Tag Archives: dozen

Technology

Nvidia shows off AI model that turns a few dozen snapshots into a 3D-rendered scene

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Nvidia’s latest AI demo is pretty impressive: a tool that quickly turns a “few dozen” 2D snapshots into a 3D-rendered scene. In the video below you can see the method in action, with a model dressed like Andy Warhol holding an old-fashioned Polaroid camera. (Don’t overthink the Warhol connection: it’s just a bit of PR scene dressing.)

The tool is called Instant NeRF, referring to “neural radiance fields” — a technique developed by researchers from UC Berkeley, Google Research, and UC San Diego in 2020. If you want a detailed explainer of neural radiance fields, you can read one here, but in short, the method maps the color and light intensity of different 2D shots, then generates data to connect these images from different vantage points and render a finished 3D scene. In addition to images, the system requires data about the position of the camera.

Researchers have been improving this sort of 2D-to-3D model for a couple of years now, adding more detail to finished renders and increasing rendering speed. Nvidia says its new Instant NeRF model is one of the fastest yet developed and reduces rendering time from a few minutes to a process that is finished “almost instantly.”

As the technique becomes quicker and easier to implement, it could be used for all sorts of tasks, says Nvidia in a blog post describing the work.

“Instant NeRF could be used to create avatars or scenes for virtual worlds, to capture video conference participants and their environments in 3D, or to reconstruct scenes for 3D digital maps,” writes Nvidia’s Isha Salian. “The technology could be used to train robots and self-driving cars to understand the size and shape of real-world objects by capturing 2D images or video footage of them. It could also be used in architecture and entertainment to rapidly generate digital representations of real environments that creators can modify and build on.” (Sounds like the metaverse is calling.)

Unfortunately, Nvidia didn’t share details on its method, so we don’t exactly how many 2D images are required or how long it takes to render the finished 3D scene (which would also depend on the power of the computer doing the rendering). Still, it seems the technology is progressing quickly and could start having a real-world impact in the years to come.

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US

Over a dozen HBCUs get bomb threats on first day of Black History Month

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More than a dozen historically Black colleges and universities on Tuesday closed campus or cancelled classes due to bomb threats on the first day of Black History Month.

The big picture: It was the second day this week and third in the past month that several HBCUs had received such threats. By Tuesday afternoon, most schools had been cleared and no bombs had been found.

  • House Homeland Security chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a statement on Tuesday night that he was briefed by the FBI on a plan to apprehend those “responsible for this violent threat.”
  • This included coordinating with federal and state officials to ensure the safety of each institution affected by “this act of terrorism,” he added.

What’s happening: According to school officials or authorities, the campuses that received threats on Tuesday include…

What they’re saying: “We take these threats incredibly seriously … our homeland security adviser is in close touch with law enforcement authorities at a federal and local level and we are assessing what we think the origin, the reasoning the motivation behind it,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.

  • “Let me just reiterate that we condemn these disturbing threats and our thoughts are with the students, faculty and staff at these historic institutions.”

Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), a former police chief, wrote Tuesday on Twitter that the threats “demand a response.”

  • “As a former law enforcement officer I’ll keep working to make sure our institutions and law enforcement have the resources they need to keep all of our students and communities safe,” Demings said.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Monday called for “a complete and thorough investigation”

  • “The terror [the threats have] caused raises serious questions about the existence of hate-based violence across our nation and in our communities,” Hoyer added.

Our thought bubble via Axios’ Russell Contreras: The bomb threats come as new data from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism showed a massive spike last year in suspected hate crimes in over a dozen of the largest U.S. cities.

  • HBCUs have long represented important community links to Black Americans and have recently become more diverse with Asian American and Latino students.

The bottom line: “Our history has been one where we have endured all kinds of challenges and disruptions, but we have always emerged stronger,” Morgan State University president David Wilson said in a statement Tuesday.

  • “I’m hopeful that these bomb threats to our National Treasure, and to many of our other sister HBCU institutions, will be aggressively investigated by the FBI,” he added.

Go deeper: At least 6 historically Black colleges receive bomb threats

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional details.



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Business

Krispy Kreme will give blood donors a dozen free doughnuts

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This week, the chain will give away a dozen original glazed doughnuts to people that donated blood to the American Red Cross. The promotion comes after the organization recently announced that it’s dealing with the worst blood shortage in over a decade, with the organization seeing a 10% decrease in donations since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
To receive the free dozen, customers have to order in-person at a Krispy Kreme shop and show their donation sticker or confirmation of their donation on the Red Cross blood donor app. Donating to other blood donation organizations besides the Red Cross will also qualify for the free dozen of doughnuts.
People can find where to donate blood on Red Cross’ website.

Many factors are causing the shortage, including canceled blood drives due to illness and staffing limitations, and an active flu season. Weather-related closures have also prevented some blood drives from taking place. A surge in Covid-19 cases could have also contributed to the ongoing shortage, according to the Red Cross.

Krispy Kreme has tried to promote Covid-19 vaccinations with free doughnuts last year. In March 2021, the chain began its giveaway to encourage people to get vaccinated with a free doughnut a day. It gave away nearly 4 million doughnuts in its effort.

The chain went public last year. Shares are down roughly 25% since its July 1, 2021 debut.

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World

Squirrel put down after attacking more than a dozen people in UK town

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A menacing squirrel linked to attacks against more than a dozen people in a Welsh town over the Christmas holiday was put down this week, according to a report.

The animal seemed friendly back in March when Corrine Reynolds, a resident of Buckley, Flintshire, in northeast Wales, began feeding it. But last week the squirrel – who she used to call Little Buddy – bit her and attacked at least 17 others without provocation, BBC News reported. 

She said she renamed the squirrel Stripe, after a character from the 1984 movie “Gremlins,” following the attacks. 

“In the space of 48 hours he attacked 18 people,” Reynolds told The Guardian. “He started attacking people who are just taking their recycling bags to the bin, and they are quite gruesome injuries.”

“He started attacking people who are just taking their recycling bags to the bin, and they are quite gruesome injuries.”

— Corrine Reynolds, former squirrel feeder

WOMAN FINDS SQUIRREL WEDGED INSIDE SQUIRREL-PROOF BIRD FEEDER 

“Stripe,” similar to the squirrel pictured here, attacked 18 residents within two days. An animal group said it was forced to euthanize the creature after it was caught in a humane trap. 
(iStock)

Reynolds decided to catch Stripe in a humane trap and he was picked up this week by personnel from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The RSPCA said it was forced to euthanize the animal because of a new law. 

“We were incredibly sad to have to put this squirrel to sleep but were left with no choice due to changes in legislation in 2019 making it illegal to release gray squirrels back into the wild,” the RSPCA said. “We do not agree with this law and opposed it, but legally we have to comply.”

The squirrel attacked residents of a neighborhood in Buckley, Flintshire, in Wales. 
(Google Maps)

The RSPCA urged people not to trap squirrels. Instead, the animals can be deterred by blocking access points and keeping bird feed away from them, according to The Guardian. 

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“I feel sad the squirrel has lost his life, but there was nothing else I could do,” Reynolds told the BBC. “The damage he caused was unbelievable.”

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World

Blast in Palestinian camp in south Lebanon injures about a dozen

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BEIRUT, Dec 11 (Reuters) – A large explosion rocked a Palestinian camp in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre on Friday night, injuring about a dozen people, according to rescue workers on the scene and a Palestinian source inside the camp.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported an unspecified number of deaths, but local media and civil defence workers on the scene said there had been no fatalities. A security source also said fatalities had not been recorded.

The NNA reported that the blast emanated from a weapons depot belonging to the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Burj al-Shemali camp. It said a judge had ordered security forces to launch an investigation.

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Hamas said in a statement on Saturday that the blast was cause by an electrical fault in a warehouse containing oxygen and gas cylinders for coronavirus patients, as well as detergents and disinfectants.

A rescue team’s vehicle is seen at the Palestinian camp where an explosion took place, in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre, Lebanon December 10, 2021. REUTERS/Ali Hankir

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The fire damaged some property but losses were limited, the group said.

A number of armed Palestinian factions, including Hamas and the Fatah Movement, hold effective control over roughly a dozen Palestinian camps in the country, which Lebanese authorities by custom do not enter.

The area surrounding the blast had been evacuated and rescue crews had deployed, the Palestinian source said.

Videos from the scene shared by local media show a number of small bright red flashes above the southern city, followed by a large explosion and the sound of glass breaking.

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Reporting by Maha El Dahan, Lilian Wagdy and Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Timour Azhari and Moaz Abd-Alaziz; Editing by Alex Richardson, Sonya Hepinstall and Edmund Blair

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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World

11 killed, more than a dozen wounded in Iraq attack: report

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US

BREAKING NEWS: More Than A Dozen Shot, One Dead After Shootout In St. Paul Bar – WCCO

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — One person has died and more than a dozen others are hurt after a shootout inside a bar on the 200 block of West Seventh Street in St. Paul.

The shooting started just after midnight early Sunday morning at the Seventh Street Truck Park. Police said multiple 911 callers “frantically begged for help” moments after the attack.

(credit: St. Paul Police Department)

One woman who police said was in her 20s died. Fourteen other people were taken to area hospitals for treatment. All of them are expected to survive.

“I can only describe it as hellish,” St. Paul police spokesperson Steve Linders said. “I think about the young woman who died. One minute she’s having a good time, the next minute she’s lying in her friends’ arms who are trying to save her life, and she didn’t make it. I can’t think of anything worse.”

Good Samaritans worked with police to help victims while paramedics made it to the scene.

Police said early Sunday that no suspects have been arrested, but preliminary information indicates there were several shooters. A motive has yet to be determined.

“My heart breaks for the woman who was killed, her loved ones and everyone else who was in that bar this morning,” said St. Paul Chief of Police Todd Axtell. “In an instant, they found themselves caught in a hellish situation. I want them to know that we have the best investigators in the country, and we won’t stop until we find the people responsible for this madness. We will do our part to hold them accountable.”

Police would like anyone who has information about the shooting to call 651-266-5650.

Investigators have not yet publicly identified the woman who died. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy and release her name and cause of death.

Video from YouTube channel Minnesota News Now showed the aftermath outside of the Seventh Street Truck Park.

WARNING: This video from an eyewitness contains material that some viewers might find disturbing.

Mayor Melvin Carter released a statement via Twitter.

“Our community is devastated by the shocking scenes from last night,” Carter said. ” As our Saint Paul officers work to bring those responsible for these senseless acts into custody, our work to build more proactive and comprehensive public safety strategies is more urgent than ever. We will never accept violence in our community.”

This is a developing story.



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US

‘Several dozen’ homes destroyed in explosive Lake County fire

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Several dozen homes were destroyed and one civilian injured in a Northern California wildfire that erupted Wednesday afternoon  in the southeast area of Clearlake, a small city of 15,000 just north of the Bay Area.

“Hopefully we don’t find any things worse than that,” Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin said in a video update on Facebook at 5:45 p.m.

Martin noted that Highways 29 and 53 have reopened with many streets still closed.

The Cache Fire spread rapidly after sparking about 2 p.m., and by 6 p.m., Cal Fire said the burn area was 75 acres and “forward progress has stopped” though all evacuation orders and warnings remained in effect. While the agency said spread was under control, there was no containment. 

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued mandatory evacuation orders when the fire broke out near Dam Road. 

The sheriff’s office said residents in the following zones should evacuate immediately: north of Moran Valley Road and south of Cache Creek, in the zone designated LOW-E159; and north of Main Street and south of Cache Creek, or LOW-E160, as well as zones LOW-E163, LOW-E164 and LOW-E166; CLE-E157-A, south of 18th Avenue and east of State Route 53; and LOW-E169, south of Main Street and Morgan Valley Road and north of Spruce Grove Road.

To find your zone, search by address using this map. 

An evacuation warning is in place for zones LOW-E170, south of Moran Valley Road; LOW-E176, southwest of Spruce Grove Road and north of Henderson Ranch Road; LOW-E167, west of State Route 29; and LOW-E161, west of Highway 53 and north of Highway 29.

A shelter was set up at Kelseyville High School at 5480 Main St. in Kelseyville. 

A series of roads were closed in response to the fire, including SR-53 at Dam Road, Dam Road at Jack in the Box, Main Street at Highway 53, State Route 29 at Siegler Canyon Road and State Route 29 at Spruce Grove Road. 


As of Wednesday at about 3 p.m., what authorities are calling the Cache Fire had expanded to more than 100 acres. Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit is responding to assist with the fire, which is near 6th Avenue and Cache Street in Clearlake, Cal Fire said. 

Authorities said they had called an ambulance for an “elderly burn victim.” No other injuries have been reported. 

Cal Fire urged caution if you are traveling to the area. 

“Additional resources are moving quickly to the Fire and air attack has started,” state Sen. Mike McGuire tweeted. “This is a fast moving incident, please follow evacuation orders.”

According to @CAFireScanner, Lower Lake Elementary is being evacuated.

At least six major wildfires are currently burning in California, according to Cal Fire. The largest fire, called the Dixie Fire, had burned 635,728 acres and was 33% contained as of 7:46 a.m. Wednesday. 

This is a developing story and will be updated. 

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Science

After a dozen flights, NASA’s chopper has yet to come a cropper

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Enlarge / This image depicts the ground tracks of NASA’s Perseverance rover (white) and Ingenuity Mars Helicopter (green) since arriving on Mars on Feb. 18. The upper yellow ellipse depicts the “South Séítah” region, which Ingenuity flew over during its 12th sortie.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s tiny Mars helicopter, which has a fuselage about the size of a small toaster, has successfully flown above the planet for the 12th time.

Nearly half a year after the Perseverance rover landed on Mars, the Ingenuity helicopter is still going strong on the surface of the planet. The small flyer has done so well that it has been separated from Perseverance for some time as it scouts ahead on the red planet.

Ingenuity completed its latest flight on Monday, ascending to 10 meters and flying 450 meters across Mars to investigate what scientists call the “South Séítah” region of Mars. The helicopter was aloft for a total of 169 seconds during Monday’s flight. In its dozen flights, Ingenuity has now covered 2.67 km, which is farther than Perseverance has rolled during nearly six months.

For Monday’s flight, Ingenuity flew out over this intriguing region to scout its boulders and other geological features to help mission scientists determine whether they warrant further scrutiny by Perseverance. After slowing over this area of interest to take photographs, Ingenuity then flew back to its takeoff point. The flight involved significant risk because Ingenuity’s terrain navigation system was designed to fly across nearly flat terrain. Rocky terrain could induce errors in pitch and roll during flight.

“When we choose to accept the risks associated with such a flight, it is because of the correspondingly high rewards,” explained Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity team lead, and Håvard F. Grip, the helicopter’s chief pilot. “Knowing that we have the opportunity to help the Perseverance team with science planning by providing unique aerial footage is all the motivation needed.”

Ingenuity has proven to be a tremendous achievement. For the NASA helicopter team, a single flight would have meant success, and they hoped to perhaps complete three or four before losing Ingenuity. It has now flown a dozen missions and logged 22 minutes in the thin atmosphere above the surface of Mars.

A little more than a century ago, humans flew a powered aircraft above Earth’s surface for the first time at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Ingenuity carries a piece of fabric from the 1903 Wright Flyer. On what world, in which solar system, will a piece of Ingenuity fly a century from now?

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US

About two dozen reports of mysterious health incidents on US personnel in Vienna

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These new reports demonstrate that these mysterious incidents are ongoing, despite commitments from President Joe Biden’s top national security team to double down on investigating the matter.

The New Yorker first reported on the rising reported cases in Vienna.

A handful of the impacted personnel have had to be medevacked from Vienna and are now receiving medical assistance in the US, the sources said.

“In coordination with our partners across the U.S. Government, we are vigorously investigating reports of possible unexplained health incidents (UHI) among the U.S. Embassy Vienna community or wherever they are reported,” a State Department spokesperson said. “Any employees who reported a possible UHI received immediate and appropriate attention and care.”

The State Department has established a team of medical experts that can respond to reports of possible events globally and created an interagency triage tool that standardizes the assessments of these incidents across the various agencies, the spokesperson said.

This summer the department also implemented a pilot baseline program “to collect pre-incident information on our employees in the event of a reported incident,” the spokesperson said. That program is optional for US diplomats, multiple diplomats told CNN.

It is unclear what the State Department is doing to protect the current US personnel in Vienna from future potential attacks, and there are some frustrations about not enough being done at the department to protect their workforce. US diplomats who were not aware of these reported incidents told CNN that these attacks could impact where they decide they want to serve, particularly for diplomats who have children.

There have also been reported incidents of cases in other places around the world, but Vienna is the only place where there is a current cluster of cases, the sources said.

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