To increase its advertising revenue, YouTube recently decided to ban video playback if you use an ad blocker. But there is an extension that gets around the problem. And it's free!
Anyone who regularly visits YouTube will probably have noticed: for a few weeks now, the streaming platform has been requiring you to watch advertisements before you even start playing a video. And if it is a bit long, the reading is still regularly interspersed with other announcements. These advertising sequences are not new: thanks to them, YouTube finances its services if you use them for free, which is the case in most parts of the world. Only subscribers to the premium tariff, which is billed at 12.99 euros per month, are of course exempt from this – that is actually the main advantage of this rather expensive package…
However, for years it has been possible to avoid these often annoying advertisements by using an ad blocker in the form of an extension (or plugin) that is grafted onto a web browser to add functionality. And there are many extensions (for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and others) that are responsible for blocking the countless ads that appear on websites and especially on YouTube. The most famous are AdBlock, AdlBloc Plus, AdBlock Ultimate. AdGuard, Poper Blocker or even Ghostery.
However, although YouTube has been very tolerant towards them, the platform recently decided to block the blockers. Once one of these modules is detected, a warning will appear on the screen and video playback will not be possible until the blocking is disabled. An understandable decision, as the free service is only compensated for when the advertising is displayed. And YouTube is taking advantage of not encouraging those who don't want to see ads to switch to the paid plan.
In fact, it is now virtually impossible to watch videos on YouTube for free without ads. Admittedly, there are a few workarounds, including using the special YT Siphon extension, which fetches the feed for display on another website. Effective, but not very practical in everyday life.
Fortunately, one ad blocker still evades the platform's new measures: uBlock Origin. This free and open source module is both very easy to use and very effective and exists as an extension for the major web browsers, namely Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera and even Safari. Simply install it in the browser and it will work without any adjustments. And for some unknown reason, YouTube hasn't blocked it yet and is removing all ads before and during video playback! Not bad, especially a software module that is still regularly maintained by its original developer Raymond Hill – that deserves thanks.
DOWNLOAD UBLOCK ORIGIN (FREE)
Lightweight and discreet, uBlock Origin absolutely does not interfere with web surfing. Most importantly, it effectively blocks all ads, whether still or animated, on all websites and even trackers, and adds a layer of protection that warns when a link leads to another website. This is not the only advantage of this renowned blocker, highly appreciated by experts, which can be deactivated in an instant if necessary and has many optional functions to refine the settings on specific websites. Suffice it to say, if you try it, you'll embrace it! So of course it doesn't mean that uBlock Origin will stay on YouTube forever, but it's better to use it as long as it is tolerated by the platform if you no longer want to “suffer” from ads on every video!
The Aging Well at Home program offered by Carrefour Community Francophone de London (CCFL) aims to help French-speaking seniors in the region age safely at home with physical support. In addition to the existing transportation service for medical appointments, daily errands and CCFL activities, new services will be launched soon.
In 2024, there will be a ready-made meal delivery service once a month, access to Franco-Santé London and virtual healthcare, 30-60 minute phone calls to combat loneliness among the elderly, and a home troubleshooting service in the event of a technical problem, with the intervention of specialized volunteers to solve computer problems such as hardware installation, software updates, virus removal or phone difficulties.
Thanks to the volunteer takeover, the CCFL will also provide a respite for natural caregivers, leaving time for daily activities, light cleaning service (vacuum cleaner, dishes, etc.) and housekeeping service. Maintenance outside the home (lawn mowing, snow removal) as well as social home visits from volunteers who want to provide moral support in their activities or to break out of isolation.
CCFL is excited to offer new services for French-speaking seniors. The organization is always looking for volunteers to help with implementation. To as a volunteer or senior, consult the CCFL website. ccflondon.ca/bien-vieillir-chez-soi, Call 519 673-1977 or email [email protected].
Photo (CCFL): The CCFL shuttle makes it possible, among other things, to accompany seniors to their doctor's appointments
NordPass strengthens its personal data protection system with the launch of an improved version of its dedicated scanner.
With this new version the popular one becomes Password manager expands monitoring Bank card numbers. This guarantees instant notifications. This new update from North Passintends to optimize your online security.
Details about new features
Good news for your privacy! Password manager NordPass has just launched a new, improved version of its security scanner. From now on, in addition to your email addresses, your credit card numbers will also be monitored.
Goal: to offer you maximum protection against data leaks. Thanks to this more comprehensive scanner, NordPass will be able to do this proactively detect if your sensitive personal information has been compromised on the dark web or elsewhere. This increased monitoring is of course carried out while respecting your privacy. In fact, NordPass does not store any of your data in plain text on its servers.
With this update you can count on improved security and privacy. An excellent initiative by NordPass to protect you from hacks and data leaks.
At a time when online banking transactions are increasing, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to check whether your banking details have been exposed online. Thanks to its new scanner, NordPass guarantees you real-time alerts in the event of your card numbers being compromised, so you can react immediately and limit the damage.
But that's not all. Even if you're not directly affected, the scanner will also notify you of general data breaches detected across the Internet. You therefore benefit from an overview of threats in terms of hacker attacks and the loss of personal data. Enough to strengthen your vigilance and take appropriate protective measures to better protect your sensitive information online.
With NordPass, benefit from a strong ally that monitors your banking details 24/7!
Why use NordPass?
NordPass uses the state-of-the-art encryption to secure yours Passwords and other sensitive data. Its architecture Zero knowledge even prevents NordPass employees from accessing your data. Additionally, biometric authentication further increases security since only you have access to your password vault.
In addition, NordPass has been audited by independent experts. Currently it is used by more than 3.8 million people as well as by more than 4,400 companies worldwide.
With this new update to its privacy scanner, NordPass continues to promote digital privacy and security.
It's only January, but the good news for gamers keeps coming. Apple finally allows cloud gaming on the iPhone. This is a significant step forward considering Apple's position on this concept. In fact, the smartphone giant has always been cautious about these cloud platforms.
Apple is finally entering the cloud gaming arena. The company then joins references such as Xbox Game Pass or Nvidia GeForce Now. You can play several current games on your smartphone, even without much storage space. And experts say Apple's cloud gaming offers a better experience for gamers.
A blessing for developers
“Developers can now Offer a unique application able to stream all the games offered in their catalog,” excerpt from Apple’s press release.
Apple just announced this good news along with other updates January 25th. However, these improvements were focused on developers.
The cloud gaming giants can then distribute their software on Apple devices. From now on there will be a native application on iOS. And this progress makes things much easier for gamers. Previously, you had to use standard browsers instead of a dedicated platform.
Furthermore, the DMA (Digital Market Acts) contributed to this Apple innovation. In fact, the Cupertino company should respect these measures to conquer the European market.
Apple Cloud Gaming: The Future of Streaming Gaming?
The Californian giant didn't mince words when presenting this innovation. Offers Apple's cloud gaming platform a unique experience for players.
“Applications will also be possible provide better discovery options for streaming gamesMini-apps, mini-games, chatbots and plug-ins included in their apps.”
Some specialists quickly analyzed this statement. And based on Apple's habits, This cloud gaming platform doesn't stop at the iPhone. Streaming games will soon also be available accessible from theAppleTV. However, the Cupertino company has not yet confirmed this hypothesis.
However, gamers are eager to play the latest games on Apple TV. There is enough to be had a good connection and a 4K TV. Alan Wake II will then be one of the most anticipated titles on this platform. Fortnite and Roblox will also be there.
And that's not all… Apple still has surprises in store
Gamers Wonder: Will Apple Integrate Other Cloud Gaming Platforms (GeForce Now and Xbox Game Pass) on iOS? The answer is a resounding yes. The American company opens the doors to these streaming game giants.
We're just waiting for approval from Microsoft and Nvidia. And these two companies won't be long in coming. In fact, they have already made their platforms easier to access via Safari. Soon games will be accessible through native applications.
A team of researchers has invented a revolutionary process that makes it possible to create images that resemble the visions of animals. Many people do not see the same colors as we do, such as birds, bees or mice.
You've probably wondered how your dog or cat sees the world. Like many animals, they don't see it the way we do. Biologists have known this for a long time, but for the first time, a team has brought this knowledge to life with photos and videos that take the eyesight of specific animals into account live. We still have to wait a little longer for pets, but their unprecedented demonstration already makes us understand a little more the world of birds or insects.
Incredible technology
When it comes to color, it's all a matter of the visible light spectrum, which is specific to each species. That's the case with us wavelengths that we can see vary between approximately 400 and 700 nanometers. But this is not the case with other species, because in the animal kingdom there are many different views, specific to the survival of each animal. In their eyes, the combination of light receptors is not the same as ours. So when sunlight and its UV radiation reflect from the environment and objects, the visible result changes depending on the visual abilities of a bee or a mouse. Humans can see green colors well, while dogs only see blue and green, and birds have a strong sensitivity to ultraviolet light, making their vision even more contrasting and rich than ours.
This is shown, for example, by researchers from the University of Sussex and George Mason University in Virginia in the journal PLOS Biology Birds I don't really see the “blue” sky, but “UV blue”, which they represented by a purple hue. At the BeesTheir vision is adjusted to help them find flowers faster, so they are more sensitive to certain UV spectra what we are not clear about. Scientists demonstrate this sensitivity in a video in which we see a man applying sunscreen to his arm right next to a flower. The flower is seen by the bee as a bright yellow, just like sunscreen, which reflects UV radiation and therefore appears in the complex light frequencies that pollinators detect.
Defense mechanism
“We have long been fascinated by how animals see the world,” study lead author Daniel Hanley told the Chron. “Modern techniques in sensory ecology allow us to draw conclusions about how static scenes might appear to an animal. However, animals often make crucial decisions regarding moving targets.” So the video shows the movement of a caterpillar as a predator would see it. To us it is a green caterpillar with black and yellow markings, but to some animals the latter would be a bright red-orange color. In the animal kingdom, such nuances mean danger, a certain toxicity. Many species animal and plant have developed such a color-related protective mechanism called aposematism. A defense that can prove effective.
Daniel Hanley/PLOS
To obtain these results, the biologists used two cameras, one recording visible light and the other recording ultraviolet light using a special box. Everything ends up in software they programmed that processes the images so that they reflect a specific animal perspective. According to New Scientist's Daniel Hanley, the method can work on many insects, spiders, lizards, turtles, birds and mammals.
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ChatGPT was launched in late November 2022 and quickly surprised the world with its amazing performance. The text generation application was able to deceive many readers, even the most attentive ones, because they were unable to distinguish texts created by artificial intelligence (AI) from those written by a human. But how could what many thought was impossible yesterday become reality so quickly?
“The explanation for this rapid rise of artificial intelligence and ChatGPT can be viewed as a triangle, the three vertices of which are equally important. First, the computing power of computers has increased dramatically. Second, the amount of quality data for training neural networks has exploded. Thirdly, there have been several innovations in the architecture of neural networks,” explains Professor Nicolas Doyon.
Nicolas Doyon, professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and researcher at the CERVO Research Center, explained the rise of AI and Chat GPT in his talk “The Mathematical Secrets of ChatGPT”. (Provided by Laval University)
At the invitation of the Continuing Education Department of the Faculty of Science and Technology to hold a general public conference on this topic, this professor from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and researcher at the CERVO Research Center spoke about some milestones in the history of AI and certain scientific and mathematical principles popularized, on which the success of the famous computer application rests.
A champion chess machine
One of the greatest achievements in artificial intelligence dates back to 1996, when the computer Deep Blue managed to beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov. Deep Blue was programmed to create a tree of possibilities, assign a value to the final positions of the tree's various branches, and then determine the best possible move.
However, this approach, which worked well in chess, was less suitable for the game of Go, whose board forms a 19 x 19 grid – providing many more possibilities for moves than chess' 8 x 8 format. The tree of possibilities became too large even for a computer. “That’s why,” says Nicolas Doyon, “the researchers then said to themselves: ‘This doesn’t correspond to the way we think at all.’ How could we take inspiration from the way the human brain and neurons work to improve artificial intelligence? »»
Mimic neurons
By studying how human neurons work, we found that they do not respond to all messages they receive. A message must reach a minimum threshold for the neuron to emit a so-called action potential, which always has the same strength and shape regardless of the intensity of the original message. This action potential is passed on to the next neuron via a synapse. It's an all-or-nothing law.
However, synapses are not just used to transfer information from one neuron to another; Their plasticity would play a central role in learning. In fact, researchers have found that the connection strength of synapses changes over time. “Simply put: the more frequently a synapse is used, i.e. the more it transmits an action potential to the next neuron, the stronger it becomes.” Under the microscope we can clearly see that the dendritic spine, an area of the neuron, becomes larger, when a person learns. In short, by getting bigger and stronger, the synapse gradually changes the way we think,” explains the professor.
How can these biological facts be represented mathematically? “One way to transfer the all-or-nothing law into mathematics,” answers Nicolas Doyon, “is to use the Heaviside function.” In mathematics, functions often go continuously from 0 to 1. “The Heaviside function, on the other hand,” he explains, “is a function that has the value 0 until the input to the function reaches a certain threshold. Then suddenly it goes to 1.”
All or nothing can be represented mathematically by the Heaviside function. (Provided by Laval University)
“To illustrate the role of the synapses,” he adds, “we assign weights to the different inputs of the neuron.” From the graph, we can see that after determining the numerical values of the inputs, we assign these values to the weight of the synapse, add the results of these multiplications to obtain a weighted sum, and finally we check whether this output value meets the required threshold, resulting in 0 or 1.
“To illustrate the role of synapses, we assign weights to the different inputs of the neuron,” explains Professor Nicolas Doyon. (Provided by Laval University)
Train the network
In recent years, artificial intelligence has made major breakthroughs thanks to the development of deep learning. “We now work with neural networks with several layers: an input layer, intermediate layers and an output layer. Between a neuron in one layer and a neuron in another layer there is a connection strength, also called synaptic weight, and as the network learns, each of these weights is adjusted,” notes Nicolas Doyon.
And how does the network learn? Through training, the researcher states. Consider the case of a neural network tasked with confirming whether the photo is that of a cat or a dog. We will assign a value of 0 to the cat and a value of 1 to the dog. To train the network, we will use thousands or even millions of images of these little creatures and examine the percentage of well-classified images. If the network does not give the correct answer, it did not get the correct output value because the synaptic weights were not well matched. We will therefore continue to adjust these weights until we achieve a very high success rate.
But how do I adjust the weights? “One of the things we use is the gradient descent method. To illustrate this, we can imagine a person trying to descend to the base of a mountain as quickly as possible. This is easy to imagine if there are only two inputs. On the x-axis we represent the success rate associated with different weights by which we multiplied the first entry, and on the y-axis we represent the success rate associated with different weights by which we multiplied the second entry. The error is displayed on the Z axis. Then it is possible to visualize the point where the error is smallest and try to adjust the weights so that they move in that direction,” explains Professor Doyon, who adds in the same breath that the principle, Although always the same, it is more difficult to visualize in reality when the number of parameters to be adjusted is in the millions or even billions.
We adjust the synaptic weights using the gradient descent method. (Provided by Laval University)
Math and reading at the heart of ChatGPT
The exact numbers are of course not disclosed publicly, but we can estimate that ChatGPT needs to adapt a network of 60 to 80 billion neurons, 96 layers and 175 billion weights. For comparison: there are around 85 billion neurons in the human brain. “The comparison remains a bit lame,” agrees Nicolas Doyon, “because our neurons are not quite similar to artificial neurons, but we are roughly in the same order of magnitude.”
When the computer application is asked to define itself, it responds: “ChatGPT uses a deep neural network structure. It is important to note that ChatGPT does not possess deep understanding or self-awareness. The answers are based solely on the statistical probabilities of the words or phrases.” To generate a text, ChatGPT calculates the probabilities that another word sequence will follow from a word sequence and then suggests the most likely sequence.
To achieve this, ChatGPT had to train billions of data points. The content of this reading is of course subject to confidentiality. However, it can be assumed that the network was trained on over 300 billion words. “If you read 300 words per page and one page per minute 24 hours a day, you would have to read for 1900 years to absorb that much information,” explains the mathematician, to get an idea of the scale of the problem, using the library as a basis for learning ChatGPT.
“If you read 300 words per page and one page per minute 24 hours a day, you would have to read for 1,900 years to absorb that much information.”
– Nicolas Doyon on the supposed 300 billion words that make up the ChatGPT training database
Between amazement and fear
ChatGPT's sometimes breathtaking performance captures the imagination of some who see the future as a science fiction movie where artificial intelligences dominate the world. However, it is not this scenario that worries those among scientists who would like to see greater regulation of AI development. Rather, their intention is to prevent certain slips associated with human use. They also want us to take the time to better understand and analyze the negative impacts of this technology.
“What could possibly go wrong? Apparently students can use ChatGPT to cheat. Plus, people can lose their jobs. Recently, striking writers in Hollywood called for limiting the use of AI in screenwriting,” recalls Nicolas Doyon.
In addition, the professor reveals, other problems are less obvious and more insidious. “For example,” he says, “AI in the area of facial recognition would more easily recognize white men than women or people who are visible minorities.” This fact is a little surprising since we imagine a neutral artificial intelligence. It can't be sexist or racist. But because the AI was likely trained on a database that contained more male and white faces, it inherited our mistakes.”
Another example the professor gives comes from DeepL, a translation application that uses the same principles as ChatGPT. “If we ask DeepL to translate “she reads” into Hungarian, he says, we get “ὄ olvassa.” If we ask him to translate the same Hungarian words into French, he will say “il lit”. For what? Since the database has a statistical bias, the male subject is more often found before the verb “read”.
The often hidden environmental problem should not be taken lightly. “People think that AI is virtual and has no impact on the environment. However, according to an article, ChatGPT drinks 500 ml of water every time you talk to him. This image was used to remind us that massive amounts of water are required to cool supercomputers. In addition to this resource, ChatGPT also requires a lot of energy. Some say that AI will soon use as much electricity as an entire country,” says Professor Doyon.
So what does the future of AI and ChatGPT look like? “I don’t know,” Professor Doyon answers humbly. “Are there things ChatGPT can never do? I have no answer. Every month we hear that Chat GPT has done something new. It is impossible to know where this will all end,” concludes the mathematician.
For an overview of Nicolas Doyon's work
Learn more about past and upcoming general public conferences organized by Continuing Education at the Faculty of Science and Engineering
Watch the conference “The Mathematical Secrets of ChatGPT”:
Soon a seismic risk map on the moon? And why not ? Because a new study has just shown that our natural satellite is exposed to numerous earthquakes related to its thermal contraction. A fact that must be taken into account, especially with regard to the establishment of a permanent lunar base.
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This is a strange phenomenon, but very real. The moon is shrinking. Scientists estimate that its circumference would have decreased by about 45 meters in a few hundred million years! For a whole star with a diameter of 3,474 kilometers, that's not a lot, but still.
The moon cools and contracts
Why is our natural satellite visibly (or almost) shrinking? The cause would be thermal contraction. As they cool, the rocks that make up the moon's interior contract, reducing their volume. Like a grape left to dry. But as the latter gradually wrinkles, the moon bursts open from all sides. In fact, faults are formed to accommodate this reduction in ground surface area.
Inflatable houses with solar mirrors for future villages on the moon
A type of tectonic activity accompanied by earthquakes. For 50 years, these “moonquakes” have been recorded by the passive seismic network installed during the ApolloApollo missions. In the 1970s, this network also recorded a magnitude 5 earthquake! An activity observed particularly at the South Pole, where large scarps with pressure disturbances are observed.
Danger of landslides
This region is also home to one of the candidate sites for the Artemis III moon landing. A location that may not be fully suitable for installing a lunar base, according to a new study published in the Planetary Science Journal. In fact, a team of researchers has conducted modeling that shows that the shallow earthquakes shaking this region could produce powerful ground shaking that could significantly damage potential facilities.
It is also not impossible that landslides will occur, as the lunar soil consists of very fine, unconsolidated dust. This study shows that seismic risk also exists on the Moon and that this must be taken into account when choosing future landing sites on the Moon.
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Last Saturday, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) reached the lunar surface. However, not everything went as planned: according to images from one of its autonomous probes, the ship unfortunately landed upside down. The incident, believed to be due to an anomaly in one of its main engines, would explain why the company is having difficulty generating electricity.
Japan officially became the fifth country in the world to reach the lunar surface (after the United States, Russia, China and India) at 12:20 a.m. (Tokyo time) on January 20. Its SLIM lander landed just 55 meters east of its intended landing point. This shows impressive precision, as the target area was only about a hundred meters in diameter. In comparison, previous lunar probes typically targeted landing zones about ten kilometers in diameter.
The two probes LEV-1 and LEV-2 (LEV for Lunar Excursion Vehicle) were successfully separated before SLIM reached the lunar surface. However, engineers could not immediately confirm whether the lander's solar batteries were working properly. The machine had significant difficulties generating electricity. As a result, power was cut off almost three hours after landing. “The battery was disconnected at 12% remaining charge in accordance with our procedures to avoid a situation where a restart would be hindered,” the agency said in a statement.
An invitation to dream, ready to wear.
By analyzing technical data and images transmitted by LEV-2 (also called SORA-Q), experts determined that the SLIM landed upside down, preventing its solar panels from being exposed to direct light. This would explain the difficulty of generating electricity. Unfortunately, the lander has no way to correct its position.
During the descent, SLIM was able to collect technical and visual data to provide navigation guidance for the landing. The onboard Multiband Spectroscopy Camera (MBC) was also used experimentally to capture images until the power was turned off. In turn, SORA-Q also collected images that were relayed to LEV-1 to send back to Earth. The latter has an autonomous device that allows it to maintain communication with the mission control center. Communication with Earth was correctly established 20 minutes after the moon landing. In total, the probes were able to record and transmit 275 images of their immediate surroundings.
In the images captured by SORA-Q, we can clearly see that SLIM landed in a position that almost completely obscured its solar panels. According to JAXA, “an anomaly in the main engine affected the spacecraft’s landing performance.” The technical data showed in particular that at a height of 50 meters, shortly before the start of the obstacle avoidance maneuver, the thrust of one of the two main engines had apparently been lost.
In an attempt to adjust the trajectory, SLIM's navigation software identified the anomaly and attempted to control its position as best as possible. The remaining descent was carried out by the second engine, which gradually brought the lander towards the east. The speed at the moment of contact with the ground was around 1.4 m/s, which is lower than initially expected. According to engineers, this may also have affected the SLIM's landing position.
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A chance to restart
However, the agency estimates that it will still be possible to restart the lander when lighting conditions on the moon improve to partially power the solar panels. The pictures show that the solar panels face west. “If sunlight hits the Moon from the west in the future, we believe there is a possibility of power generation and we are currently preparing for recovery,” they explain.
In addition, the engineers believe that the entire mission will remain a success despite the landing problems. Disaster landings and communications failures are commonplace on space missions. The success of LEV-1's jumping movements, communication synergy with SORA-Q, and fully autonomous operation represent, in their opinion, a “revolutionary achievement.” In fact, LEV-1 is the smallest and lightest direct data transfer robot ever to set foot on has set the lunar surface. His jumping movements are also a technical masterpiece in themselves.
In the near future, JAXA plans to conduct a more in-depth study of the data collected as well as the anomalies that occurred in the SLIM engine. External factors are also taken into account to determine the actual causes of the landing error in detail. The SLIM activities should initially only last a few days. Data collection will resume as soon as it can be restarted.
Daniel Hanley/PLOS
