Month: November 2023

Enlarge / Mare Imbrium and its vicinity. (credit: Katie's Observing Log)

Welcome to the Daily Telescope. There is a little too much darkness in this world and not enough light, a little too much pseudoscience and not enough science. We'll let other publications offer you a daily horoscope. At Ars Technica, we're going to take a different route, finding inspiration from very real images of a universe that is filled with stars and wonder.

Good morning. It's November 16, and today we're looking very close to home, at our nearest celestial neighbor.

This strip of the Moon showcases the vast Mare Imbrium lava plain—it's the large semi-circle that dominates much of the photo. Astronomers and planetary scientists believe this feature formed when a proto-planet struck the Moon about 3.9 billion years ago.

Enlarge / The Trek FX+ 2 e-bike (credit: Eric Bangeman)

When it came time to buy our son his "adult" bike, the Trek FX 2 was an easy choice. Not only is the candy-red color eyepopping, but the hybrid offers hydraulic disc brakes and an aggressive riding position for $749. So when Trek offered us the chance to review the FX+ 2, we jumped at the chance to take it for a ride or three.

It's not often that we get to review an electrified version of a bike we are familiar with, so we'll start with the differences between the FX+ 2 and the FX 2. Let's get the biggest one out of the way: the price. The Trek FX+ 2 retails for $2,499, over three times the price of its unelectrified sibling (also significantly higher than some hybrid e-bikes, many of which are made by new companies most of us have never heard of). Some of the price difference comes from the motor and battery—the motor itself sells for $450—but you're also getting an integrated bike computer with cadence and speed sensors along with a power meter. All you need to access the integrated gear is the Trek Connect app.

The motor lives in the rear hub. (credit: Eric Bangeman)

Component-wise, the FX+ 2 is very similar to the FX 2. They use the same Shimano shifter and cassette, the same aluminum wheels, and the same Alpha Gold aluminum frame. The differences between the two mostly come down to modifications needed for the electric bits and the tires. The FX+ 2 comes with 700x40 mm tires instead of 35s and has a max tire size of 50 mm, whereas the FX 2 is capped at 38 mm. Lastly, the FX+ 2 has a rear rack, fenders, and integrated headlight and taillight.

Enlarge / A composite of three DALL-E 3 AI art generations: an oil painting of Hercules fighting a shark, a photo of the queen of the universe, and a marketing photo of "Marshmallow Menace" cereal. (credit: DALL-E 3 / Benj Edwards)

In October, OpenAI launched its newest AI image generator—DALL-E 3—into wide release for ChatGPT subscribers. DALL-E can pull off media generation tasks that would have seemed absurd just two years ago—and although it can inspire delight with its unexpectedly detailed creations, it also brings trepidation for some. Science fiction forecast tech like this long ago, but seeing machines upend the creative order feels different when it's actually happening before our eyes.

"It’s impossible to dismiss the power of AI when it comes to image generation," says Aurich Lawson, Ars Technica's creative director. "With the rapid increase in visual acuity and ability to get a usable result, there’s no question it’s beyond being a gimmick or toy and is a legit tool."

With the advent of AI image synthesis, it's looking increasingly like the future of media creation for many will come through the aid of creative machines that can replicate any artistic style, format, or medium. Media reality is becoming completely fluid and malleable. But how is AI image synthesis getting more capable so rapidly—and what might that mean for artists ahead?