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Marin author Nina Schuyler plugs into AI for her latest novel

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:48:48 GMT

Nina Schuyler never intended to become a prognosticator.But the Fairfax author somewhat assumes that role with her riveting “Afterword,” a prescient yet eloquent third novel that’s as topical as tomorrow’s headlines. The literary page-turner prophetically taps into ethical and moral quandaries surging to the fore over the deployment and potential abuse of artificial intelligence.“It wasn’t planned in any way,” Schuyler said of the timeliness of her novel. “It was passion and curiosity that got me interested in this area … I didn’t set out to write science fiction.”But it didn’t hurt that the Bay Area is whirlwind of activity in that area.“This is the heart of technology in AI,” she said. “It’s happening right here with Google A.I. (Mountain View), OpenAI (San Francisco) and Microsoft investing in it.”The idea gestated while Schuyler, who teaches creative writing for the University of San Francisco, Stanford Continuing Studies and the bookseller Book Passage, ...

Bay Area college coach charged with pimping women into prostitution

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:48:48 GMT

MARTINEZ, Calif. (KRON) -- A faculty member and former track coach at Diablo Valley College is accused of human trafficking, pandering, pimping, and other charges related to the use of force while engaging in sexual acts, prosecutors said Tuesday. Kyle Lee Whitmore, 39, of Crockett, is being held without bail at Martinez Detention Facility.Whitmore is accused of trafficking two women, Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2, for prostitution. He is also being charged with one count of pimping and four counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object.At least one of the alleged victims is a student, said Tim Leong, a public information officer for Contra Costa Community College District. "The district is not naming the student involved to protect her privacy," Leong told KRON4. "On Monday, September 11, 2023, the District Attorney’s Office filed a felony complaint outlining nine charges against Mr. Whitmore in connection with several offenses, some involving a student," Leong wrote. Pr...

Work continues on SF sinkhole after water main break Monday

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:48:48 GMT

(BCN) -- Public work crews continue to work to repair a giant sinkhole that opened in San Francisco on Monday. The sinkhole at Green and Fillmore streets came after a 16-inch water main break was reported nearby late Sunday night. On Tuesday, two smaller holes appeared one block down the street, at Fillmore and Union streets, according to Michelle Ung of Union Street Coffee Roastery. One is on the sidewalk next to her shop, and one is in the middle of the street. Anchor Brewing group provides update on future of brewery after raising $90K Ung said the coffee shop's water was never cut off, but some nearby residents still have no water. Traffic is blocked on Fillmore Street from Union to Vallejo streets, so business is slow, and their only customers are walk-ins. Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who represents the neighborhood, posted Tuesday morning on social media that crews are still on the scene and residents should contact her office if they have been impacted and nee...

Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes bill headed for Newsom's desk

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:48:48 GMT

(KRON) -- A bill that would allow local California governments to license Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes has made its way out of the state legislature and is now heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk. The bill, which was spearheaded by Bay Area Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) passed in the California State Senate by a vote of 33 to 3.Assembly Bill 374 also passed the state assembly with a 66 to 9 vote. "The bill has enjoyed broad bi-partisan support throughout the legislative process," according to a press release from Haney's office. "While cannabis cafes in the Netherlands offer a social experience where coffee, food, and live music are enjoyed together with cannabis, these businesses are currently illegal under California law." Bay Area college coach charged with pimping women into prostitution AB 374 would enable existing cannabis businesses to move away from the dispensary model and move toward a cafe business model that would "bring much-needed tourist dollars into...

Tech Companies and Governments Are Censoring the Journalist Collective DDoSecrets

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:48:48 GMT

Distributed Denial of Secrets — the nonprofit transparency collective that hosts an ever-growing public library of leaked and hacked datasets for journalists and researchers to investigate — has been a major source of news for organizations like the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, BBC News, Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Reuters, and Fox News, among others.It has published datasets that shed light on law enforcement fusion centers spying on Black Lives Matter activists, revealed Oath Keepers supporters among law enforcement and elected officials, and exposed thousands of videos from January 6 rioters, including many that were used as evidence in Donald Trump’s second impeachment inquiry. (Disclosure: I’m an adviser to DDoSecrets.)But not everyone is a fan. DDoSecrets has powerful enemies and has found itself censored by some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit. The governments of Russia and I...

Pentagon-Funded Study Warns Dementia Among U.S. Officials Poses National Security Threat

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:48:48 GMT

As the national security workforce ages, dementia impacting U.S. officials poses a threat to national security, according to a first-of-its-kind study by a Pentagon-funded think tank. The report, released this spring, came as several prominent U.S. officials trusted with some of the nation’s most highly classified intelligence experienced public lapses, stoking calls for resignations and debate about Washington’s aging leadership.Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who had a second freezing episode last month, enjoys the most privileged access to classified information of anyone in Congress as a member of the so-called Gang of Eight congressional leadership. Ninety-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., whose decline has seen her confused about how to vote and experiencing memory lapses — forgetting conversations and not recalling a monthslong absence — was for years a member of the Gang of Eight and remains a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on which she has served since 20...

Virginia library faces potential shutdown over funding after children’s books are challenged

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:48:48 GMT

FRONT ROYAL, Va. (AP) — A Virginia library that traces its roots to the 18th century could soon be shuttered over a dispute about children’s books that expose readers to gay, lesbian and transgender characters.Like many libraries across the country, the Samuels Public Library in Warren County has found itself embroiled in conflict over books with LGBTQ+ themes.What sets the Samuels library apart is the very real threat that it will have to close down entirely because of the dispute. The county’s Board of Supervisors voted in June to withhold 75% of its appropriation to the library unless the library board revises its bylaws to give the county more of a say in its governance.The library, which is structured as a nonprofit organization that receives the bulk of its funding from the county, has said it will run out of operating funds by the end of the month.Melody Hotek, president of the library’s board of trustees, and Eileen Grady, the library’s interim director, sa...

Hawaii health officials warn volcanic smog known as vog has returned during latest eruption

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:48:48 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — The latest eruption of a Hawaii volcano isn’t threatening any infrastructure but health officials are warning the public about air-quality hazards from volcanic smog known as vog.Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, began erupting Sunday. On Monday, scientists downgraded its alert level, saying there was no threat of significant ash emission into the atmosphere outside a limited area within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Later Monday, state health officials said the eruption brought vog to some parts of the Big Island, causing poor air quality. Volcanic smog, or air pollution, is created by vapor, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide gas released from Kilauea.The gases are present in their highest concentrations in the immediate area around the summit crater or vents. But they also combine with other particles to form vog, which can spread across the Big Island and even waft over to the state’s other islands.Vog can give healthy people burning ...

6 protesters arrested as onshore testing work for New Jersey wind farm begins

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:48:48 GMT

OCEAN CITY, N.J. (AP) — Police arrested six protesters Tuesday who tried to disrupt the start of land-based testing for New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm. But the work progressed anyway.Police in Ocean City, which has become the hub of resistance to offshore wind projects in New Jersey and elsewhere along the U.S. East Coast, arrested demonstrators after the city said they failed to heed four warnings to get out of the roadway. “There were three people lying in the street,” said Robin Shaffer, a spokesman for Protect Our Coast NJ, a residents’ group opposed to the local project and to offshore wind in general. Each of the protesters, none of whom lived in Ocean City, was charged with failure to disperse and obstruction of public pathways, city spokesman Doug Bergen said.Mayor Jay Gillian, himself an opponent of the wind farm project, said he wishes police did not have to arrest anyone, but added, “This is how democracy works. I understand their passion.”Orsted, the D...

Investigation shows armed officer was hostage at home of Grammy winner who was killed by police

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:48:48 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Newly released investigative files in the police shooting death of a Grammy-winning sound engineer reveal there was an armed Tennessee Bureau of Investigation officer in the home when Mark Capps began threatening his family with guns Jan. 5.The officer, Zachery Silva, was the boyfriend of Mark Capps’ stepdaughter, McKenzie Acuff, according to the records. Silva told investigators he attempted to de-escalate the situation, eventually leaving the house around 5:30 a.m. after Mark Capps put down the weapons and returned to his bedroom. When Mark Capps, 54, fell asleep several hours later, and Acuff and her mother Tara Capps, Mark Capps’ wife, were able to leave the house and file a police report. Police later shot and killed Mark Capps when he pointed a gun at an officer after they tried to arrest him at his home.Mark Capps, who had won four Grammys for his work on polka albums more than a decade earlier, was depressed and suicidal and had reached ou...