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TAQA Launches Patented Torsional Drilling Technology for Oil & Gas Operators

TAQA Launches Patented Torsional Drilling Technology for Oil & Gas Operators

TAQA’s Threlix™ is designed to assist operators in mitigating drilling dysfunctions across multiple axis in Rotary Steerable Systems applications, improving drilling efficiency and cost reduction

EDMONTON, Alberta — Industrialization & Energy Services Company TAQA, a leading well solutions provider in the energy industry, continues its commercial launch of Threlix™, a patented technology designed to help oil and gas operators reduce drilling rig downtime by alleviating downhole drilling dysfunctions associated with vibration, torsional oscillations and lack of consistent bit engagement. The technology also reduces the comparative repair and maintenance cost to the mitigation tool as well as the associated bottom hole assembly (BHA) components.

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Decreased reliability due to drilling problems is a major challenge faced by operators while drilling with Rotary Steerable Systems (RSS). Stick slip, high frequency torsional oscillations (HFTO) and erratic torque cause polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bit damage and inconsistent drilling, which leads to

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Chatbots May ‘Hallucinate’ More Often Than Many Realize

Chatbots May ‘Hallucinate’ More Often Than Many Realize

When the San Francisco start-up OpenAI unveiled its ChatGPT online chatbot late last year, millions were wowed by the humanlike way it answered questions, wrote poetry and discussed almost any topic. But most people were slow to realize that this new kind of chatbot often makes things up.

When Google introduced a similar chatbot several weeks later, it spewed nonsense about the James Webb telescope. The next day, Microsoft’s new Bing chatbot offered up all sorts of bogus information about the Gap, Mexican nightlife and the singer Billie Eilish. Then, in March, ChatGPT cited a half dozen fake court cases while writing a 10-page legal brief that a lawyer submitted to a federal judge in Manhattan.

Now a new start-up called Vectara, founded by former Google employees, is trying to figure out how often chatbots veer from the truth. The company’s research estimates that even in situations designed to

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Aon Announces Successful Completion of Innovative Pilot Placing Insurance Using Blockchain Technology

Aon Announces Successful Completion of Innovative Pilot Placing Insurance Using Blockchain Technology

Aon Announces Successful Completion of Innovative Pilot Placing Insurance Using Blockchain Technology

DUBLIN, April 11, 2024 – Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, announced the successful completion of an innovative pilot for placing insurance using blockchain and smart contract technology. The pilot was conducted with Nayms SAC Ltd., a crypto-compatible insurance marketplace, and Copper.co, a digital assets custodian.

Notable benefits of blockchain and smart contract technology for insurance stakeholders include access to new sources of capital, enhanced transparency, and reduced administrative costs and processes. Nayms’ platform facilitates tokenization of risk-bearing capital and can provide investors in this asset class with liquidity through secondary trading of their positions.

“Aon is committed to investing in new solutions to better serve our financial institution and commercial clients who are testing and developing innovative products underpinned by blockchain technology,” said Jillian Slyfield, chief innovation officer at Aon. “The potential benefits

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The dangers posed by Meta’s AI celebrity lookalike chatbots

The dangers posed by Meta’s AI celebrity lookalike chatbots

Meta announced on Wednesday the arrival of chatbots with personalities similar to certain celebrities, with whom it will be possible to chat. Presented as an entertaining evolution of ChatGPT and other forms of AI, this latest technological development could prove dangerous.

Meta (formerly known as Facebook) sees these as “fun” artificial intelligence. Others, however, feel that this latest technological development could mark the first step towards creating “the most dangerous artefacts in human history”, to quote from American philosopher Daniel C. Dennett’s essay about “counterfeit people”. 

On Wednesday, September 27, the social networking giant announced the launch of 28 chatbots (conversational agents), which supposedly have their own personalities and have been specially designed for younger users. These include Victor, a so-called triathlete who can motivate “you to be your best self”, and Sally, the “free-spirited friend who’ll tell you when to take a deep breath”.

Internet users can also

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Opinion | ‘Oppenheimer’ and the Siren Song of World-Ending Technology

Opinion | ‘Oppenheimer’ and the Siren Song of World-Ending Technology

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

carlos lozada

So we drove out to the Midwest for vacation. And so I was like, oh, we’ll just audiobook it. And between the drive back and forth, I barely had covered half of the book because it was like 27 hours or something ridiculous.

lydia polgreen

Wait, you subjected your family to the “Oppenheimer” audiobook?

carlos lozada

They loved it. Or they lied to me.

michelle cottle

Either way.

carlos lozada

Well, I mean, I read it when it came out. It’s like 17 years ago, so I mean, I don’t remember.

ross douthat

So once wasn’t enough.

carlos lozada

I just remember that it was great.

michelle cottle

Nerd.

ross douthat

Uh-huh.

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