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Santa Monica tests AI cameras for parking tickets

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:10 GMT

It’s an issue for cities across America: cars parked in bus lanes when they shouldn’t be.Now, new AI camera technology is letting the buses themselves write tickets instantly.Santa Monica recently tested the technology with their Big Blue Bus Line.Last year, they provided 7.7 million trips, but not all were on schedule due to cars improperly parked or stopped in dedicated bus lanes."The question becomes how do we and other cities keep vehicles that should not be in the transit lane out of the lane," said Robert McCall, who oversees Community Engagement for the City of Santa Monica.Robert McCallSanta Monica is among a growing number of cities exploring the use of AI cameras that can spot violations and issue tickets instantly.As buses drive their routes, special cameras capture the license plates of cars that shouldn’t be parked or stopped where they are."Our cameras are able to be accurate to within 10 centimeters, we know if a vehicle is moving or whether a vehicle is stopped," sai...

Thrash is Revived at the Regent

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:10 GMT

Thrash is Revived at the Regent: The thrash revival of the mid-to-late 2000’s threw some great bands into the metal-loving public’s ears, some of which had already been touring like dogs for years and were finally able to seize their opportunity.Municipal Waste is a great example; They formed in 2001, and by the middle of the decade they were household names (in niche households, admittedly). Two other names that enjoyed a similar trajectory are Denver’s Havok and Portland’s Toxic Holocaust.Putting the two of them on a bill together is a perfect, if low-hanging, idea. The fanbase here in L.A. is pretty much the same people and, most importantly, both have a string of fucking awesome records in their arsenals. Oh, and both have magnificent metal logos, which means a ton of impressive merch and some cool backdrops.Toxic Holocaust (Brett Callwood)Led by Joel Grind, the sole founder of the band, Toxic Holocaust raised hell, perhaps literally, in Los Angeles on Sa...

What are all those spiders doing in my garden?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:10 GMT

If Miss Muffet in the children’s nursery rhyme had known more about garden spiders, she might not have been so frightened. Spiders are beneficial garden inhabitants that are much more interested in feeding on insects rather than bothering humans. You might think of them as an eight-legged pest control service operating in your garden.Grass spiders spin funnel-shaped webs and wait for insects to walk or fly into them. Courtesy of PixnioSpiders are not insects; they are arthropods belonging to the order Araneae in the class Arachnida. In addition to the number of legs, they differ from insects in that they have only two body parts and they lack wings and antennae. They also have six to eight eyes, often arranged in two rows.Although most spiders do produce venom and have jaws ending in fangs, few can bite through human skin. The only exceptions common in California are the widow spiders, which spend most of their time hiding and rarely attack humans unless provoked. Spiders basic...

Bay Area man accused of killing roommate, dog

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:10 GMT

Novato police booked a homicide suspect early Saturday after a shooting in the Hamilton area.The crime happened at about 4:30 p.m. Friday on Martin Drive in the Lanham Village neighborhood, according to the Novato Police Department. Police, responding to reports about gunfire, found a man and a dog who had been shot to death on the back porch of a residence.Police detained two men at the residence and identified one of them — Paul Henry Dwight, 65 — as the suspected killer. Investigators determined that Dwight and the dead man were roommates who had had a dispute over their housing arrangements.Investigators booked Dwight into the Marin County Jail at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday on suspicion of murder and animal cruelty. He is being held without a bail amount while the investigation continues.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Emeryville: One shot during attempted armed robbery in Bank of America parking lot Crime and Public Safety | Milpitas man charg...

Why does Hollister cat steal eyeglass cleaning cloths and leave them in odd places?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:10 GMT

DEAR JOAN: We have a 16 year-old Manx cat named Pumpkin, who started really entertaining us about a year ago.We keep two small eyeglass cloths in a basket on our kitchen island. During the night, about 80% of the time, she moves one or both of them to various locations in the kitchen. Quite often, she jumps up on the island, then jumps down carrying a cloth, then goes to a step stool at a desk on the opposite counter.The cloth is then deposited on or near the computer mouse. Occasionally, the second cloth will be near the first one. At other times, one of them will be on the rung of a kitchen stool, on the floor or any one of numerous places she decides to place it.She recently started moving the cloth during the day when we are at work. This seems to be a well thought out activity for Pumpkin. Can you share some insight as to why?— Sue and Rick Solano, HollisterDEAR SUE AND RICK: Cats enjoy taking objects and carrying them around. Because the mysterious cloth relocation happe...

TasteFood: When life gives you stone fruit, make a crisp

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:10 GMT

I am a glutton when it comes to summer stone fruit. There is a window of time when nectarines, peaches, apricots and plums run rampant at the market. Mottled in vibrant swaths of purple, crimson and orange, their flesh is a perfect balance of sweet, tangy and winey flavors. I could eat them all day long, but then my stomach would hurt.When these fruity gifts are abundant, I usually overshop. It is an issue. My kitchen counters are lined with bowls and platters piled with fruit. So it’s no surprise that, even in my house, all the fruit can’t be eaten at their peak of ripeness. Some pieces become a little too ripe, buried at the bottom of the bowl, or even passed over for the newest batch from the market. As mentioned, I have indulgence issues.This is an opportunity to make a crisp. It’s the dessert equivalent to a homey vegetable soup. Gather up all the ripe, somewhat passed fruit (as you might with vegetables for a soup), cut and chop, and spread a thick layer in a...

Travel+Leisure’s ‘World’s Best Awards’ spotlights 5 California resorts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:10 GMT

Resorts and hotels star on Travel + Leisure’s recently released “World’s Best Awards” list. The awards, which include categories for hotels, resorts, cruise ships, cities and more, are based on the opinions of nearly 165,00 readers.For the resort category, they were asked to rate not only the beauty of the property, but its location, service and food. So it’s not surprising that the top 15 are situated in some of the nation’s most picturesque places. There are Nantucket and Cape Cod splendors, California wine country inns and skier-loved mountain lodges.Five California hotels took honors on the list, starting with Napa Valley’s Stanly Ranch at No. 2. The Auberge Resorts Collection property opened last year on a historic 712-acre estate. Also open just a year, Healdsburg’s The Madrona (No. 13) has transformed a 19th century mansion and carriage house into a 21st century boutique hotel. Forestville’s serene Farmhouse Inn came in at...

Wish You Were Here: Roasting marshmallows atop a Guatemala volcano

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:10 GMT

We may have spent lockdown as armchair travelers, but our readers have made up for that with recent travels to destinations around the world. They’ve strolled Australian beaches, explored England’s naval history in Portsmouth and traipsed around Brazil. And they’ve shared their adventures — and helpful travel tips — along the way.Today, an adventuresome Fremont couple is sharing their recent foray in Central America.Wish You Were HereGUATEMALA: Fremont residents Joe Samagond and Mona Shah visited Guatemala this May on a trip that included “charming colonial Antigua and Tikal National Park, home to scores of pre-Columbian Mayan ruins,” Joe says. “We explored the Actún Can Caves — ‘Cave of the Serpent’ — hidden in limestone bedrock beneath the sacred ruins of Petén. And we climbed the scorched rock of Pacaya Volcano, which first erupted approximately 23,000 years ago and last erupted in 2021, and roasted marshmall...

Nothing artificial about the future of AI, but who decides its intelligent use in health care?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:10 GMT

A majority of Americans would feel “uncomfortable” with their doctor relying on AI in their medical care, according to recent polling, but despite those misgivings it is likely you have already encountered the results of artificial intelligence in your doctor’s office or local pharmacy.The true extent of its use “is a bit dependent on how one defines AI,” said Lloyd B. Minor, dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine, but he said some uses have been around for years.Most large health care providers already use automated systems that verify dosage amounts for medications and flag possible drug interactions for doctors, nurses and pharmacists.“There’s no question that has reduced medication errors, because of the checking that goes on in the background through applications of AI and machine learning,” Minor said.Hundreds of devices enabled with AI technologies have been approved by the FDA in recent years, mostly in the fields o...

Hiker rescued from cliff by Sonoma County helicopter

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:10 GMT

(BCN) -- A helicopter was required to rescue a Sonoma County hiker Sunday who climbed a steep cliff face in Jenner and realized they couldn't get back down. San Mateo woman kidnapped in Mexico found safe The Sonoma Sheriff's Office said it received a call at approximately 1 p.m. about a hiker stranded on a coastal cliff. The sheriff's office sent its "Henry-1" helicopter to the rescue. The crew located the climber and decided the safest and most efficient way of rescuing the victim would be to utilize their 100 foot-long line and a "horse collar" rescue device. A paramedic used the line to successfully perform the rescue. The victim was brought to a nearby beach where awaiting fire and medical personnel were staged.