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The Energy Usage of Every ChatGPT Prompt

reintroducing nuclear energy to support their AI goals, while OpenAI is exploring the concept of establishing data centers in outer space. With such futuristic plans in the pipeline, it’s only natural for individuals to question why major technology firms require significant power and the actual energy consumption of our daily interactions with AI services.

In light of our inquiries, companies like Google have disclosed details this year regarding energy usage and efficiency concerning their AI offerings, with OpenAI following suit shortly thereafter. In June, CEO Sam Altman shared a blog that mentioned the energy consumption of “the average” ChatGPT inquiry: 0.34 watt-hours. Altman compares this to “approximately what an oven would use in just over a second, or what a high-efficiency lightbulb would consume in a few minutes.”

So, does that mean each ChatGPT prompt truly uses 0.34 watt-hours of energy? Regrettably, it’s likely not so straightforward. Although the figure might be precise, Altman provided no context or detail on how it was derived, which significantly hampers our grasp of the scenario. For example, we don’t know how OpenAI defines an “average” ChatGPT inquiry, considering the LLM can perform various tasks, such as responding to general inquiries, coding, and generating images — all of which demand different energy levels.

Why is AI energy consumption so intricate?

Guide to Utilizing Google’s Complimentary VPN on Android and Its Advantages

If you have significant worries about privacy while navigating the internet, you might have come across the idea of utilizing a VPN for protection. VPN, which stands for Virtual Private Network, serves as a method to prevent external parties from tracking your online activities and effectively enhances the security of your connection. Setting it up on your mobile device is not overly complex, typically requiring just a straightforward app installation. Interestingly, one of the most dependable free VPNs for Android is actually integrated into the device and developed by Google. Named VPN by Google, this no-cost VPN service is a distinctive feature available on Pixel phones starting with the Pixel 7.

Similar to regular VPN services, VPN by Google establishes an encrypted and private connection via Google’s VPN servers rather than connecting directly to the internet. It masks your true IP address and location, replacing them with the server’s IP and location. This is what shields you from malicious entities and sites that wish to acquire your location information.

However, unlike other VPN platforms, VPN by Google comes with certain restrictions. Firstly, it does not permit you to select which server to link to. For example, you can’t opt for a Japan-based server, so you won’t be able to access content that’s restricted to a Japanese audience. Moreover, a Google account is necessary to utilize the VPN service. VPN by Google is also functional only in 30 designated home countries (the country associated with your Google account). These include the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and Singapore. It does function in additional locations while traveling, enabling usage in places like the Bahamas, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and even Antarctica.

How to activate the free VPN by Google on your Pixel phone

Activating VPN by Google on your Pixel phone is quite fast and straightforward through the Settings on your Pixel device. Follow these instructions:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Choose Network & internet.
3. Click on VPN.
4. Under the Built-in section, select VPN by Google.
5. Review the permissions.
6. Enable Use VPN on mobile network if you wish to activate VPN while on mobile data.
7. Click Use VPN.
8. Select Allow if you want VPN by Google to send you notifications.
9. Wait for the VPN to establish a connection.

Once you spot the key icon on your Android screen, it indicates that the VPN service is operational, and you’re set to begin browsing. To simplify the process of pausing and resuming the VPN later, you can add it to your Quick Settings. Here’s how:

1. Access Quick Settings by swiping down from the top of the screen.
2. Tap the pen icon.
3. Press and hold the tile for VPN by Google.
4. Move it to your preferred location in the upper section of the screen.
5. Press the back arrow to save your adjustments.

You should now see the VPN tile in your Quick Settings. Long-press on the tile to open the VPN by Google settings page, or simply tap it to pause or resume the VPN service.

How to set up VPN by Google on your Pixel

Although Google’s free VPN service may not be as feature-rich as many other VPNs available, it still provides some degree of customization. Here’s how you can set up VPN by Google to better meet your requirements:

1. Open Settings.
2. Navigate to Network & internet > VPN.
3. Select the gear icon next to VPN by Google.
4. To keep the VPN service perpetually active, enable Always-on VPN.
5. To ensure your device does not go online without initially connecting to VPN, activate Block connections without VPN and press Turn on to confirm.
6. Return to the VPN page.
7. Tap on VPN by Google.
8. To pause the VPN service when you’re connected to specific Wi-Fi networks:
– Under Advanced settings, navigate to Pause VPN on selected networks.
– Tap on the saved networks where you wish to prevent the VPN service from operating.
– Press the trash icon to remove the Wi-Fi network from the “pause” list.
9. To stop certain apps from utilizing the VPN service, allowing them to connect to the internet normally:
– Choose Exclude selected apps.
– Select the apps for which you do not want VPN running.
– Remove any app from the “excluded” list by tapping the trash icon.
10. To check the app information:
– Go to Notifications.
– Adjust the notification frequency under Notifications.
– Modify the permissions via the Permissions option.
– View the amount of mobile data used by the VPN service by tapping Mobile data usage.

Any adjustments made in the configuration will be automatically saved and applied whenever your VPN is active.

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Crucial Privacy Configurations for Roku Users to Adjust Immediately

your TV’s HDMI port keeps track of your viewing habits through devices connected, such as game consoles and media players. 

To disable data tracking via HDMI on a Roku smart TV, go to Settings > Privacy > Smart TV Experience. In that section, you will find either “Use info from TV inputs” or “Automatic Content Recognition (ACR),” switch it off. By turning off these settings, you will limit the data being gathered and shared across your Roku streaming sticks and standalone devices.

Why are these privacy settings crucial?

Reasons Temu Tech Products Are Affordable

shopping platforms such as Amazon Haul, which seeks to go head-to-head with Temu.

A quick price comparison clearly indicates how much more affordable Temu’s merchandise is. Temu’s Android 15 tablet featuring a 10.1-inch display is listed at $60, while a comparable tablet on Amazon costs $90. On Temu, Kvidio’s wireless noise-cancelling headphones are priced at $8.85, but they sell for $17.34 on Amazon. The prices and products mentioned were accurate at the time of this writing. These are appealing offers, assuming the brands are genuinely what Temu claims –- it has faced allegations of selling counterfeit goods before. Such deals might leave customers wondering if Temu’s technology is genuinely worthwhile. Are you really obtaining high-quality items at such reduced rates?

Temu incurs losses to maintain low product prices

Linking Apple Music with ChatGPT: Advantages and Procedures

announcement that ChatGPT would soon collaborate with Apple Music, the alliance between OpenAI and Apple is now operational. Consequently, ChatGPT now connects with the two leading music streaming services: Spotify and Apple Music. However, the integration between these two platforms differs significantly.

While Spotify grants ChatGPT full access to a user’s data to enhance the integration process between the AI and the streaming platform, Apple Music restricts ChatGPT from accessing a user’s library, playlists, Replay statistics, recently played tracks, or listening history. Thus, ChatGPT can only gauge the preferences of an Apple Music user based on user input, which may affect its accuracy.

With this collaboration now in place, we will walk you through the steps to link Apple Music with ChatGPT, clarify what functionalities are available and what are not due to this integration, and share an anecdote from our own experience of putting together a joint playlist featuring Blossoms and The Vaccines, including the challenges we faced in finalizing the playlist.

How to link Apple Music and ChatGPT

Texas Initiates Legal Action Against Five Leading Smart TV Makers for Suspected Privacy Breaches

your intelligent TV is monitoring you and your viewing habits. Realistically, it’s not the sole device or platform where this occurs. What’s more concerning, at least according to a lawsuit from Texas, is that it is allegedly happening without your approval. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is filing a lawsuit against five television manufacturers — Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL — asserting that these companies are employing ad-targeted spyware to track what viewers are watching. The lawsuit alleges that, through Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology, firms “capture images of a user’s television screen every 500 milliseconds,” to monitor what they are viewing or engaging in. Subsequently, TVs “send that data back to the company without the user’s awareness or consent.”

You may recognize ACR as the technology enabling companies to observe what you view on devices connected to your TV’s HDMI inputs. The Texas lawsuit also claims that television companies profit by selling the data they gather to “target advertisements across various platforms.” However, in pursuit of this profit, these companies are accused of jeopardizing user privacy and sensitive information. “This behavior is intrusive, misleading, and illegal,” states Paxton. He emphasizes that individuals’ “basic right to privacy” will be safeguarded in the state. While “Big Tech” is referenced, Paxton specifically calls out corporations “linked to the Chinese Communist Party,” who ought “to have no right to illegally document Americans’ devices within their own residences.” He also notes that Hisense and TCL are headquartered in China.

In light of breaches of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the Attorney General is pursuing damages of up to $10,000 for each infraction, and up to $250,000 for violations impacting individuals aged 65 or older. The state is also expressing interest in injunctions to prevent data collection, selling, and sharing while the lawsuits are in progress.

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Comprehending the Typical Lifespan of a MacBook Pro and Suggestions for Prolonging It

macOS 26 ceasing support on certain models. While some MacBooks can function well for more than ten years, that is usually not the case. Nevertheless, you can assist your MacBook Pro in becoming one of those exceptional devices that endure for an extended period. All it requires is a bit of attention and upkeep, and you can extend its longevity.

The contrast between a durable and a fleeting MacBook lies in their daily care. Clogged vents, overlooked updates, or depleted batteries can gradually detract from your device’s efficiency and lifespan. Luckily, maintaining a MacBook’s hardware and software doesn’t necessitate spending a fortune or being a technology expert. Therefore, let’s examine what influences the lifespan of a MacBook Pro and what steps you can take to ensure it remains functional for as long as possible.

MacBooks can endure long despite lack of software support

What’s up with these Google hidden features?

Amazon Delivery Driver Charged with Cat Theft

a Best Buy shopper unwrapped a package only to find it filled with stones instead of the $1,200 graphics card they had purchased, adding to the growing list of delivery woes making news. Recently, an Amazon delivery driver was accused of taking someone’s cat after delivering a parcel, with the whole event captured on surveillance footage. The driver later admitted to the police that he had taken the cat, claiming he believed it was a stray. According to People, the cat, which initially tried to escape when approached by the Amazon driver, ultimately leaped from the delivery vehicle, but it remains unaccounted for.

Diane Huff-Medina, a mother of three, stated in a Facebook update that their cat, Piper, was taken on December 11. “An Amazon delivery worker took our cat… after delivering a package on Thursday evening. We just want her back home safe,” she wrote in her message.

The woman also posted a surveillance clip showing the Amazon Flex worker leaving a package around 6:00 p.m. He then spots the cat, gives it a pat, and tries to lift it. Despite the cat’s struggles, the man manages to carry the pet to his vehicle. The cat, known to be an indoor-outdoor animal, is microchipped, yet Piper was not wearing a collar at the time she was taken by the Amazon delivery driver.

Amazon terminated the driver

Google Maps Brings Back Previously Discontinued Feature for Winter Season

the Google Maps functionality after it ceased the feature the previous year.

“We received feedback from numerous users who regretted the absence of ski details on Google Maps, so we’re reintroducing ski lifts and trails this winter,” a Google representative informed Powder. “You will notice current ski information starting with well-known resorts across North America and Europe.” Interestingly, this stands in contrast to the rationale provided by Google last October when it turned off the feature. “Over the years, we’ve discovered that the majority of users do not rely on Google Maps for this sort of information, opting instead for maps directly from the specific ski resorts, as they are perceived to be the most credible source of this data,” a Google Maps product manager explained to an individual who raised questions about the modification. “Consequently, we have been in the midst of eliminating this data from Maps, which you may have already observed.”

Ski enthusiasts dissatisfied with Google’s choice initiated at least one petition urging the company to restore the feature. Close to 3,000 individuals signed one of these petitions. It remains uncertain if this particular petition influenced Google’s decision, but the company acknowledged the sentiment.

Ski trails and lifts in Google Maps