December 13, 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

🤖 Optimus update

🎮 E3 no more

💻 AI's amazing year

🤩 Meteor shower tonight

UP FIRST

Elon Musk shares update to Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot

The Tesla CEO believes Optimus will one day 'eliminate dangerous, repetitive, boring tasks.'

Elon Musk has shared a video featuring the latest version of Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot.

“Optimus - Gen 2” now has a more refined look and walks 30% more quickly than in May’s reveal when Tesla showed off Optimus Generation 1.

The speed boost has been made possible by a 22-pound (10 kg) weight reduction, improved human foot geometry, new articulated toe sections, and various other technical improvements.

At the end of the video, we're even treated to a skit showing Optimus pulling some dance moves reminiscent of Musk's occasional performances at Tesla's big launch events. Presumably, the quality of the robot's moves will improve over time ...

GAMING

E3 is officially dead, as the ESA retires the historic gaming show

The writing was on the wall after the 2022 and 2023 shows were both announced and then canceled

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the organizer of the E3 video game industry expo, confirmed that E3 is dead and that it has no plans to bring the show back.

“After more than two decades of serving as a central showcase for the video game industry, ESA has decided to end E3,” the ESA said, adding it remains focused on “advocating for ESA member companies and the industry workforce who fuel positive cultural and economic impact every day.”

E3 was a massive in-person event held usually in LA from 1995 until 2019. Game developers and publishers used it to network and announce new games. E3 was open to the public for its final three years, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, E3 2020 got canceled and the show never recovered ...

ANALYSIS by Alex Blake

2023 was the year of AI. Here are the 9 moments that defined it

It was a huge year for AI, with groundbreaking products, outrageous scandals, and plenty more besides

ChatGPT may have launched in late 2022, but 2023 was undoubtedly the year that generative AI took hold of the public consciousness.

Not only did ChatGPT reach new highs (and lows), but a plethora of seismic changes shook the world, from incredible rival products to shocking scandals and everything in between.

As the year draws to a close, we’ve taken a look at the nine most important events in AI that took place over the last 12 months.

No list like this starts without the unparalleled rise of ChatGPT. The free-to-use chatbot from OpenAI took the world by storm, quickly growing and capturing the imagination of everyone, from tech leaders to average people on the street ...

METEOR SHOWER

Catch the Geminid meteor shower tonight

It occurs as Earth passes through a cloud of debris left behind by the 3200 Phaethon asteroid

If you have clear skies tonight, do look up.

Late this evening and the early hours of Thursday morning offer the best chance of enjoying the Geminid meteor shower, and if you’re lucky, you could see an average of one meteor a minute streaking across the sky.

You can begin looking out for meteors as early as 9 p.m., though the shower will peak between midnight and morning twilight.

For the best possible viewing experience, head to a location away from any light pollution with a broad view of the sky, unobscured by trees, hills, and mountains ...

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