Latest news with #Walrus
Business Insider
11 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
FLock.io Partners with Walrus to Power Decentralized, Privacy-Preserving AI Training
Bringing Walrus's decentralized data layer and SEAL encryption to unlocking secure, community-owned AI development. the first decentralized AI training platform, will build on Walrus as its core data layer to bring secure, privacy-preserving AI model development to the Sui ecosystem. This partnership connects Walrus's robust decentralized infrastructure, including data storage, availability, programmability, and access controls, with innovative approach to AI development. utilizes Federated Learning and blockchain to enable communities to build, train, and own AI models without centralizing sensitive data. Their ecosystem includes AI Arena for competitive model training, FL (Federated Learning) Alliance for privacy-focused collaboration, and Moonbase for decentralized model hosting. Together, these components provide an end-to-end stack for open, community-governed AI development. The initial phase of this integration centers on strengthening FL Alliance with Walrus and SEAL. Walrus provides the decentralized broadcasting and storage layer for model parameters and training outputs across federated learning nodes. SEAL, a decentralized secrets management system, enforces gated access and data confidentiality, ensuring that only verified federation members can access or contribute encrypted gradients and data. 'Previously, our data solutions either lacked decentralization or encryption, creating onboarding hurdles," said Jiahao Sun, Founder & CEO of "Walrus changes that. It gives us a fully decentralized, encrypted storage solution for gradients, which means we can confidently expand our FL Alliance and bring more secure AI training to our users.' Looking ahead, this partnership aims to deliver a true agentic AI experience on Sui through open collaboration and hands-on development. The next phase will involve fine-tuning an open-source foundation model, optimized for agentic interactions within the Sui environment. The teams aim for this to lead to a functional prototype, comparable to a 'Copilot for the Sui Blockchain,' capable of Move-native code generation, smart contract assistance, and context-aware agentic reasoning. 'Walrus provides the global data layer for builders, giving them full control over their data and new ways to create value. Our collaboration with showcases the power of Walrus for decentralized AI, enabling a truly secure and programmable foundation for cutting-edge AI model development,' said Rebecca Simmonds, Managing Executive of the Walrus Foundation. By combining secure data infrastructure with innovative federated learning, this partnership opens new avenues for builders to create more collaborative, private, and powerful AI models, creating value and control for developers in the new data economy.
Calgary Herald
3 days ago
- General
- Calgary Herald
'Gizmo', 'Satan,' and 'McLovin': Inside the changing world of pilot calls signs at CFB Cold Lake
Article content Animal names including 'Pug,' 'Tiger,' 'Piglet,' and 'Walrus,' were also assigned as call signs as were foods including 'Jelly Bean' and 'Loaf.' Article content Some call signs produced amusing juxtapositions, including the potential of 'Moses' and 'Satan' flying together on the same mission. Article content Those nicknames are selected by what's known as a call sign review board (CRB), that despite the formal name, are an invite-only social gathering. Article content 'Due to the unprecedented times we have lived through over the past two years none of you have been adequately exposed to mess culture or to the morale building exercises central to the identity of an operational unit such as ours,' reads an emailed invitation to pilots from an acting commanding officer at CFB Cold Lake, adding the CRB will 'ensure your proper amalgamation into the fighter controller community.' Article content Article content 'Traditions are important,' his email ends. Article content The documents indicate meetings of CRBs can include consumption of alcohol by attendees, are sometimes preceded by a slideshow full of internet memes, and in one case, encouraged invitees to obtain an item from a rival squadron on base to be 'ransomed' back to its rightful owner at a later date. Article content Potential call signs for a given pilot are set out to the group by the leader of the CRB, referenced in the documents as 'the mayor.' Those suggestions are then debated by the 'congregation' of other pilots while the member awaiting his or her new call sign, known as 'the defendant,' waits outside. Article content Upon being invited back into the room, the pilot is informed of the group's choice and bestowed with that as their call sign. Article content While often whimsical or humorous, some call signs have been deemed to be problematic in the past. Article content Article content In 2022, two senior officers were disciplined and fined for not intervening during a call sign review board at CFB Cold Lake that assigned a junior male pilot a homophobic call sign that referenced a specific female pilot. Article content Maj.-Gen. Iain Huddleston told the Canadian Press then that the call sign was 'egregious,' and the incident led the RCAF to promise to add more controls over how call signs are assigned. Article content A 2023 lessons learned report included in the documents presented several recommendations regarding CRBs, including that commanding officers pre-vet any prospective call signs which are also to be presented to pilots privately 'to ensure all perceived pressure to consent is removed.' Article content 'The RCAF reviewed and updated its direction surrounding call sign assignment practices to ensure alignment with Canadian Armed Forces values, including professionalism, respect, dignity, and inclusion,' Bilodeau stated.
Business Insider
15-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Swarm Network Selects Walrus to Power Verifiable AI on Rollup.News
Palo Alto, CA, July 15th, 2025, Chainwire A new integration brings decentralized, programmable storage to Swarm's AI coordination layer on Sui Swarm Network, the decentralized multi-agent protocol behind has integrated Walrus, the decentralized data layer built on Sui, to power verifiable AI at scale. acts as a decentralized assistant for social media, enabling real-time fact-checking through AI agents that generate onchain records of claims, sources, and context. Currently, Swarm is storing claims data on Walrus, and will subsequently add storage for agent communication logs, evidence and reasoning artifacts laying the groundwork for a more transparent, audit-ready AI ecosystem. Swarm enables real-time fact-checking through decentralized AI agents that collaborate to verify social media claims and write consensus-backed attestations to the blockchain. As the volume and complexity of this data continue to grow, Swarm identified a need for a scalable, decentralized solution for managing media-heavy and context-rich records. Walrus delivers the infrastructure to persistently store and retrieve this data onchain via Tusky, a user-friendly file management layer for Walrus that features end-to-end encryption and full user key control. Key data types to be stored on Walrus include rollup summaries, media files, knowledge graphs, agent logs, and attestation records. These assets are organized across hot, warm, and cold storage tiers to optimize performance while ensuring verifiability and permanence. Swarm is also extending its Truth Protocol to index this data using smart contracts, enabling agents to reference past reasoning and context in future rollups. 'Swarm is building one of the most forward-looking applications in decentralized AI,' said Rebecca Simmonds, Managing Executive at Walrus Foundation. 'They are not just generating insights, they are building a new standard for trust and transparency. As Swarm Network continues its rapid growth, Walrus ensures that every piece of evidence and context is preserved, programmable, and accessible.' 'Verifiable AI demands more than just smart algorithms. It needs memory, context, and proof,' said Yannick Myson, CEO of Swarm Network. 'As we build an open, audit-ready knowledge graph that connects agent outputs, claims histories, and media artifacts across Swarm's AI and human contributors, we identified a glaring need surrounding storage capabilities. With Walrus, we are turning ephemeral agent work into persistent, onchain knowledge that anyone can audit and build on.' Swarm Network's integration of Walrus follows similar technical adoptions of the decentralized storage platform, including OpenGradient and highlighting Walrus's commitment to serving AI builders and its expanding role in enabling secure, scalable infrastructure for next-generation AI applications. To learn more about Swarm Network and the future of verifiable AI, users can visit: About Walrus Walrus is a decentralized data layer and application development protocol that allows apps to publish, read, and program large data files and rich media content such as videos, images, and audio. Built on Sui, apps on Walrus can manage stored on- and offchain data via Move-based smart contracts. Originally developed by Web3 infrastructure builders Mysten Labs, Walrus represents an evolution in decentralized data storage. Contact
Winnipeg Free Press
28-06-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Chronicle of chronic pain not merely doom and gloom
Imagine making your living through writing and cartooning but enduring severe pain in your hands and arms every time you hit a letter on your keyboard or pick up a pencil. This is the personal dilemma faced by Gabrielle Drolet and described in her memoir, Look Ma, No Hands. A journalist, essayist and cartoonist based in Montreal, Drolet's written work has appeared in the New York Times, Globe and Mail, the Walrus, Vice and Teen Vogue. She also contributes cartoons to the Globe and Mail, among other publications. Drolet has won awards for her essays on disability, and holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of Guelph. An account of debilitating pain impacting someone else's life might sound like a depressing read, but much to her credit as a writer, Drolet manages to include a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour along with cute, engaging cartoons to lighten the tone of her memoir. Even when bravely sharing her darkest moments, when thoughts of suicide were looming, her honesty and strong spirit shine through. Look Ma No Hands Drolet's chronic pain began in 2021, when at age 23 she was living in Wolfville, N.S. with her girlfriend. The COVID pandemic dictated that Drolet work from home, and she admits she often sat in bed or on the couch hunched over her laptop. Her first symptom began with pain in her fingers when typing, then progressed to pain in her wrist after picking up a pencil. Then came an aching feeling in her neck and hands, sudden jolts in her elbows and a constant soreness in her forearms. Soon the pain was keeping her up at night, leaving her exhausted and in increasing discomfort. She believed physiotherapy might help; the first two she saw diagnosed her with bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. Told to do a series of exercises and stretches and wear splints when sleeping, Drolet found no relief. After breaking up with her girlfriend and moving to Toronto, Drolet received a new diagnosis, thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) — a compression of the nerves in your chest. She blamed her prolonged sedentary lifestyle and bad ergonomics for triggering this condition. Having a name for her condition didn't help her daily pain management. Drolet started using voice-to-text technology to keep her freelance writing career afloat, but was frustrated by the lengthy process required to weed out mistakes, and how the tone of her writing seemed to change. However, she gradually became used to the writing tool. Her personal relationships suffered as well. When telling others about her chronic pain, she discovered they generally reacted in one of three ways: being overly sympathetic; doling out advice; or praising her for enduring her disability. Never sure of how to respond, Drolet found herself expressing her thanks and trying to downplay her situation. Settling into a new life in Montreal while balancing her freelance and university studies, Drolet describes how she had to reconfigure her personal outlook. She forced herself to leave her apartment and meet new people. This change helped her mentally and emotionally, and surprisingly eased her physical symptoms to some extent. She continued seeing a physiotherapist regularly to help with TOS, but a referral to a doctor and results of an MRI gave her a new diagnosis — a herniated cervical disc. When the specialist told her that he wouldn't recommend surgery for her condition, Drolet was able to accept this knowing she now has the skills she needs to live a satisfying life. Drolet's journey as told in Look Ma, No Hands is intensely personal, but resonates with anyone who has faced their own challenges — whether physical, mental or emotional. Andrea Geary is a freelance writer in Selkirk.
Eater
18-06-2025
- Business
- Eater
Workers at Seattle's Most Prestigious Restaurant Group Have Unionized
In December 2024, the employees at the Sea Creatures restaurant group were called into a meeting. Sea Creatures, founded by acclaimed chef Renee Erickson, runs some of Seattle's most celebrated restaurants, including oyster bar the Walrus and the Carpenter, innovative steakhouse Bateau, and the Whale Wins, which earned Erickson a James Beard Award in 2016. At the meeting, ownership announced there would be changes coming. After years of accepting tips, Sea Creatures restaurants would be switching to a service charge model. Starting in January, every guest check would explain that 22 percent of the bill (about what the average customer tipped) would be added to the total. This 'is retained entirely by the house,' the checks would say. 'Revenue from this service charge is used to pay operating expenses, including labor.' At the meeting, employees learned that what this meant in practice was that about half of the service charge would be paid out to hourly workers, who, before this change, all shared in the tip pool. (Back of house employees, including dishwashers, were part of the tip pool.) The hourly rate would go up to a base rate of $25 an hour. While in theory it might appear roughly equivalent to the pre-service charge take home, workers say that in practice it spelled a sharp reduction in income from tips. It was 'a huge pay cut for all of us,' says Jeff Kelley, who was a front-of-house worker at the time. 'They said, you either hear what we're saying and decide to continue to work here, or you quit and you go somewhere else... We immediately were like, 'No, there's a third option.'' They could form a union. In the months that followed, Sea Creatures employees won union elections at the Walrus and the Carpenter and Bateau — Sea Creatures' biggest and most famous restaurants — as well as the doughnut shop chain General Porpoise. United Creatures of the Sea is an unusual union for several reasons. It's not affiliated with any larger union, doesn't collect dues from workers, and really only has one issue it's arguing with management about: the service charge. 'We needed a way to force Renee Erickson to listen to her employees,' says Ford Nickel, a former server at Sea Creatures. The union says hourly workers across the board have seen pay cuts as a result of the new service charge. Unionized employees at Walrus made a combined $140,000 less so far this year than they would have under the old tipping model, according to the union's calculations. Jeremy Price, a Sea Creatures co-owner, disputes this — some workers have made less under the new system, but some have made more, he writes in an email. 'We're seeing that back-of-house workers at less busy restaurants are generally making a little more now, including dishwashers. Servers, especially at our busier restaurants, are making a little less now.' At Walrus specifically, hourly workers make between $28.14 and $56.81 per hour, Price writes. 'We believe these wages, along with the benefits we can fund through the service charge, are among the most competitive in the industry.' United Creatures of the Sea is now negotiating a contract with Sea Creatures. The union is represented at the bargaining table by Kelley and Nickel, both of whom no longer work for the restaurant group and volunteer their time to the union. (The union also has pro bono legal counsel.) They're hoping to get management to reduce the service charge to 10 percent or lower and encourage customers to leave tips once again. To make the math work for Sea Creatures, union employees are willing to reduce their hourly rate. 'We just want to work for our tips' — Jeff kelley In part, this conflict reflects the shifting, complicated debate over tipping in American restaurants. Some in the industry feel that tipping is inherently inequitable, which has led to a shift to service charges, with some restaurants spelling out on receipts which portion of the service charge goes directly to workers. But in Seattle, several restaurant groups have been sued for not distributing this money precisely as promised; today many restaurants, including Sea Creatures, say the house retains the entirety of the service charge, which according to the Seattle Met shields them from lawsuits. This makes the whole process opaque from the customers' perspective. Ford and Nickel argue that a tip pool, where all hourly workers share in tips earned during their shift, is a more fair and transparent way of working. 'We just want to work for our tips,' is how Kelley puts it. 'I don't want restaurants to be able to operate this way. It's deceptive.' Nickel and Kelley have also been frustrated by the recently announced temporary closure of Bateau and its attached General Porpoise. Price said the steakhouse is closing so it can 'refresh and retool,' and United Creatures of the Sea doesn't believe the decision was motivated by the unionization of the restaurant. Still, the closure harms the union by cutting its membership in half. If Bateau reopens as a brand-new restaurant the union might have to hold a whole new election. Nickel and Kelley say that Sea Creatures is required by the National Labor Relations Act to negotiate with the union over the terms of the layoff, including which employees would be rehired once Bateau reopens. If they don't reach an agreement, they say they will file a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. They say management's reticence to engage with them about that issue — and the slowness of the overall negotiation process — is what motivated them to reach out to local media. Price says that management has been 'emailing back and forth all the time,' adding that they had just increased the frequency of meetings and were 'bargaining in good faith' when it came to layoffs at Bateau. 'We believe everyone is working in good faith and with the best interest of staff and the businesses in mind.' In a statement, Erickson said, 'We have a lot of pride in the restaurants that we operate, and that starts with having great staff. The well-being of employees at every location is a real focus for us. We are supportive of our union locations and will continue to collaborate with and listen to them.' The union thinks that this listening process has been disappointingly slow. 'I was hoping that if I'm the owner of a restaurant and all my employees think that what I'm doing is wrong,' says Kelley, 'I would maybe listen.' See More:
