Hindustan Unilever in talks to acquire Peak XV-backed Minimalist for up to $350M

Consumer goods giant Hindustan Unilever is in advanced talks to acquire four-year-old direct-to-consumer startup Minimalist for up to $350 million, according to two people familiar with the matter. An acquisition would add to the Unilever subsidiary’s buying spree in India, where it expanded into the health and wellbeing category by acquiring Oziva and Wellbeing Nutrition […]

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Summary

Hindustan Unilever is in advanced talks to acquire the direct-to-consumer startup Minimalist for up to $350 million. This potential acquisition would further expand Unilever’s presence in India’s health and wellbeing category.

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University of South Florida Researchers Propose TeLU Activation Function for Fast and Stable Deep Learning

Inspired by the brain, neural networks are essential for recognizing images and processing language. These networks rely on activation functions, which enable them to learn complex patterns. However, many activation functions face challenges. Some struggle with vanishing gradients, which slows learning in deep networks, while others suffer from “dead neurons,” where certain parts of the […]

The post University of South Florida Researchers Propose TeLU Activation Function for Fast and Stable Deep Learning appeared first on MarkTechPost.

Summary

Researchers at the University of South Florida have proposed a new activation function called TeLU for deep learning. Activation functions are crucial for neural networks to learn complex patterns, but existing functions face issues like vanishing gradients and dead neurons. TeLU aims to address these challenges and improve the speed and stability of deep learning processes.

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Camel-AI Open Sourced OASIS: A Next Generation Simulator for Realistic Social Media Dynamics with One Million Agents

Social media platforms have revolutionized human interaction, creating dynamic environments where millions of users exchange information, form communities, and influence one another. These platforms, including X and Reddit, are not just tools for communication but have become critical ecosystems for understanding modern societal behaviors. Simulating such intricate interactions is vital for studying misinformation, group polarization, […]

The post Camel-AI Open Sourced OASIS: A Next Generation Simulator for Realistic Social Media Dynamics with One Million Agents appeared first on MarkTechPost.

Summary

The article discusses the release of OASIS, a social media simulator with one million virtual agents developed by Camel-AI. Social media platforms have become crucial for understanding societal behaviors, and simulating interactions on these platforms is essential for studying phenomena like misinformation and group polarization. OASIS aims to provide a realistic environment for analyzing social media dynamics.

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Trump asks Supreme Court to pause imminent TikTok ban

Attorneys representing President-elect Donald Trump have asked the Supreme Court to pause a law that would force TikTok-owner ByteDance to sell the short-form video app or see it banned from the United States. If the app isn’t sold, the ban is set to take effect in just a few weeks, on January 19. ByteDance is […]

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Summary

Attorneys representing President Trump have requested the Supreme Court to delay a law that would require TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or face a ban in the U.S. The ban is scheduled to go into effect on January 19 if the app is not sold.

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The US proposes rules to make healthcare data more secure

The US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is proposing new cybersecurity requirements for healthcare organizations aimed at protecting patients’ private data in the event of cyberattacks, reports Reuters. The rules come after major cyberattacks like one that leaked the private information of more than 100 million UnitedHealth patients earlier this year.

The OCR’s proposal includes requiring that healthcare organizations make multifactor authentication mandatory in most situations, that they segment their networks to reduce risks of intrusions spreading from one system to another, and that they encrypt patient data so that even if it’s stolen, it can’t be accessed. It would also direct regulated groups to undertake certain risk analysis practices, keep compliance documentation, and more.

The rule is part of the cybersecurity strategy that the Biden administration announced last year. Once finalized, it would update the Security Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), which regulates doctors, nursing homes, health insurance companies, and more, and was last updated in 2013.

US deputy national security advisor Anne Neuberger put the cost of implementing the requirements at “an estimated $9 billion in the first year, and $6 billion in years two through five,” writes Reuters. The proposal is due to be published in the Federal Register on January 6th, which will kick off the 60-day public comment period before the final rule is set.

Summary

The US Department of Health and Human Services is proposing new cybersecurity requirements for healthcare organizations to protect patients’ private data from cyberattacks. The proposed rules include mandatory multifactor authentication, network segmentation, encryption of patient data, risk analysis practices, and compliance documentation. This initiative is part of the Biden administration’s cybersecurity strategy and will update the Security Rule of HIPAA. The estimated cost of implementing these requirements is $9 billion in the first year and $6 billion in the following years. The proposal is set to be published for public comment before finalization.

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A fake Nintendo lawyer is scaring YouTubers, and it’s not clear YouTube can stop him

In late September, Dominik “Domtendo” Neumayer received a troubling email. He had just featured The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom in a series of videos on his YouTube channel. Now, those videos were gone.

“Some of your videos have been removed,” YouTube explained matter-of-factly. The email said that Domtendo had now received a pair of copyright strikes. He was now just one copyright strike away from losing his 17-year-old channel and the over 1.5 million subscribers he’d built up.

At least, he would have been, if Domtendo hadn’t spotted something fishy about the takedown notice — something YouTube had missed.

Domtendo had been a little bit confused right from the start; the strikes didn’t make sense. Like countless other creators, Domtendo specializes in “Let’s Play” videos, a well-established genre where streamers play through the entirety of a game on camera.

Nintendo has a complicated relationship with the fans who use its copyrighted works, infamously shutting down all sorts of unauthorized projects by sending cease-and-desists. It has gone after YouTubers, too. But both the Japanese gaming giant and the broader…

Read the full story at The Verge.

Summary

The article discusses how a YouTuber named Domtendo received copyright strikes from a fake Nintendo lawyer after featuring a game on his channel. The strikes put his channel at risk of being shut down. However, Domtendo noticed discrepancies in the takedown notice and realized it was fake. The incident highlights the challenges creators face with copyright issues on YouTube. Nintendo has a history of taking action against unauthorized projects and YouTubers using its copyrighted content. The situation raises questions about YouTube’s ability to prevent fake takedowns.

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AI sales rep startups are booming. So why are VCs wary?

When you really probe venture capitalists about investing in AI startups, they’ll tell you that businesses are experimenting wildly but are very slow to add AI solutions into their ongoing business processes.  But there are some exceptions. And one of them appears to be an area known as AI sales development representatives, or AI SDRs. […]

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Summary

The article discusses the booming growth of AI sales representative startups, despite venture capitalists being cautious about investing in them. Businesses are often slow to integrate AI solutions into their existing processes, but AI sales development representatives are an exception. This sector, known as AI SDRs, seems to be attracting more attention and investment.

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AWS Researchers Propose LEDEX: A Machine Learning Training Framework that Significantly Improves the Self-Debugging Capability of LLMs

Code generation using Large Language Models (LLMs) has emerged as a critical research area, but generating accurate code for complex problems in a single attempt remains a significant challenge. Even skilled human developers often require multiple iterations of trial-and-error debugging to solve difficult programming problems. While LLMs have demonstrated impressive code generation capabilities, their self-debugging […]

The post AWS Researchers Propose LEDEX: A Machine Learning Training Framework that Significantly Improves the Self-Debugging Capability of LLMs appeared first on MarkTechPost.

Summary

The article discusses LEDEX, a machine learning training framework proposed by AWS researchers to enhance the self-debugging capability of Large Language Models (LLMs). LLMs are powerful in code generation, but accurately generating code for complex problems in a single attempt is challenging. Even skilled human developers often need multiple iterations for debugging. LEDEX aims to address this issue and improve LLMs’ self-debugging capabilities.

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Kobo’s Elipsa 2E, an excellent e-reader for taking notes, is down to its best price

Amazon might have released a new Kindle Scribe earlier this month for $399.99, but after testing it, I still don’t think it can compete with its rivals. If you’re looking for a good e-reader with more useful note-taking capabilities, the Kobo Elipsa 2E is still one of my favorites, and it’s down to an all-time low of $349.99 ($50 off) at Amazon or Target. will also throw in $10 in credit when you buy a $50 gift card, which you can use toward buying or .

If you’re the type of person who likes to scribble in margins while reading ebooks, you’ll likely prefer the Kobo Elipsa 2E. The Elipsa 2E lets you directly write on ebook pages, taking notes in margins or anywhere else you’d like, just as you would on paper. The new Kindle Scribe lets you directly write on pages, too, but it’s a lot more complicated and you can’t even circle phrases or words.

The Elipsa 2E also offers other helpful features beyond just a more natural note-taking experience. It boasts double the storage (32GB) as the entry-level Kindle Scribe, for example, and accurately converts handwriting into typed text faster than the Scribe. The biggest drawback, of course, is that it doesn’t natively support Kindle ebooks, so you’ll have to convert your library if you want to read them from your Kobo device.

Just a few more deals

• Sony’s WH-CH720N noise-canceling headphones are currently down to just $74.99 ($75 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, which is their all-time low price. Their noise cancellation isn’t as effective as rivals like Sony’s WH-1000XM5, but for the price, they do a decent job of tuning out noise. They also deliver good sound, support for multipoint Bluetooth connectivity, and up to 35 hours of continuous playback, rendering them a great option if you’re on a budget.
• If you’re in need of USB-C chargers, you can buy the Anker PowerPort III and the eco-friendly version of the 30-watt Anker 511 Charger bundled together for $24.99 ($29.99 off) from Best Buy. Both are USB-C chargers that’ll quickly power up your phone, laptop, tablet, and electronics, but the 30-watt Anker 511 Charger is smaller and thus more portable with a single port. In contrast, Anker’s PowerPort III is a 65-watt wall charger that lets you quickly juice up to three devices at once.
• If you’re looking out for porch pirates, the Blink Outdoor 4 camera is on sale for $49.99 ($50 off) — one of its better prices to date — at Amazon with a Sync Module 2 included. Blink’s 1080p security camera offers better image quality than its predecessor, two-zone package detection, and an impressive two years of battery life. You don’t need a premium subscription to record motion events either, thanks to the included Sync Module 2, which lets you record motion-activated video locally (with a USB stick) for free.

Summary

The article discusses the Kobo Elipsa 2E e-reader, which is praised for its excellent note-taking capabilities. It is currently available at its best price of $349.99, making it a good alternative to the new Kindle Scribe. The Elipsa 2E allows users to directly write on ebook pages, offering a more natural note-taking experience compared to the Kindle Scribe. It also features double the storage capacity (32GB) and faster handwriting to text conversion. However, it does not natively support Kindle ebooks, requiring users to convert their library. Additionally, the article mentions other tech deals, including discounted Sony noise-canceling headphones and USB-C chargers.

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