Tootfinder

Large Language Model Data Generation for Enhanced Intent Recognition in German Speech
Theresa Pekarek Rosin, Burak Can Kaplan, Stefan Wermter
https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.06277 ht…

Large Language Model Data Generation for Enhanced Intent Recognition in German Speech
Intent recognition (IR) for speech commands is essential for artificial intelligence (AI) assistant systems; however, most existing approaches are limited to short commands and are predominantly developed for English. This paper addresses these limitations by focusing on IR from speech by elderly German speakers. We propose a novel approach that combines an adapted Whisper ASR model, fine-tuned on elderly German speech (SVC-de), with Transformer-based language models trained on synthetic text d…

Estrogen? Hot drinks will suffice!
"""
Naturally, cold water cooled. For that reason it was used in mania and frenzy, sicknesses of heat where the spirits were in ebullition, solids tightened and liquids were heated to the point of evaporation, leaving the brain of the patient ‘dry and brittle’, as anatomists regularly demonstrated. Reasonably enough Boissieu includes cold water among his list of refreshing cures: baths were the foremost ‘antiphlogistic’, purifying the body of any excessive igneous particles to be found there. Taken as a drink, it was a ‘dilutive procastinant’ that diminished the resistance of fluids to the action of solids, thereby indirectly lowering the general heat of the body.
But it was also said that cold water brought heat and that hot water cooled. Such at least was the thesis defended by Darut. Cold baths chased the blood from the periphery of the body and pushed it ‘with increased vigour towards the heart’. As the heart was the seat of natural heat, the blood was warmed there, all the more so as “the heart, which struggles alone against all the other parts, makes renewed efforts to expel the blood and overcome capillary resistance. What results is a greater intensity of circulation, the division of the blood, the fluidity of the humours, the destruction of congestions, an increase in the strength of the natural heat, of the appetite of the digestive forces, and the activity of the body and the mind.” A symmetrical paradox operated regarding hot baths: blood was attracted to the extremities of the body, as were the humours, sweat, and all forms of liquid, both beneficial and harmful. The vital centres were therefore deserted, the heart slowed and the organism thus began to cool down. This fact was confirmed by the ‘fainting, lipothymia… weakness, nonchalance, lassitude, and lack of vigour’ that generally accompanied excessive bathing with hot water.
But there was more. So great was the polyvalence of water, so great was its aptitude to submit itself to the qualities that it carried, that it sometimes lost its efficacy as a liquid and acted as a desiccant instead. Water could Prevent dampness. In part, this was the old principle of similia similibus, but in another sense, and by the intermediary of a visible mechanism. For some, it was cold water that brought dryness, as heat kept water humid. Heat dilated the pores of the organism, distended its membranes, and allowed humidity to impregnate them as a secondary effect. Liquids made their way through heat. For that reason, the hot drinks so widely used in the seventeenth century risked becoming a danger, and those who took too many risked relaxation, general dampness and a weakness of the whole organism. As these were traits commonly associated with the feminine body, as opposed to the dry, virile solidity of the male, the abuse of hot drinks could lead to a general feminisation of the human race: “Not without reason, the reproach is made to the majority of men that they have softened and degenerated, taking on the habits and inclinations of women – the only thing lacking is a physical resemblance. The abuse of humectants could accelerate the metamorphosis, and render the two sexes almost identical both physically and morally. Woe betide the human race if this prejudice ever spreads to the masses: there will be no more labourers, artisans or soldiers, as they will have lost the strength and vigour necessary for their profession.” [Pressavin]
"""
(Michel Foucault, History of Madness)

Pointing-Guided Target Estimation via Transformer-Based Attention
Luca M\"uller, Hassan Ali, Philipp Allgeuer, Luk\'a\v{s} Gajdo\v{s}ech, Stefan Wermter
https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.05031

Pointing-Guided Target Estimation via Transformer-Based Attention
Deictic gestures, like pointing, are a fundamental form of non-verbal communication, enabling humans to direct attention to specific objects or locations. This capability is essential in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), where robots should be able to predict human intent and anticipate appropriate responses. In this work, we propose the Multi-Modality Inter-TransFormer (MM-ITF), a modular architecture to predict objects in a controlled tabletop scenario with the NICOL robot, where humans indicate…

My wife and I saw Band of Horses play tonight at Harvester Performance Center in nearby Rocky Mount. It’s a great, intimate little spot. Seats maybe 400 people.
After two songs, we exchanged a look because it was not a great start. Age robs singers of their high range and for a falsetto singer? Woof.
But, most happily, his voice warmed up after another song or two and it was great show from then on.

Oh, Hacker News…FFS. Something got lost in the sad game of Popular Press Telephone between the actual study and this snotty post.
The actual study is here:
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-00577
It notes that:
1. Most research on air cleaning devices used air samples, not human health outcomes. (It’s far more difficult to conduct a study on the latter.)
2. Not many people are studying whether e.g. UV air purifiers create toxic byproducts.
3. The available studies sure do measure a whole bunch of different things, and wouldn’t it be nice if they had more consistent standards.
Their main recommendation is basically “scientists should do more studies where they measure infection in humans, not just germs in the air.” And that’s fair: It’s reasonable to •guess• that fewer germs in the air means less sickness, but it’s nice to actually •test• that!
However, AFAICT, nothing in the study warrants the “tinfoil hats” remark. Unlike a tinfoil hats, we have plenty good reason to think at least some of these devices actually work; the paper just wants the research to go deeper. It’s one giant “further study needed.” https://mastodon.social/@ngate/115091700894746240

Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and military against protesters in Los Angeles is widely being interpreted as
a display of intimidation and state power ahead of his birthday,
when Trump will oversee a military parade in Washington, D.C. in the style of a dictator.
The president has warned that protesters in D.C. will be
“met with very heavy force.”
Democrats and civil rights groups say the president is inflaming tensions to justify further repr…

Trump Is Rapidly Expanding the Surveillance State as Protests Grow
Immigrants are only the first target of a rapidly expanding digital dragnet that can track our individual movements.

Stromausfälle im Osten der Ukraine
In der südostukrainischen Großstadt Krywyj Rih ist es nach russischen Angriffen mit Drohnen und mindestens einer Rakete zu Stromausfällen gekommen. "Es gab etwa 20 Einschläge", teilte der Militärverwaltungschef Olexander Wilkul bei Telegram mit. Die Wasserversorgung werde auf Generatoren umgestellt. Er warnte vor nicht ausreichendem Wasserdruck in höheren Etagen.
Der ukrainische Präsident W…
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Ukraine-Liveblog: ++ Rutte fordert von China Druck auf Putin ++
NATO-Generalsekretär Rutte hat an China, Indien und Brasilien appelliert, Druck auf Russland auszuüben - andernfalls würden Sekundärsanktionen drohen. Die EU-Länder verlängern ihren Schutz für Ukrainer bis 2027. Der Liveblog vom Dienstag zum Nachlesen.

What has become of the International Criminal Court (#ICC)? Has it really succumbed to intimidation by the fabricated slander of the chief prosecutor?
We need international arrest warrants for #Netanyahu, #Gvir,