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Editorial: Tech must craft AI safety protocols, forget naive call for pause

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

The tech industry has known for the past decade that artificial intelligence carries significant risks. Three years before his 2018 death, Stephen Hawking went so far as to warn that, “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.”So why hasn’t Big Tech acted to quell those fears? An industry that had public trust as a primary concern would have taken steps to develop safety protocols to offset the potential dangers.But today’s tech leaders instinctively recoil from establishing any regulations or industry standards that hinder their ability to maximize profits, which explains why the United States still doesn’t have an internet Bill of Rights to protect consumers. And, sadly, Congress has proven itself incapable of regulating technology to protect the public.Yet, last week, hundreds of technology leaders and researchers, including Steve Wozniak and Elon Musk, signed on to a letter calling for a six-month pause o...

Opinion: Stanford graduate students should back unionization effort

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

The unionization of graduate students: Which side are you on, and why?In recent decades, universities throughout the country have increasingly relied on graduate and sometimes undergraduate student assistants for the purpose of teaching, grading and research. These students perform a variety of functions, many of which were previously done by tenure track academics. It is much cheaper to employ the former rather than the latter group.For a little more than a century, the public policy of the United States has been the promotion of freedom of association of workers to band together so that they can bargain collectively with their employer. But because of the law’s weaknesses and frequent inadequate union resources and energy, these promises have been rarely realized, with less than 6% of workers in the private sector represented by unions. Growing American inequality is, in part, attributable to the absence of organized labor.Now, Stanford University graduate students, assistants and...

Single family residence sells in Palo Alto for $4.5 million

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

1043 Cowper Street – Google Street ViewA 2,660-square-foot house built in 1903 has changed hands. The spacious historic property located in the 1000 block of Cowper Street in Palo Alto was sold on March 14, 2023. The $4,500,000 purchase price works out to $1,692 per square foot. The property features four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a garage, and two parking spaces. It sits on a 7,500-square-foot lot, which also has a pool.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:In January 2023, a 2,028-square-foot home on Waverley Street in Palo Alto sold for $3,800,000, a price per square foot of $1,874. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Byron Street, Palo Alto, in November 2022, a 672-square-foot home was sold for $2,000,000, a price per square foot of $2,976. The home has 1 bedroom and 2 bathrooms.A 3,853-square-foot home on the 900 block of Waverley Street in Palo Alto sold in August 2022, for $4,998,000, a price per square foot of $1,297. The home has 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms...

What we know about Bob Lee, the Cash App founder stabbed, killed in SF

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur Bob Lee was stabbed and killed Tuesday morning outside a luxury high-rise building in SoMa. San Francisco police said they found the 43-year-old from suffering from apparent stab wounds outside his apartment building on the 300 block of Main Street around 2:35 a.m.Affectionately known as "Crazy Bob" in the Bay Area, Lee not only founded popular mobile payment service Cash App, he also had a hand in developing Android and was an executive at cryptocurrency MobileCoin and online payment service Square. MORE: San Francisco tech executive killed in stabbing near SoMa Before moving to the Bay Area in 2004 to work at Google, he was a web developer for Southeast Missouri State University and a consultant at several companies, his LinkedIn profile showed. He continued building his career in Silicon Valley when he joined Square as its chief technology officer in 2014 where he helped launch Cash App and MobileCoin in 2021 as its chie...

Baltimore tripleheader: Orioles home opener as CFG Bank Arena opens with Bruce Springsteen, Eagles band

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews CFG Bank Arena (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); If you’re a local baseball fan — or just a fan of classic rock — it’s a great weekend to visit Baltimore, Maryland.Not only does Friday mark the home opener at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, it also marks the launch of the newly renovated CFG Bank Arena with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performing o...

Chelsea hires Frank Lampard as manager until end of the season

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Chelsea hires Frank Lampard as manager until end of the season.Source

Dreaming of summer in the backyard or patio? Create an oasis

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

A relaxing retreat just steps from the back door? Count us all in.Outdoor home spaces serve a lot of functions, but Soothing Refuge is one that designers say is in high demand. Aromatic plantings. Romantic arbors. A meandering path. A yoga platform. Pergola daybeds. Prefab saunas. Plunge Pools. An outdoor shower. And comfortable furniture that can stand up to the weather.“The outdoor living trend has been building for the last decade, but it got a major bump during the pandemic, ” said Dan DiClerico, home improvement and outdoor director for the Good Housekeeping Institute.In response, manufacturers have made “huge investments in products and materials geared towards outdoor living” year-round, he said.SEAMLESS TRANSITIONThere can be comfort and ease in keeping a flow between indoors and outdoors. DiClerico calls spaces that straddle that line “transition rooms.”He spent much of the pandemic renovating his back terrace in Brooklyn, New York. Deck tiles laid on the diagon...

DC region on alert for severe storms, possible hail Thursday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

After a record warm weather on Wednesday, the D.C. area is on alert for the potential for strong to severe storms Thursday afternoon and evening. Here’s what you need to know to prepare.Heavy rain is expected to fall at some point during the afternoon and into the evening, 7News First Alert meteorologist Veronica Johnson said.Listen to WTOP online and on the radio at 103.5 FM or 107.7 FM.Current traffic conditionsWeather forecastClosings and DelaysSign up for WTOP alerts“Storms could pack a punch with some high winds, even some hail. And well, we’re certainly going to get some brief heavy rain,” Johnson said.There will be a wide range of rainfall totals from 0.10 inches to over 0.50 inches expected in some neighborhoods, 7News First Alert meteorologist Eileen Whelan said. Also, temperatures will rise into the low 80s in the early afternoon.Friday will feel noticeably different, with lower humidity and cooler temperatures in the 60s.The upcoming weekend is for...

Live Updates| Masters gets under way at Augusta National

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The Latest from the first round of the Masters (all times local):8 a.m. LIV golfer Kevin Na and 2003 champion Mike Weir launched their drives down the first fairway at Augusta National, signaling the official start of the 87th Masters.Na is one of 18 players from the polarizing Saudi Arabia-backed golf league participating in the event, which is almost certain to make this “a tournament unlike any other.”The start of the four-day event came after honorary starters and longtime fan favorites Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson thrilled the crowd with their traditional tee shots on hole No. 1.Player was greeted on the tee with a smile by Masters Chairman Fred Ridley a week after the tournament’s first international champion told the Times of London he did not feel welcome at Augusta National. Player said he had to “beg a member to play with us” when he wanted to play a round with family members,” and that “if it wasn’t for the players, it would be just anothe...

Levi Strauss: Fiscal Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Levi Strauss & Co. (LEVI) on Thursday reported fiscal first-quarter net income of $114.7 million.The San Francisco-based company said it had profit of 29 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 34 cents per share.The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 32 cents per share.The jeans maker posted revenue of $1.69 billion in the period, also surpassing Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.58 billion.Levi Strauss expects full-year earnings in the range of $1.30 to $1.40 per share, with revenue in the range of $6.3 billion to $6.4 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on LEVI at https://www.zacks.com/ap/LEVISource