Things To Do In SW Florida

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE

YouTube on Wednesday will begin testing a new age-verification system in the U.S. that relies on artificial intelligence to differentiate between adults and minors, based on the kinds of videos that they have been watching.

The tests initially will only affect a sliver of YouTube’s audience in the U.S., but it will likely become more pervasive if the system works as well at guessing viewers’ ages as it does in other parts of the world. The system will only work when viewers are logged into their accounts, and it will make its age assessments regardless of the birth date a user might have entered upon signing up.

If the system flags a logged-in viewer as being under 18, YouTube will impose the normal controls and restrictions that the site already uses as a way to prevent minors from watching videos and engaging in other behavior deemed inappropriate for that age.

The safeguards include reminders to take a break from the screen, privacy warnings and restrictions on video recommendations. YouTube, which has been owned by Google for nearly 20 years, also doesn’t show ads tailored to individual tastes if a viewer is under 18. read more

After closing its downtown Orlando location in April, full liquor sports bar and dog park Pups Pub is opening a new location in Clermont.

Pups Pub signed a 10-year net lease deal on the property at 898 W. Montrose St. in downtown Clermont, the site of a former automotive shop, according to a report in GrowthSpotter. Property owners Issam and Nadia Harb bought the location for $1.05 million in a transaction brokered by Orlando real estate firm Settineri Group.

“I think the use is incredibly interesting, it adds some vibrancy to a portion of downtown Clermont that I think has been relatively quiet for a long time,” Chris Settineri said.“That corner and that intersection really needed a driver for the afternoon to evening hours and I think this is it.”

Sheila Suhar, co-owner of Pups Pub with her husband Alex Wright, said their focus has been to continue their business in a growing community.

“That’s kind of why we picked Clermont, first and foremost, seeing all of what’s existing there and the plans for the future,” she said. “I think Pups Pub will be a great addition to the growth of that community. Excitement is an understatement, to say the least.” read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — AOL’s dial-up internet is finally taking its last bow.

Yes, while perhaps a dinosaur by today’s digital standards, dial-up is still around. But AOL says it’s officially pulling the plug for its service on Sept. 30.

“AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet,” AOL wrote in a brief update on its support site — noting that dial-up and associated software “optimized for older operating systems” will soon be unavailable on AOL plans.

AOL, formerly America Online, introduced many households to the world wide web for the first time when its dial-up service launched decades ago, rising to prominence particularly in the 90s and early 2000s. The creaky door to the internet was characterized by a once-ubiquitous series of beeps and buzzes heard over the phone used to connect your computer online — along with frustrations of being kicked off the web if anyone else at home needed the landline for another call, and an endless bombardment of CDs mailed out by AOL to advertise free trials. read more

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A 90-day pause on imposing higher tariffs on China is due to expire on Tuesday and it is unclear if it will be extended.

After the most recent round of China-U.S. trade talks, held late last month in Stockholm, Chinese and U.S. officials said they expected the deadline to be extended for another 90 days. The U.S. side said the decision was up to President Donald Trump. So far there has been no formal announcement about whether he will endorse an extension or push ahead with the higher tariffs.

The uncertainty has left businesses in limbo and a decision to raise the import duties could jolt world markets.

SILENCE FROM WASHINGTON AND BEIJING

Trump has repeatedly shifted deadlines and tariff rates, and neither side has indicated what it plans for Tuesday. Extending the Aug. 12 deadline for reaching a trade agreement with China would forestall earlier threats of tariffs of up to 245%.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump was deciding about another 90-day delay to allow time to work out details of an agreement setting tariffs on most products at 50%, including extra import duties related to illicit trade in the powerful opiate fentanyl. read more

The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Nvidia and AMD have agreed to share 15% of their revenues from chip sales to China with the U.S. government, as part of a deal to secure export licenses for the semiconductors.

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The Trump administration halted the sale of advanced computer chips to China in April over national security concerns, but Nvidia and AMD revealed in July that Washington would allow them to resume sales of the H20 and MI308 chips, which are used in artificial intelligence development.

President Trump confirmed the terms of the unusual arrangement in a Monday press conference while noting that he originally wanted 20% of the sales revenue when Nvidia asked to sell the “obsolete” H20 chip to China. The president credited Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang for negotiating him down to 15%. read more