Tag Archive for: Facebook

Facebook Blender

Facebook Blender – POWERFUL CHAT BOT

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Facebook have launched a brand new chatbot. It’s called Facebook Blender and it is insanely powerful and very very humanlike. It’s able to demonstrate empathy, knowledge and personality.

Facebook Blender was trained by using available public domain conversations. The conversations that were analysed? 1.5billion different human exchanges. HUGE! In a surprising stat, 49% of people prefer to interact with the chatbot compared with another human!

However, artificial intelligence experts state that using a platform such as Reddit does come with drawbacks. As Facebook Blender would sometimes respond using foul and offensive language, while at other times it would make up facts.

Though researches hope that further models of Blender would address this. A Facebook spokesperson told the BBC:

“We believe that releasing models is essential to enable full, reliable insights into their capabilities,” a Facebook spokesperson said.

Artificial Intelligence expert Dave Coplin, chief executive of consultancy The Envisioners, said that Blender was a “step in the right direction,”

“The first is just how complex it is to replicate all of the nuances of a human attribute, like the ability to hold a conversation, a skill that most three-year-olds can master,”

“The second is around the relationship with the data used to train the model and the results generated by the model.

“As great a platform as Reddit is, training algorithms based on the conversations you find there is going to get you a lot of chaff amongst the wheat.”

Facebook also compared Blender’s performance with the latest version of Meena, Google’s version of a chatbot. It showed 2 sets of conversations, one made with Blender the other Meena. These conversations included different conversations such as movies or veganism. Facebook said that 67% of respondents thought Blender sounded more humanlike than Meena.

“We achieved this milestone through a new chatbot recipe that includes improved decoding techniques, novel blending of skills, and a model with 9.4 billion parameters, which is 3.6x more than the largest existing system.

“This is the first chatbot to blend a diverse set of conversational skills together in one system.”

“Building a truly intelligent dialogue agent that can chat like a human remains one of the largest open challenges in AI today.”

Facebook Blender Example Conversations

Facebook Blender

 

Facebook Blender

 

(BBC)

Get involved with Facebook Blender here and here!

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Episode 351 How Long Will The Bog Roll Last?

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Facebook

Facebook / Instagram lower video quality in EU!

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Following YouTube and Netflix’s decisoin to lower video quality to help European networks deal with demand, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Facebook and Instagram will also temporarily reduce video bitrates in Europe. Therefore helping to handle “bandwidth constraints” and keep people in touch.

The sheer audience sizes of Facebook and Instagram could cause additional strain of users are more active than usual. Facebook had 288M daily users in Europe as of Summer 2019. With many users turning to video chat to keep in touch with people they’d otherwise meet in person.

With the news of reducing video bitrates it might help people work from home and otherwise get the internet services they expect.

“To help alleviate any potential network congestion, we will temporarily reduce bit rates for videos on Facebook and Instagram in Europe. We are committed to working with our partners to manage any bandwidth constraints during this period of heavy demand, while also ensuring people are able to remain connected using Facebook apps and services during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

(Engadget)

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YouTube cuts videos to lower quality during Coronavirus

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YouTube are following in the footsteps of Netflix and will begin capping its data flow during the coronavirus pandemic. YouTube will being limiting all European streams to standard definition to manage the load on it’s network.

This is following advice from the EU Internal Market Commisson. Which was that everyone should limit their streams to standard definition. As it will minimie the network congestion as millions of people will be going online to kill time in isolation.

Thierry Breton from the commission spoke to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki to ensure the measures are put in place.

‘We are making a commitment to temporarily switch all traffic in the EU to standard definition by default.’

‘People are coming to YouTube to find authoritative news, learning content and make connections during these uncertain times,’ a spokeswoman for the video platform said.

‘While we have seen only a few usage peaks, we have measures in place to automatically adjust our system to use less network capacity.

‘We are in ongoing conversations with the regulators (including Ofcom), governments and network operators all over Europe, and are making a commitment to temporarily default all traffic in the UK and the EU to standard definition.

‘We will continue our work to minimise stress on the system, while also delivering a good user experience.’  YouTube Spokesperson

The video streaming service said that there has little change in the peaks for usage. Furthermore seeing changes mostly in usage patterns, with usage expanding across longer hours.

The switch to standard definition should free up traffic on European networks considerably. While Netflix said that they would see a 25% reduction of it’s traffic on Europe’s networks.

Mobile Networks

While mobile networks including O2, EE, Vodafone and Three all began to struggle. As people are starting to work from home. With many customers complaining online that they were unable to make calls. With some claiming business had already began to slow down dramatically.

‘Today the industry experienced an issue that meant some calls between different networks were unable to connect. Specifically, O2, Vodafone and Three were unable to connect to EE and EE customers were unable to connect to O2, Vodafone and Three.

‘At a time when the country needs connectivity most, it is important we work together rather than pointing fingers before facts have been determined.

‘As this was a problem for a multiple networks, there is a National Emergency Alert for Telecommunications and Ofcom call at 2:30pm this afternoon to determine the route of the issue to ensure this doesn’t happen again.’ O2 spokesperson told Metro

Furthermore YouTube also confirmed it was introducing a new area on its homepage. Which is dedicated to news about Covid-19 from trustworthy sources.

(Metro)

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Zoom Q2n-4K

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We recently had James Haskell on the show and he told us about an amazing piece of kit! The Zoom Q2n-4k! It combines unrivaled audio with crisp 4K imaging making for an amazing little device! Revolutionising rehearsals, performances and live streams!

You can capture a full band, or a solo act or anything you want with five field of view settings. Plus the 150 degree lens and colour LCD will allow you to easily frame the perfect shot! Furthermore it’s in 4K Ultra HD resolution!

Features of Zoom Q2n-4K

The Zoom Q2n-4K has X/Y stereo microphones which will handle everything you throw at it easily! The Q2n-4k has a high dynamic range technology which will automatically the exposure. Making sure your lighting won’t blow out the shot.

12 ‘Scene’ presets will allow you to record in a range of different environments. Such as Jazz Clib Concert Light and Dance Club. There’s also an “Auto” setting which will detect your lighting and select the appropriate balance for you.

Love your sound? Monitor the audio via the 1/8″ stereo output jack! Connect it to a HDTV witht the HDMI Video Output. Plus get 4x the recording time with the BCQ-2n battery case! It can also be powered by any 3rd party USB Power supply.

Streaming

Stream to all platforms such as Twitch, YouTube or Facebook. Furthermore you can output the Zoom Q2n-4k’s audio to your iOS device for mobile podcasting and streaming!

Video and audio file types

Video (with audio) is recorded as a MPEG-4 (MOV) file.

When using the “Camera Off” mode, audio data can be saved independently in uncompressed WAV format (up to 24-bit/96 kHz).

Extended recording times

The Q2n-4K can record on microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC cards. While if you use a microSDXC card, you can record longer sessions (up to 256 GB) as a single file!

Specifications Zoom Q2n-4K

  • High-quality 150° wide-angle lens (f2.8/15.2 mm)
  • 12 ‘Scene’ options for use in different lighting environments, including ‘Auto’ setting that intelligently adapts to your environment
  • Built-in X/Y stereo microphones capable of handling sound levels up to 120 dB SPL
  • Can be used as standalone audio recorder with data saved in WAV format up to 24-bit/96 kHz
  • 5 field of view (FOV) settings
  • Records directly to microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC cards up to 256 GB for extended recording times
  • Easy one-button recording
  • Color LCD

Cont…

  • Support for three HD video modes: 720p, 1080p and 4K
  • Video bitrates up to 76 Mbps for improved image quality
  • Frame rates: 4K/30fps, 4K/25fps, 4K/24fps, 1080p/60fps, 1080p/50fps, 1080p/30fps, 1080p/25fps, 1080p/24fps, 720p/30fps, 720p/25fps
  • HDMI video output for connection to HDTVs, selectable between NTSC and PAL
  • Records video (with audio) in MOV format
  • Analog-style level control with onscreen digital metering
  • Auto Gain function gives automatic control over audio input level
  • Stereo input for use with external devices plus support for plug-in power
  • Headphone/line-level output for fast audio monitoring
  • Low-cut filter for the elimination of low-frequency noise and rumble
  • USB interface for live streaming and data transfer
  • Compatible with OBS Open Broadcaster Software, Skype and other popular streaming applications
  • USB mic function (with low-latency direct monitoring) when used with computers and iOS devices (Apple Camera Connection Kit or Lightning to USB Camera Adapter required for use with iOS devices)
  • Operates with two AA batteries
  • Built-in standard tripod mount

Purchase one by clicking here!

Listen to the guys chatting about this by clicking here! 

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345 Am I The Asshole?

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Facebook rudely translating Chinese President’s name?!

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Facebook has apologised for translating the Chinese President’s (She Jinping’s) name as “Mr Shithole”. During his visit to Mi-yan-mar this week. The company said the incident was due to a “technical issue” that caused incorrect translations from Burmese to English on Facebook.

Facebook and their Awkward Situation

The technical error produced a rather embarrassing and awkward situation for all the parties involved. As part of his visit to the  Mi-yan-mar, President “SHE”  met with a State Counsellor Ang san suu chi to sign various infrastructure agreements backed by China. A post about the visit was published to suu chi’s official Facebook page, which meant that it was loaded with references to “Mr Shithole” when translated to English.

Additionally, according to Reuters, a headline from the local news site The Irrawaddy was translated as, “Dinner honors president shithole.”

Facebook said it had fixed the technical issue. Reuters reported that Google’s translation system did not produce the same error.

“This should not have happened and we are taking steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again,” Facebook said in a statement to Reuters. “We sincerely apologise for the offence this has caused.”

Facebook explained that the error occurred because its system did not have President SHE’s name in its Burmese database. So it guessed the translation. After running translation tests, the company found that its system also translated similar words. Which start with “SHE” and “shi” in Burmese to “shithole” in English.

Kenneth Wong, a Burmese language instructor at the University of California, Berkeley, told The New York Times that he could understand why a machine would have made that translation error. Wong said that President SHE’s name sounds similar to “chi kyin phyin,”. Which roughly translates to “faeces hole buttocks” in Burmese.

 

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2000 VS 2020

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So 2020 is right around the corner, which is a whole 20 years ago! So our friends over at OnePlus decided to compare what we did with technology to what we do currently and beyond. It’s quite eye opening to see how far we’ve come since the year 2000 and the Millenium Bug. Who remembers THAT! How scared were we? For nothing! Anyhow, without further adieu check out below how far we’ve come!

2020 vs 2000 – In 2000 we:

  1. Played snake….in 2020 we play the piano on the OnePlus 7T Pro
  2. Blackberry messaged….in 2020 we say what’s up on Whatsapp
  3. Called a premium rate number to get a ringtone such as Ms. Jackson, in 2020 our phone is on perma-mute
  4. An sms costs around 12p….in 2020 the only people who send sms are Dominos (but who can resist 50% off?)
  5. Our mobile phone batteries lasted around three days….in 2020, we’re shouting across the office “who’s got a charger I can borrow?”
  6. The o2 was called the Millenium Dome and o2 was called BT Cellnet…and in 2020 the Millennium Dome & BT Cellnet are both called o2 – Orange is now EE and One2One is now T-Mobile
  7. We had to use a digital camera to take a phone, as camera phones didn’t exist… in 2020 digital what! Camera phone cameras are so advanced, there’s no need for a traditional camera of a lower res
  8. Apps meant a uni or job application… in 2020 the app market is worth an estimated $71.3 billion
  9. We used to upload our holiday photos from a digital camera into Facebook albums…nowadays we let everyone know we’re on holiday by posting our hotdog legs and pina colada on Instagram
  10. We walked around with a mobile phone and a Diskman…we currently stream til’ our heart’s content on a smartphone

Credit: OnePlus

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Limetown – Watch on Facebook Watch

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Limetown | Official Trailer

People vanish. The truth doesn’t. Jessica Biel stars in Limetown, a new show based on the #1 podcast. Starting October 16, only on Facebook Watch.

Posted by Limetown on Wednesday, 4 September 2019

Limetown now has a trailer, it’s the first trailer for a Facebook Watch mystery series. It’s a 10 part episodic series which is based on a podcast by the same name.

There are some huge names involved, Jessica Biel stars and is executive producer of the show. It will premier at the Toronto International Film Festival and the very first two episodes will launch on October 16th.

Limetown – What is it?

Limetown is a series which follows American Public Radio journalist Lia Haddock. Lia Haddock is trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of 300 people at a neuroscience research facility in Tennessee.

Other HUGE names involved in Limetown are Stanley Tucci, Marlee Matlin, Kelly Jenrette and John Beasley.

(Engadget)

It will be interesting to see if people take to Facebook Watch with episodic content. How many of you guys use Facebook Watch? Let us know via our socials! @howtokillanhour

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uefa champions league

Uefa Champions League Facebook Streaming!

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Facebook the social media giant are making giant moves in the video world. Facebook already have secured the rights to stream 2019/20 Premier League season of football in Asia in a £200M deal which was secured in July. This is leading on from Facebook’s previous foray into sports streaming. They’ve already live streamed MLS and La Liga matched previously. Consequently they are making more moves into making them more than just a social media giant. Facebook have secured the rights to stream the Uefa Champions League for free between 2018 and 2021.

While this sounds great and is a wonderful move in the right direction for the company, there is some limits. While this is groundbreaking Facebook will only broadcast 32 games per season. Yet the social media giant will share highlights and magazine programming each week.

Football fans in Latin America were able to view the UEFA Super Cup on August 15th and it will also include future Super Cups alongside the finals. Furthermore this deal will give Facebook Free-To-Air exclusivity, so you’ll need to pay for a TV service or similar to view. If you don’t have Facebook that is.

Facebook hired Eurosport chief Peter Hutton for this very reason, even if the deal isn’t as great as it looks on the outset. Yet it’s a step in the right direction. Facebook have successfully streamed live sports in the past and deals like this one prove that. Who would’ve thought you could watch sport on Facebook just 2-3 years ago. (Engadget)

Who knows, we may be seeing Premier League games or Uefa Champions League games in the UK on Facebook in the near future!?

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