29 superph
29 superph
29 superph
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TORONTO - Bruce Brown intercepted a pass and streaked down the court, driving past some token defence from Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson for a one-handed slam dunk. Brown’s Toronto Raptors teammates burst off the home team’s bench, cheering for the veteran forward. “It’s just because they didn’t think I can jump, because I haven’t jumped really, or they haven’t seen it, and then they didn’t see it the last year,” Brown said, adding he knew he would dunk as soon as he crossed half-court. “I told them I could do it and I was like, ‘if I get the chance to, I’mma dunk it.’” It was Brown’s first dunk in eight months as he scored 12 points and had three rebounds off the bench in his season debut on Sunday as Toronto lost to Atlanta 136-107. He’d missed the first 31 games of the Raptors season as he recovered from arthroscopic knee surgery on Sept. 20, a process that took longer than he expected. “I thought I was gonna be out like six to eight weeks but some things didn’t go my way,” said Brown. “There was a lot of swelling in there for a while. “Things happened, and then I was supposed to come back, like, three, four weeks ago, but there was still swelling there, so they told me to take my time.” Brown averaged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks over 34 games with the Raptors last season. He was traded from the Indiana Pacers to Toronto on Jan. 18 as part of a package for all-star forward Pascal Siakam. He’s averaged 8.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists over his career in 416 games with the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana and Toronto. Brown’s return doesn’t just add depth to the Raptors’ lineup, but brings some much-needed energy to a struggling team that has lost 10 in a row. “You see him get out there and put his body on the line after being out for so long,” said Scottie Barnes, who led Toronto with 19 points, eight rebounds, and five assists but eight turnovers in the loss. “He’s making himself so tired out there just guarding, pushing himself. That’s what the team needs. “We’ve all got to match that energy every single night. That’s the effort we’re going to need in order to win games.” Head coach Darko Rajakovic said that fatigue is a major factor in the NBA’s longest active losing skid. He said that a lack of focus played a role in Toronto’s season-high 31 turnovers on Sunday. “We hit a wall. We look tired. We look drained,” said Rajakovic. “Guys are not in a rhythm. That’s the reality that we’re in right now. We’ve got to find a way to get out of it.” It was the third consecutive game where the Raptors had given up over 130 points, and second 29-point blowout in a row. “Getting beat by 30, man, at home — that’s unacceptable,” said Barnes. “We can’t be doing that. We got to go out there and play harder, be smarter. “We had a lot of turnovers today. We can’t allow this to happen.” Brown was more optimistic. “We just need some rest, and we’ll push through it,” he said, noting that a stomach flu had spread through Toronto’s locker room. “I mean, all teams have this at some point, even championship teams, so we’ll push through it. We’ll be fine.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2024.Zero Zero Robotics showcases bestselling HOVERAir X1 series at CES 2025Herro leads Heat over Rockets in game marred by fight and ejections in final minute
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Artificial intelligence (AI) comes in many forms, from pattern recognition systems to generative AI . However, there's another type of AI that can respond almost instantly to real-word data: embodied AI. But what exactly is this technology, and how does it work? Embodied AI typically combines sensors with machine learning to respond to real-world data. Examples include autonomous drones, self-driving cars and factory automation. Robotic vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers use a simplified form of embodied AI. These autonomous systems use AI to learn to navigate obstacles in the physical world. Most embodied AI uses an algorithmically encoded map that, in many ways, is akin to the mental map of London's labyrinthine network of roads and landmarks used by the city's taxi drivers. In fact, research on how London's taxi drivers determine a route has been used to inform the development of such embodied systems. Some of these systems also incorporate the type of embodied, group intelligence found in swarms of insects, flocks of birds, or herds of animals. These groups synchronize their movements subconsciously. Mimicking this behavior is a useful strategy for developing a network of drones or warehouse vehicles that are controlled by an embodied AI . History of embodied AI The development of embodied AI began in the 1950s, with the cybernetic tortoise , which was created by William Grey Walter at the Burden Neurological Institute in the U.K. But it would take decades for embodied AI to come into its own. Whereas cognitive and generative AI learn from large language models , embodied AI learns from its experiences in the physical world, just as humans react to what they see and hear. However, the sensory inputs of embodied AI are quite different from human senses. Embodied AI may detect X-rays, ultraviolet and infrared light, magnetic fields or GPS data. Computer vision algorithms can then use this sensory data to identify objects and respond to them. Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. Building a world model The core element of an embodied AI is its world model , which is designed for its operating environment. This world model is similar to our own understanding of the surrounding environment. The world model is supported by different learning approaches. One example is reinforcement learning , which uses a policy-based approach to determine a route — for instance, with rules like "always do X when encountering Y." Another is active inference, which is modeled on how the human brain operates. These models continuously take in data from the environment and update the world model based on this real-time stream - similar to how we react based on what we see and hear. In contrast, some other AI models do not evolve in real time. — AI is transforming every aspect of science. Here's how. — New supercomputing network could lead to AGI, scientists hope, with 1st node coming online within weeks — 'It would be within its natural right to harm us to protect itself': How humans could be mistreating AI right now without even knowing it Active inference begins with a basic level of understanding of the environment, but it can evolve rapidly. As such, any autonomous vehicle that relies on active inference needs extensive training to be safely deployed on the roads. Embodied AI could also help chatbots provide a better customer experience by reading a customer's emotional state and adapting its responses accordingly. Although embodied AI systems are still in their early stages, research is evolving rapidly. Improvements in generative AI will naturally inform the development of embodied AI. Embodied AI will also benefit from improvements in the accuracy and availability of the sensors it uses to determine its surroundings.
ALL it took was three words: “Howay the lads!” for Britain to fall in love with President Jimmy Carter. He was in Newcastle when he won over a crowd of 20,000 with the Toon Army’s most famous chant. 7 Britain fell in love with President Jimmy Carter Credit: Getty - Contributor 7 The longest-living US leader ever has died aged 100 Credit: Getty - Contributor 7 The late President with his wife and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter Credit: Rex But it took the rest of the world many more years to appreciate the greatness of the longest-living US leader ever, who has died aged 100. In the wake of the Watergate scandal which saw Republican President Richard Nixon resign from office in disgrace, Carter the Democrat candidate was expected to narrowly win against Tricky Dicky’s replacement former Vice President Gerald Ford. But in an attempt to portray himself as a Washington outsider and man of the people Carter gave an interview to soft-porn magazine, Playboy, where he admitted that he had “committed adultery in his heart many times.” Carter’s reference to sex became all anyone could talk about. READ MORE WORLD NEWS SHARK HORROR Tourist killed and another injured in deadly shark attack at Red Sea resort CRASH MYSTERY Minute-by-minute breakdown of SK plane crash from ‘bird strike’ to fireball The interview shifted the entire dynamic of the election — and helped get the Republicans back on track. Many evangelical Christians in Carter’s southern heartland turned against him. Despite the setback, Carter won the 1976 election to become 39 th United States President at the age of 52. In his inaugural address the following January he told the American people: “Your strength can compensate for my weakness, and your wisdom can help to minimize my mistakes. Most read in The Sun ALL ROVER IT Barry Robson appointed manager of SPFL club - 11 months after Aberdeen axe HELL'S BELLS Hogmanay storm chaos as event AXED & travellers warned as snow to hit Scotland baby joy Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan announce she's pregnant with first baby FLIGHTMARE Moment Ryanair passengers cheer as yob is hauled off flight to Scotland by cops But his one term in the White House was notorious for fiascos ranging from a self-inflicted 444-day hostage crisis to an incident when he managed to get attacked in a pond by a swimming rabbit. It was seen as not only humiliating for the former peanut farmer, but for the entire United States. However, after losing office, he redefined what it meant to be an ex-President, becoming one of history’s great peacemakers. In fact the Nobel Peace Prize winner became one of the finest presidents in American history — after he left the White House. James Earl Carter Jr was born on October 1, 1924, in the one-street town of Plains, Georgia , in America’s Deep South. He grew up on his father’s peanut farm and worked on it from the time he was able to carry buckets of water. Jimmy set his sights on a career with the US Navy, in order to receive free college education to study engineering. And it was while at the Naval Academy that he fell in love with a former neighbour, Rosalynn, his sister’s best friend. They married on July 7, 1946, when he was 21 and she was 18, and they were together for the next 77 years until Rosalynn’s death last November, age 96. Marking their 75th wedding anniversary in 2021, Carter said: “I love her more now than I did to begin with — which is saying a lot, because I loved her a lot.” He vowed to stay alive so that Rosalynn would never have to live alone. Carter was relishing being part of the Navy’s brand-new nuclear submarine program in New York when his father died in 1953 changing the whole course of his life The 28-year-old felt duty-bound to quit the Navy and return to Plains with Rosalynn and their three sons to take over the family business. As a leading member of the evangelical Baptist Church, he quickly became a pillar of the community — until a ruling by the Supreme Court changed everything. Most spectacularly, he began trying to revive the Middle East peace process — and succeeded In 1954, judges declared racial segregation of schools unconstitutional and the South went into uproar. In Plains a White Citizens’ Council was set up and Carter was the only white man in town who refused to join. There was a boycott of the peanut business, and banishment from the country club. The attendant at the petrol station even refused to fill his car. But Jimmy Carter had not gone into politics — politics had come to him. The following year he joined the county’s school board and gradually became more outspoken on race . Then in 1962 he ran for Georgia’s state senate as a Democrat. After his senate stint, in 1970 he became Governor, declaring in his inaugural speech: “The time of racial discrimination is over.” 7 Jimmy Carter vowed to stay alive so that Rosalynn would never have to live alone Credit: Rex 7 Carter was sworn in as President on January 20, 1977 Credit: AP:Associated Press 7 Jimmy Carter pictured at the funeral service of his wife, Rosalynn Carter, on November 29, 2023 Credit: Getty By late 1974 he had become known for compassion and competency, in a United States despairing over crooked ex-President Richard Nixon and the Vietnam War. Still, he did not seem the White House type. Years later Carter recalled: “When I told my mother I was running for president, she said, ‘President of what?’” And when he announced his candidacy for the 1976 election, the reaction was: “Jimmy who?” With the reputation of Washington insiders at an all-time low, the outsider captured the public imagination It turned out to be a gift. With the reputation of Washington insiders at an all-time low, the outsider captured the public imagination. He was sworn as President on January 20, 1977, and things started well. One of his first acts was to declare an amnesty for Vietnam War draft evaders. He also installed solar panels on the White House and established the United States’ first federal Department of Education. Most spectacularly, he began trying to revive the Middle East peace process — and succeeded. Patient negotiations led to a secret summit in September 1978 between the leaders of warring Israel and Egypt at Camp David, the presidential retreat. It was meant to last three days and ended up taking 12. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli PM Menachem Begin started out refusing to even be in the same room. By the end, they were watching movies together and had the framework for a treaty that ended the war. It remains the only meaningful peace in the Middle East. But Carter’s standing tended to be higher abroad than at home. Especially in Newcastle. The President had come to London for a summit in May 1977, and Labour PM Jim Callaghan asked if there was any where he would like to visit. Carter said he would love to see Laugharne in Carmarthenshire, where his favourite poet Dylan Thomas had lived. But wily Callaghan confided that choosing Tyneside instead would be helpful in shoring up Labour support. Air Force One headed north. On the drive to the city centre, Carter noticed a newspaper poster reading “Howay Jimmy”, and another one referring to “the lads”. He asked what all this meant and got a history of Newcastle United’s call to arms. By the time he took to the stage outside the Civic Centre, he had decided on his opening words. The Sun reported that the President’s “Howay the lads!” was greeted with “the sort of roar you get for a five-goal win at Newcastle’s St James’ Park”. Carter would later say: “The expected friendly and polite welcome became a love fest. “This was one of the high points of my first year as president.” That UK visit also had an unlikely impact at Westminster Abbey. Because he could not get to Laugharne, Carter visited the Abbey to see Dylan Thomas’s memorial in Poets’ Corner. But when the President asked an archdeacon to point out the stone, he was told: “We couldn’t have Dylan Thomas commemorated here — you know he was a drunkard.” Carter replied: “Well look, there’s Lord Byron who was gay. There’s Edgar Allan Poe, who was a drug addict.” Still fuming, back home he wrote a letter outlining the poet’s case. In 1982 a memorial was finally unveiled. But in the US, inflation and a petrol shortage were uppermost in voters’ minds. Carter appeared weak, summed up in September 1979, when he collapsed gasping for air into the arms of minders half-way through a six-mile jog. But worse was to come in October that year when in a misguided humanitarian gesture, Carter invited the embattled Shah of Iran to have cancer treatment in the US. Iranians who had been trying to overthrow the royal’s rule and establish a republic were enraged. On November 4, 1979 students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran, taking those inside hostage. Fifty-two Americans would be held for the next 444 days. Carter’s inability to win their release scuppered his reputation for negotiation. A rescue mission also failed, and Carter refused popular calls to simply bomb Tehran. He was awarded 2002’s Nobel Peace Prize – the only US President to ever get the honour after leaving office All this unfolded in the run-up to the November 1980 election, with macho Republican challenger Ronald Reagan branding Carter a “wimp”. The President lost to Reagan in a landslide. Minutes after the new President was sworn in, the hostages in Iran were released. Meanwhile Carter and Rosalynn, along with 13-year-old daughter Amy, moved back to the bungalow in Plains that the family had built in 1961. The political outcast announced that he would not take jobs on corporate boards or pile up money on the lecture circuit. Instead, he went back to teaching Sunday school, and quietly set about changing the world. In 1986 he announced his life goal was to help eradicate Guinea worm disease, which was striking 3.5million people in Africa each year. In 2021, that was down to 14 cases. It is on track to being only the second human disease in history to be eradicated after smallpox. Then in 1994, when it seemed war was about to erupt between North and South Korea , President Bill Clinton remembered Carter’s magical touch with the Middle East. Carter flew in to meet with leader Kim Il Sung, and got on so well they ended up hugging. The intervention helped to seal a nuclear disarmament agreement that lasted nearly a decade. He was awarded 2002’s Nobel Peace Prize – the only US President to ever get the honour after leaving office. Despite his age he carried on building homes for the poor – often working on them himself but the Secret Service banned him from going on the roof because he was at risk of assassination by snipers. And at home in their two-bedroom bungalow, he and Rosalynn read a chapter of the Bible to each other each night, as they had done for more than 40 years. During the day the couple rode around on three-wheeled scooter the former president said "gives you a workout all the way from your ankles up to your shoulders" — for up to 2.5 miles a day. Read more on the Scottish Sun GHOST TOWN Former Scots shopping hotspot 'decaying' as multimillion pound revamp ‘failing’ VAX HORROR Striken Scots 'gaslit' by health bosses after complications from Covid vaccine In accordance with his wishes, President Carter will be buried in front of his smallholding worth £150,000 – less than the value of the Secret Service car that always parked outside for his protection. He explained: “Plains is where our hearts have always been.” 7 Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter and their children during the 1980 Democratic National Convention in New York City Credit: Getty - Contributor RABBIT INCIDENT JIMMY CARTER did not always have the best luck — but it was never worse than one day in April 1979 when he went out fishing on a boat and got attacked by a swimming rabbit. News reports quoted a witness as saying the animal was “hissing menacingly, its teeth flashing and nostrils flared, and making straight for the President.” The Washington Post’s front-page headline was “Rabbit attacks President”. The Associated Press went with “Carter Fights ‘Killer Rabbit’ with Paddle on Fishing Trip”. Carter later insisted that what actually happened that day on a pond in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, was that “a rabbit was being chased by hounds and he jumped in the water and swam towards my boat. When he got almost there, I splashed some water with a paddle and the rabbit turned.” But his press secretary Jody Powell always swore that the animal was “enraged” and “perhaps beserk” and “intent upon climbing into the presidential boat”. He ((OK, he)) said it was also far larger than normal rabbits so the President was frightened, with good reason. Cartoons and novelty songs followed, and political enemies who wanted to paint Carter as ridiculous and hapless had a field day. For the rest of his time in office, Carter avoided being photographed with the Easter Bunny.
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A slight nudge was all it took for Fred VanVleet to get ejected Sunday in the Houston Rockets’ game against the Miami Heat at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Heat forward Nikola Jovic hit a three with 47.1 seconds left to put Miami up 98-94, prompting the Rockets to call a timeout. VanVleet was tasked to inbound from the sideline. VanVleet could not get a clean pass off in time due to some excellent ball denial by the Heat. The Rockets guard tried to call a timeout, but it was too late. Referee Marc Davis called a five-second violation. As VanVleet tried to argue the call, he gave Davis a little bump. The veteran official turned around and ejected VanVleet for the contact. Marc Davis ejected Fred VanVleet for accidentally bumping into him The NBA is cooked pic.twitter.com/f3F8dOdiSs — LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) December 30, 2024 Tensions remained high even after VanVleet was escorted off the playing court. A few moments later, Heat star Tyler Herro and Rockets wing Amen Thompson got tangled up near midcourt. A full-on fracas broke out as Thompson pulled Herro to the ground. Amen Thompson and Tyler Herro fight pic.twitter.com/VGp1KBXzJH — NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 30, 2024 Thompson, Jalen Green , Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan were all ejected from the contest. Herro led all scorers with 27 points in the 104-100 Heat win over the Rockets. Houston’s players were probably in a dour mood given that it was the second straight close game they’ve given up at home. The Rockets are just days removed from blowing a 16-point lead in the final minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves , capped off by an go-ahead three-pointer from Anthony Edwards . This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.
By Adam Lucas 1. Carolina simply had too much for Campbell in every way, bulldozing its way to an 97-81 victory. 2. Big night for RJ Davis , who wasted no time in becoming Carolina's all-time leader in made three-point shots. Davis hit two three-point shots before the first media timeout to pass Marcus Paige atop Carolina's all-time leaderboard. Davis received a nice hand from the Smith Center crowd--including Paige, who of course is on the Tar Heel bench. 3. Davis looked perhaps the most like the last season version of Davis that we've seen all year. The play in the second half when he shook his defender and then side-stepped into his fifth three-pointer of the game was vintage Davis. The veteran finished with 23 points, including 5-for-10 from the three-point line. 4. Davis and Ian Jackson were the primary portion of Carolina's perimeter offense, but it didn't matter, because Carolina was very good from two-point range, including making 18 of its first 22 two-point shots. Jackson went 6-for-8 on twos and Jalen Washington also added 5-for-7. In the first half, the Heels were 4-17 from three and 12-14 from two. They finished just below 75 percent for the game from two-point range. 5. The Tar Heels played without Seth Trimble , who missed the game with an upper body injury. Jackson made his first career Tar Heel start in Trimble's absence. 6. Being a Division I coach comes with a lot of stress and headaches. So you have to get something positive from the good moments...like the sequence in the first half when Carolina ran a new halfcourt set they've been working on in practice that ended with a perfect Elliot Cadeau feed to Ven-Allen Lubin for an easy dunk. It doesn't happen every time--but when it does, it's a nice break (and another example of Carolina's two-point proficiency). 7. Campbell helped the Tar Heels with preparation for later in the season by throwing a couple different defensive looks at the Heels. Carolina got some work against some fullcourt pressure, and also a halfcourt trap. 8. Great Tar Heel crowd in the Smith Center for a Sunday night game at 8 p.m. against a non-marquee opponent. With students out of town, Carolina fans bought up almost every available ticket. This is annually the game when tons of families and kids can attend, and the kids were loud and noticeable (Crumbl is going to give away a lot of cookies after the promotion clicked for the third time this season and the Camels missed two straight second half free throws). 9. Jackson continues to be an emerging part of the Carolina offense. The freshman now has 118 points in his last seven games (16.9 points per game). If he shoots the three-point shot roughly as well as he did on Sunday (he made three for eight), he becomes very hard to guard, because when you close out on him he's going by you to the rim. Jackson had the most free throw attempts on the team (seven) because he aggressively attacks the basket. He is the first Carolina freshman to score 20+ in back to back games since Cole Anthony, and finished his night with a spectacular lob from Cadeau with three minutes left. 10. Cadeau quietly had a very good night. He had just two turnovers in the second half and finished with 12 points and a career-high 12 assists (and, again, was great from two-point range, as he hit six of nine). 11. The other Tar Heel who showed a glimmer on Sunday was Jalen Washington . The junior, who had perhaps the biggest play of the game in the huge win over UCLA with his offensive rebound and basket with 92 seconds left, contributed 10 points and five rebounds. After playing his way out of the starting lineup, Washington may be elbowing his way back in as league play approaches. Washington was part of Carolina's 37-25 overall rebounding advantage. 12. It wasn't all perfect: Hubert Davis is absolutely going to mention that his team allowed Campbell to shoot 60.7 percent in the second half. This could have been a mammoth runaway; instead, it doesn't look as dominant on the scoreboard. The Camels hit six of nine three-point shots in the final 20 minutes. 13. Sunday night's game marks the end of Carolina's non-conference schedule. The final 19 games of the regular season are against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents, beginning with Wednesday's New Year's Day game at Louisville. Given the 8-5 mark against non-league foes, the Tar Heels are likely looking for around 15 or 16 wins in ACC play to comfortably make the NCAA Tournament field and eliminate any chance of sweating on Selection Sunday.10 of the best ASX shares to buy in 2025
