Asian-girls.tumblr.com

I was directed to the little gem of a site through the philip defranco show. So i thought id share it with the Men's Corner of my blog. Its a site solely dedicated to gorgeous Asian girls, all pictures are non-nude, not that it will make any difference.
Here's a few pictures taken from the site.

Google Wants to Teach Computers Regret

Google has been known to pump money into all kinds of high-tech research projects at computer science departments all over the world. In this case, a group of researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel are working on technology that will teach computers to feel “regret” for their decisions. The goal is to allow computers to learn from their mistakes when they’re presented with the same or similar decisions in the future.

The aim of the project is to enable artificial intelligences (AIs) to manage the decision-making process when they’re presented with choices, and to remember logically whether or not the choice ended in success or failure. “Regret” is something of a misnomer, since the goal isn’t to make computers “feel” anything so much as learn from their mistakes and minimize the probability they’ll make an unsuccessful or inefficient choice in the future.

Google has put some weight behind the project because the technology could prove useful in their own processes. Google’s algorithms dig through millions of web sites, e-mails, advertisements, and other data every day, and their pre-programmed systems have to decide the good from the bad. Google’s perspective is that any technology that can make those decision processes more efficient and successful is a good one to have.

The researchers also note that developing decision technology like this could improve other areas of computing. Network management systems would be able to more efficiently route and prioritize traffic on the Internet or across corporate networks, for example. Load balancing systems would be more able to effectively manage high load without slowing down.

While this all sounds like simple probability analysis, the team at Tel Aviv University hope to make the process real-time and self-adjusting, without the need for human intervention in any significant way. Additionally, the goal is to give AIs the ability to learn from their experiences and use that knowledge to inform new and different decisions, even if they’re unrelated to what the system has already seen. The technology is still years away, but with Google’s backing, the 20-person team has high hopes to deliver on the promise in the near future.

Press release: Tel Aviv University
Programming Regret for Google
Wednesday, April 13, 2011

TAU scientists give computers "hindsight" to anticipate the future

Human beings are well aware that hindsight is 20/20 - and the product of this awareness is often what we call "regret." Could this hindsight be programmed into a computer to more accurately predict the future? Tel Aviv University computer researchers think so - and the Internet giant Google is anxious to know the answer, too.

Prof. Yishay Mansour of Tel Aviv University's Blavatnik School of Computer Science launched his new project at the International Conference on Learning Theory in Haifa, Israel, earlier this year. His research will help computers minimize what Prof. Mansour calls "regret." Google recently announced that it will fund Tel Aviv University computer scientists and economists to develop this foundational research, a nexus on the cutting edge of computer science and game theory.

"If the servers and routing systems of the Internet could see and evaluate all the relevant variables in advance, they could more efficiently prioritize server resource requests, load documents and route visitors to an Internet site, for instance," Prof. Mansour says - an efficiency that Google finds very attractive.

Helping computers think better

Of course computers can't "feel" regret - but they can measure the distance between a desired outcome and the actual outcome. Prof. Mansour recently developed an algorithm based on machine learning, or "artificial intelligence," to minimize the amount of virtual regret a computer program might experience.

"We are able to change and influence the decision-making of computers in real-time. Compared to human beings, help systems can much more quickly process all the available information to estimate the future as events unfold - whether it's a bidding war on an online auction site, a sudden spike of traffic to a media website, or demand for an online product," says Prof. Mansour. Google hopes to use the research to improve its own online technologies and businesses, such as its AdWords and Adsense advertising platforms.

Prof. Mansour adds that his algorithm will adapt to the situation at hand. Since Internet users, people, are not predictable, the algorithm in effect can study and "learn" as it is running. After the task is finished, the results are "almost as if you knew all the variables in advance," says Prof. Mansour.

The academics of Internet advertising

Tel Aviv University is highly specialized in the type of research that most interests Google, and the "regret" project strengthens existing ties between the university and the Internet giant. TAU's Prof. Mansour and Prof. Noam Nisan of Hebrew University will head the 20-person team working with Google, which includes eight Tel Aviv University scientists. The head of Google Israel is Prof. Yossi Matias, a Tel Aviv University faculty member.

Academic input in algorithmic game theory and algorithmic mechanism design will greatly benefit the industry, Google hopes. "We are asking how we can give incentives to get bidders and buyers in the auction to behave intelligently, by understanding the dynamics of the auction process," says Prof. Mansour.

Game Review - Portal 2

It’s been a long, long time. Three and a half years after the cult classic forever changed the internet and bred many a meme, Valve Software returns after two years of zombie bashing with science! Literally throwing players into a mix of physics tests, momentum challenges and cooperative head-smashing, the acclaimed developer has finally delivered Portal 2

As in the original players take on the avatar Chell, a tenacious woman who we know nothing about and can only see using the portal gun to look at ourselves. GLaDOS returns, as noted in the various trailers, and one new character is introduced, Wheatley. The three – well, two since Chell never speaks, which is comically visualized when Wheatley asks Chell a question, wherein gamers jump the answer – converse with one another using trickery, sarcasm, sadism and the occasional philosophical quip that keeps players on their toes. There is nary a line worth missing, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve reloaded parts of the game because I missed a single line of dialog.

This is to be expected, considering Valve’s prior titles, including and especially Portal. Those unfamiliar with the original will feel behind the curve, especially in puzzle-solving, though it’s more like someone not seeing a famous scene from a movie that everyone knows than actually being behind. “You can’t handle the truth” is one such line. We’ve all seen it, so it’s a social norm. The same applies with Portal for Portal 2. Life can go on without having played Portal, but the experience of Portal 2 is richer with that background, especially when playing the cooperative campaign.

In a somewhat painful twist of irony, Portal 2 suffers because of its prequel. Portal was simplicity at its finest, a treasure trove of puzzles and imagination that so elegantly enabled players to live, to really breathe the entire experience in. Valve clearly suffered to recreate that same feeling while still building a new game. Having spent much time in Portal, even years back, I was able to pick up the portal gun and solve half of the game’s new puzzles in the single-player campaign with minimal effort. The use of momentum, acceleration, buttons and cubes, lasers and avoiding bullet-filled apologetic turrets…it just isn’t new, and considering my past experience, isn’t very demanding. Some of the newer additions, like light bridges, aerial faith plates, and excursion tunnels are interesting twists, but they don’t have the same “huzzah!”, and lack the learning curve that took so much time and effort to get to, of the original. Users won’t need malleable minds to solve most of these puzzles. At least for the first half of the game.

Once past the halfway mark, a serious shift in plot and gameplay occurs. Instead of GLaDOS’ voice insultingly commenting on how Chell is fat, adopted, has no friends or is fat, Cave Johnson takes over the narrative with manly charm through a selection of pre-recorded tapes for test subjects. This second half introduces several new ideas for portal puzzles, all revolving around three gels: repulsion, propulsion, and one unnamed gel. They allow players to jump and bounce incredible heights, run at dashing speeds, and place portals on most any surface, respectively. Combining these with the old and newer elements can quickly turn a previously ripe mind into duck soup.

Following up such an incredible tale must have been overwhelming, because in many ways Portal supersedes its successor. Wheatley’s character is comical in a childish way, and at times his antics fall on slapstick instead of intelligence (which there is an interesting reason behind). GLaDOS’ role is minimized, but even her constant jabs generally lack the bite it once did. Cave Johnson is an exceptional narrator, and if you’ve watched any of the trailers, know that those aren’t the best he has to offer. The overall plot is simple and straightforward, and the bag of tricks has thinned out over the years. It isn’t until the curtains close where a jaw-dropping event occurs, one so clever that it will blow your mind.

Cooperative play, however, is an absolute joy/nightmare. Like Left 4 Dead, Valve’s cooperative games require absolute collaboration, not the façade we see in the Call of Duty’s and Halo’s of today. As two machines – interestingly named Atlas and…P-body – players solve puzzles together using two portal guns, meaning double the portals. Not only must players work entirely in tandem, they must communicate clearly, and often quickly. That means you had better find someone good to play with, someone at your level, or one of you will be doing all the work and collecting all of the frustration.

There are a few immediate benefits to the cooperative campaign over the humanized solo missions. First, GLaDOS is fully in-charge (and yes, the plot in the single-player campaign does work with the cooperative one sensibly), and she doesn’t hesitate to lash out at foolish robots with her witty repartee. Second, as robots, Atlas and Peabody can be rebuilt at any time. Taking a wrong step off a cliff or into a laser has no real punishment; in a few seconds a new body is there for the taking. This is especially great because of the long load-times between levels, which on the Xbox 360 is tragic. Finally, because communication is so important, three main functions have been added specifically for cooperative play: a navigation pointer, a 3-second countdown timer, and a selection of fun, quirky animations, including a friendly wave, an unfriendly head slap, and six others. This makes it possible to play the game without actually speaking directly to your partner, though in my experience not being on the same television set can be incredibly frustrating

Both campaigns take about eight hours to complete, and I recommend playing the solo campaign first, which acts as an excellent segue into the cooperative missions, especially if you have limited or no experience with the original Portal. Furthermore, because of the dual-player nature of the cooperative campaign, those missions are more difficult and will require more processing power to complete from both players. And as a puzzler, Portal 2 isn’t something anyone can complete in one sitting. Some puzzles need a fresh set of eyes.

Throw in Valve’s signature “developer diaries”, a built-in tool which allows players to listen to different members of the development team explain why they built a level a certain way, or give a behind the scenes look at the game, and players can double their playtime instantly. Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 owners can rejoice because Portal 2 is excellent, though in my heart of hearts I know that the PC version is the one to own, if not for the hope of Gary’s Mod 2, then just for free future content, faster load times, and the option to play with a keyboard and mouse. Even on home consoles, Portal 2 is truly a game to behold, even if we don’t walk away with an incredible motto like “the cake is a lie”.

Rating: 8.5/10

'Robocop' Sunglasses Identify Criminals

The Brazilian police force is looking to introduce high tech glasses for the 2014 world cup to help them identify known criminals.
If all goes according to plan, Brazilian police forces will be equipped with 'Robocop' sunglasses before the next World Cup, capable of scanning and detecting the faces of known trouble-makers/terrorists and alerting officers.
On its optimal settings, the camera can scan 400 faces a second at a distance of up to 50 yards away. But the settings can be changed to recognize faces at a slower pace, at up to 12 miles away.

Identifying perps from 12-miles away with a pair of sunglasses? Riiiiiiiiiiight. You see that dot? Yeah, the one that looks like an ant? It's a terrorist. Trust me, the glasses said so. Also, that I should go grab some churros and leave the arrests up to you. YOU HEARD THE GLASSES! Kidding, they only talk to me but still .

Maybe all that terminator stuff might not be too far from the truth after all. Is technology getting to advanced?

Picture unrelated related enough.

Transformers 3 - Dark of the Moon

The new Transformers movie is out on the 1st July 2011, and man does it look sweet. Lasers swords guns hot chicks what more can a transformers nerd ask for? Although the loss of megan fox is a serious blow to the film (in my opinion), replacing her is a hard task.
Plot Summary: Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) taking his first tenuous steps into adulthood while remaining a reluctant human ally of Optimus Prime. The film centers around the space race between the U.S.S.R. and the USA, suggesting there was a hidden Transformers role in it all that remains one of the planet's most dangerous secrets. The villain of the third film will be Shockwave.
While the second film did not perform to expectations following a fantastic first movie, the third has been tipped to be better then both its predecessors, here's to hoping that happens. I'll leave you with this teaser clip to get u aroused.

Kate Middleton vs. Her Sister: Who'd You Rather?

Here's Prince William's bride-to-be Kate Middleton (left) and her younger sister Pippa Middleton (right).

 Question is.. who would you choose?

Fake Justin Bieber Prank

Some staff in a hotel in Zürich thought it would be funny to dress up a guy as justin bieber and pull a prank on local girls. look at the reaction this guy gets when he goes onto the roof. Great prank, just proves how stupid people can be.