James' World 2

Click the link below the picture

.

The tech industry might be reeling from a wave of layoffs, a dramatic crypto-crash, and ongoing turmoil at Twitter, but despite those clouds, some investors and entrepreneurs are already eyeing a new boom—built on artificial intelligence that can generate coherent text, captivating images, and functional computer code. But that new frontier has a looming cloud of its own.

A class-action lawsuit filed in a federal court in California this month takes aim at GitHub Copilot, a powerful tool that automatically writes working code when a programmer starts typing. The coder behind the suit argues that GitHub is infringing copyright because it does not provide attribution when Copilot reproduces open-source code covered by a license requiring it.

The lawsuit is at an early stage, and its prospects are unclear because the underlying technology is novel and has not faced much legal scrutiny. But legal experts say it may have a bearing on the broader trend of generative AI tools. AI programs that generate paintings, photographs, and illustrations from a prompt, as well as text for marketing copy, are all built with algorithms trained on previous work produced by humans. 

.

Illustration: Jacqui VanLiew; Getty Images

.

.

Click the link below for the article:

.

__________________________________________

Click the link below the picture

.

It feels like I’m working every day just to survive. I’m really scared about the future. If things get any worse and prices go up further, I don’t know how I’ll be able to live.’

These are the words of Mary, a 45-year-old nurse from North London. Hers is the kind of response I’ve become accustomed to when I ask nurses about the cost of living crisis, and one that encapsulates just how tough things have become—not only for nurses but for workers across every sector, as the crisis continues to bite.

The fight for survival, as Mary describes it, has become more pronounced in the past year or so. But it’s been a problem for far longer, with NHS staff bearing the brunt of their sector being under-resourced and neglected for years. Between 2011 and 2021, NHS nurses’ average basic earnings fell by five percent in real terms, and excessive workloads have become a chronic issue. Now, with further real terms pay cuts on the cards, many have reached their breaking point.

‘I feel angry,’ says Mary. ‘NHS workers like me were classed as essential during the pandemic. Politicians applauded us and sang our praises, but when it comes to a pay rise, they change their tune quicker than anything.’

.

Between 2011 and 2021, NHS nurses’ average basic earnings fell by five percent in real terms, and excessive workloads have become a chronic issue. (Getty Images)

.

.

Click the link below for the article:

.

__________________________________________

Some content on this page was disabled on April 15, 2025 as a result of a DMCA takedown notice from Guardian Media Group. You can learn more about the DMCA here:

https://wordpress.com/support/copyright-and-the-dmca/

Click the link below the picture

.

You know the holidays are here when Amazon, FedEx, and UPS delivery trucks flood the streets, dropping off packages of all shapes and sizes on doorsteps and in apartment lobbies. But this telltale sign of the holiday shopping season also means that porch pirates will be on the prowl, snatching up those packages faster than the Grinch on Christmas Eve.

In fact, 11 percent of Americans had at least one package stolen from their home in the previous year, according to a September 2021 Consumer Reports nationally representative survey (PDF) of 2,341 adults. Among that group, 64 percent had a package stolen at least twice in the previous year.

Our survey also found that a number of socio-demographic variables factor into whether you’re likely to have a package stolen. Package theft was more common in multifamily dwellings than single-family homes, as well as in urban areas (16 percent) than in suburban (9 percent) and rural areas (8 percent). It was also reported more frequently by younger individuals and lower-income households, with 21 percent of affected respondents making less than $30,000 per year and falling within the 18-to-29 age bracket, compared with 8 percent of those making $30,000+ per year and 9 percent of Americans 30 and older.

.

Photo: iStock

.

.

Click the link below for the article:

.

__________________________________________

Click the link below the picture

.

.

Melissa Heikkilä via Lensa

.

.

Click the link below for the article:

.

__________________________________________

Click the link below the picture

.

Buying a home in the colder months is often a smart move, but this year is a bugger. A new report from real-estate firm Redfin shows that on average, a record 2% of the homes for sale on the U.S. market were pulled from listings every week in the 12 weeks leading up to Nov. 20. For buyers and sellers alike, that might sound alarming. Here is what’s going on.

Why is this happening?

Redfin analyzed MLS data from 43 of the 50 most populated metropolitan areas in the country, determining sellers are delisting their properties because they’re not getting offers at their preferred price—or in some cases, no offers at all. The monthly mortgage payment on the median-asking-price home is also 40% higher right now than it was a year ago.

While there might have been a housing market frenzy last year, it looks like that has really slowed down. Home prices spiked during the height of the pandemic, leading to “pandemic boomtowns,” but those locations—like Sacramento, Calif. and Austin, Texas—are seeing the biggest declines in listings now.

.

Photo: pryzmat (Shutterstock)

.

.

Click the link below for the article:

.

__________________________________________