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phmacao com The market for artificial intelligence (AI) models is especially hot at the moment, and Anthropic is taking note. On Thursday, several Claude users reported via social media that the company had just made its latest model in that family, 3.5 Haiku, generally available to all users of the chatbot . Also: How does Claude work? Anthropic reveals its secrets Originally announced in October, 3.5 Haiku is, Anthropic says, the company's fastest model, "ideal for software teams looking to streamline their coding process and boost productivity." Other suggested use cases include data extraction, content moderation, personalization, and building chatbots that require scalable engagement. Although the release has been confirmed by several outlets and users, Claude itself seemed a bit confused about whether it was running the latest version of Haiku. When I asked, Claude stated that its sibling model, Claude 3.5 Sonnet , is the most up-to-date. In terms of benchmarks, 3.5 Haiku is comparable to Claude 3.5 Sonnet, but currently ranks below both Claude 3 Opus and 3.5 Sonnet in the Chatbot Arena . Overall, however, Haiku is reportedly cheaper and higher-quality than average, and outperforms several popular models, especially in coding. Gemini 1.5, GPT-4o, 3.5 Sonnet, and o1 are more expensive, and 3.5 Haiku is faster than Gemini 1.5, Llama 3.1 405B, and 3.5 Sonnet. The model also can be used with Artifacts , a sidebar feature launched in June that "can create and display the fully formatted results of your request in real-time and side-by-side with your conversation," as ZDNET's Lance Whitney explains. Anthropic has yet to officially announce the release. As with many free tiers for AI chatbots, users will likely experience daily messaging limits, but can upgrade to the Claude Pro plan for $20 a month (or $18 per month billed annually) if they want more usage. Google's new AI tool could be your new favorite learning aid - and it's free The best open-source AI models: All your free-to-use options explained I changed 5 ChatGPT settings and instantly became more productive - here's how The best AI search engines of 2024: Google, Perplexity, and more

Andrej Stojakovic made 11 free throws to help craft a team-high 20 points, freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson had his second consecutive big game off the bench and Cal ran its winning streak to three with an 83-77 nonconference victory over Sacramento State on Sunday afternoon in Berkeley, Calif. Wilkinson finished with 16 points and Rytis Petraitis 13 for the Golden Bears (5-1), whose only loss this season was at Vanderbilt. Jacob Holt went for a season-high 25 points for the Hornets (1-4), who dropped their fourth straight after a season-opening win over Cal State Maritime. Seeking a fourth straight home win, Cal led by as many as 12 points in the first half and 40-33 at halftime before Sacramento State rallied. The Hornets used a 14-5 burst out of the gate following the intermission to grab a 47-45 lead. Julian Vaughns had a 3-pointer and three-point play in the run. But Cal dominated pretty much the rest of the game, taking the lead for good on a Petraitis 3-pointer with 14:50 remaining. Stojakovic, a transfer from rival Stanford, went 11-for-15 at the foul line en route to his third 20-point game of the young season. Cal outscored Sacramento State 26-17 on free throws to more than account for the margin of victory. Coming off a 23-point explosion in his first extended action of the season, Wilkinson hit five of his 10 shots Sunday. The Golden Bears outshot the Hornets 47.2 percent to 43.1 percent. Joshua Ola-Joseph contributed 10 points and six rebounds, Mady Sissoko also had 10 points and Petraitis found time for a team-high five assists. Holt complemented his 25 points with a game-high eight rebounds. He made four 3-pointers, as did Vaughns en route to 18 points, helping Sacramento State outscore Cal 30-21 from beyond the arc. EJ Neal added 16 points for the Hornets, while Emil Skytta tied for game-high assist honors with five to go with seven points. --Field Level Media

About 5,000 miles west of the Caribbean nation, similar climes awaited Maui Invitational men's teams in Hawaii. They’ve often been greeted with leis, the traditional Hawaiian welcome of friendship. College basketball teams and fans look forward to this time of the year. The holiday week tournaments feature buzzworthy matchups and all-day TV coverage, sure, but there is a familiarity about them as they help ward off the November chill. For four decades, these sandy-beach getaways filled with basketball have become a beloved mainstay of the sport itself. “When you see (ESPN’s) ‘Feast Week’ of college basketball on TV, when you see the Battle 4 Atlantis on TV, you know college basketball is back,” said Miller-Tooley, the founder and organizer of the Battle 4 Atlantis men's and women's tournaments. “Because it’s a saturated time of the year with the NFL, college football and the NBA. But when you see these gorgeous events in these beautiful places, you realize, ‘Wow, hoops are back, let’s get excited.’” MTE Madness The Great Alaska Shootout was the trend-setting multiple-team event (MTE) nearly five decades ago. The brainchild of late Alaska-Anchorage coach Bob Rachal sought to raise his program’s profile by bringing in national-power programs, which could take advantage of NCAA rules allowing them to exceed the maximum allotment of regular-season games if they played the three-game tournament outside the contiguous 48 states. The first edition, named the Sea Wolf Classic, saw N.C. State beat Louisville 72-66 for the title on Nov. 26, 1978. The Maui Invitational followed in November 1984, borne from the buzz of NAIA program Chaminade’s shocking upset of top-ranked Virginia and 7-foot-4 star Ralph Sampson in Hawaii two years earlier. Events kept coming, with warm-weather locales getting in on the action. The Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Cancun Challenge in Mexico. The Cayman Islands Classic. The Jamaica Classic. The Myrtle Beach Invitational joining the Charleston Classic in South Carolina. Numerous tournaments in Florida. Some events have faded away like the Puerto Rico Tipoff and the Great Alaska Shootout, the latter in 2017 amid event competition and schools opting for warm-weather locales. Atlantis rising Miller-Tooley’s push to build an MTE for Atlantis began as a December 2010 doubleheader with Georgia Tech beating Richmond and Virginia Tech beating Mississippi State in a prove-it moment for a tournament’s viability. It also required changing NCAA legislation to permit MTEs in the Bahamas. Approval came in March 2011; the first eight-team Atlantis men’s tournament followed in November. That tournament quickly earned marquee status with big-name fields, with Atlantis champions Villanova (2017) and Virginia (2018) later winning that season’s NCAA title. Games run in a ballroom-turned-arena at the resort, where players also check out massive swimming pools, water slides and inner-tube rapids surrounded by palm trees and the Atlantic Ocean. “It’s just the value of getting your passport stamped, that will never get old,” Miller-Tooley said. “Watching some of these kids, this may be their first and last time – and staff and families – that they ever travel outside the United States. ... You can see through these kids’ eyes that it’s really an unbelievable experience.” ACC Network analyst Luke Hancock knows that firsthand. His Louisville team finished second at Atlantis in 2012 and won that year’s later-vacated NCAA title, with Hancock as the Final Four's most outstanding player. “I remember (then-coach Rick Pitino) saying something to the effect of: ‘Some of you guys might never get this opportunity again. We’re staying in this unbelievable place, you’re doing it with people you love,’” Hancock said. “It was a business trip for us there at Thanksgiving, but he definitely had a tone of ‘We’ve got to enjoy this as well.’” Popular demand Maui offers similar vibes, though 2024 could be a little different as Lahaina recovers from deadly 2023 wildfires that forced the event's relocation last year. North Carolina assistant coach Sean May played for the Tar Heels’ Maui winner in 2004 and was part of UNC’s staff for the 2016 champion, with both teams later winning the NCAA title. May said “you just feel the peacefulness” of the area — even while focusing on games — and savors memories of the team taking a boat out on the Pacific Ocean after title runs under now-retired Hall of Famer Roy Williams. “Teams like us, Dukes, UConns – you want to go to places that are very well-run,” May said. “Maui, Lea Miller with her group at the Battle 4 Atlantis, that’s what drives teams to come back because you know you’re going to get standard A-quality of not only the preparation but the tournament with the way it’s run. Everything is top-notch. And I think that brings guys back year after year.” That’s why Colorado coach Tad Boyle is so excited for the Buffaloes’ first Maui appearance since 2009. “We’ve been trying to get in the tournament since I got here,” said Boyle, now in his 15th season. And of course, that warm-weather setting sure doesn’t hurt. “If you talk about the Marquettes of the world, St. John’s, Providence – they don’t want that cold weather,” said NBA and college TV analyst Terrence Oglesby, who played for Clemson in the 2007 San Juan Invitational in Puerto Rico. “They’re going to have to deal with that all January and February. You might as well get a taste of what the sun feels like.” Packed schedule The men’s Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, Bahamas, got things rolling last week with No. 11 Tennessee routing No. 13 Baylor for the title. The week ahead could boast matchups befitting the Final Four, with teams having two weeks of action since any opening-night hiccups. “It’s a special kickoff to the college basketball season,” Oglesby said. “It’s just without the rust.” On the women’s side, Atlantis began its fourth eight-team women’s tournament Saturday with No. 16 North Carolina and No. 18 Baylor, while the nearby Baha Mar resort follows with two four-team women’s brackets that include No. 2 UConn, No. 7 LSU, No. 17 Mississippi and No. 20 N.C. State. Then come the men’s headliners. The Maui Invitational turns 40 as it opens Monday back in Lahaina. It features second-ranked and two-time reigning national champion UConn, No. 4 Auburn, No. 5 Iowa State and No. 10 North Carolina. The Battle 4 Atlantis opens its 13th men’s tournament Wednesday, topped by No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 16 Indiana and No. 17 Arizona. Michigan State Hall of Famer Tom Izzo is making his fourth trip to Maui, where he debuted as Jud Heathcote’s successor at the 1995 tournament. Izzo's Spartans have twice competed at Atlantis, last in 2021. “They’re important because they give you something in November or December that is exciting,” Izzo said. Any drawbacks? “It’s a 10-hour flight,” he said of Hawaii.

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Chargers QB Justin Herbert does not practice because of left ankle injury

PHOENIX — A state agency pursuing ideas to increase Arizona's water supply has less than half the money it was promised by the Legislature. There's also no guarantee the ideas will make financial sense in the end. But the Arizona Water Infrastructure Finance Authority voted this past week to take the first step of asking companies to show how they could import more than 100 billion gallons of water from outside of the state. The water would supplement — and possibly replace — some of what is being used now to supply homeowners, industrial users and farmers. The board members want not just meaningful technical descriptions of how these companies could bring water to the desert. They want to know the price tag. One thing is for sure: It's going to cost more than Arizonans are paying now for the mix of groundwater and surface water that currently comes out of their taps. But importation may end up being the only option as local water supplies are dwindling and even the future of the state's Colorado River allocation remains uncertain. The water authority, known as WIFA, is pursuing what remains of a grandiose $1 billion plan by Republican former Gov. Doug Ducey to have the state desalinate water from the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. That plan blew up when word got out about behind-the scenes negotiations by the WIFA board solely with Israeli-based IDE Technologies, as Ducey was trying to have a deal inked by the time he left office in January 2023. The board members concluded after the controversy that they didn't have enough information. Now they are starting over, complete with an open solicitation process — and no pre-baked decisions that desalination is the answer. The panel is open to ideas ranging from bringing in surface water from other states to reclaimed water and "other" possibilities — "which means anything," said Ted Cooke, a WIFA board member who chairs the committee. "We want to have an open mind to have innovative ideas that go beyond the obvious ones,'' said Cooke. "And even the obvious ones have lots of potential regulatory, legal, political, permitting-type challenges.'' The bottom line is making sure that any of these ideas actually are viable, he said. A convergence of several factors is creating the need. The obvious one is that Arizona's population is growing. Another is the recognition that groundwater is not an infinite resource. Then there's the fact that the Colorado River has less water because of the long-term drought. Arizona, which already had its allocation of river water reduced, is virtually certain to have to accept future cuts. Cooke said some studies have shown the total anticipated "unmet demand'' for the entire state could be as high as 5 million acre-feet, with an acre-foot being the amount of water that could serve two or three average families a year. A more focused study of the areas served by the Central Arizona Project, the canal system that brings water from the Colorado River to Phoenix, Tucson and central Arizona farms, projected a need of between 100,000 and 500,000 acre-feet within 10 years. All of that was on the minds of Arizona lawmakers when they voted in 2022 to set aside $1 billion over three years for water augmentation projects, with a mandate that at least 75% of the water come from outside the state. Only thing is, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, looking for places to cut funding, trimmed last year's allocation by half and eliminated entirely this year's $333 million payment. That leaves WIFA with about $450 million, said Chelsea McGuire, an assistant director at the agency. There's really nothing that can be built for that amount. In fact, even the $1 billion was seen only as a form of state participation: Estimates from the now-defunct Israeli plan put the price tag in the $5.5 billion range. So what that leaves at this point is to use WIFA's money to find someone who has the technical expertise, has a viable plan, and is willing to use at least some of its own funds to build. To make that work for any company ultimately chosen by WIFA, however, is the need to have guaranteed long-term customers. And that turns on the billion-dollar question: How much are water users willing to pay? The average monthly water bill for Phoenix is about $45 a month. Tucson's is pretty much the same. Multiply that by 12 and you're talking $540 a year. That covers everything from producing and treating water to maintaining the system that delivers it to the door. By contrast, estimates for desalination projects put the cost of treating and delivering an acre-foot of water at anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 an acre-foot. Even assuming conservative use of water and that three families can be served with an acre-foot, that means adding anywhere from $830 to $1,600 extra a year to a water bill. At the same time, there are other costly — but less expensive — alternatives being explored to increase the supply of domestic water. One of the most talked about is "advanced water purification,'' sometimes more colorfully referred to as "toilet to tap.'' The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality just published draft rules to allow water that was flushed down toilets to be delivered to faucets after treatment. It's already viable technology. Scottsdale has a plant that is treating sewage to drinking water standards, though actually delivering it to people's homes will require an ADEQ permit. And Phoenix is retrofitting one of its sewage treatment facilities to produce drinkable water. Cooke noted that while the law authorizing WIFA to find water requires that 75% come from out of state, that still leaves room for the agency to explore options like this. "Ideally, we would have some idea of what are the viable options out there for in-state augmentation so we can compare the two and make the choices before we're fully subscribed to go out and get $4,000-an-acre-foot water for the whole 500,000 acre-feet that we think that we need — and no longer have the means or the opportunity to do something less expensive,'' he said. There's also the thought that once the state starts getting proposals to augment its water supply from an out-of-state source, someone may come up with something quite different that has not even been considered. That's exactly why the request for solicitations issued this past week deliberately does not spell out the technology to be used, said Jonathan Lines, who chairs the WIFA board. "We're not limited in scope or specifics,'' Lines said. "And we want to do what makes sense for Arizona long term, with no commitment today on what that path forward looks like.'' But there's another factor at work that could affect what the water will cost, whether it will be affordable, and even how many proposals the state will get: The failure of the state to live up to its commitment of $1 billion. McGuire said the message that goes out to those who might want to get involved is that "Arizona clearly isn't serious about this.'' And that, she said, will make some of them believe it is not worth their time to submit a proposal. There is a huge capital cost to such a project, whether desalination, a water pipeline from the Midwest or something else, McGuire noted. "We're going to have to play some role,'' she said, meaning having the state invest its own cash. Put simply, McGuire said any private developer forced to pick up all the costs would want a rate of return on that investment. In turn, that will drive up the costs of a delivered product to the point that no one will be willing to commit to long-term purchases, she said. "And so those end users like a Phoenix, whoever it might be, they say, 'Well, I don't know that I can afford that,' '' she said. Conversely, putting public dollars into those capital costs means the risk for the developer goes down — as does how much that entity needs to charge. "So state support is what makes this sustainable and financially feasible across the board," McGuire said. That, then, comes back to WIFA's finances. Recognizing the state budget situation, WIFA didn't even bother to ask Hobbs to restore the cuts in her proposed budget for next fiscal year. "Instead of 'give us more,' we're asking for a 'do no more harm' approach,'' said McGuire. In the meantime, she said, the WIFA board will do what it can to show the governor and lawmakers it's using the money it does have to show there are "tangible concepts'' out there to pursue. "So we're dedicated to showing our work, showing the value of the investment so far, before we ask for more,'' McGuire said. Hobbs, for her part, was noncommittal on future funding. "We're in the middle of our budgeting process right now so I can't speak to what that investment's going to look like,'' the governor said. But she insisted she is not trying to kill the plan. "I am absolutely committed to our water security,'' she said. "Water augmentation is an important part of that future. We are absolutely moving forward on feasible plans for augmentation.'' There's something else in how WIFA is conducting its business that is a bit unusual. In most solicitation requests for goods and services, a government agency puts out a request for what it wants and asks firms to say what they would charge. In this case, however, WIFA intends to select those it wants to hear more from about their ideas and plans. And at that point the agency will cover their expenses of proving the engineering and cost viability of their projects. McGuire said that's necessary given the scope of the work being sought. "To have that wholly flushed out and fully developed, I don't think it's something that a firm really is going to do for the state without some sort of compensation for doing that,'' she said. McGuire also said that putting these firms on contract to do a feasibility analysis of their proposed projects means the state will be getting "apples-to-apples'' information to compare and contrast them. "The other thing that it means is we also own that intellectual property at the end of the day because those teams are on contract to work for us,'' she said. That means if WIFA does not find submissions to be acceptable, the agency gets to keep and use all that research to pursue alternatives. Get your morning recap of today's local news and read the full stories here: tucne.ws/morning Howard Fischer is a veteran journalist who has been reporting since 1970 and covering state politics and the Legislature since 1982. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, Bluesky , and Threads at @azcapmedia or email azcapmedia@gmail.com . Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Justin Herbert is dealing with an ankle injury for the second time this season. The Chargers quarterback did not practice Wednesday as Los Angeles began preparations for its game Sunday against Tampa Bay. Herbert injured his left ankle during the first quarter of last Sunday's 19-17 loss at Kansas City. Herbert said Wednesday that the injury occurred during a 7-yard scramble on third down during the opening drive. Television cameras showed him grimacing and walking slowly to the sideline after the play. “It was difficult to play with," he said. "It was one of those things where we limited some of the runs out of the pocket. I didn't feel great, but it was one of those things to play through.” Herbert's left leg was later bruised after taking a hard hit from linebacker Nick Bolton during the second quarter. Herbert missed only one play and completed 21 of 30 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. “The contusion, I think that is something that is easily recoverable. I'm doing everything I can with the ankle,” Herbert said. “If I felt like I could have practiced at 100% and make sure everyone was able to get full-speed reps, I would have. I didn't think I was able to do that today, so the trainers and I were on the same page.” Herbert suffered a high sprain to his right ankle during the third quarter of a 26-3 win at Carolina on Sept. 15. That limited his mobility and some of the play calls in losses to Pittsburgh and Kansas City the next two games. However, Herbert is not in a walking boot this time, which was the case with the injury earlier in the season. The fifth-year quarterback also said the pain tolerance with his ankle injury is better to deal with compared to the earlier one. “I’d like to see him get treatment and not be on his feet. He will do everything in his power to play on Sunday,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. The Chargers have lost two of their last three, but are the sixth seed in the AFC with an 8-5 record. After facing NFC South-leading Tampa Bay on Sunday, Los Angeles hosts Denver in a Thursday night matchup on Dec. 19 as both teams are vying for a playoff spot. It's the second time in three seasons Herbert is dealing with an injury after a game at Kansas City. In 2022, he fractured rib cartilage after taking a hard hit from Chiefs defensive lineman Michael Danna during the fourth quarter. Herbert missed two weeks during training camp because of an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot. He also had a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder near the end of the 2022 season and two broken fingers last year, including one on his throwing hand that caused him to miss the final four games. Herbert has joined Tom Brady as the only players who have not thrown an interception in 11 straight games with a minimum of 15 attempts in each game. Brady accomplished the feat with New England in 2010. The last time Herbert was picked off was midway through the first quarter on Sept. 15 by Carolina’s Jaycee Horn. Herbert has also gone 335 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the fifth-longest streak in league history. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflReaction as Max Verstappen becomes a four-time World Champion – round-up