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It’s clear here in Silicon Valley that AI is advancing faster than humans’ ability to control it. That means even sober prophecies seem optimistic

Here in Silicon Valley, the experts think that within the next couple of years we’ll see an extraordinary takeoff for artificial intelligence. “Welcome to the foothills of the singularity,” as a Stanford University friend greeted me. More prosaically, the imminent breakthrough is described as “recursive self-improvement” – the point at which AI itself trains each successive model of AI, resulting in an exponential development to something which, in many significant respects, is more intelligent than us humans.

As Robert Wright puts it in his book The God Test: “Never before has the near-term future … held such a wide array of not-implausible paths for humankind that would be so wildly transformative.” But will this be heaven or hell? Heaven, says Elon Musk, who predicts “an age of amazing abundance” – although he also sees a 10-20% chance of killer robots murdering us all. Hell is more likely according to Geoffrey Hinton, one of the intellectual founding fathers of AI. “My intuition is, we’re toast,” he told an interviewer in 2023. And talking to Sebastian Mallaby, author of The Infinity Machine, a book about the quest for superintelligence, Hinton estimates p(doom) – the probability of human extinction – at 50%, “because I haven’t got a clue how to estimate the real number”. “As soon as evolution [of AI] kicks in, we’re fucked,” he adds cheerfully. But whether it’s God or Godzilla, artificial superintelligence is just around the corner.

Timothy Garton Ash is a Guardian columnist

Rich, velvety nuts are offset by zippy, seasonal berries in a cake for all occasions

Most cakes I can take or leave, but I never regret a slice of almond cake. The density! The chewy crumb! The way it romances butter and other flavours! The ultimate almond cake, in the Sodha house, at least, is Claudia Roden’s orange and almond cake, which is made religiously for special occasions (of which there are many from December to March), but I wanted a more seasonal cake for a good friend’s August birthday. Blackberries are perfect (not least because we’re drowning in them right now), because they provide an excellent, zippy contrast to the almond’s velvety nature.

The weather is unrelentingly glorious, the views are amazing, but I cling to the freelancer’s habit of never quite admitting I’m on holiday

In the summer of 1995, I went on a family holiday to Portugal. On the first day I got a call from a UK magazine, asking if I would be interested in interviewing Meg Ryan, in three days’ time. I looked out to the pool, where my wife and my mother-in-law were pushing my infant son across the water in an inflatable ring.

“Sure,” I said. I broke the news, packed my things, flew to London and, the next day, to LA.

UK anthology inspired by question: ‘Where are our black and Asian nature writers?’ has boosted interest in genre

A new movement of eco poets from black and brown communities in the UK is challenging the canon of nature poetry against the backdrop of the climate and biodiversity crisis.

Mona Arshi, who co-edited the first UK collection of eco poetry from African, Asian and Caribbean diaspora voices, was inspired to put the anthology together after asking in a social media post that went viral: “Where are all our black and Asian nature writers?”

It’s time to write about daffodils
again.

Susan, 74, a retired careers adviser, meets Pete, 72, a retired Methodist minister

What were you hoping for?
A relaxed, friendly lunch with good and fun conversation.

As fitness-conscious consumers turn away from processed foods, the industry is scrambling for new ideas, including nutrient-rich lollies and protein-packed tubs. Will they take the fun out of this summer treat?

Last month, I stood in the biggest ice-cream factory in Britain and watched a 5-metre Viennetta mint-flavoured ice-cream cake get made. The factory – which is owned by the Magnum Ice Cream Company and produces nine different brands of ice-cream – is based in an enormous building in Gloucester, where the air is thick with the scent of custard. I walked past the Twister and Solero sections on my way in, through clouds of tangy fruit, before arriving at the Viennetta assembly line, where everything smelled minty fresh. A Viennetta is built on a conveyor belt by a fully automated system, and watching it take shape was oddly hypnotic. Every few inches a nozzle attached to the belt squirted out a frilly layer of mint ice-cream, then another nozzle smoothed a flat layer of vanilla on top of that, then came a squirt of chocolate sauce, and it was back to frilly mint again. On and on it went, layer upon layer, popping out finished Viennettas at the end of the line at a rate of 200 cakes every 60 seconds.

A slop bucket full of Viennetta overrun stood at the side of the conveyor belt and I fought a strong urge to squelch my fingers into it. Later, the factory operations manager allowed me to push my whole hand into the slop bucket up to the wrist and then lick my hand at a sink, before washing it and resuming the tour.

The Sussexes are returning to the UK with significantly reduced media deals in an industry where fame alone can no longer guarantee success

Having settled in California in the aftermath of their dramatic decoupling from the royal family in 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced a partnership that appeared to set a clear destination for their new lives outside the House of Windsor.

With every global media stable clamouring for their signature, the couple revealed a deal with Netflix reportedly worth $100m. The ambitions were lofty and broad, including scripted and unscripted projects, shows for all ages and documentaries.

Я, как и многие, пользуюсь величайшим облачным хранилищем — перепиской с самим собой. Туда улетают интересные посты, статьи, лайфхаки, мемы и фильмы, которые «посмотрю потом». Увидел я как-то этот мем и задумался, что нужно бы забэкапить это дело.

Привет! Меня зовут Игорь. В статье рассказываю про инструмент для бэкапа сообщений из VK с сохранением вложений.

Collapse of trade talks could lead to job losses, but biggest impact on traditional allies is expected to be political

The US has imposed 50% tariffs on some goods from Canada, and Mark Carney, the country’s prime minister, has vowed to match them “dollar for dollar” after the collapse of trade talks.

The tariffs came into force on roughly $20bn (£14.6bn) of goods – ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors – at 04.00GMT. Trade experts said the tariffs could result in some job losses, but the largest impact is expected to be political, driving a further wedge between the traditional allies.

The U.S. has now imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products. Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will match those tariffs "dollar for dollar" starting Sept. 8.

(Image credit: Graham Hughes)

Collapse of trade talks could lead to job losses, but biggest impact on traditional allies is expected to be political

The US has imposed 50% tariffs on some goods from Canada, and Mark Carney, the country’s prime minister, has vowed to match them “dollar for dollar” after the collapse of trade talks.

The tariffs came into force on roughly $20bn (£14.6bn) of goods – ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors – at 04.00GMT. Trade experts said the tariffs could result in some job losses, but the largest impact is expected to be political, driving a further wedge between the traditional allies.

Квест пройден! Я установил на смартфон линукс, живя в России, в августе 2026 года, без VPN, и теперь у меня Ubuntu Touch 24.04-1 на борту старого доброго Poco X3 NFC. Конечно, в других условиях места или времени можно было бы сделать всё гораздо проще, но… Это был вызов, и я его принял. Не спрашивайте меня, зачем я это сделал – хотел поразвлечься, получить девайс с линуксом, который можно брать с собой куда угодно. Возможно, когда-нибудь я поделюсь и опытом использования подобных девайсов... Но сейчас, когда квест по установке Ubuntu Touch на смартфон, которому средняя цена на авито пять тысяч рублей, пройден, я хочу поделиться своим опытом его прохождения (возможно, чтобы помочь кому-то, кто в будущем решит пройти этот квест самостоятельно). И это не просто “подождать неделю, нажать кнопочку в программе – и она всё сама сделает”, у меня установка заняла приличное время, не всё оказалось так просто (точнее даже так: всё оказалось совсем не просто). Собрав, пожалуй, все грабли, какие только могут быть встречены простым пользователем (за исключением полного окирпичивания), я готов описать их, а самое главное – поделиться найденными мной способами решения каждой проблемы.

Статья называется “путь к ubuntu touch и обратно” потому, что в ней я опишу не только, как установить на Poco X3 NFC линукс, но и как вернуться с него обратно на андроид, возможно – даже на лучшую версию, чем у вас была раньше. Если вы (вдруг) решите проделать этот путь вместе со мной, сначала прочитайте всё, от первого до последнего слова, хорошенько взвесьте своё решение – потянете ли, и… возможно, вы тоже захотите попасть в клуб владельцев “линуксофонов”, который насчитывает от 150 до 250 тысяч активных пользователей (в мире линукс нет скрытой телеметрии, но когда телефон проверяет наличие обновлений, сервер фиксирует уникальный запрос). Итак, пристегните ремни – и… В любом случае сразу хочу предупредить, что все действия со своим смартфоном вы выполняете на свой страх и риск, я здесь ни при чём, я описал свой опыт, если у вас что-то может пойти не так, оно и пойдёт не так! В общем, если мне не удалось вас испугать – вперёд, поехали!

Я не программист, не девопс и не системный администратор. По диплому — недоучившийся инженер-энергетик, программировать учился сам по учебникам, команды никогда не было. При этом у меня выросли два сервера, полсотни виртуалок и десяток микросервисов. В ночь на четвёртое июня всё это едва не закончилось: кто-то зашёл на резервный сервер и снёс двадцать две виртуальные машины вместе с дисками примерно за десять минут. Разбираю по шагам, где именно я оставил дверь открытой.

Ukraine’s military has run out of US Patriot interceptors to repel ballistic attacks, which have one aim, the capital’s mayor says: to destroy morale

Viktor, 23, Sofiia, 18, and their dog, Teddy, were bedding down for the night on Thursday at the Dorohozhychi metro station three stops from Kyiv’s city centre. The couple have sheltered here “every night for the past three weeks”, Viktor said, as the missile threat to the city worsened; the dog, only three months old, has been with them a fortnight. Teddy lies quietly, knowing no different a life.

People sleeping at Dorohozhychi metro station for safety.

В этой статье мы решим классическую задачу из курса гидродинамики [4]: сделаем симуляцию плоского течения в канале. Для этого мы напишем на Python код, численно решающий систему дифференциальных уравнений в частых производных, описывающих поведение несжимаемой жидкости:

The US-Australian comedian on ambition, grieving the death of his oldest friend and ‘the most incredible mystery in the world’

Arj Barker doesn’t answer questions the way other people do. When we meet outside a cafe in the inner-city suburb of Richmond and I ask if he lives locally, he shuffles slightly, stops walking and looks directly at me as if he’s about to be searingly honest, then fudges an answer and mumbles.

“My dogs live here, so I’m here a lot … is how I like to say it.”

Rule would require states to provide federal government with information on voters in return for delivering ballots

The US Postal Service prepared to publish a final ⁠rule late ⁠on ​Friday to impose new requirements on states to provide the federal government with information on voters before the November ⁠midterm congressional elections, despite a ​pair of court ‌orders ‌that currently block the ‌changes from taking effect.

The USPS acknowledged in the text of the final rule posted online Friday, which is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register next week, that two injunctions issued by federal courts in California and Massachusetts currently bar it from moving ahead with the changes to comply with a March executive order signed by Donald Trump.

Spaces where there are norms of sexism and high levels of alcohol consumption can be a risk factor for sexual violence, expert says

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For the fourth time that week, youth advocate and educator Daniel Principe stood in a classroom and asked the same question: Are female teachers respected as much as male ones?

“The boys unanimously said no,” Principe says.