three-quarters of all wildlife has disappeared since the 1970s.Activists deface Darwin's grave at London's Westminster Abbey | REUTERSWatch on On Monday morning, the two protestersAlyson Lee, 66, and Di Bligh, 77used orange spray chalk to deface Darwins gravestone in Westminster AbbeysScientists Corner, which is also the burial site of renowned figures such as Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking.Lee, a retired teaching assistant, says that if Darwin were alive today, he would be as upset as us with the government for ignoring the science, per PA Media.Bligh, a former chief executive of Reading Council in England, emphasizes the urgency of the moment.If we do not work together to rein in the corporations and billionaires driving us beyond our means, humanity will not be able to adapt to what is coming, she says in a statement. We are on course to lose everything, and politicians are doing nowhere near enough to prevent it.According toCopernicus, Europes climate monitoring agency, 2024 was the hottest year on record for every continental region except Australia and Antarctica. The protesters are calling for the United Kingdom to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.Our governments plans will bring us to [over] three degrees of warming, the protesters warned. This will destroy everything we love. World leaders must stop burning oil, gas and coal by 2030.Westminster Abbey confirmed that the activists had defaced the memorial but assured the public that the chalk would not cause lasting harm.The Abbeys conservators are taking immediate action to clean the memorial, and we do not anticipate that there will be any permanent damage, a spokesperson tells PA Media. The Abbey remains open for visiting and worshipping.The Metropolitan Police arrested the two women on suspicion of criminal damage. According to Agence France-Presse, they will appear in court in mid-February.Just Stop Oil, a group known for its disruptive protests, has previously targeted other high-profile landmarks in England, including theNational Gallery and Stonehenge, in a bid to draw attention to the climate crisis. The group says its activism has led to more than 3,000 arrests since its formation in 2022, according to Issy Ronald ofCNN.These protests rarely cause permanent damage, but they are quite controversial, with many critics arguing against their strategy of targeting historically or culturally significant sites. Meanwhile, activists insist that such stunts are necessary to bring attention to pressing problems.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Activism, British History, Charles Darwin, Climate Change, Crime, England, Fossil Fuels, Global Warming, History, Oil, Protest

The LLM, MiniMax-Text-o1, is of particular note for enabling up to 4 million tokens in its context window equivalent to a small library.Read More

Sony's new patents include AI system to predict player behaviour and reduce online lagAnother includes a trigger attachment to boost gunplay realism News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Jan. 14, 2025 Sony has patented several new systems, including one designed to harness AI to help predict player behaviour, and another to adapt DualSense controllers to be more realistic weapons.The first seeks to utilise AI tech and anticipate player movements in a bid to reduce lag. By using a camera to study and record player actions, Sony's exploring how accurately AI can predict player behaviour.Other patents recently uncovered also propose using AI to impersonate players to catch cheats online, and providing in-game help should the microphone or controller detect player frustration.As reported by Gamerant, in a separate patent filing - which was submitted last summer but only recently released publicly - Sony has also patented a trigger attachment to improve gunplay realism. In the diagrams presented, players hold the controller sideways and aim down between the R1 and R2 buttons.In December, Electronic Arts added 23 new patents to its public library of free accessibility tools, including patents for photosensitivity analysis plugins, intelligent personalised speech recognition, and generating expressive speech audio from text data.

Chinese officials are reportedly exploring a backup plan for TikTok after the Supreme Court appeared unlikely to save it from a US ban.The kicker? China is reportedly mulling having President-elect Donald Trumps favorite tech billionaire, Elon Musk, act either as broker or buyer in the arrangement. Reports from the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg all citing unnamed sources indicate that Chinese officials are at least discussing the option of a sale. TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes has called the reports pure fiction. The Chinese embassy in the US and Musks existing social media company, X, did not respond to requests for comment.Plenty of people have expressed interest in buying TikTok at this point, from Shark Tank celebrity Kevin OLeary to YouTuber Mr. Beast. The problem has not been a lack of buyers though obvious ones like Meta and Google would likely be barred by antirust authorities but reluctant sellers. The new reporting suggests that the Chinese government, which has long stated it would refuse to approve a sale, could now be changing its mind. Musks reported involvement makes some strategic sense based on his relationships with both China and Trump.Musk is uniquely positioned to play a role in a potential deal. He has a direct line to Trump, has said he wants X to be more like TikTok since he bought it, and plenty of experience dealing with Chinese authorities. (Sales from China account for a significant share of Teslas business.) He could merge TikTok with X and xAI, his OpenAI competitor, to create a more influential platform. As the richest man in the world, he also has access to the money hed need to do a deal.Long Le, an international business professor at Santa Clara University, tells The Verge that China may be open to a joint venture arrangement, similar to what foreign companies operating in China often undergo. Under the text of the US law, an app can be considered to be controlled by a foreign adversary if a person from one of those countries owns at least a 20 percent stake.If they were going to do some type of joint adventure, Elon Musk would be ideal because hes also close to Trump, Le says, adding that the Chinese government may already feel comfortable with him. Having someone like Musk would still allow the US and China to have some aspects of linkage to trade and foreign direct investment, even though, in general, the decoupling is occurring.If they were going to do some type of joint adventure, Elon Musk would be idealChina may hold off on a sale if it believes the US will let TikTok remain under ByteDances ownership, especially given TikToks influence around the world. ByteDance is a homegrown tech champion and source of national pride for China, so government may be unwilling to suffer the optics of handing TikTok over to the US. Plus, China may prefer to let the US take heat globally over the ban, even if it means the loss of a significant market for TikTok. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbinsaid last year that a forced sale or ban will inevitably come back to bite the United States.On the other hand, China is about to face a new protectionist administration when Trump is sworn in next week. He has promised exorbitant tariffs on Chinese imports, which could damage its economy. If the Chinese government is looking for an effective bargaining chip with Trump and the US, it might have found one in TikTok, especially considering the President-elects warm spot for the app. Chinese officials see a deal over TikTok being a possible area of collaboration with the US as they anticipate tense negotiations over other issues with the Trump administration, sources told Bloomberg.If TikTok is banned, its not clear how quickly users would feel the effects. Apple and Google would need to remove the app from their app stores and stop updating it. It would still remain on users phones if theyve already downloaded it but Oracle, which provides cloud infrastructure to TikTok in the US, would likely also be required to stop hosting the apps data. Some could still access TikTok by using virtual private networks (VPNs) but that adds an extra layer of friction. Despite all this, progress toward a deal could continue after the ban takes effect on Sunday extend the deadline.

In todays digital age, we are surrounded by enormous amounts of data, from social media interactions to e-commerce transactions and medical records. Making sense of this data to derive meaningful insights is a significant challenge. Traditional programming methods often fall short when dealing with complex and dynamic datasets, making manual rule-based systems inefficient. For instance, how can we accurately predict customer preferences or identify potential fraud in real-time? These challenges highlight the need for systems that can adapt and learnproblems that Machine Learning (ML) is designed to address. ML has become integral to many industries, supporting data-driven decision-making and innovations in fields like healthcare, finance, and transportation.Explaining Machine LearningMachine Learning is a branch of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that allows systems to learn and improve from data without being explicitly programmed. At its core, ML involves analyzing data to identify patterns, make predictions, and automate processes. Rather than relying on predefined rules, ML models learn from historical data to adapt to new situations. For example, streaming platforms use ML to recommend movies, email providers use it to filter spam, and healthcare systems use it to assist in diagnosing diseases. IBM describes Machine Learning as training algorithms to process and analyze data to make predictions or decisions with minimal human intervention.Technical Details and BenefitsMachine Learning operates on three key components: data, algorithms, and computational power. Data serves as the foundation, providing the information needed to train models. Algorithms, including supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning techniques, determine how the system interprets and processes this data. Supervised learning relies on labeled datasets, unsupervised learning identifies hidden patterns in unlabeled data, and reinforcement learning optimizes decision-making through trial and error. Cloud platforms like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure provide the computational infrastructure necessary for training and deploying ML models.The benefits of ML are wide-ranging. Organizations using ML often achieve greater efficiency, reduced costs, and better decision-making. In healthcare, ML algorithms help detect anomalies in medical images, facilitating early diagnosis and treatment. Retailers use ML to tailor customer experiences, increasing sales and loyalty. ML also enables improvements in sectors such as finance, manufacturing, and agriculture by predicting market trends, optimizing supply chains, and boosting crop yields. These capabilities make ML a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes.InsightsNumerous real-world applications highlight the impact of Machine Learning. According to a study by SAS, organizations adopting ML report up to a 30% improvement in operational efficiency. In healthcare, IBM Watsons ML technologies have contributed to identifying new drug treatments. Meanwhile, e-commerce platforms leveraging ML have experienced a 20-40% increase in conversion rates through personalized recommendations.The data underscores the value of ML in transforming raw information into actionable insights. A recent article by Databricks notes that ML models often achieve higher predictive accuracy compared to traditional statistical methods. Additionally, businesses utilizing ML report significant cost savings, with AWS highlighting reductions of up to 25% in operational expenses. For more insights into MLs capabilities, resources such as IBM, MIT Sloan, and AWS provide valuable perspectives.ConclusionMachine Learning represents a practical and effective approach to solving complex problems, analyzing data, and making informed decisions. By leveraging data, algorithms, and computational power, ML provides tools to address challenges that traditional programming cannot. Its applications range from improving efficiency in businesses to advancing healthcare and personalizing customer experiences. As industries continue to explore MLs potential, its role in shaping the future of technology and innovation will only grow.Sources:Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our65k+ ML SubReddit.(Promoted) Aswin Ak+ postsAswin AK is a consulting intern at MarkTechPost. He is pursuing his Dual Degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He is passionate about data science and machine learning, bringing a strong academic background and hands-on experience in solving real-life cross-domain challenges. Meet 'Height':The only autonomous project management tool (Sponsored)

7 Counterintuitive and Non-intuitive Probability Problems 0 like January 14, 2025Share this postLast Updated on January 14, 2025 by Editorial TeamAuthor(s): Saankhya Mondal Originally published on Towards AI. Exploring Mind-Bending Scenarios Where Probability Challenges Our ExpectationsThis member-only story is on us. Upgrade to access all of Medium.This article will explore seven fascinating probability problems that challenge intuition and lead to surprising results. Each problem will illustrate how our expectations can differ from reality. Ill discuss the hidden principles behind these seemingly paradoxical scenarios. Lets get started.Image generated by author using GPT 4oThis problem is taken from the book 50 Challenging Problems in Probability by Frederick Mosteller. The question goes as follows.To encourage Elmers promising career, his father offers him a prize if he wins (at least) two tennis sets in a row in a three-set series to be played with his father and the club champion alternately: father-champion-father or champion-father-champion, according to Elmers choice. The champion is a better player than Elmers father. Which series should Elmer choose?Intuition says Elmer must pick father-champion-father because he gets to play against his father twice and the champion, a better player than his father once. The answer is incorrect.Elmer must pick champion-father-champion to increase his chances of winning the prize. Heres why.Let the probability of beating the champion be c and the father be f. f > c. Elmer will win the prize if he wins two sets Read the full blog for free on Medium.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League just received its final update, which along with the promised offline mode, adds an official ending to the game's story that wraps everything up in a tidy, if rather uninteresting, way.As previously announced, Episode 8: Balance is the final update planned for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Alongside some new armore and exotic weapons, the biggest feature in the update is a new Offline Mode that will allow players to continue playing Suicide Squad Game by themselves without requiring an internet connection.The Offline Mode was announced in December 2023 as part of Rocksteady's post-launch plans, but the studio was also committed to releasing its promised DLCs and additional characters, leaving the Offline Mode for its final update.There's also a big comic book ending to wrap up the story of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, so if you're okay with spoilers feel free to read below the break. You've been warned.PlayIGN's Twenty Questions - Guess the game!IGN's Twenty Questions - Guess the game!To start:...try asking a question that can be answered with a "Yes" or "No".000/250Okay so Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, as the name implies, is about taking out members of the Justice League who have been brainwashed by Brainiac. One of the biggest shocks in the game was when Harley Quinn shoots Batman point blank in the head.However, Batman was actually still alive. In his masterful gambit, he allowed Brainiac to create clones of the Justice League and then oversaw the events of the game from the shadows as he worked to take down Brainiac in secret.The ending is told via the comic book illustrations that the different post-launch episodes have been presented in and in true comic book fashion, your favorite heroes are still all alive and the bad guys are defeated. Woo-hoo.Is this how Rocksteady envisioned the end of Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League? Who can say. The game released to mixed reviews and Warner Bros. said the game fell short of expectations when it came to sales, and the developers announced that it was ending future updates on the game after Season 4.You can read our full review of Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League here and for anyone looking to play the game, the Offline Mode means you're able to fully. So if you see it on sale next time, don't worry about picking it up as the game will still run just fine.Matt Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor.