Tech / Technology

Best free online courses from MIT

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The best free online courses from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Great Dome on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus

TL;DR: Find a wide range free online courses from MIT on edX.

edX is a popular online learning platform offering access to a wide range of courses on everything from artificial intelligence to coding. The number of courses on offer is impressive, but the course providers are what really sets edX apart from similar platforms.

The world’s biggest and best educational institutions host their courses on edX, meaning you can enroll in programs offered by renowned institutions like MIT from the comfort of your own home. And better yet, all of these courses are available for free.

These are the best free online courses from MIT this month:

These free courses do not come with a certificate of completion, but that’s the only catch. You can still learn at your own pace with unrestricted access to all the course materials. And if you really need a certificate to stick on your wall, you have the option to upgrade for a small fee.

Find the best free online courses from MIT on edX.


MIT logo

Credit: MIT


MIT Online Courses

Free at edX

Tech / Technology

GPT-4 Turbo and custom GPTs announced: What they are, how to try them

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At OpenAI’s first developer conference, Sam Altman introduced GPT-4 Turbo with a slew of new features and updates.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman giving the keynote at the company's developer conference

With its new model GPT-4 Turbo, OpenAI continues to pave the way for AI-powered possibilities.

On Monday at OpenAI’s very first developer conference, CEO Sam Altman announced the release of the new model. It has a context window of 128,000 tokens, meaning it can process around 300 pages of text in a single prompt and incorporates vision, text-to-speech, and DALL-E 3. Plus, it’s about a third cheaper than GPT-4.

Even if you’re not a developer directly using the API, you can experience the improvements right away through ChatGPT and a new way of creating custom GPTs without coding knowledge. Here’s what to know about GPT-4 Turbo and how to access it.

GPT-4 Turbo on ChatGPT

With the superpowered large language model, ChatGPT will be more accurate and useful. First of all, the cutoff date for ChatGPT’s knowledge has finally been updated to April 2023. Next, OpenAI has done away with the option to toggle between different models — GPT 3.5, GPT 4, internet browsing, plugins, and DALL-E 3 — and will automatically detect what to use based on the purpose of your prompt, so the interface is simpler and more intuitive. These updates are available to ChatGPT Plus users.

OpenAI also announced a new initiative called Copyright Shield. For ChatGPT Enterprise and the developer platform, OpenAI will defend its customers and pay the costs incurred if they face any copyright infringement claims.

The knowledge cutoff date, elimination of the model picker tool, and Copyright Shield are all live today.

Custom GPTs

Nudging closer to its dream of AGI (artificial general intelligence), OpenAI launched a platform for users to develop their own custom versions of ChatGPT. If that sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because it’s an evolved version of ChatGPT plugins, but now with more capabilities.

Users can experiment with pre-existing custom GPTs like ones for creating your own designs on Canva or automating tasks with Zapier, or they can create their own chatbot without any coding knowledge. GPTs are designed to understand natural language, so all you need is an idea and some instructions to build your very own AI agent.

Later this month, OpenAI will launch a GPT Store, so users can create and browse custom GPTs, much like an app store. So yes, you’ll also be able to make money off your GPT.

ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise users can access example GPTs today, with access expanding to more users eventually.

Tech / Technology

‘Chicken Shop Date’ turns the tables on ‘Hot Ones’

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‘Chicken Shop Date’ host Amelia Dimoldenberg interviews ‘Hot Ones’ host Sean Evans for “the greatest crossover of all time.”

Two of the internet’s most beloved interviewers went head-to-head over hot wings last week. This week, there’s even more chicken on the table.

After surviving increasingly hotter sauces on First We Feast’s Hot Ones with host Sean Evans, Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg invited Evans to be on her own show for a characteristically frank chat about the realities of their productions:

“How do you feel about giving celebrities diarrhea”

Settling into Kasey’s Chicken on a rainy London day, Dimoldenberg and Evans spoke about how he never eats wings outside of work, who his biggest Hot Ones crush is, how they’re too similar to date, and who they think their guests like better.

“It’s maybe the greatest crossover of all time,” she says. “Marvel, I don’t think, has anything on us.”

Tech / Technology

15 memes for when you’re feeling sad as hell

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Here are the best wholesome memes for when you’re feeling low, from Bongo Cat to the Really Nice Pornhub Guy.
An illustration of a crying woman at a computer. Ghostly arms emerge from the screen to hug her.

Words aren’t always sufficient when you’re feeling low. Sometimes, humor can be the best medicine for a case of The Sads.

We’re all well aware of the internet’s potential to be a little dumpster fire-adjacent at times. But at this point we can’t just click away — many of us frequently use our social media spheres as tools for coping with everything from mental health struggles to the never-ending nonsense that is the political news cycle.

But even the most well-intentioned use of internet culture for mood lifting can be fraught with bad vibes. While there are tons of self-deprecating and depression-related memes circulating the net, we think you deserve something a bit more uplifting.

SEE ALSO:

Zodiac meme Instagram will align the stars to make you feel seen

Wholesome memes aren’t just heart-warming, they’re helping to shape a better, more positive online space. So if you’re feeling down, just know, these memes are here to surround you with a warm blanket of love and support.

Because sometimes, all you can really do is laugh.

1. Houseplant positivity

It’s hard to keep plant babies alive, it’s true. But when they do flourish, so do our spirits.

2. Bongo Cat

Watch this funky little internet sensation pat the drums to a number of songs, and feel your worries melt away.

3. Your Friend Doge

The Your Friend Doge account is full of a new, wholesome take on the old-school meme.

4. The Boys on the Train

Bonus! The adorable follow up comic shows their summer wedding.

5. Pokémon Center reviews

They’re shaped like a FRIEND.

SEE ALSO:

I still play Pokémon like an aggressive child and I regret nothing

6. Uptown Girl Rock

“Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO just so happens to have the same (or almost the same) beats per minute as a lot of songs, actually. This is simply a personal favorite.

7. Land of Boggs

This whole account is a gem of relatable feels.

8. Strange Planet

A B S O R B.

9. Really Nice Porn Man

Ryan Creamer, otherwise known as the Wholesome Pornhub Guy, has a channel full of hilarious and non-sexual “porn” videos.

10. Thoughts of Dog

Seeing dogs on the internet is good. But you know what’s even better? Dog thoughts that show our puppers love us too.

SEE ALSO:

Behold, adorable dogs in Halloween costumes

11. No time for The Sads

It’s simply not allowed.

12. Kids Write Jokes

Half of these kids should have a deal for a stand-up special on Netflix by now..

13. Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart’s friendship

Reddit

Snoop and Martha are true friendship goals.

14. Guy Fieri Go

Guy Fieri already looks like a Pokémon character — all that’s left is imaging him taking on Ash and Pikachu in the world’s spiciest Pokémon battle.

15. The Duality of Cat

If Anfisa, the cat behind the Angry Cat No Banana meme, can learn to love bananas, you can make it through this tough time.

Don’t worry, these feelings will pass. But in the meantime, if we can offer you some memes in this trying time, we hope they can provide at least a little bit of relief. If not, there’s always Cookie Monster’s AMA.

UPDATE: Nov. 6, 2023, 4:41 p.m. AEDT This article was originally published in Mar. 2019, and has since been updated in Nov. 2023.

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