Tag: tracks
Twitter’s algorithm specifically tracks how Elon Musk’s tweets are doing
Twitter has just released – as promised by owner Elon Musk – the source code for its recommendation algorithm, and there’s already been a very interesting discovery in the code.
After pouring through the code, multiple people found at least one really interesting portion of the code that shows Twitter is specifically tracking metrics for users broken up into four different groups:
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“power_user”
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“republican”
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“democrat”
and
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“elon”
That’s right, Twitter is specifically tracking how Musk’s tweets are performing, and it’s been coded right into Twitter’s algorithm.
Credit: Mashable Screenshot
Following the release of the algorithm, a Twitter Spaces audio chat was set up by the company. Musk and a few of Twitter’s developers took questions from listeners. A couple individuals brought this particular part of the algorithm up during the conversation.
“This is the first time I’m seeing this,” Musk said when asked about the code that tracked accounts in these four groups including one just for his tweets. “There’s a ton of stupid and embarrassing things being shown by making the code open source.”
While Musk claims he did not know about the metric tracking portion of the algorithm, he has previously admitted that Twitter was reviewing his account’s analytics. He did so in a tweet last month in order to push back against reports that he called an emergency Twitter meeting to boost his tweets in the algorithm, after a Super Bowl tweet from President Joe Biden performed better than Musk’s own tweet about the game.
When a guest speaker on the Twitter Space shared his concerns about grouping accounts into the categories “democrat” and “republican,” one of Twitter’s developers explained that this code was just for collecting stats. A note on the algorithm source code, however, states that the metric collecting was being used to ensure that changes to Twitter did not negatively affect any of these four groups.
According to Twitter’s own explanation of how this metric tracking is being used, if an algorithm change benefited an entire group of users, but negatively impacted the group made up solely of Elon Musk, it would not implement that algorithm change.
Zoë Schiffer of Platformer reported that Twitter actually removed part of the source code that affected the reach of Musk’s and other user’s tweets before releasing the algorithm to the public.
During the Spaces chat, Twitter explained that the metric tracking code was first developed into the algorithm years ago under the old Twitter regime. However, it was not explained why Musk’s tweets were specifically being tracked, a part of the code that seemingly would’ve been added much more recently.
Musk did respond that Twitter would remove it.
“It shouldn’t be there,” Musk said. “Consider it gone.”
Musk also shared in a tweet following the Twitter Spaces chat that the company would make changes to the algorithm based on user feedback every one to two days.
Elon Musk did deliver what he said he would on Thursday. The owner of Twitter previously promised that the social media platform would be more transparent. Musk said Twitter would share its recommendations algorithm on March 31 at 3pm EST, and the company did just that.
But, the release of this source code also comes days after Twitter forced Github to take down other parts of Twitter’s source code that was allegedly posted by a former employee without the company’s permission. So, clearly, there’s still plenty of Twitter that Musk still doesn’t want us to see.
Sonic Frontiers update brings new Challenge mode, Photo Mode, and Jukebox tracks March 22
Unusually Large REPTILE-LIKE TRACKS Discovered Along Devil’s Backbone, Colorado
A Loveland, Colorado resident describes a strange incident experienced by his mother while taking the dog out. Years later, he finds unusually large reptile-like tracks near their home.
“I live in a house up next to the Devil’s Backbone near Loveland, Colorado. The area around our house is just urban enough for us to have a house there and about three neighbors, but wild enough for a herd of about 40 elk to come marching through our yard during migration.
One night in 2002, I was watching TV with my parents. My mom went to take one of our dogs out. They went out and came back a few minutes later. My mom came back and told my dad and me that there was something out there. This is, according to her, what happened.
She went out to the dog pen with the dog. Just from experience, I know that the outside lights on that part of the house only illuminate the driveway and half of the dog pen. The dog began sniffing about for a place to “do its business” and went over to the darker end of the pen. There was just enough light reaching that end to see the dog going up against the fence. I don’t remember exactly, but at some point, while she was in the shadows, my mom said she heard a loud, terrifying feline growl come from that end of the pen. The dog, of course, bolted immediately for the light at the opposite end of the pen. It was scared out of her wits. Thus my mom was convinced that the time was right to return to the house.
I thought about this for some time. The only non-cryptid animals in the area capable of producing anything like this noise were foxes and raccoons (there were no mountain lions in the area at the time), but from my mom’s description of the sound, it would have to have been a larger creature. Also, the dog that was involved has a reputation for being able to detect foxes easily, and there hadn’t been any raccoon sightings (at least in our neighborhood) for years. This, however, is about as far as I got before I moved on to other things.
I didn’t think about the noise again until this summer (2006). Every day I go on a hike up the Devil’s Backbone trail with the same dog from the previous account. I had a lot of time to think during those hikes and, as I said before, the strange noise came to mind. I tried to come up with an animal that would fit the description and ended up with nothing. To my knowledge, there were no cryptids in northeast Colorado. The closest cryptids were the Colorado River Lizards, but they’re in southern Colorado. I continued my hike and let my mind wander to other things.
Then, something in the dirt caught my eye. I stopped and bent down to examine it. It appeared to be a footprint of some kind. Most of the dirt around the print was too hard-packed to make much of a footprint with only a thin layer of loose dust. But occasionally, as was the case, there would be a small patch of dirt loose and thick enough to make a decent print. The print was about 3.5 inches wide and 3.5 inches long with three, thick, bird-like toes. From what I’ve seen of the trail wildlife, there isn’t anything big enough to make a decent track much less one as strange and bizarre as this. Of course, it got me really excited and I searched for more footprints like it. There was evidence of other footprints leading up to the original, but they were on the packed stuff and therefore, were not very legible. As I said, I got really excited and promptly began beating myself up for not having a camera with me. Fortunately, the backbone was shielding most of the wind, the print was off on the side of the trail and there was enough gravel to keep its shape long enough for me to go back home (we live very close to the trailhead), get a camera and snap a few photos (see picture).
On my way back, I also managed to find some other tracks like it in more footprint-friendly soil and snapped some shots of it too. This one actually had some fairly legible prints around it in a “running” pattern, but they were too far apart for me to snap in one shot. I’m tempted to say that the mysterious footprints are connected somehow to the mysterious animal from the previous account.
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Have you had a sighting of a winged humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the ‘Chicago Mothman’, ‘Chicago Owlman’ & ‘O’Hare Mothman’ or ‘O’Hare Batman.’ – Chicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive Map – Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com – your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated.
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Miley Cyrus’ ‘Endless Summer Vacation’: That Grape Juice’s Top 5 Tracks
Miley Cyrus has unleashed ‘Endless Summer Vacation’ – her eighth studio album.
Led by the vibrant ‘Flowers,’ the set sees Cyrus exploring themes of love, loss, and more.
That Grape Juice has been spinning the LP since its release. Join us below to find out which five tracks are essential on ‘Endless Summer Vacation.’
5. » Read more about: Miley Cyrus’ ‘Endless Summer Vacation’: That Grape Juice’s Top 5 Tracks »
The post Miley Cyrus’ ‘Endless Summer Vacation’: That Grape Juice’s Top 5 Tracks appeared first on ..::That Grape Juice.net::.. – Thirsty?.
BIGFOOT? HUGE TRACKS & DEAD DOG Discovered at Muskowekwan First Nation, Saskatchewan (PHOTOS)
Tey Faye of Muskowekwan First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada shared on her Facebook page on March 8, 2023, some amazing photos she took near her grandparent’s home.
“So, last night (March 7, 2023) I heard my dogs barking at I don’t know what but it sounded pretty creepy when I heard a strange growl. Don’t usually hear them barking the way they were either. Woke up to one of them dead. Not sure how he died but he probably was injured from whatever that was, maybe? I don’t know. What kind of tracks these are? I personally think it’s Bigfoot. But everyone has their own opinions. Not to mention the snow was just above my knees taking these photos. I was pretty creeped out. Located in Saskatchewan.”
The response from various readers has been mixed with some claiming outright that it’s definitely a Bigfoot while others felt it might be various wild animals including rabbits, wolves, and deer:
“Just a deer jumping through the snow that’s all,” wrote GeorgeMoosetail.
Jonathan Ballantyne wrote:
“If it was a Sasquatch it would be like a human running in the snow. These look like an animal jumping straight upward and landing straight down. I’d say wolf. It’s probably a lone wolf, sick or elderly. If it’s alone desperate for food. If it’s coming close to people.”
Regarding the wolf theory, Woody Don pointed out a certain detail that the others were missing:
“If the tracks were from a wolf or cougar or any long-tailed animal, how come we don’t see the tail track as well? Can make fun of me or whatever but I know these aren’t from any four-legged animal.”
Chynna Simms noted:
“Most people say wolves but the tracks are very strange. I’d like to believe it was just a wolf but it could have been something more sinister.”
LeeAnne Thomas wrote of the deer theory:
“She also mention one of her pet dogs had died that night…it’s hard to say. I was thinking deer hops too but their little hooves would have been more into the snow than their stomachs.”
Linda Herman wrote of Tey’s dog:
“Your dogs were protecting you. I’m so sorry you lost one. But such long strides and looks like some sort of two-legged tracks.”
Chase Jimmie probably said it best, though:
“I as an Alaskan native always heard a saying – ‘Just don’t think about it.'”
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Have you had a sighting of a winged humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the ‘Chicago Mothman’, ‘Chicago Owlman’ & ‘O’Hare Mothman’ or ‘O’Hare Batman.’ – Chicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive Map – Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com – your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated.
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Please Consider a Donation to ‘Phantoms & Monsters’
Your financial support of Phantoms & Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated.
Please use the PayPal donation buttons on the blog site. You can also go directly to Phantoms & Monsters donation. Thanks again for your loyalty and continued support. Lon
This blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.
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© 2005-2023 Phantoms & Monsters – All Rights Reserved
Daily Crunch: Bach to the future – Forthcoming Apple Music Classical app will feature 5M tracks
To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PST, subscribe here. Hello crunchers! Christine is off for a few days, which means you’re stuck with just me. Prepare for awful puns and worse jokes. Oh yes. But before we start the pun-ishment, let’s […]
Daily Crunch: Bach to the future – Forthcoming Apple Music Classical app will feature 5M tracks by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch
A new dubbing industry grows as YouTube introduces multiple audio tracks for videos
YouTube rolls out dubbed video feature for creators to upload multi-language audio tracks
With over 2 billion monthly logged-in users from around the world, its almost surprising to realize that this feature didn’t already exist. But, now it’s here.
YouTube is officially rolling out its new multi-language audio tracks feature to its global creator user base. This feature, which was previously in its testing phase and only available to select creators, allows YouTubers to upload multiple different audio tracks to a single video. This provides content creators with the ability to offer dubbed video content, with the uploaded audio tracks providing their viewers’ with the option to watch in their primary language.
According to YouTube, among the small test group of creators that the company has been working with, the results have been very positive. YouTube says that creators saw that more than 15 percent of their views came from dubbed videos being watched in a language other than the channel’s primary one just last month. An average of two million hours of dubbed video was watched daily on the platform in January. And this is among the just over 3,500 dubbed videos that were uploaded to the platform in that month. As of now, around 40 different languages have been featured throughout YouTube dubbed videos.
To really emphasize what a big feature this is, YouTube has also released a video sitting down with with its most popular creator, Mr. Beast, to detail his experience working with dubbed videos as part of the initial test group.
Creators have uploaded dubbed video content before this feature was available. But, previously, these YouTubers would have needed to upload a new, separate video for each language option. Now, though, these language options can be offered on the original video upload.
If you’re a viewer, you can check if your favorite video has multi-language offerings by just clicking on a video’s settings (the gear icon) in the YouTube player. This is where you’d normally choose options regarding video playback quality, but you’ll also see a new audio track feature on dubbed videos too. In parentheses, YouTube lets viewers know how many language options are offered and users can select one from the dropdown menu.
Creators can upload multi-language audio tracks from within the Subtitles Editor tool for the specific video. YouTubers will also be able to go back through their library and upload multi-language audio tracks for all their existing content too.
YouTube first launched its subtitles and closed captioning feature for videos way back in 2008. Nearly 15 years later, users can now listen to content in their primary language too. While creators do need to produce those alternative multi-language tracks themselves right now, it does seem like only a matter of time before there’s an automated way to create them too.