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New artificial intelligence: Will Silicon Valley ride again to riches on other people’s products?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:34 GMT

Silicon Valley is poised once again to cash in on other people’s products, making a data grab of unprecedented scale that has already spawned lawsuits and congressional hearings.Chatbots and other forms of generative artificial intelligence that burst onto the technology scene in recent months are fed vast amounts of material scraped from the internet — books, screenplays, research papers, news stories, photos, art, music, code and more — to produce answers, imagery or sound in response to user prompts.Technology companies are falling over themselves to leverage this new and potentially lucrative technology. Google, valued at $1.5 trillion, has gone all in with its Bard chatbot after rival Microsoft, valued at $2.4 trillion, invested billions in San Francisco’s generative AI pioneer OpenAI. Meta, valued at $680 billion, just announced plans to add chatbots to its apps. Venture capitalists are pouring billions of dollars into generative AI startups.But a thorn...

They said it: A hard parting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:34 GMT

“Sometimes, it just feels personal.”— Stu Clary, a fan of the Oakland Athletics baseball team who organized a June 14 “reverse boycott” that drew 27,759 to the Oakland Coliseum to protest the team’s planned relocation to Las Vegas, where Nevada’s lawmakers and governor approved public funding for the A’s stadium project last week.

Biden, DeSantis highlight parade of Silicon Valley fundraisers. Will all the talk focus on Trump?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:34 GMT

In the week after news broke of Donald Trump’s historic federal indictment, his campaign announced the former president raised more than $6 million for his 2024 run for the White House.What’s also unique about Trump’s haul — he didn’t raise it the popular way, by flying hat in hand to Northern California.The parade of presidential hopefuls descending on the Bay Area has officially begun with even President Biden himself scheduled to attend three private fundraisers this week at some of the region’s most exclusive neighborhoods.Like Biden, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is coming to the belly of his blue-state rival on Monday — not necessarily to thumb his nose at his Golden State nemesis Gov. Gavin Newsom to rub in Florida’s sending three dozen migrants on a wayward journey to Sacramento earlier this month.DeSantis will be here for the money. A Woodside estate is also on his itinerary ​– just miles from Biden​’s $6,600-a-plate n...

I-80 collision involving big rig diesel spill, one hospitalized

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:34 GMT

(BCN) -- California Highway Patrol is investigating a series of collisions early Sunday on Interstate 80, in Contra Costa County, including a big rig that reportedly spilled diesel fuel after being punctured. 1 dead, 1 injured in shooting at Liberty Station Juneteenth event The crashes were first reported to CHP just before 1 a.m. on Interstate 80, east of Willow Avenue. One person was transported to the hospital with an unknown condition. KRON On is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }Several lanes of the interstate were shut down as emergency responders cleared the scene. Some lanes reopened at about 3 a.m. Sunday. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Correction: Obit-Egypt-AP Photo Assistant story

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:34 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — In a story published June 12, 2023, about the death of former Associated Press employee Moustafa Bassiouni, The Associated Press erroneously reported that he drove Associated Press photographer Amr Nabil back to Cairo after Nabil sustained a grave eye injury covering an anti-government protest. Nabil had been covering clashes between government supporters and voters after security forces blockaded polling stations in the Nile Delta town of Zagazig, Egypt. Source

Fowler, McIlroy, Scheffler headline the final round in a US Open full of possibilities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:34 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — At the top of the U.S. Open leaderboard there are two players each going for their first major title. That’s about all they have in common.Rickie Fowler has contended in majors, won nine tournaments across the globe and has long been one of golf’s most recognizable players. Wyndham Clark is playing in only his seventh major and, no matter how he plays Sunday, this will mark the first time he’s finished better than 75th.“It’s a little surreal to be in this situation,” Clark said.In a way, the player one shot behind them, Rory McIlroy, feels the same. He is trying to break a nine-year drought without a major. He starts the day one shot behind the leaders. Does the fact he’s won four of these, including the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional, give him an edge?“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s been such a long time since I’ve done it.”McIlroy is paired with Scottie Scheffler, who trails the leaders by three. With a win, he would join Tiger Wood...

2 dead, 3 hurt in shooting at Washington state music festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:34 GMT

GEORGE, Wash. (AP) — Two people were killed and three were injured in a shooting near a Washington state campground area hosting people attending a nearby music festival Saturday night, police said.The Grant County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday it received a report of a shooting shortly before 8:30 p.m. at the camping area near the small city of George, 149 miles (239 kilometers) east of Seattle. Officers pursued the suspect, who was then taken into custody.The names and conditions of the victims were not immediately available.Organizers of the Beyond Wonderland electronic music festival said on social media that Sunday’s events at the Gorge Amphitheatre were canceled. The shooting occurred on the campgrounds adjacent to the concert stages, the sheriff’s office said. Concert organizers described the location as an “overflow camping area.” KREM-TV reported the shooter was among the three injured. That was according to Kyle Foreman, public information officer with the Gra...

Booker T. Washington monument, Appomattox superintendent got hooked on history at young age

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:34 GMT

HARDY, Va. (AP) — A lifelong love of history led Jim Bailey on the path of becoming a park ranger at some of the nation’s most historic parks. It also led him to his newest position as the superintendent of Booker T. Washington National Monument in Franklin County and Appomattox Court House.At 8, Bailey decided to study history. He said the interest grew out of the trips with his father to several historic battlefields as well as to reenactments.“I was hooked,” Bailey said. “I knew that is what I wanted to do.”That passion continued through his youth and into college at the University of Maryland Baltimore College, where he obtained a master’s degree in American history. It was there that he met a park recruiter who offered him his first opportunity in the National Park Service as a volunteer at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore.Bailey accepted a full-time park ranger position at Fort McHenry a few years later. He remained at the position until 2016, du...

Denver weather: Breezy sunshine for Father’s Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:34 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — After a long rainy stretch, Denver’s weather will enter a pattern of warmer and drier conditions through next week.Weather today: Breezy sunshineToday will be dry and sunny so get outside and soak up the sunshine. Temperatures will warm to the mid-80s, which is right in line with normal for this time of year. And it will be breezy, coming out of the south around 15 - 25 mph.Looking ahead: More seasonal sunshineSunshine and warmer weather will stick around for Juneteenth on Monday and into Tuesday. On both days, high temperatures will climb to the upper 80s with gusty winds. Wednesday will be mostly sunny with a high in the mid-80s, followed by the chance for a few isolated storms.

Pakistan’s prime minister declares day of mourning for citizens who died in migrant boat sinking

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:34 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday declared a national day of mourning for citizens who died when the fishing trawler packed with migrants they were in sank off the Greek coast.As many as 750 men, women and children from Syria, Egypt, the Palestinian territories and Pakistan were on board the vessel, trying to reach relatives in Europe. The Greek coast guard has defended its response to the tragedy that left more than 500 migrants presumed drowned. The vessel sank on Wednesday.Sharif expressed his grief over the tragedy and said Monday would be observed as a day of mourning, with the national flag flying at half-staff.He previously said that Pakistan’s embassy in Athens has identified 12 nationals who were rescued by the coast guard. There was no official information on how many Pakistanis were onboard the vessel, how many survived or how many perished.Greek authorities have been criticized for their failure to act more quickly. They say the mig...