“Unexpectedly, a deer briefly entered the family room”: Living with Gemini Home

Gemini for Home unleashes gen AI on your Nest camera footage, but it gets a lot wrong.

You just can’t ignore the effects of the generative AI boom.

Even if you don’t go looking for AI bots, they’re being integrated into virtually every product and service. And for what? There’s a lot of hand-wavey chatter about agentic this and AGI that, but what can “gen AI” do for you right now? Gemini for Home is Google’s latest attempt to make this technology useful, integrating Gemini with the smart home devices people already have. Anyone paying for extended video history in the Home app is about to get a heaping helping of AI, including daily summaries, AI-labeled notifications, and more.

Given the supposed power of AI models like Gemini, recognizing events in a couple of videos and answering questions about them doesn’t seem like a bridge too far. And yet Gemini for Home has demonstrated a tenuous grasp of the truth, which can lead to some disquieting interactions, like periodic warnings of home invasion, both human and animal.

Read full article

Comments

Rocket Report: SpaceX surpasses shuttle launch total; Skyroot has big ambitions

“I do think we’re rapidly approaching the point where it will be a significant impact.”

Welcome to Edition 8.17 of the Rocket Report! Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of the first crewed launch to the International Space Station, on a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur. Since this time humans have lived in space continuously, even through spacecraft accidents and wars on Earth. This is a remarkable milestone that all of humanity can celebrate.

As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don’t want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

Skyroot nearing first launch with big ambitions. Three years after India opened up its space sector to private companies, Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace is targeting its first full-scale commercial satellite launch mission in January 2026, Mint reports. After this debut flight, Skyroot is targeting a launch every three months next year, and one every month from 2027. Each satellite launch mission is expected to generate the company nearly $5 million, according to Skyroot chief executive Pawan Chandana.

Read full article

Comments

Elizebeth Friedman: Eine Schlüsselfigur in der Geschichte der Kryptologie

Vor 45 Jahren starb Elizebeth Friedman. Sie enttarnte Schmuggler, legte Nazi-Funksender lahm und schuf prägende Methoden der Kryptoanalyse. Ein Porträt von Elke Wittich (Wissen, Verschlüsselung)

Vor 45 Jahren starb Elizebeth Friedman. Sie enttarnte Schmuggler, legte Nazi-Funksender lahm und schuf prägende Methoden der Kryptoanalyse. Ein Porträt von Elke Wittich (Wissen, Verschlüsselung)