Rebels Club

2023-02-16 08:55:16 Centre Pompidou—home to France’s National Museum of Modern Art—announced plans for a new exhibition examining the relationship between art and the blockchain that will feature NFTs from the valuable CryptoPunks and Autoglyphs projects, among works by 12 other digital artists.

CryptoPunk #110 and Autoglyph #25 were both donated to Centre Pompidou and will appear at the museum this spring, as will 16 other NFT works from a global assortment of artists. Open / Comment

2023-02-16 05:55:10 Astronaut Chris Hadfield sat down with Vanity Fair to discuss the accuracy of several space movies. With how big Armageddon was in its day, it had to be discussed. Hadfield starts the Armageddon segment by just laughing. Perhaps that is an indication of how he feels about that movie. 

“It is as atrociously bad as any space movie that was ever done. It’s so bad, it’s tragic-comic. I’m glad they safely landed on the asteroid, but it’s just atrocious.” Chris Hadfield says. Open / Comment

2023-02-16 03:45:09 Artificial intelligence flew an aircraft based on an F-16 fighter jet for more than 17 hours, the first time that AI was used to fly a tactical aircraft. 

VISTA, which stands for Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft, is equipped with software that allows it to follow the performance of other aircraft.

“VISTA will allow us to parallelize the development and test of cutting-edge artificial intelligence techniques with new uncrewed vehicle designs,” M. Christopher Cotting, the director of research for the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School Open / Comment

2023-02-16 01:39:45 In a brand new collaboration, Minecraft will soon be introducing Crocs into their game as well as releasing some comfy Minecraft-themed designs for any block fan to enjoy.

In a surprise announcement, Mojang teased their soon-to-release collaboration, explaining that anyone who wants to wear a pair of Crocs in Minecraft will be able to do so for free, meaning their character can explore the world in a stylish, and adjustable pair of Crocs. Open / Comment

2023-02-11 02:35:09 Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) on Wednesday announced a sweeping restructuring under recently reinstated CEO Bob Iger, cutting 7,000 jobs as part of an effort to save $5.5 billion in costs and make its streaming business profitable.
The layoffs represent an estimated 3.6% of Disney's global workforce.

Under a plan to cut costs and return power to creative executives, the company will restructure into three segments: an entertainment unit that encompasses film, television and streaming; a sports-focused ESPN unit; and Disney parks, experiences and products. Open / Comment

2023-02-11 00:18:03 Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said he has heard rumors that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) plans to eliminate cryptocurrency staking for retail customers in the U.S. Armstrong shared his views on Twitter and stated that he doesn’t believe the top securities regulator should ban cryptocurrency staking in the country. “I hope that’s not the case,” Armstrong wrote, “as I believe it would be a terrible path for the U.S. if that were allowed to happen.” Open / Comment

2023-02-09 06:50:08 Meta Platforms Inc.  is asking many of its managers and directors to transition to individual contributor jobs or leave the company as it tries to become more efficient.

Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg explained during the company’s earnings report this month that he still felt the organization was too slow-moving and bloated. He called 2023 the “Year of Efficiency” and vowed to cut middle-managers and underperforming projects. 

Zuckerberg’s plan for a leaner organization helped the share price recover from 2022, which was its worst year ever. It’s up more than 56% so far this year.  Open / Comment

2023-02-09 04:45:06 Google mostly focused on AI enhancements boosting ‘visual search’ in Lens and new maps features. Here are some that are available in the near term:

1. Immersive View in Google Maps, which combines a 3D view of a certain area with specific information like traffic and weather, is beginning to roll out in five cities: London, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Tokyo.

2. New features are designed to assist EV drivers, with charge stops suggested for shorter trips, a filter for “very fast” charging stations that have 150kW chargers or higher, and mentions of locations that have chargers indicated in search results for places like grocery stores or hotels.

3. Multisearch near me, which lets you search for things like where you can find a certain food dish nearby, will be expanded to wherever Lens is available. You can currently use it in the US. Open / Comment

2023-02-09 02:32:44 During a recent DJ set, David Guetta paid homage to Eminem, riling up the crowd by using a clever application of artificial intelligence technology. 
In a recent interview, Guetta explained that he prompted one AI application to write a verse about his signature future rave sound in the style of the Detroit hip-hop legend. He then took that verse and ran it through a separate platform to produce an eerie deepfake of Eminem's voice as though he were reciting the AI-generated bars himself.

Impressed by the results, Guetta played a snippet of the deepfake verse as a pre-drop vocal during one of his recent performances.

"This is something that I made as a joke, and it worked so good, I could not believe it," Guetta said.  Open / Comment

2023-02-08 03:32:06 The Balance, a top rehabilitation center in Spain has added crypto trading addiction to its treatment services.

The BBC reports that the Switzerland-founded wellness center, with its main facility in Mallorca, Spain recently began offering services aimed at treating crypto trading addiction.

According to the BBC, one of the center’s clients reached out to “wean off crypto” after pouring in $200,000 worth of trades each week. The Balance treats the addiction through a four-week stay that involves therapy, massages, and yoga. The bill can be upward of $75,000. Open / Comment