Things To Do In SW Florida

Gopal Ratnam | (TNS) CQ-Roll Call

WASHINGTON — A handful of lawmakers say they plan to press the issue of the threat to humans posed by generative artificial intelligence after a recent bipartisan Senate report largely sidestepped the matter.

“There’s been no action taken yet, no regulatory action taken yet, at least here in the United States, that would restrict the types of actions that could lead to existential, or health, or other serious consequences,” Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said in an interview. “And that’s something we’d like to see happen.”

Romney joined Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Angus King, I-Maine, in April to propose a framework that would establish federal oversight of so-called frontier AI models to guard against biological, chemical, cyber and nuclear threats.

Frontier AI models include ChatGPT by OpenAI, Claude 3 by Anthropic PBC and Gemini Ultra by Google LLC, which are capable of generating human-like responses when prompted, based on training with vast quantities of data. read more

A spacewalk scheduled for two astronauts outside the International Space Station was canceled by NASA about an hour before it was to begin Thursday morning.

“The spacewalk today, June 13, at the International Space Station did not proceed as scheduled due to a spacesuit discomfort issue,” NASA said on its blog. No other details were immediately given.

NASA said Tracy C. Dyson and Matt Dominick, the astronauts scheduled for the space walk, started taking off their spacesuits at approximately 7:25 am EDT, about an hour before the crew was anticipated to exit the ISS through an airlock.

Dyson and Dominick’s spacewalk was supposed to include station maintenance and science work.

In announcing the spacewalk, NASA said two astronauts would remove some communications equipment from one of the ISS’ laboratory modules with an assist from a robotic arm on the station. Dyson and Dominick were also going to swab surfaces on the ISS to “determine if microorganisms released through station vents can survive the external microgravity environment.” read more

Walt Disney World is set to get up to $17 billion in new construction and investment in the next 10 to 20 years under a development agreement approved Wednesday night.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District’s board voted unanimously in favor of the 15-year plan, garnering praise from business leaders who say it will generate jobs and draw more visitors to the region.

“Walt Disney World is inextricably intertwined with the fabric of the state of Florida,” said Brian Aungst Jr., a member of the state’s tourism oversight board. “The success of Walt Disney World is the success of Central Florida and vice versa. This agreement provides us a lasting, sustainable and prosperous future.”

Disney likewise praised the deal in a statement.

“This new development agreement paves the way for us to invest billions of dollars in Walt Disney World Resort, supporting the growth of this global destination, fueling the Florida economy, and allowing us to deliver even more memorable and extraordinary experiences for our guests,” said Jeff Vahle, president of Walt Disney World Resort. read more

By Jae Bratton | NerdWallet

Of the debt held by the major credit card issuers, 82% of that amount is revolving — that is, carried over from month to month — according to the 2023 Consumer Credit Card Report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The same report found that 1 in 10 personal credit card accounts are charged more in interest and fees than is paid toward the principal each year.

When you’re paying so much just in interest, credit card debt can feel like an impossible weight to shed. But there’s a way to pause those crushing interest charges, at least temporarily, with a balance transfer credit card. By moving the debt to a balance transfer credit card with a 0% APR promotion, you won’t pay any interest for the 0% term, which can be as long as 21 months.

Transferring a balance to a new credit card is just part of the process, though. After the debt has been relocated, you’ll need discipline to focus on paying it off before that promotional window closes and interest charges resume on the remaining balance. read more

Alexandra Skores | (TNS) The Dallas Morning News

Carson Shofner and his husband were heading to Costa Rica for a relaxing trip on American Airlines on the morning of May 28.

But their plane didn’t leave Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport until May 29 at 7 a.m. It’s a situation many passengers dealt with after weeks of steady thunderstorms cascaded through North Texas, delaying hundreds of flights just as summer travel was about to take off.

“We were never offered to change flights or any sort of reimbursement,” Shofner wrote in an email from Costa Rica. “And flights to San Jose, Costa Rica, are relatively sparse, so any attempt to change would’ve been thousands of dollars.”

He’s one of many summer travelers who were hoping for a smooth trip this travel season.

Airlines, airports and partners like the Transportation Security Administration are expecting a record number of travelers. At DFW Airport, home to American Airlines, that’s nearly 25 million passengers between May and July. At Dallas Love Field, home to Southwest Airlines, nearly 190,000 travelers were expected to pass through the airport on Memorial Day weekend alone. read more