A new text generator driven by artificial intelligence is apparently so good that its creators have decided not to make it publicly available. The tool was created by OpenAI, a non-profit research firm whose backers include Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and Reid Hoffman and which was founded with the mission of “discovering and enacting the path to safe artificial general intelligence.” But now OpenAI is concerned that something these well-intentioned researchers built could easily be misused, fearing that it would be dangerous in the wrong hands. Read full story here: The Writing Of This AI Is So human That Its Creators…
Read MoreMonth: February 2019
Petition Calls For U.S. To Sell Montana To Canada For $1 trillion To Reduce National Debt | CTV News
It already borders three Canadian provinces and has a diverse terrain of Rocky Mountains and Great Plains that mirror those in Alberta and Saskatchewan. After the U.S. national debt soared to more than $22 trillion earlier this month, a man named Ian Hammond launched a petition on Change.org last week to sell Montana to Canada for $1 trillion to reduce the national debt. Red full story here: Petition Calls For U.S. To Sell Montana To Canada For $1 trillion To Reduce National Debt | CTV News
Read MoreMachines vs. Cashiers: Why Shoppers Are So Divided Over Self-Checkout | CBC News
More than a million people clicked on a CBC News story last week about some retail stores removing their self-checkout machines. Thousands of readers also left comments, many staunchly taking a stand either for or against self-checkout. The machines are now ubiquitous in many large retail stores, yet self-checkout remains a divisive issue among Canadians. “A lot of people do see self-checkout as a threat to workers,” said Sylvain Charlebois, a professor at Halifax-based Dalhousie University specializing in food distribution and policy. Read full story here: Machines vs. Cashiers: Why Shoppers Are So Divided…
Read MoreSocial Engineering Is The New Method Of Choice For Hackers. Here’s How It Works. | CBC News
It happened to Erynn Tomlinson. The former cryptocurrency executive lost about $30,000 in cryptocurrency after hackers used a few of her personal details during interactions with Rogers customer service representatives to ultimately gain access to her account. “I don’t know how to describe it. I was sort of in shock at the whole thing,” said Tomlinson about realizing hackers stole savings she was planning on using for a mortgage. Read full story here: Social Engineering Is The New Method Of Choice For Hackers. Here’s How It Works. | CBC News
Read MoreReceipts Expose Retail Workers, Consumers To ‘Worrying’ Levels Of Cancer-Linked Chemicals: Study | CTV News
Cashiers across Canada are being exposed to “worrying” levels of BPA and BPS — hormone disrupting industrial chemicals that have been linked to diabetes, obesity, ADHD and breast and prostate cancers — by simply handling thermal paper receipts, according to the results of a new experiment by Environmental Defence Canada. (CTV News) “These slips of paper are covertly exposing cashiers to worrying levels of hormone disrupting BPA and BPS every day,” Muhannad Malas, toxics program manager at EDC, said in the study. “But it doesn’t have to be this way.”…
Read MoreApple Tells App Developers To Disclose Or Remove Screen Recording Code | TechCrunch
Apple is telling app developers to remove or properly disclose their use of analytics code that allows them to record how a user interacts with their iPhone apps — or face removal from the app store, TechCrunch can confirm. In an email, an Apple spokesperson said: “Protecting user privacy is paramount in the Apple ecosystem. Our App Store Review Guidelines require that apps request explicit user consent and provide a clear visual indication when recording, logging, or otherwise making a record of user activity.” Read full story here: Apple Tells App…
Read MoreHarassment, Sexual Assault Among Alleged Misconduct By Border Agents Investigated By CBSA | CBC News
The Canada Border Services Agency, which has the authority to detain and search Canadians and carry out deportations, investigated 1,200 allegations against its own staff over a two and a half year period from January 2016 to the middle of 2018. Documents obtained by CBC News through an access to information request describe a wide range of alleged offences among agency staff, including criminal association, excessive force and using “inappropriate sexual language.” Read full story here: Harassment, Sexual Assault Among Alleged Misconduct By Border Agents Investigated By CBSA | CBC News
Read More‘It’s Just Gouging’: WestJet Charges $30 Checked Bag Fee In US Dollars, Sparking Complaints | CBC News
Some WestJet passengers are crying foul after getting hit with a $30 checked bag fee charged in U.S. dollars. “This is a pretty sneaky and dirty way to squeeze extra money out of your customers,” said Taryn Zielke who recently had to pay the fee. On Aug. 28, WestJet began charging baggage fees in U.S. dollars for return flights from the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean. Read full story here: ‘It’s Just Gouging’: WestJet Charges $30 Checked Bag Fee In US Dollars, Sparking Complaints | CBC News
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