2021-03-22 MUGOO Zoom iMeeting

[AdminMan]

Date: 2021-03-22 (Monday)
Time: 7:30 PM ET  You can join the Zoom meeting starting at 7:20.
Venue: A Zoom meeting that you can join on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Although Zoom works in many browsers we STRONGLY recommend using the dedicated app on your device with the largest screen for the best experience.
You do NOT need a Zoom account to join a meeting!
If you need instructions, go here: https://mugoo.com/index.php/Main/UsingZOOM

Agenda:

0 - Group chin-wag while folks log on                                        - 7:20 - 7:30 PM

1 - Good AI / Bad AI - What's new in imaging
                                    - with Laurence Head                           - 7:30 - 8:00
                         
2 - Mini Topics - POOF! - Disposable email addresses
                                    - with Neil Herber                                - 8:00 - 8:20
                                 
                      - Gillian's Tech Polls - with Gillian Villeneuve        - 8:20 - 8:40
     

3 - Q & A / Fixit Forum                                                             - 8:40 - 9:00

4 - Presidential Firewall Chat and sign-off  - with Wally Kuzmicz  - <15 seconds

Unfortunately, no after meeting wings or desserts at the Royal Oak, but feel free to prepare your own snacks and share them with us on screen!


Zoom meeting details:   <---  will only work for this meeting! Join any time after 7:20, meeting starts precisely at 7:30!!
Meeting ID: expired
Meeting pass code: expired

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Don't forget the Ottawa Public Library!
Even though we are unable to meet in person at the library, the OPL still offers a wealth of services you can access online. Go to https://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en

[DavidR]

0 - Group chin-wag while folks log on
We were joined this evening by Brigitte Lord, webmaster and newsletter editor of the Ottawa PC Users' Group (OPCUG).  Her father, Larry Lord, was a member of MUGOO in the 90s.  She is looking for one of us to do a Mac presentation in the fall, about one hour in duration ... something that would wow her audience.  Why pick a Mac over a PC?  Many of her audience have never seen a Mac in action and may not realize that it can also run Windows 10 and how well the ecosystem is integrated with iPhones and iPads.  Gillian and Brigitte had a prior discussion on how we might accommodate this request.

Justin Long, the actor who played I'm a Mac in that series of ads, has defected to the Intel PC competition.  Tech pitchmen shifting to competitors is nothing new.  It's quite hilarious looking at the video of the best ads from the old series. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/03/17/justin-long-mac-guy-apple-computers-intel-pc-ads/4735564001/

1 - Good AI / Bad AI - What's new in imaging - with Laurence Head
Laurence gave a fascinating introduction to the world of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANS) and how artificial intelligence can create totally realistic images and videos that are in fact fake.  This is a topic that many people find intriguing and disturbing at the same time.  The roots of this work originate with Geoffrey Hinton, a British-Canadian cognitive psychologist and computer scientist most noted for his work on artificial neural networks.

GANS are a class of artificial intelligence algorithms used in unsupervised machine learning, implemented by a system of two neural networks contesting with each other.  The generative network's training objective is to "fool" the discriminator network by producing novel candidates that the discriminator thinks are not synthesized.  The process iterates and both sides are "trained" dynamically.

The technology can be used for good and evil.  Some of the positive applications include colourizing, rendering detail to old photographs and adding smooth motion to old film reels.  The downside is that fake video news can be created that is realistic but false and potentially dangerous.  How do we trust the source of our information?  On social media, you won't know what's real or not.  Fake news will now morph into deepfake video.  What will Fox News do with it?  As with digital art, the issue of provenance, such as a blockchain token, might become mandatory. It's going to be a cat and mouse game, and for some there is a sense of dread.

Laurence provided short clips from a number of different examples.  These are included here to explore at your leisure.

This Person Does Not Exist https://thispersondoesnotexist.com/

12 deepfake examples that terrified and amused the internet | Creative Bloq https://www.creativebloq.com/features/deepfake-examples

Deepfakes are Getting Scary 😨 - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cTDE4lKMgg

You Won't Believe What Obama Says In This Video! 😉 - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ54GDm1eL0&t=29s

Bill Posters on Instagram: "[NEW RELEASE] 'I wish I could...' (2019) Mark Zuckerberg, founder of @facebook reveals the 'truth' about privacy on #facebook . This..." https://www.instagram.com/p/BypkGIvFfGZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again

Deepfake Roundtable: Cruise, Downey Jr., Lucas & More - The Streaming Wars | Above the Line - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_6Tumd8EQI

Lynda Carter Wonder Woman [deepfake] - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwRmeT1lEFg&t=1s

Millie Bobby Brown is Princess Leia [Deepfake] - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMzA94lBmjU

Incredible 160-year-old Civil War era photos Restored, Enhanced, and Colorized - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIQuF9x8LAI

When A.I. Becomes Creative - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ7BnJb30Cc

Dali Lives – Art Meets Artificial Intelligence - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPtcU9VmIIE&t=39s

Deepfake Movements with 1 image ONLY - This is just too Memeable [Liquid Warping GAN] - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkrcx3_DtCw

What It's Like To be a Computer: An Interview with GPT-3 - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqbB07n_uQ4

A Friendly Introduction to Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L11aMN5KY8

Deepfake Queen: 2020 Alternative Christmas Message - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvY-Abd2FfM

Kids do Trump Impressions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6s1K9kppvM
                         
2 - POOF! the Magic Dragon Disposable email addresses - with Neil Herber
Neil used SketchBook Pro on his iPad with the Apple Pencil to create hand drawn slides that were presented in a novel and engaging manner.  Disposable email addresses are something you may wish to consider to access various resources on the web which request an email address.  The request can be satisfied in a temporary manner without later being prone to more SPAM.  He provided a demo of several services which can be accessed in the pdf of his presentation below.

3 - Sign-off - with Gillian Villeneuve