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Tông xe 'trả thù đời': Những câu hỏi về xã hội Trung Quốc

Một vụ tấn công bằng xe hơi khiến 35 người thiệt mạng ở Trung Quốc đã dấy lên những câu hỏi về các vấn đề sâu xa trong xã hội nước này.




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Cận vệ Chủ tịch nước Lương Cường bị tố 'lạm dụng tình dục': phản ứng của các bên

Dư luận Chile đã có những phản ứng mạnh mẽ sau vụ việc một cận vệ của Chủ tịch nước Lương Cường bị cáo buộc lạm dụng tình dục trong khi đoàn Việt Nam đang có chuyến thăm chính thức Chile.




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AI Companies Hit Development Hurdles in Race for Advanced Models

OpenAI's latest large language model, known internally as Orion, has fallen short of performance targets, marking a broader slowdown in AI advancement across the industry's leading companies, according to Bloomberg, corroborating similar media stories in recent days. The model, which completed initial training in September, showed particular weakness in novel coding tasks and failed to demonstrate the same magnitude of improvement over its predecessor as GPT-4 achieved over GPT-3.5, the publication reported Wednesday. Google's upcoming Gemini software and Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Opus are facing similar challenges. Google's project is not meeting internal benchmarks, while Anthropic has delayed its model's release, Bloomberg said. Industry insiders cited by the publication pointed to growing scarcity of high-quality training data and mounting operational costs as key obstacles. OpenAI's Orion specifically struggled due to insufficient coding data for training, the report said. OpenAI has moved Orion into post-training refinement but is unlikely to release the system before early 2024. The report adds: [...] AI companies continue to pursue a more-is-better playbook. In their quest to build products that approach the level of human intelligence, tech firms are increasing the amount of computing power, data and time they use to train new models -- and driving up costs in the process. Amodei has said companies will spend $100 million to train a bleeding-edge model this year and that amount will hit $100 billion in the coming years. As costs rise, so do the stakes and expectations for each new model under development. Noah Giansiracusa, an associate professor of mathematics at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, said AI models will keep improving, but the rate at which that will happen is questionable. "We got very excited for a brief period of very fast progress," he said. "That just wasn't sustainable." Further reading: OpenAI and Others Seek New Path To Smarter AI as Current Methods Hit Limitations.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




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Secret Service Says You Agreed To Be Tracked With Location Data

An anonymous reader shares a report: Officials inside the Secret Service clashed over whether they needed a warrant to use location data harvested from ordinary apps installed on smartphones, with some arguing that citizens have agreed to be tracked with such data by accepting app terms of service, despite those apps often not saying their data may end up with the authorities, according to hundreds of pages of internal Secret Service emails obtained by 404 Media. The emails provide deeper insight into the agency's use of Locate X, a powerful surveillance capability that allows law enforcement officials to follow a phone, and person's, precise movements over time at the click of a mouse. In 2023, a government oversight body found that the Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement all used their access to such location data illegally. The Secret Service told 404 Media in an email last week it is no longer using the tool. "If USSS [U.S. Secret Service] is using Locate X, that is most concerning to us," one of the internal emails said. 404 Media obtained them and other documents through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Secret Service.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




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Cheap Fix Floated For Plane Vapor's Climate Damage

AmiMoJo writes: The climate-damaging vapors left behind by jet planes could be easily tackled, aviation experts say, with a new study suggesting they could be eliminated for a few pounds per flight. Jet condensation trails, or contrails, have spawned wild conspiracy theories alleging mind control and the spreading of disease, but scientists say the real problem is their warming effect. "They create an artificial layer of clouds, which traps the heat from the Earth that's trying to escape to outer space," said Carlos Lopez de la Osa, from the Transport & Environment campaign group, which has carried out a new study on the solutions to contrails. "The scale of the warming that's associated with them is roughly having a similar impact to that of aviation carbon emissions." Tweaking the flight paths of a handful of aircraft could reduce contrail warming by more than half by 2040, at a cost of less than $5.1 per flight. Geography and a flight's latitude have a strong influence on whether a contrail is warming. Time of day also influences the climate effects of contrails. Those formed by evening and night flights have the largest warming contribution. Seasonality is also important -- the most warming contrails tend to occur in winter. "Planes are already flying around thunderstorms and turbulence areas," Mr Lopez de la Osa said. "We will need to add one more constraint to flight planning, which is avoiding areas of contrail formation."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




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New F1 rules to cool drivers in extreme heat

Formula 1 is to introduce a device to cool drivers when conditions become too extreme in hot weather, in response to scenes at last year’s Qatar Grand Prix.




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Head of F1 owner to leave role at key time for sport

President and chief executive officer of Formula 1 owner Liberty Media, Greg Maffei, is to step down from his role at the end of the year.




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Daniel Craig gave £50k to threatened community hub

The James Bond star's donation helped avoid organisations being evicted from Brimscombe Mill.




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Ginsters owner fined £1.28m over worker death

Paul Clarke, 40, died in hospital after he was fatally crushed by the reversing lorry.




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Government admits new oil field approved unlawfully

Climate campaigners are bringing a legal case they hope will halt drilling at two huge fossil fuel projects.




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How I played for England after having a stroke

Footballers Matt Crossen and Aaron Lucas speak to BBC Sport about representing England at the Cerebral Palsy World Cup in Spain.




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Women jailed over sadistic monkey torture videos

The judge describes Holly Le Gresley and Adriana Orme's actions as "abhorrent and sadistic".




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The masked headliners freshening up Download festival

Mysterious metal group Sleep Token are one of three headliners announced for Download festival.




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People smuggler convicted of £1.5m small boats operation

Pistiwan Jameel described migrants as "pigeons" or "sticks" as he facilitated illegal crossings.




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Car buyer payouts over loan scandal could be delayed

Regulators want to give more time to car dealers potentially facing a deluge of mis-selling claims.





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Tata Steel Chess India Day 1: Abdussatorov Leads Carlsen, So, Narayanan - Chess.com

  1. Tata Steel Chess India Day 1: Abdussatorov Leads Carlsen, So, Narayanan  Chess.com
  2. Magnus Carlsen interview: I probably will have the most fun playing Gukesh  Hindustan Times
  3. Tata Steel Chess India - Live!  Chess News | ChessBase
  4. Abdusattorov Nodirbek leads, Magnus Carlsen close behind in India Open chess  The Times of India
  5. Indian chess has come a long way, courtesy Anand: Carlsen  The Hindu







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Discover Something New at Home this Holiday Season

Filed under: , ,

Traveling "home" this holiday season? Don't fall into your old routine. Your high school hangout may be an easy go-to, but if you don't live there anymore there's a good chance you're missing out on some great new local spots. (Plus, be honest: you already know what all your classmates are up to from Facebook.)

We turned to local writers to help you rediscover your hometown over Thanksgiving and the winter holidays. Each city guide features a great new restaurant to try while you're in town, a cool neighborhood that wasn't on the radar last year or a store where you can pick up a keepsake to bring your old home back to your new home. We'll also catch you up to speed on the hot topics of conversation in each city, so you'll come back savvy enough to join the local sports banter or eat your holiday weight in Cronuts.

Click your city below to learn what's new since the last time you went home:

Continue reading Discover Something New at Home this Holiday Season

Discover Something New at Home this Holiday Season originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 25 Nov 2013 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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4 Thanksgiving Travel Tips to Save You Time

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Associated Press

Sure, some of these travel tips are basic. But Thanksgiving travel is looking to be an even bigger mess than normal this year, especially around the East Coast. So this 90-second refresher from Samantha Brown and Mark "Hawkeye Louis" could save you hours.

Continue reading 4 Thanksgiving Travel Tips to Save You Time

4 Thanksgiving Travel Tips to Save You Time originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 26 Nov 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Demonstrations in Thailand? No Problem, Travelers Say.

Filed under: ,

Shutterstock
The political protests currently taking place in parts of Bangkok don't seem to be affecting travel to and within Thailand. And that should be no surprise. Despite events -- a coup, floods and protests that closed an airport among them -- that have rocked the country in recent years, travelers remain unfazed about visiting Thailand.

Quartz reports:

Not only are tourists still coming, but they've been arriving in increasing numbers in recent years, according to government data.

The story adds:

Continue reading Demonstrations in Thailand? No Problem, Travelers Say.

Demonstrations in Thailand? No Problem, Travelers Say. originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 02 Dec 2013 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TSA Lets Travelers Apply for PreCheck

Filed under: , , , ,

Associated Press
Today the Transportation Security Administration (you know 'em as TSA) began allowing travelers to apply for its PreCheck program (or as TSA calls it, Pre✓[TM]).

According to TSA,

The new application process allows U.S. citizens to directly enroll in TSA Pre✓[TM], an expedited screening program that allows travelers to leave on their shoes, light outerwear and belt, keep their laptop in its case and their 3-1-1 compliant liquids/gels bag in a carry-on, in select screening lanes. To date, passengers have only been eligible through existing programs such as U.S. Custom and Border Protection's Global Entry program and frequent flier programs with certain airlines, but this announcement will allow travelers to apply directly for the expedited screening program.

Continue reading TSA Lets Travelers Apply for PreCheck

TSA Lets Travelers Apply for PreCheck originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Where to Ski In Every State and 16 Ski Vacations Near Big U.S. Cities

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Squaw Valley
The period after Thanksgiving isn't just the start of the holiday shopping season, it's typically the start of the ski season as well. To that end, AOL Travel has posted these two guides to ski vacations: Now you'll be able to cross off Ski in Alabama on your bucket list.

Where to Ski In Every State and 16 Ski Vacations Near Big U.S. Cities originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 05 Dec 2013 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And the Winner of Sound of Music Live Is...

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Jasper180969 via Flickr
Last night's live production of The Sound of Music on NBC got more flak than Maria did for being an unsolvable problem nun. The acting was bad, the costumes St. Pauli-esque and the mountains... gasp! They were fake!


But there was one winner in last night's performance: the city of Salzburg, Austria. Home of the Von Trapps, setting of the original movie and now site of thousands of Edelweiss-blasting tour buses and gazebo-worshipping 16-going-on-17-year-olds, Salzburg enjoyed a flurry of love last night.

Continue reading And the Winner of Sound of Music Live Is...

And the Winner of Sound of Music Live Is... originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 06 Dec 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Because There Aren't Enough Reasons to Visit San Diego in Winter, Now You Can Ice Skate

Filed under: , ,

Hotel Solamar
Top reasons to visit San Diego right now:

Continue reading Because There Aren't Enough Reasons to Visit San Diego in Winter, Now You Can Ice Skate

Because There Aren't Enough Reasons to Visit San Diego in Winter, Now You Can Ice Skate originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 10 Dec 2013 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vineyard and Zipline Trends Collide at the Pinot Express

Filed under: , ,

Chris Leschinsky
Vineyards and ziplines have long been used to attract tourist dollars for destinations that, well, could use a little help:
  • Regardless of the area's suitability for growing grapes, plop down a vineyard or winery and travelers will come for a taste and buy a sympathy bottle (pro tip: go for the ice wine as it's harder to mess up)
  • Ski resorts looking to attract off-season dollars or stale attractions looking to draw media coverage and visitors hook up a zipline
So really, the 1,800-foot Pinot Express zipline at Margarita Adventures, which debuted recently at the Santa Margarita Ranch in the Paso Robles wine country on California's Central Coast, is the travel industry's destiny.

Continue reading Vineyard and Zipline Trends Collide at the Pinot Express

Vineyard and Zipline Trends Collide at the Pinot Express originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 11 Dec 2013 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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London, Rome, Paris Top TripAdvisor's Most-Reviewed Cities List

Filed under: , , , ,

Alamy
The litany of year-end travel-related lists continues. Today, it's TripAdvisor, which unveiled its most reviewed cities. Leading the way: London, Rome and Paris, according to the Telegraph. The top U.S city was New York, which ranked fourth overall -- a stunning blow for American exceptionalism.

Continue reading London, Rome, Paris Top TripAdvisor's Most-Reviewed Cities List

London, Rome, Paris Top TripAdvisor's Most-Reviewed Cities List originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 17 Dec 2013 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Discover Something New at Home this Holiday Season

Filed under: , ,

Traveling "home" this holiday season? Don't fall into your old routine. Your high school hangout may be an easy go-to, but if you don't live there anymore there's a good chance you're missing out on some great new local spots. (Plus, be honest: you already know what all your classmates are up to from Facebook.)

AOL Travel turned to local writers to help you rediscover your hometown over the winter holidays. Each city guide features a great new restaurant to try while you're in town, a cool neighborhood that wasn't on the radar last year or a store where you can pick up a keepsake to bring your old home back to your new home. AOL Travel also will catch you up to speed on the hot topics of conversation in each city, so you'll come back savvy enough to join the local sports banter or eat your holiday weight in Cronuts.

Click your city below to learn what's new since the last time you went home:

Continue reading Discover Something New at Home this Holiday Season

Discover Something New at Home this Holiday Season originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 18 Dec 2013 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MapQuest Unveils 10 Top Destinations of 2013

Filed under: ,

Alamy
Las Vegas, Nashville and Orlando were the top three searched for cities on MapQuest in 2013. The results are a compilation of destinations searched for on both MapQuest's website and its recently updated-and critically acclaimed-iPhone and Android apps. [Full disclosure: AOL owns both MapQuest and Gadling.]

Texas was the only state with two cities in MapQuest's top 10 list: Houston was eighth and Dallas was ninth. Feel free to criticize these travelers for not going to Austin instead in the comments.

Continue reading MapQuest Unveils 10 Top Destinations of 2013

MapQuest Unveils 10 Top Destinations of 2013 originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 23 Dec 2013 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Travel Blogging Turns 20 Today

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HP Virtual Museum
Today marks the 20th anniversary of what's believed to be the first travel blog post. So happy birthday to us, and maybe you too!

In honor of the occasion, travel bloggers worldwide are raising a glass (ok, they were probably doing that anyway), Jeff Greenwald, the author of that first travel blog post, uploaded from the tourism bureau in Oaxaca, Mexico, reflected back on the experience for "Wired."

A recently-released program called Mosaic was revolutionizing what might be possible on the World Wide Web. "What we hope you'll do," the editor [at O'Reilly Media] said, "is write columns for us - from the road. We'll publish them live, on the GNN [Global Network Navigator, O'Reilly's website], where people can read them as you travel." The Travelers' Center, he told me, would include a feature that sounded miraculous: A map would be displayed on their website, with dots showing the locations from where I'd sent back posts. People would simply click on those dots - and see the story I'd written from that location!

Continue reading Travel Blogging Turns 20 Today

Travel Blogging Turns 20 Today originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 06 Jan 2014 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off-Broadway Comedy 'Craving for Travel' Showcases Travel Agents Trying to do the Impossible

Filed under: , ,

Facebook/Craving for Travel

Joanne and Gary, rival travel agents compete for their industry's top honor, the Globel Prize, while trying to address their clients' impossible demands in an Off-Broadway comedy that debuts this week, "Craving for Travel."

The 85-minute, two-actor, 30-character comedy was commissioned and produced by Jim Strong, president of the Dallas-based Strong Travel Services travel agency.

"Travel agents are always asked to do the impossible, and this play shows how that is done, from finding the impossible rooms to making dreams come true," Strong told the "Dallas Morning News." "I decided to bring it to life on stage as a comedy in New York."

From "Craving for Travel's" press release:

With their reputations on the line, travel agents Joanne and Gary will tackle any request, no matter how impossible, and any client, no matter how unreasonable. Full of overzealous travelers, overbooked flights, and hoteliers who are just over it, Craving for Travel reminds us why we travel-and everything that can happen when we do.

"Craving for Travel" opens Thursday at the Peter J. Sharp Theater, where it'll run through Feb. 9. Tickets are $32.50 and $49. They can be purchased at CravingForTravel.com, 212-279-4200 or the Ticket Central Box Office (416 W. 42nd St., 12-8 p.m. daily). More than half of the shows are already sold out.

Continue reading Off-Broadway Comedy 'Craving for Travel' Showcases Travel Agents Trying to do the Impossible

Off-Broadway Comedy 'Craving for Travel' Showcases Travel Agents Trying to do the Impossible originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 07 Jan 2014 10:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top 5 Family Travel Destinations for 2014 (and Possibly Beyond)

Filed under: , , , , , ,

Aol On
Winter break just wrapped up--so it's time to think about what to do when the kids are out of school this summer. Here, the "Wall Street Journal" and Lonely Planet share their top five family travel destinations for 2014. Can't get to these places this year? Don't worry, most of them are likely to still be around in 2015.

Continue reading Top 5 Family Travel Destinations for 2014 (and Possibly Beyond)

Top 5 Family Travel Destinations for 2014 (and Possibly Beyond) originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 09 Jan 2014 13:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skift Acquires Gadling Travel From AOL

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The Skift team -- now the Gadling team, too -- in Iceland this May.
It's been quiet here for a while, but that's about to change.

I'm happy to announce that Gadling is becoming part of the Skift family.

You may have read about us in this Gadling interview when we launched nearly two years ago. Since then, Skift has become the largest travel industry news and information site in the world. Over the short two years of our existence, our brand has become the lingo in travel.

As AOL has decided to focus on MapQuest as the center of its travel strategy, it wanted to find a good home for Gadling.

That's us.

Additionally, we're excited to announce a partnership with MapQuest, leveraging their global mapping platform and collaborating on relevant content. MapQuest serves 40 million multi-platform users every month, providing directions, local search and discovery, and mapping solutions for everyday needs.

"We love what Skift is doing and believe their work leads the market. We look forward to working with Skift to bring great travel content and services to consumers and the travel industry," said Brian McMahon, general manager of MapQuest.

We will take over Gadling's extensive online presence, from the website to its popular social media feeds, and continue to build it as an inspiration and news-you-can-use companion to the business-focused Skift site. We've long been fans of Gadling's style of travel and writing and we're happy to be stepping in now. Gadling will stay as is for a short bit while we tinker behind the scenes.

Stay tuned, we're just getting started.

Share your email, and we'll let you know when Gadling relaunches.

  • Skift Updates

Skift Acquires Gadling Travel From AOL originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 09:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get ready to watch: MLB.TV available for 2019

Spring Training is imminent, Opening Day is within sight and the big league season isn't complete for fans without a subscription to MLB.TV. The most comprehensive streaming service in professional sports is now available for the 2019 season.




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Prospects who should vie for a roster spot

The 30 prospects below all are getting very long looks this spring with an eye toward breaking camp with the parent club. Even if they start the year in the Minors, they all should get the chance to contribute at some point in the very near future.




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Dahl, Rox have confidence in 2019 breakout

Rockies outfielder David Dahl spent last September signing his home runs with his bad dude sashay. He did it then, he'll do it again in 2019.




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Out of options, Tapia must deliver in 2019

Raimel Tapia has renewed opportunity with the Rockies in 2019, along with a need to deliver.




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Desmond confident he'll thrive in move to CF

At an age that is generally considered to be past an athlete's prime, Ian Desmond will try to rely more on his speed as the Rockies move him to center field.




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Call for a review of services for people with neurological disorders




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A real opportunity to improve neurology services in England




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Assessment and management of facial nerve palsy




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Rising drug prices drive US manufacturers’ revenues, analysis finds




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Double vision




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US drug costs are rising faster than overall health spending, officials report




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Environment may play significant role in multiple sclerosis




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US drug makers have imposed big price rises for top selling drugs, study finds




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Australian neuroscientist given two year suspended sentence for falsifying Parkinson's research




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South Dakota illegally placed disabled people in nursing homes, federal investigation finds