Bars and restaurants are returning to normal after the frenzy of the Canadiens playoffs.
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Kate
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Kate
Quebec is planning a database of cultural stuff to train AIs with.
EmilyG
The article says, “The project aims to address concerns that major generative AI systems often struggle to provide reliable information about Quebec society, economy and culture because of the limited amount of Quebec-related data available to them.”
But generative AI often doesn’t give reliable information on various things, in various languages and cultures.
I don’t know if gen-AI is a good idea in any language.
Kate
No, but that ship has sailed.
Kevin
AI is a bubble. Everyone knows it but they’ve already made money from crypto and NFTs so why not treat more people like suckers.
Joey
A colleague of mind has a helpful way to think about LLMs – you have three fundamental elements: a model, which is essentially how the LLM processes information; a data set that it uses for its “knowledge”; and a user interface. If LLMs are going to be a source of information, and they already are, it makes sense to have models that are trained on a relatively small/contained set of accurate information about Quebec culture.
SMD
Long breakdown of the current AI bubble in the US It would be interesting to have a similar analysis of Canadians’ exposure, through pension funds and tax breaks and direct government support. The technology might have some interesting uses, but the finance side is a house of cards.
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Kate
Radio-Canada says nearly 20,000 cyclists are out in the Tour de l’Île Sunday, while TVA says it’s 15,000 cyclists “despite the potholes” – which seems like an odd observation, as potholes, while unpleasant and sometimes dangerous, don’t keep cyclists off the road any more than they do motorists.
Chris
Also, the entire route had all potholes filled (as they do every year).
Joey
There are many streets I would currently drive on that I wouldn’t bike on…
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Kate
Steven Guilbeault abandoning the federal Liberals was a theme this week, Côté making him into a sort of St Francis of Assisi figure, Chapleau calling back to Guilbeault’s famous 2001 scaling of the CN tower to hang a banner, Godin with a symbolic drawing and Ygreck using an oil pipeline gag. Chapleau also dips into oil in another Guilbeault cartoon.Christine Fréchette’s cut to a few sales taxes is mocked by Godin and Ygreck – and her source of spare cash by Godin. Fréchette’s growing burden on Éric Girard amuses Côté; on the other hand, Ygreck sees her weighed down by the legacy of Legault.
Trump only stepped in for a couple of mild gags this week.
Côté asks are you followed by a family doctor? He also does a masterful drawing of job responsibilities in institutional settings.
MarcG
A small bit of unintentional local content in Côté’s Trump comic: the January 6th defendant has a Proud Boys logo on their shirt, a group founded by Gavin McInnes who’s best known in Montreal as the guy who wrote the Do’s and Don’ts column in Vice magazine back in the day but is now a tiresome edgelord.
Kate
It might well have been intentional. Côté’s pretty sharp.
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Kate
The Tour de l’Île route this Sunday encircles Mount Royal and encloses several pieces of the central city. Le Devoir asks how to get around. The forecast speaks of a possible thunderstorm this afternoon.
ottawaowl
Should be fun even with a bit of rain. Highlight of 2021 for me was cycling through the Big Owe and the Tour la Nuit was AWESOME https://youtu.be/Lvln41beEis
Kate
I have good memories of Tours la Nuit – riding through the Botanical Garden in silence and almost total darkness (no clowns or acrobats), also riding up the Olmsted Trail, with nervous volunteers positioned along the cliff edge calling out to keep us from getting too close. I don’t know whether they’ve routed the ride up there since, once they realized how difficult it is to perceive the edge of the trail in the dark.
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Kate
La Presse continues its exploration of Australian cities with a dossier on Sydney, focusing on how it uses technology.
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