Bogotá D.C.
War or peace? Colombians choose destiny in high-stakes vote
Bogota - Colombians vote Sunday in a presidential election that will determine the conflict-ridden nation's response to spiraling violence, either staying left and opting for dialogue or tacking right towards all-out war. The constitution forbids a second term for the country's first-ever leftist President Gustavo Petro, whose "total peace" strategy has failed to negotiate an end to conflict with armed groups. Despite his absence from the ballot, "the campaign revolves around Petro," said Yann Basset, political science professor at Bogota's University of Rosario. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories.
Nine coal miners die in gas explosion in Colombia
Nine people have died in an explosion at a coal mine in Colombia in the latest fatal accident to hit the country's mining sector. Emergency workers said they had rescued six miners from the shafts in Sutatausa, north of the capital, Bogotá. Colombia's national mining agency said a build-up of gases was thought to have caused the explosion at 16:00 (21:00 GMT) on Monday. It also published a list of recommendations it said it had made to the mine's operators after an inspection less than a month ago, in which it had warned of a potentially dangerous gas build-up. Many mines in Colombia are operated informally and without proper safety standards.
A Wave of Unexplained Bot Traffic Is Sweeping the Web
From small publishers to US federal agencies, websites are reporting unusual spikes in automated traffic linked to IP addresses in Lanzhou, China. For a brief moment in October, Alejandro Quintero thought he had made it big in China . The Bogotá-based data analyst owns and manages a website that publishes articles about paranormal activities, like ghosts and aliens. The content is written in "Spanglish," he says, and was never intended for an Asian audience. But last fall, Quintero's site suddenly began receiving a large volume of visits from China and Singapore.
Where to Go to Get Serious About Learning a Language: Lingoda, Preply, Fluenz
To really speak and understand a new language, you need to interact with humans. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. Language learning apps like Duolingo are useful, but they have their limits. They're ideal for getting started with a new language, beefing up vocabulary, practicing skills, and even having fun playing the built-in games.
How thousands of 'overworked, underpaid' humans train Google's AI to seem smart
AI models are trained on vast swathes of data from every corner of the internet, by humans. AI models are trained on vast swathes of data from every corner of the internet, by humans. How thousands of'overworked, underpaid' humans train Google's AI to seem smart In the spring of 2024, when Rachael Sawyer, a technical writer from Texas, received a LinkedIn message from a recruiter hiring for a vague title of writing analyst, she assumed it would be similar to her previous gigs of content creation. On her first day a week later, however, her expectations went bust. Instead of writing words herself, Sawyer's job was to rate and moderate the content created by artificial intelligence. The job initially involved a mix of parsing through meeting notes and chats summarized by Google's Gemini, and, in some cases, reviewing short films made by the AI.