#Collaborative Building Process

[kingsbridgehomes1]

Crafting Dreams into Reality: Kingsbridge - Premier New Home Builders in Melbourne

[flutterflowdevs]

Mastering Flutterflow: Tips and Tricks for Aspiring App Developers Why Every App

In today’s fast-paced digital world, app development is more crucial than ever. With millions of apps available, standing out is a challenge for aspiring developers. This is where Flutterflow comes into play. Imagine being able to design and build beautiful applications without the steep learning curve of traditional coding. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting your journey, Flutterflow offers innovative tools that can simplify the entire process. What if you could create mobile apps with minimal effort while maximizing creativity? That’s the magic of using Flutterflow as your go-to platform. It's not just about building an app; it's about mastering an art form that blends functionality with stunning visuals. If you're eager to dive into the world of app development and want to make waves in this vibrant ecosystem, let’s explore how Flutterflow can elevate your skills and help you become a proficient Flutterflow App Developer!

Benefits of Using Flutterflow for App Development

Flutterflow revolutionizes app development with its no-code approach, making it accessible for everyone. You don’t need extensive programming knowledge to create stunning applications. This feature empowers designers and entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to life quickly. The platform’s drag-and-drop interface streamlines the design process. It allows you to visualize your app in real time, reducing the back-and-forth typical of traditional coding methods. You can see changes instantly, enhancing creativity and efficiency. Another key advantage is the built-in integration with Firebase and other services. This means developers can add backend functionality without hassle, saving valuable time during project execution. Collaboration is seamless too. Flutterflow enables team members to work together effortlessly on a single project, ensuring that feedback loops are short and productive. With these benefits combined, it's clear why so many are choosing Flutterflow as their preferred development tool.

Designing Your App with Flutterflow

Designing your app with Flutterflow can be a seamless experience. The platform offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that simplifies the design process. You don’t need to be a coding expert to create stunning visuals. Start by exploring pre-built templates tailored for various industries. These templates provide inspiration and save time, allowing you to focus on customization. Utilize the extensive widget library available in Flutterflow. Widgets help you craft unique layouts while ensuring responsiveness across devices. From buttons to complex animations, there’s something for every vision. Pay attention to color schemes and typography; they define your brand's voice within the app. Consistency is key when it comes to user experience—ensure elements align well visually and functionally. Harness real-time collaboration features if you're part of a team. This ensures everyone stays aligned without losing creativity during the design phase.

Adding Functionality with Actions and Interactions

When it comes to enhancing your app’s capabilities, Flutterflow shines with its intuitive approach to adding functionality. The platform allows you to incorporate various actions and interactions seamlessly. Widgets are the building blocks for interactions in Flutterflow. You can easily set up buttons or gestures that trigger specific actions within your app. Whether it's navigating between screens, triggering animations, or launching external links, everything is straightforward. One of the standout features is the ability to add backend functionality without needing extensive coding knowledge. With just a few clicks, you can connect APIs or databases directly through Flutterflow’s interface. This opens up a world of possibilities for data-driven applications. Moreover, integrating third-party services like authentication providers is simple too. Set up user logins or social media sign-ins efficiently and securely using pre-built options available in Flutterflow. Testing these functionalities is equally hassle-free; you can preview changes instantly as you build your app. This iterative process helps refine user experience right from the start. Exploring these actionable elements will undoubtedly elevate your skills as a Flutterflow App Developer while also making your projects more dynamic and engaging for users looking forward to their next favorite application.

For More Information :

Flutterflow Application Development

Develop AI Apps in Flutterflow

Flutterflow Web Development Company

[headspace-hotel]

USAmericans

Read the Project 2025 manifesto RIGHT NOW

It's MUCH worse than y'all have been hearing

There is so much here you'll have to look at it for yourself, but the climate policy alone is nightmare fuel.

The republican coalition wants to essentially end funding for green energy, dramatically promote and expand fossil fuel industries, and eliminate funding and regulations in all sectors promoting climate change mitigation. Task forces and offices related to clean energy and lowering carbon emissions will be eliminated and replaced with offices for promoting fossil fuels.

They want to LOG NATIONAL FORESTS TO "THIN" THE TREES TO STOP WILDFIRES.

THEY WANT TO FORCE OREGON AND CALIFORNIA TO LOG THEIR NATIONAL FORESTS AND TREAT THEM AS FOR TIMBER PRODUCTION

There are specific provisions in Project 2025 to essentially destroy the Endangered Species Act, causing it to defer to the rights of "economic development" and "private property." The plan includes delisting gray wolves, cutting the budget so that a "triage" system is used to determine which species will get protection, removing funding for research, removing experts and specialists from the decision-making process, and preventing "experimental" populations of animals from being established.

This is so much worse than I expected it to be and there's much more past that: They want to deregulate pesticides and remove much of the EPA's ability to regulate pollutants as well.

Also included in the manifesto is that we should

withdraw from nuclear weapons nonproliferation agreements, build more nuclear weapons, and resume nuclear weapons testing

The manifesto comprehensively outlines the scorched-earth elimination of abortion access, down to ensuring doctors aren't even trained to perform abortions. There are plans in here to disrupt abortion access GLOBALLY, not just domestically.

Not only that,the Republicans plan on reframing family planning programs around "fertility awareness" and "holistic family planning."

I can't even describe it all. I'm trying to give screenshots of the most important things but there's so much.

The foreign policy is a nightmare. They plan to push fossil fuels onto the Global South and promote the development of fossil fuel industry in the "developing world."

It is aggressive and antagonistic towards other nations, strongly pro-military, proposing that we INCREASE (!!!!!) defense spending, improve public opinion of the military and military recruitment, and increase the power to fund new weapons technology.

Just read the Department of Defense section. It's about greatly increasing and strengthening the military-industrial complex, collaborating more closely with weapons manufacturers, removing regulatory barriers to arming our allies and to inventing new military weapons, and recruiting more people into the military. They include provisions to develop AI technology for surveillance. And of course, continuing to support Israel is in there.

Elsewhere it proposes interfering in foreign countries with creepy pro-USA propaganda campaigns, even establishing international educational programs where faculty have to pledge to promote USA interests.

There's a line in here about getting rid of PBS because SESAME STREET is LEFTIST for God's sake.

HOW are people claiming democrats have the same policies. I feel like i'm losing my mind.

[crossbackpoke-check]

in love with your novels in the tags, they're so much fun to read - @softvikings

thank you!!! i have so much fun writing them and i love hearing that they bring other people joy as well, these are Our Tag Novels now 🥹💕🥰

[jcmarchi]

D-Lab off-grid brooder saves chicks and money using locally manufactured thermal batteries

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/d-lab-off-grid-brooder-saves-chicks-and-money-using-locally-manufactured-thermal-batteries/

D-Lab off-grid brooder saves chicks and money using locally manufactured thermal batteries

MIT D-Lab students and instructors are improving the efficacy and economics of a brooder technology for newborn chicks that utilizes a practical, local resource: beeswax.

Developed through participatory design with agricultural partners in Cameroon, their Off-Grid Brooder is a solution aimed at improving the profitability of the African nation’s small- and medium-scale poultry farms. Since it is common for smallholders in places with poor electricity supply to tend open fires overnight to keep chicks warm, the invention might also let farmers catch up on their sleep.

“The target is eight hours. If farmers can sustain the warmth for eight hours, then they get to sleep,” says D-Lab instructor and former student Ahmad (Zak) Zakka SM ’23, who traveled to Cameroon in May to work on implementing brooder improvements tested at the D-Lab, along with D-Lab students, collaborators from African Solar Generation (ASG), and the African Diaspora Council of Switzerland – Branch Cameroon (CDAS–BC).

Poultry farming is heavily concentrated in lower- and middle-income countries, where it is an important component of rural economies and provides an inexpensive source of protein for residents. Raising chickens is fraught with economic risk, however, largely because it is hard for small-scale farmers to keep newborn chicks warm enough to survive (33 to 35 degrees Celsius, or 91 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on age). After the cost of feed, firewood used to heat the chick space is the biggest input for rural poultry farmers.

According to D-Lab researchers, an average smallholder in Cameroon using traditional brooding methods spends $17 per month on firewood, achieves a 10 percent profit margin, and experiences chick mortality that can be as high as a total loss due to overheating or insufficient heat. The Off-Grid Brooder is designed to replace open fires with inexpensive, renewable, and locally available beeswax — a phase-change material used to make thermal batteries.

ASG initially developed a brooder technology, the SolarBox, that used photovoltaic panels and electric batteries to power incandescent bulbs. While this provided effective heating, it was prohibitively expensive and difficult to maintain. In 2020, students from the D-Lab Energy class took on the challenge of reducing the cost and complexity of the SolarBox heating system to make it more accessible to small farmers in Cameroon. Through participatory design — a collaborative approach that involves all stakeholders in early stages of the design process — the team discovered a unique solution. Beeswax stored in a used glass container (such as a mayonnaise jar) is melted using a double boiler over a fire and then installed inside insulated brooder boxes alongside the chicks. As the beeswax cools and solidifies, it releases heat for several hours, keeping the brooder within the temperature range that chicks need to grow and develop. Farmers can then recharge the cooled wax batteries and repeat the process again and again. 

“The big challenge was how to get heat,” says D-Lab Research Scientist Daniel Sweeney, who, with Zakka, co-teaches two D-Lab classes, 2.651/EC.711 (Introduction to Energy in Global Development), and 2.652/EC.712 (Applications of Energy in Global Development). “Decoupling the heat supplied by biomass (wood) from the heat the chicks need at night in the brooder, that’s the core of the innovation here.”

D-Lab instructors, researchers, and students have tested and tuned the system with partners in Cameroon. A research box constructed during a D-Lab trip to Cameroon in January 2023 worked well, but was “very expensive to build,” Zakka says. “The research box was a proof of concept in the field. The next step was to figure out how to make it affordable,” he continues.

A new brooder box, made entirely of locally sourced recycled materials at 5 percent of the cost of the research prototype, was developed during D-Lab’s January 2024 trip to Cameroon. Designed and produced in collaboration with CDAS-BC, the new brooder is much more affordable, but its functionality still needs fine-tuning. From late-May through mid-June, the D-Lab team, led by Zakka, worked with Cameroonian collaborators to improve the system again. This time, they assessed the efficacy of using straw, a readily available and low-cost material, arranged in panels to insulate the brooder box.

The MIT team was hosted by CDAS-BC, including its president and founder Carole Erlemann Mengue and secretary and treasurer Kathrin Witschi, who operate an organic poultry farm in Afambassi, Cameroon. “The students will experiment with the box and try to improve the insulation of the box without neglecting that the chicks will need ventilation,” they say.

In addition, the CDAS-BC partners say that they hoped to explore increasing the number of chicks that the box can keep warm. “If the system could heat 500 to 1,000 chicks at a time,” they note, “it would help farmers save firewood, to sleep through the night, and to minimize the risk of fire in the building and the risk of stepping on chicks while replacing firewood.” 

Earlier this spring, Erlemann Mengue and Witschi tested the low-cost Off-Grid Brooder Box, which can hold 30 to 40 chicks in its current design.

“They were very interested in partnering with us to evaluate the technology. They are running the tests and doing a lot of technical measurement to track the temperature inside the brooder over time,” says Sweeney, adding that the CDAS-BC partners are amassing datasets that they send to the MIT D-Lab team. 

Sweeney and Zakka, along with PhD candidate Aly Kombargi, who worked on the research box in Cameroon last year, hope to not only improve the functionality of the Off-Grid Poultry Brooder but also broaden its use beyond Cameroon.

“The goal of our trip was to have a working prototype, and the goal since then has been to scale this up,” Kombargi says. “It’s absolutely scalable.”

Concurring that “the technology should work across developing countries in small-scale poultry sectors,” Zakka says this spring’s D-Lab trip included workshops for area poultry farmers to teach them about benefits of the Off-Grid Brooder and how to make their own. 

“I’m excited to see if we can get people excited about pushing this as a business … to see if they would build and sell it to other people in the community,” Zakka says.

Adds Sweeney, “This isn’t rocket science. If we have some guidance and some open-source information we could share, I’m pretty sure (farmers) could put them together on their own.”

Already, he says, partners identified through MIT’s networks in Zambia and Uganda are building their own brooders based on the D-Lab design.

MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS), which supports research, innovation, and cross-disciplinary collaborations involving water and food systems, awarded the Off-Grid Brooder project a $25,000 research and development grant in 2022. The program is “pleased that the project’s approach was grounded in engagement with MIT students and community collaborators,” says Executive Director Renee Robins. “The participatory design process helped produce innovative prototypes that are already making positive impacts for smallholder poultry farmers.”

That process and the very real impact on communities in Cameroon is what draws students to the project and keeps them committed.

Sweeney says a recent D-Lab design review for the chick brooder highlighted that the project continued to attract the attention and curiosity of students who participated in earlier stages and still want to be involved.

“There’s something about this project. There’s this whole tribe of students that are still active on the broader project,” he says. “There’s something about it.”

[daveinediting]

Don't get me wrong. I can work in a bubble if I have to. I can work far, far away. I can excel with a number of different skill sets and communicate those solely through the cloud.

I can do all those things and do them well.

Remotely.

In my own bubble.

But.

What makes my work emotionally dynamic and exciting, what keeps me coming back...

Is collaborating in person. Planting ideas in each other's minds. Pitching ideas. Allowing those ideas to marinate until one day BAM. A lightbulb over someone else's head. Or a long sought after solution. 

There's something about being stuck or unsure and being able to walk over to a colleague and go

Hey. Can you take a look at this?

Sometimes that's for a bit of Show 'n Tell, I won't lie. A few times it's for the tiniest bit of venting. Most of the time it's the thing where I'm stuck or unsure and I need another pair of eyes on the thing that's giving me grief. And the moments I love best are the ones that seem to percolate in the background until they announce themselves right up front and inspiring in-person conversations, troubleshooting, brainstorming, problem solving, advice giving, Show 'n Tell, and yes.

Venting.

It's all part of an experiential recipe, a wonderful dynamic where ideas move between people and something happens. Their brains, their creative minds, do a thing. Often right under the noses of our awareness. Other times something we can almost see.

A process that happens in the space between two people.

It's a helluva thing. It really is.

It's just different, is all. Collaborating in-person with fellow Creatives is a dynamic, amazing experience that never gets old.

Don't get me wrong. I can work in a bubble if I have to. 

But man. I don't wanna have to.

🤨🤔😉

[waedul]

Technology

[bbygyal123]

KERATIN - sims 4 custom content collaboration w/ @lilaccreative.

lilac Creative & i have worked so hard over the last month to bring you this 62 item collection, all designed to build a beautiful salon for your sims to visit & get pampered!

i couldn’t think of a better creator to collab with on this & i was so excited when the idea was brought up. our aesthetics blended so well together during the process and made it a dream collection to work on!

you can find the larger items & lilac creative’s side of this collaboration here.

some of the items included -

download info : free on patreon

[nicholasandriani]

Calling all Quest-Seekers! Crew Needed for a A Poetic Odyssey: We’re building a team for an extraordinary campaign.

Calling all Quest-Seekers! Crew Needed for a A Poetic Odyssey: We’re building a team for an extraordinary campaign.

Greetings, dear readers! Today, I want to extend a heartfelt invitation to each and every one of you to join our growing community and be an integral part of building something truly extraordinary. We’ll venture into realms where philosophy meets gameplay, and literature meets action. We have embarked on a mission to create a vibrant and engaging online platform that celebrates literature,…

[theambitiouswoman]

How to Stop Procrastinating by Managing Your Emotions

Procrastination happens when we delay doing things, and it's often connected to our emotions. Feelings like being afraid to fail, feeling worried or stressed, getting bored, or lacking motivation can all contribute to procrastination. To stop procrastinating and get more things done, it's important to learn how to handle our emotions better.

Boredom:

Break the task into smaller, more engaging sub-tasks.

Find ways to make the task more interesting or challenging.

Set a timer and work on the task for a specific amount of time, followed by a short break doing something enjoyable.

Feeling Overwhelmed:

Prioritize tasks and focus on one thing at a time.

Break the task into smaller, more manageable steps.

Delegate some parts of the task if possible or seek help from others.

Use tools like to-do lists or task management apps to stay organized.

Anxiety:

Practice deep breathing or mindfulness techniques to calm yourself.

Challenge negative thoughts and replace them with more positive and realistic ones.

Start with the easier or less intimidating aspects of the task to build momentum.

Set realistic expectations and remind yourself that it's okay to make mistakes.

Self-Doubt:

Focus on past accomplishments and successes to boost your confidence.

Seek support or feedback from others to gain reassurance.

Remind yourself of your skills and capabilities to tackle the task.

Use positive affirmations to counteract negative self-talk.

Perfectionism:

Embrace the concept of "good enough" rather than seeking perfection.

Set realistic and achievable goals for each task.

Recognize that mistakes and imperfections are part of the learning process and growth.

Indecisiveness:

Break decisions into smaller steps and make one small decision at a time.

Set a time limit for making decisions to avoid overthinking.

Trust your instincts and make the best decision you can with the information available.

Apathy or Lack of Interest:

Find aspects of the task that align with your values or long-term goals.

Break the task into smaller, more manageable parts and focus on completing one at a time.

Reward yourself for completing the task to make it more appealing.

Stress or Burnout:

Practice stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, exercise, or spending time in nature.

Break tasks into smaller steps to reduce the feeling of overwhelm.

Prioritize self-care and take breaks to avoid burnout.

Feeling Uninspired or Creatively Blocked:

Engage in activities that stimulate creativity, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, or seeking inspiration from others' work.

Start with a simple and basic version of the task to get the creative juices flowing.

Collaborate with others or seek feedback to gain new perspectives.

Fear of Success:

Identify and challenge the negative beliefs or fears that may be holding you back.

Visualize the positive outcomes of completing the task successfully.

Focus on the benefits and personal growth that come with success.

Impatience:

Break long-term goals into smaller milestones to track progress.

Practice mindfulness to stay present and patient throughout the process.

Remind yourself that progress takes time and effort.

Lack of Confidence:

Celebrate your past accomplishments to boost your confidence.

Seek support and encouragement from friends, family, or mentors.

Focus on building specific skills related to the task to increase confidence.

Avoiding Discomfort:

Acknowledge that discomfort is a natural part of growth and improvement.

Break tasks into smaller steps and tackle the more challenging aspects gradually.

Remind yourself of the long-term benefits of facing discomfort.

Overestimating Future Motivation:

Practice discipline and commit to starting tasks even when motivation is low.

Set specific deadlines for tasks to create a sense of urgency.

Establish a routine that includes regular work on the task to build consistency.

[mtbcleadgenbuzz]

Scaling Your Small Business: Effective Strategies For Success

Scaling Your Small Business: Effective Strategies For Success As a small business growth consultant, I have witnessed the struggles and successes of many entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses. Scaling a small business can be an exciting and challenging journey that requires strategic planning, effective implementation, and continuous adaptation. In today’s competitive market, it is…

[intuitiveart]

Art is Not a Competition.

Remember, art is not a competition. Regardless of your skill level, you have something valuable to offer through your creativity. Supporting and collaborating with other artists can help you grow and expand your audience. Let's play together!

As an artist, it’s natural to want to improve your skills and gain recognition for your work. But it’s important to remember that art is not a competition. Just because someone has more skill or experience than you doesn’t mean you can’t create beautiful and meaningful art. If you have a desire to create, you should make art regardless of your skill level. Everyone has something unique to offer…

[folkling]

Windbrook Save 2.0 (In collaboration with @cowboycid and @bobnewbie)- Feat. a family by @oshinsimss

DISCLAIMER: While this is a CC free save file, it is pack and kit heavy. To give more context, this save utilizes ALL EPs, GPs, and SPs (except My First Pets) as well as ALL KITS (except Bust The Dust and Poolside Splash) While you may not own every pack or kit that I used, the save file is still playable. Everything missing will be substituted.

What's new in 2.0

Willow Creek has new homes, rentals, and one new retail lot

Newcrest has been built (restaurant, gym, retail, and generic lots)

Magnolia Promenade has been built, while somewhat finished, still needs work

Every lot that's finished (including commercial) and families have descriptions, stories, jobs, etcetera

New townies from @simsontherope and @cowplant-snacks

Families from @bobnewbie

A special family, The Westfalls made exclusively by @oshinsimss

Special collaboration with @cowboycid

Other worlds are still empty, I do plan on building new worlds

SCREENSHOTS AND MORE INFO BELOW

SPECIAL THANKS

First and foremost I want to thank my good good friend @cowboycid for collaborating with me on this project. I'm so happy we met when we did because I was starting to lose light. You inspired me to keep going, and for that I appreciate you DOWN. You're a real one sis, no tea. Hugs and kisses for ever. I also want to thank @bobnewbie for coming through with families. You don't understand just how life saving they were. I didn't get a chance to use all of them, and my original concept for the save fell through due to time constraints, but I'm thankful to have had access to the diverse array of families you made for the save. A huge thank you to @oshinsimss for taking the time to create a beautiful family, The Westfalls, exclusively for Windbrook 2.0, I love them so much. Also a big thank you to @cowplant-snacks and @simsontherope for their townies. Without them, the townies would just be... ugh, you know. So, thank you for having them available on the gallery. I also want to thank @anthonydaydreamer for just showing up for me through this whole process. Like, you just get it boo! Hugs and kisses! Finally a quick apology to those I intended on sending preview copies of the save. Time was not on my side near the end, things took more time than I thought. Honestly, I needed to get this project off my computer ASAP. I really hope you guys understand. Big hugs and kisses. Thank you everyone for all the kind words and support over these past few months, your words kept me going, even if I didn't feel I had anymore left to give. This save is a love letter to you all, the simblr community.

Thank you, honestly, truly.

*terrain replacement in screenshots by K-hippie, you don’t need it, it’s just for screenshots + updated download link to include The Westfalls made by @oshinsimss for Windbrook 2.0 - please find more info here*

*updated download as of 10/11/23*

Download (SIMFILESHARE)

TOU: Don't upload any part of this save to any platform without explicit permission, thank you.

[calocreek]

OK here it is, a ton of 'production' stuff for the Hot Guy Comic Zine! I've never been part of a project like this. Even though I was working on my comic mostly solo (shout-out to my editor Violet!), the world-building and story arc planning was completely collaborative. For example:

We started out on the world-building by voting on character's superpowers! Plenty of powers were almost unanimously agreed on, but Cuteguy was a HUGE campaign. We were pretty much 50/50 split between can fly/can't fly. Propaganda was exchanged LOL, like this piece where I campaigned for limited flying capabilities 😂 And thats what we ended up settling on!

From there we worked on a ton of brainstorming/world-building that I mostly spectated with an occasional doodle like these haha. I'm new to such elaborate AUs!

Pitch time!! I had pitches for each era and they were all pretty light and banter-y, so my year 1 pitch ended up fitting the vibe the best. My original pitch was 'HG + CG learn some key things about each other and plan to set up a base they can use together.' But when I started my script, I got really caught up in how they were navigating a partnership without knowing each others identities. The more I wrote through that, the more I wanted my story to be ABOUT that! So thats where my script started coming together.

Designs! I'm definitely not a confident costume designer. I was trying to go for low-tech + practical since it was early in their careers, and of course, easy to draw 😂

Process went more or less like this! Full color comics take a LONG TIME but it was a total labor of love. I had the graffiti bgs in mind from the very start since I knew it was dialogue heavy, I wanted to make sure the art was interesting and worth spending time looking at. Oh lord did I get carried away. I'm OBSESSED with the symbolism the fandom has put to the life series and so I tried to sneak in as much meaningful symbolism as possible. AND THE RESULT:

Guess I did pretty well! 😂😂😂

Anyway, I can't overstate how proud I feel to have gotten to work on this project. My whole goal as a hobbyist is to get to work with other artists I look up to and respect so this was a dream come true! Thank you everyone for reading, for 15k downloads (!!!), and for just being an awesomely creative fandom space to make art in! I hope to do more stuff like this again some day 💕

[reasonsforhope]

hey, how do you cope with people saying we only have a small amount of time left to stop the worst effects of climate change? no matter how hopeful and ok i am, that always sends me back into a spiral :(

A few different ways

1. The biggest one is that I do math. Because renewable energy is growing exponentially

Up until basically 2021 to now, all of the climate change models were based on the idea that our ability to handle climate change will grow linearly. But that's wrong: it's growing exponentially, most of all in the green energy sector. And we're finally starting to see proof of this - and that it's going to keep going.

And many types of climate change mitigation serve as multipliers for other types. Like building a big combo in a video game.

Change has been rapidly accelerating and I genuinely believe that it's going to happen much faster than anyone is currently predicting

2. A lot of the most exciting and groundbreaking things happening around climate change are happening in developing nations, so they're not on most people's radars.

But they will expand, as developing nations are widely undergoing a massive boom in infrastructure, development, and quality of life - and as they collaborate and communicate with each other in doing so

3. Every country, state, city, province, town, nonprofit, community, and movement is basically its own test case

We're going to figure out the best ways to handle things in a remarkably quick amount of time, because everyone is trying out solutions at once. Instead of doing 100 different studies on solutions in order, we get try out 100 (more like 10,000) different versions of different solutions simultaneously, and then figure out which ones worked best and why. The spread of solutions becomes infinitely faster, especially as more and more of the world gets access to the internet and other key infrastructure

4. There's a very real chance that many of the impacts of climate change will be reversible

Yeah, you read that right.

Will it take a while? Yes. But we're mostly talking a few decades to a few centuries, which is NOTHING in geological history terms.

We have more proof than ever of just how resilient nature is. Major rivers are being restored from dried up or dead to thriving ecosystems in under a decade. Life bounces back so fast when we let it.

I know there's a lot of skepticism about carbon capture and carbon removal. That's reasonable, some of those projects are definitely bs (mostly the ones run by gas companies, involving carbon credits, and/or trying to pump CO2 thousands of feet underground)

But there's very real potential for carbon removal through restoring ecosystems and regenerative agriculture

The research into carbon removal has also just exploded in the past three years, so there are almost certainly more and better technologies to come

There's also some promising developments in industrial carbon removal, especially this process of harvesting atmospheric CO2 and other air pollution to make baking soda and other industrially useful chemicals

As we take carbon out of the air in larger amounts, less heat will be trapped in the atmosphere

If less heat is trapped in the atmosphere, then the planet will start to cool down

If the planet starts to cool down, a lot of things will stabilize again. And they'll probably start to stabilize pretty quickly

[jcmarchi]

Llama 3.1: Meta’s Most Advanced Open-Source AI Model – Everything You Need to Know

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/llama-3-1-metas-most-advanced-open-source-ai-model-everything-you-need-to-know/

Llama 3.1: Meta’s Most Advanced Open-Source AI Model – Everything You Need to Know

Meta has unveiled Llama 3.1, its latest and most advanced large language model, marking a significant leap in AI capabilities and accessibility. This new release aligns with Meta’s commitment to making AI openly accessible, as emphasized by Mark Zuckerberg, who believes that open-source AI is beneficial for developers, Meta, and society at large.

To introduce Llama 3.1, Mark Zuckerberg wrote a detailed blog post titled “Open Source AI Is the Path Forward,” outlining his vision for the future of AI. He draws a parallel between the evolution of Unix to Linux and the current trajectory of AI, emphasizing that open-source AI will ultimately lead the industry. Zuckerberg highlights the advantages of open-source AI, including customization, cost efficiency, data security, and avoiding vendor lock-in.

He believes that open-source development fosters innovation, creates a robust ecosystem, and ensures equitable access to AI technology. Zuckerberg also addresses concerns about safety, advocating that open-source AI, through transparency and community scrutiny, can be safer than closed models such as OpenAI’s GPT models.

Meta’s commitment to open-source AI aims to build the best experiences and services, free from the constraints of closed ecosystems. He concludes by inviting developers and organizations to join in building a future where AI benefits everyone, promoting collaboration and continuous advancement.

Key Takeaways

Open Accessibility Commitment: Meta continues its dedication to open-source AI, aiming to democratize access and innovation.

Enhanced Capabilities: Llama 3.1 boasts a context length expansion to 128K, supports eight languages, and introduces Llama 3.1 405B, the first frontier-level open-source AI model.

Unmatched Flexibility and Control: Llama 3.1 405B offers state-of-the-art capabilities comparable to leading closed-source models, enabling new workflows such as synthetic data generation and model distillation.

Comprehensive Ecosystem Support: With over 25 partners, including major tech companies like AWS, NVIDIA, and Google Cloud, Llama 3.1 is ready for immediate use across various platforms.

Llama 3.1 Overview

State-of-the-Art Capabilities

Llama 3.1 405B is designed to rival the best AI models available today. It excels in general knowledge, steerability, math, tool use, and multilingual translation. This model is expected to drive innovation in fields like synthetic data generation and model distillation, offering unprecedented opportunities for growth and exploration.

Upgraded Models

The release includes enhanced versions of the 8B and 70B models, which now support multiple languages and have extended context lengths of up to 128K. These improvements enable advanced applications such as long-form text summarization, multilingual conversational agents, and coding assistants.

Open-Source Availability

True to its open-source philosophy, Meta is making these models available for download on Meta and Hugging Face. Developers can utilize these models for a variety of applications, including improving other models, and can run them in diverse environments, from on-premises to cloud and local deployments.

Model Evaluations and Architecture

Extensive Evaluations

Llama 3.1 was rigorously tested on over 150 benchmark datasets in multiple languages and compared against leading models like GPT-4 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet. The results show that Llama 3.1 is competitive across a wide range of tasks, cementing its place among top-tier AI models.

Advanced Training Techniques

Training the 405B model involved processing over 15 trillion tokens using more than 16,000 H100 GPUs. Meta adopted a standard decoder-only transformer model with iterative post-training procedures, including supervised fine-tuning and direct preference optimization, to achieve high-quality synthetic data and superior performance.

Efficient Inference

To support large-scale production inference, Llama 3.1 models were quantized from 16-bit to 8-bit numerics, reducing computational requirements and allowing the model to run efficiently on a single server node.

Instruction and Chat Fine-Tuning

Meta focused on enhancing the model’s ability to follow detailed instructions and maintain high levels of safety. This involved several rounds of alignment on top of the pre-trained model, using synthetic data generation and rigorous data processing techniques to ensure high-quality outputs across all capabilities.

The Llama System

Llama 3.1 is part of a broader system designed to work with various components, including external tools. Meta aims to provide developers with the flexibility to create custom applications and behaviors. The release includes Llama Guard 3 and Prompt Guard for enhanced security and safety.

Llama Stack API

Meta is releasing a request for comment on the Llama Stack API, a standard interface to facilitate the use of Llama models by third-party projects. This initiative aims to streamline interoperability and lower barriers for developers and platform providers.

Building with Llama 3.1 405B

Llama 3.1 405B offers extensive capabilities for developers, including real-time and batch inference, supervised fine-tuning, model evaluation, continual pre-training, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), function calling, and synthetic data generation. On day one, developers can start building with these advanced features, supported by partners like AWS, NVIDIA, and Databricks.

Try Llama 3.1 Today

Llama 3.1 models are available for download and immediate development. Meta encourages the community to explore the potential of these models and contribute to the growing ecosystem. With robust safety measures and open-source access, Llama 3.1 is set to drive the next wave of AI innovation.

Conclusion

Llama 3.1 represents a significant milestone in the evolution of open-source AI, offering unparalleled capabilities and flexibility. Meta’s commitment to open accessibility ensures that more people can benefit from AI advancements, fostering innovation and equitable technology deployment. With Llama 3.1, the possibilities for new applications and research are vast, and Meta looks forward to the groundbreaking developments the community will achieve with this powerful tool.

Readers who wish to learn more should read Mark Zuckerberg’s detailed blog post.