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DeepMind AI can predict kidney illness 48 hours before it occurs
Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) kills 500,000 people in the US and 100,000 in the UK annually, often because it's not detected soon enough. Researchers want to use AI to change that. DeepMind, the Alphabet-owned AI company, partnered with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop an AKI prediction algorithm. In a paper published in Nature today, the partners share their findings that the algorithm can predict the presence of AKI up to 48 hours before it happens. The model correctly identified 9 out of 10 patients whose condition worsened to the point that they needed dialysis.
PUBG's new tool will show you kills caught on Twitch streams
There's a huge number of PUBG streamers out there, so if you want to know if your kills have been broadcast on Twitch, you'll need something to help you out. Like PUBG Report: the online multiplayer game's new tool that gives you a way to search for Twitch streamers that either killed or were killed by that player. All you need to do is look for someone's username on the website to see a list of kills they were involved with that had been streamed on the video platform. And yes, you'll be able to click on the results to watch them -- the videos even begin right before the kill.
Google will take over part of DeepMind’s health business
Alphabet is shuffling some of its companies around as it works to better organize the health projects that are currently spread across its subsidiaries. So going forward, DeepMind's health unit will instead exist under the Google umbrella and it will be part of the company's recently formed Google Health initiative. Specifically, DeepMind's Streams app, which physicians in the UK have used to help treat their patients, will be moving over to Google, and the Google Health team will be working on expanding the app to more regions.
Twitter changes may bring major issues for third-party apps (updated)
If you use a third-party Twitter app like Tweetbot, Twitterrific, Talon or Tweetings, you might lose a couple of key features when Twitter replaces developer access to User and Site streams with a new Account Activity API this coming June. The folks who created the apps mentioned above have created a new website to explain that, as a result, push notifications will no longer work and timelines won't refresh automatically.
Hulu adds 60fps support for select live TV channels
Just a few days after Hulu added a new way for sports fans to customize their Olympic coverage, the company is back with another bit of news for sports fans. Subscribers to Hulu's live TV service will be able to watch their favorite games at 60 frames per second (fps) on select channels. The higher frame rate, common on video game platforms, will help you follow the quick action in broadcasts like March Madness and the Winter Olympics. "This was one of the most-requested features by our viewers," the company wrote in a Reddit announcement.
The Golden Globes will stream live for the first time
You'll have an extra way to watch Netflix handle its nine Golden Globe nominations this year. For the first time ever, the television awards show will be streamed live on NBC's website, its app and other services like DirecTV Now, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, Sony PlayStation Vue and YouTube TV. This is in addition to Facebook's streaming of the red carpet activities before the ceremony.
DeepMind’s data deal with the NHS broke privacy law
An NHS Trust broke the law by sharing sensitive patient records with Google's DeepMind division, the UK's data watchdog has ruled. The long-awaited decision falls in line with the conclusion drawn by Dame Fiona Caldicott, the UK's National Data Guardian in May. The pair's agreement "failed to comply" with the Data Protection Act 1998, according to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), because patients weren't informed that their information was being used. The ICO also took issue with the size of the dataset — 1.6 million partial patient records — leveraged by DeepMind to test Streams, an app for detecting acute kidney injury.
NHS gave DeepMind patient records on an ‘inappropriate legal basis’
A data-sharing deal between DeepMind and London's Royal Free Hospital Trust was struck on an "inappropriate legal basis," a top UK government advisor has said. In April 2016, NewScientist revealed that the company had received 1.6 million patient records to develop an app called "Streams." While there are strict rules regarding patient data and confidentiality, common law states that consent is "implied" if the information is being used for "direct care." Google's AI division used this line of thinking to justify the deal, however Dame Fiona Caldicott, the UK's National Data Guardian, disagrees because the app was still in testing at the time.
How the UK plans to block illegal Kodi soccer streams
Last week, at the High Court, the Football Association Premier League (FAPL) was granted stronger powers to crack down on the illegal streaming of English football matches. Instead of chasing websites hosting live players, the League can now block the servers that provide the live feeds, cutting off "Kodi boxes" -- a combination of legitimate media centre software with non-authorised third-party plugins -- and similar IPTV services. But how will it be enforced? Now that the order is publicly available, we can shed some light on how the FAPL intends to utilise its new powers.
NHS to use Google DeepMind AI app to help treat patients
Google and the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust have announced a fresh five-year collaboration today, which will see the former's DeepMind AI used to improve patient care across the trust's various hospital sites. The partnership will focus on Streams, a mobile app the pair have been working on since late last year that's been approved as a medical device by the UK's health regulator. DeepMind will analyse blood test results as they come in and flag when patients might be at risk of acute kidney injury, proactively alerting carers through the Streams app.
Google bets that smart software will improve health care
Google's DeepMind project has mostly focused on solving high-minded computer intelligence issues. Today, though, it's tackling something far more practical in the short-term: health care. The new DeepMind Health initiative relies on smart mobile apps to deliver medical data to doctors and nurses in time to save lives. The first app, Streams, helps spot acute kidney injuries that would otherwise go unnoticed. There are also plans to integrate technology from a third-party task management app, Hark, to identify patients that are at risk of deteriorating quickly.
NVIDIA's GeForce game sharing feature is available in beta
NVIDIA's GeForce Experience Share has been released in early access beta, giving PC gamers the ability to invite friends to take over a game or play cooperatively. Via an in-game overlay menu, players can use the "Shadowplay" option to continuously capture a stream, then broadcast it to Twitch, other players, or YouTube as an upload. NVIDIA said that the feature can save the last 5 to 20 minutes of game play at up to 4K (3,840 x 2,160) with very little performance hit. Players can also send a live game stream to Twitch via the "broadcast" feature.
Playdate: We're going the distance in 'Forza Motorsport 6'
We're going for speed. We're (not) all alone in a time of need. All '90s song references aside, today we're going to race through two hours of the latest entry in Microsoft's racing simulation, Forza Motorsport 6. What's that mean for you? Well, you'll be able to watch me careen around race tracks, cause massive amounts of vehicular carnage and generally turn my Drivatar into everyone's worst nightmare. If that sounds like your type of party, come back here at 6 pm ET / 3 pm PT to witness the glory (Tim's feeble racing skills) and the hilarity (Sean Buckley's amazement at said driving skills).
Google+ is being broken into services you might want to use
It's been the punchline to plenty of gags, and now it looks as if Google is finally ready to do something with its homegrown social network. The search engine has announced that the photography and social elements of Google+ are being broken into two separate products, one called Photos and the other named Streams. In a post on Google+, company VP (and Radiohead fan) Bradley Horowitz announced that he was taking charge of the outfit, adding that the move is a positive improvement to both products.
Final Fantasy XIV opens up HD fanfest streams for purchase
If you missed out on your chance to get a ticket for Final Fantasy XIV's fanfest in Las Vegas this weekend, you can still at least watch the events unfold in glorious high definition. Square-Enix has opened up the purchase option, allowing players to watch the event, pick up a moogle costume, and watch otherwise unviewable parts of the convention for $20. Players who opt for the HD stream will also have access to the archived footage until March 31st, 2015. Should you be short of the cash to drop on this stream, you still have options open, as a standard-definition stream is also available for free. This stream skips the opening keynote and closing ceremonies and does not award viewers a moogle costume, so it's up to you if $20 is worth the absence of those. Still, even if you can't make it out to the side of the convention, you'll be able to find out all of the information on the ground as it happens.
Twitch seeks transparency for promotional broadcasts
Twitch will begin instituting new policies that clearly label sponsored broadcasts on its channels, the video streaming platform announced on its blog. "We want complete transparency and unwavering authenticity with all content and promotions that have a sponsor relationship," Twitch wrote. Copy and graphics for future Twitch-driven campaigns will now have labels to indicate that they are promotional in nature. For instance, the front-page video carousel will include a new "sponsored" graphic when applicable, and Twitch will add sponsored labels to its content newsletters as well. Future tweets from the streaming platform's official accounts will also include language that indicates if the broadcast is promotional as well. Twitch isn't the only company opting for more transparency in how sponsored content is listed; Valve introduced new policies for Steam Curators to openly disclose paid recommendations this week as well. [Image: Twitch]
UK's official music chart to include streaming from July
If you've ditched your physical music collection for a catalog of 20 million plus streaming tracks, your playback habits will soon count in the official music charts. We knew that the Official Charts Company was planning to include music streams in its Top 40, but now we have a firm date: July 6th. Spotify, Deezer, Napster, O2 Tracks, Xbox Music, Sony's Music Unlimited and rara will be asked to supply their streaming data, with 100 streams counting as the equivalent of one download or physical single purchase (if they're played for more than 30 seconds). Radio 1 will be the first to feature your 100th playback of Blurred Lines on that date. UK music fans are embracing streaming music at a rapid pace: weekly streams rose from 100 million a week in January 2013 to 200 million in January 2014. We're now up to 260 million, and already nine tracks have enjoyed more than one million streams in a week this year alone.
PAX East 2014: Upsilon Circuit is an MMO like no other
A lot of what I see in the MMO industry is fairly predictable. That's not an insult; it's just that most of the new games you see are either a result of elegant mechanics solving a problem that's always been there or a new take on an old system, and that's OK. There's nothing wrong with taking old favorites and refining them. But then I see something like Upsilon Circuit and I wind up being completely blown away because the very idea is a fundamental rewriting of how we understand MMOs. Upsilon Circuit is a new game currently in very early development from indie studio Robot Loves Kitty (of Legend of Dungeon fame), and when I say early, I do mean early. The animations are rough, the build is very much in a proof-of-concept stage rather than a fully playable state, and none of that matters. The game is the love child of Twitch Plays Pokémon, the Hunger Games, and Diablo III, a game that not only encourages streaming but demands it while interacting with the audience
HD Streaming for EVE Fanfest now on sale
Are you a big fan of EVE Online? Do you want to go to EVE Fanfest but can't fit a trip to Iceland into your budget? Do you have a spare PLEX sitting around? Are you thinking about marzipan? Because right now you can buy a high-definition stream of the entire Fanfest from CCP Games for $19.95 or one PLEX, whichever works better for you. (The marzipan thing you'll have to sort out on your own.) Buying the stream gets you access to three days of high-definition coverage, the pre-convention livestream from developers, your choice of one of four industrial ship skins, subscriber-only giveaways, and a digital version of the Fanfest shirt for 2014. Sound good to you? Then head on over and drop your money! Or you can just watch the festivities streamed for free on Twitch, but you'll have to put up with normal definition footage, like an animal.
Twitch Plays Pokémon... beats Pokémon
When is a single-player game an MMO? When you hook it up to a chat parser and let everyone fight for controls, much like wrestling with five other people to play a single-player game. Twitch Plays Pokémon has garnered a great deal of attention based on its quirky premise and execution, but all good things must come to an end. After 16 days of play, the game has finally concluded with victory for the multitudes. The channel is currently counting down to something happening on Sunday morning. Will it be a restart? Another Pokémon title? An attempt to use a similar premise on another game? No one knows. (Most theories involve a restart or the next generation of Pokémon titles, though.) You can keep an eye on the page to see what happens next, or you can just enjoy one of the strangest stories of turning a single-player game into a multiplayer online one... even if it was just for half a month.
