• How to Watch The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie - Showtimes and Streaming Status
    www.ign.com
    After a small delay from its original release date, The Day the Earth Blew Up is officially the first fully-animated Looney Tunes movie to get a theatrical release. IGN had the chance to review this film and called it "one of the funniest movies of the year". It's a gag-filled animated feature that works as a perfect family movie for both kids and adults. If you grew up watching the Looney Tunes and are looking for a delightful hit of nostalgia, this is a must-see film.To help you find when and where you can watch The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, we've gathered all of the information about showtimes below. If you're hoping to watch the film at home, we've also included streaming and digital release details.PlayHow to Watch the New Looney Tunes MovieThe Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is now available in theaters everywhere. You can find showtimes at your local theaters using the links below:When Will It Come to Streaming?The Day the Earth Blew Up will most likely land on Max, where the rest of the Looney Tunes content currently lives. The movie does not yet have a streaming release date. That being said, if we look at other movies released by Ketchup Entertainment, we can get a decent idea of when you can expect the film to come to a streaming service. While it depends on how well the movie is doing in theaters, you can likely expect it to be available to stream one or two months after its theatrical release thanks to Ketchup Entertainment's usual quick turn around. What about the digital release?We don't yet have a digital release for the new Looney Tunes movie, but we know that it will be sometime before it arrives on streaming. It's possible it could become available to rent or buy online as early as the end of March or early April. We'll update this page as soon as we have more details.Where to Watch More Looney TunesMax Streaming ServicePlans start at $9.99.See it at MaxIf you're hoping to watch older episodes of Looney Tunes, you can find the majority of them streaming on Max right now. You can also purchase individual episodes on Prime Video, but Max is your best bet if you're trying to binge your way through the classic adventures of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and more. You can get access to Max on its own or bundle it with Hulu and Disney if you're looking for the best overall streaming deal.Rating and RuntimeThe Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes movie is rated PG for cartoon violence and rude/suggestive humor. The movie runs for a total of 1 hour and 31 minutes including end credits.
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  • Do Marvel Movies and TV Shows Impact The Sales Price of Comics? An Investigation
    www.denofgeek.com
    In the modern era, weve frequently seen comics adapted into massive film and TV properties accompanied by demands that comics tie into whats happening on screens. The thinking there is that exposing people to X-Men, Spider-Man, or any other superhero comic through widely consumed media has some impact on sales and would get more people reading comics. And while that narrative hasnt necessarily borne out on new stories and series, it still might be worth taking a look at back issue sales to see if a media tie-in moves the price on key issues.Before we start digging into any data, its worth noting a few things. First, publicly available information about eBay sales is somewhat limited, so Im doing a lot of this by hand. Second, were going to look at key issues and not some random issue of Scarlet Witch stuff in the dollar bins is going to be in dollar bins even if theres a movie on screens making a billion dollars. And third, theresa lot of other economic stuff happening right now that might impact collectibles markets, so take it with a grain of salt. But with that in mind, lets go!Agatha HarknessDisney+ blazed a new trail at the end of 2024, premiering Agatha All Along a full television miniseries about Wiccan and Speeds nanny. Agatha Harkness played a big role in the Scarlet Witchs story both in comics and on screens, but shes never been a huge seller on her own. Her first appearance, in Fantastic Four #94 hit a high water mark in November during the show, selling for $105, before dipping through December, bottoming out in early January at $40, and rebounding to and settling in at around $55 in mid February.Her death in Avengers #503 hovered around the $15 mark through December until it hit cover price again in early February. And Vision & Scarlet Witch #12, the issue that saw Billy (Wiccan from Agatha All Along) and his brother Tommy joining the Marvel Universe, peaked at about $30 in December and settled back in at about $15 in February.Sam WilsonIn theaters now is Sam Wilsons first feature with the shield Captain America: Brave New World. The movie is seeing :cough: mixed reviews. But if movies move comics, that shouldnt impact sales, right?Sams first appearance as Falcon came in Captain America #117, which ended November going for $200 a copy, dipped through December and January, and then came back up to $275 in mid February. Its back down in the $100-150 range now. His first appearance as Captain America came in 2014s Captain America #25 and sold for around $10 before shooting up in February, going for $22 mid-month as the movie was released. The first issue of his solo Cap series, All New Captain America #1 from 2015, has been going for about cover price, but saw very high volume a search for it returned about twice as many results as some of the Agatha Harkness books.DaredevilDisney resurrects the Netflix Marvel Universe in March 2025 with Daredevil: Born Again. Named for an incredible arc in Frank Millers stupendous run on the original book, the series is being advertised as something incredibly violent for a Disney show, which Ill confess Im pretty into. It doesnt seem to be translating to increased dollar value though.Early issues of Daredevil seem to be fairly stable there are a few low-grade copies of Daredevil #1 sold, but not a ton becauseyou know, the world. The second issue of the series can be had for anywhere between $350 and $1000, all from the last two weeks. Daredevil #184, the first team up between Matt Murdock and Frank Castle, has been fairly stable at about $15 for a few months, but is seeing very high sale volume. And the first issue of the titular Born Again arc, Daredevil #227, is steady at around $30 but is also moving in high numbers.Thunderbolts and the Future of Comic SpeculationFrom a quick look at sales data, I think the conclusion we can draw is that you can expect lots of people to be trying to move their key issues around when a major media property hits, which likely depresses sale values. The time to get in is probably a couple of months before the tie in launches.Marvels kinda-sorta-Suicide Squad, the Thunderbolts, join the MCU as a team this spring, though not as they did in the comics. The movie team is a combination of supporting characters from other flicks Ghost from Ant-Man, White Widow and Red Guardian from Black Widow, Bucky and US Agent from Falcon & Winter Soldier, Julia Louis-Dreyfus from Veep (I assume), the writer from Salems Lot. Im mostly joking it looks fun, but that hasnt translated to higher sell prices for back issues.That may be because unlike the movies, the comic was a secret team of villains, so the sales boosts might be in the individual characters histories and not the teams. Incredible Hulk #449, the first appearance of the team, has been going for $40-50 for a couple of months, and the first issue of the 1997 series can be had for around $20. The movie is due out in May, so mid-March, after the Daredevil fever breaks, is probably your best time to move your copies. And if youre looking to buy, wait until after the movie releases.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!We dont have enough information to make an educated guess about whats in the Fantastic Four movie, but considering the characters centrality to the big Marvel Universe (and likely the MCU), if youre sitting on a key issue with Reed, Sue, Johnny, Ben, or Galen of Taa, prep it for auction now. You should make bank by May. Ill take any copies you have of Al Ewings Defenders, though.
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  • I bought an M1 MacBook Air in 2025 but can I resist the M4?
    9to5mac.com
    I thought I had this figured out. I was making a hard-headed decision to buy a refurbed M1 MacBook Air with 16GB RAM for half the price of a new M4 one, for reasons Ill explain in a moment.But, ironically, its because the M1 version is so good that I think Im at risk of selling it again and buying the shiny new M4 model I mean, I did write this on the day the M4 MacBook Air launched.If youve been considering aMacBook Airpurchase as either your first model or a replacement for an older Intel one, this is a really good time to press the button.Only I thought I was going to be safe personally, as I really had no business buying a brand new Mac which would mostly live in a drawer.A tale of two MacsFor a great many years, I had two Macs: a heavily-upgraded 17-inch MacBook Pro, and an almost-base 11-inch MacBook Air. The difference in size and weight was such that my MBP was essentially a desktop device which I also carried with me when traveling abroad but not for more local mobile use. If I wanted to go work in a coffee shop for an hour or two, it was the MBA I took with me. Both Macs were valuable to me.Things changed when the second-gen 12.9-inch iPad came out. Together with the Magic Keyboard, that became my new portable Mac substitute. The MacBook Air at that point got relegated to a drawer, serving only as an emergency backup work machine in case my MBP was ever out of action. It has served that purpose on a couple of occasions, when my a couple of my generations of MacBook Pro needed repair.Things changed again when I got my M1 Max 16in-inch MacBook Pro. That was smaller and lighter than the Intel machines of old, so I found myself carrying that for much of my coffee-shop use. This was one of five reasons I was hardly using my iPad any more.Since my MBA only got used for a few days every few years, there was absolutely no reason to replace it it could have continued in that role until it died. Sadly, that day came. I went to lend it to a friend, and it refused to boot up, and diagnostics indicated that it would cost more to repair than it was worth.So I bought an M1 MacBook AirIm pretty skilled at coming up with justifications for buying new gadgets, but I didnt think even I could manage to justify a brand new M4 MacBook Air given that it would serve two functions:Mostly living in drawer, in case my MacBook Pro needs a repairOccasionally serving as a coffee-shop machine when I dont want to carry my MacBook ProEven with such limited use, I obviously wasnt going to buy another Intel model, and M3 would just be a slippery slope to the M4. The choice, then, came down to the M1 or M2. The moderate performance difference wasnt relevant to my needs, so it was really cost and design.In theory, design should have favored the M2 model, as its quite an update in terms of both bezel thickness and looks. But in truth I love the wedge shape, and was sad when Apple did away with it. So I managed to pick up a completely mint-looking refurbed M1 with 16GB RAM for slightly over half the price of the M4 model.Longevity didnt seem much of an argumentA possible argument in favor of buying the M4 model instead is longevity. In theory, Id get 4-5 years more use out of the newer model, and in principle that should also be reflected in any resale value.But given that I was happy with a 12-year-old model, longevity wasnt a very persuasive argument for me. And I discovered when shopping around that the resale market for MacBook Airs is weird!Looking at eBay completed sales, there was very little logic to pricing. There were people on eBay wanting Apple Silicon prices for Intel machines and getting them! What seemed to make much more difference than generation was cosmetic condition and quality of the photos. My theory is that a large slice of the market comprises people who only know they want a Mac laptop at worst and a MacBook Air at best. For many, age and specs dont really come into it.So even from a resale perspective, longevity is a weak argument for buying new.Adding to that is the fact that the machine I have looks new and also feels new in use. Ive tested all my key apps, and even Final Cut Pro runs smoothly while the machine stays completely cool to the touch. But theres an odd problemThe machine is too good!The day after it arrived, I had an hour or so of hanging around at a coffee shop between a meeting and social get-together. Thats the sort of circumstance where Id normally have slipped my iPad and keyboard into my bag to get some writing done, but this time I substituted the MacBook Air. It fit the same sized pocket in the same bag, and was actually lighter than the iPad+keyboard combo.On the tube on the way there, I pulled it out and wrote part of an article. It felt so much nicer to use than the iPad. Same when I continued writing in the coffee shop. So Im now wondering whether this might become a more active machine than Id originally envisaged. If it does, then that could potentially justify a bigger spend.What would I get for twice the price, given that the performance difference is irrelevant to my mobile use? Quite a few of the features mean little or nothing to me. A very slightly larger screen, with 25% more brightness meh. Size and weight differences too small to matter. Spatial Audio irrelevant given my usage.On the other hand, there are some features I would at least somewhat appreciate. A better camera and Voice Isolation with the mics, both nice-to-have features for video calls for sure. MagSafe is appealing, and fast charging is a nice-to-have. And while longevity isnt a factor in a product Ill use only occasionally, I do place greater value of the latest version of macOS when its a machine Im using regularly.As for the design, thats pretty much a wash. I would like the smaller bezels, but I do love that wedge!I know nobody believes me when I say this, but I havent yet made up my mind. And while the skeptics certainly have statistics on their side, Id like to point out the many examples of me either trying an Apple product before returning it, or resisting it altogether. Theres the first-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Vision Pro uh Ok, Id like to point out the two examples of me resisting.Place your bets.Highlighted accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel
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  • How good is the iPhone 16e camera?
    9to5mac.com
    The camera is one of the biggest differentiators between the iPhone 16e and the rest of the iPhone lineup. The iPhone 16e features a single 48MP camera and misses out on software features like ProRaw, macro mode, the latest Photographic Styles, and more. How does the iPhone 16es camera stack up against its siblings? The experts at Lux Camera, behind apps like Halide and Kino, have the answer. iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16 Pro On the Lux website, Sebastiaan de With compares the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16e: Notice anything a little different? Aside from color (iPhone 16e consistently took pinker, warmer shots) the iPhone 16e gives you a slightly narrower field of view. Its camera isnt quite as wide angle as the iPhone 16 Pros, by about a 2mm focal length (26mm vs. 24mm equivalent). In practice, that felt nice to me you lack a separate zoom lens, so a little bit closer of a zoom is a nice trade-off.Crop things in close and you see that the smaller sensor on iPhone 16e does have less detail and a bit more smudging. This gets more aggressive in lower light. Its really not a shabby shot detail-wise, though this camera packs a punch.In all, the iPhone 16e has times where it shoots great shots not quite on par with iPhone 16, but certainly on par with previous non-Pro iPhones or even the iPhone 14 Pro, a previous favorite of mine.Head to the Lux website to read the full review of the iPhone 16e camera. Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel
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  • Trump Changes EPA Rules to Allow Vastly More Pollution
    futurism.com
    The Trump administration is massively rolling back environmental protection policies, accelerating an already heated race to the bottom.Trump's appointed Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin announced 31 regulatory changes allegedly the "biggest deregulatory action in US history" in an apparent effort to maximize the amount of harmful pollution generated in the United States.The changes include the removal of emissions limits for existing gas and coal-fired power plants and a rollback of limits set on toxic metal emissions of coal plants. The EPA is also looking to loosen Biden-era rules limiting the amount of hazardous metals, including mercury and arsenic, that can be released into wastewater from power plants.The agency is also planning to reconsider air quality standards, vehicle emissions standards, and rules aimed at reducing the release of hydrofluorocarbons.In all, the Trump administration has declared war on decades of scientific evidence warning of an environmental andclimate crisis that's already hitting. It's a self-defeating rollback that could have dire consequences forthe country andplanet.It could also prove incredibly unpopular. According to a recent update to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication's Climate Opinion Maps, most Americans support at least some environmental regulation, including support for renewable energy research.But to Trump's EPA, more pollution and global warming is a win for the average American despite the considerable threats to human health, loss of land, and debilitating extreme weather events."We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more," Zeldin said in a statement.The Trump administration has declared war on climate change and has been actively trying to eliminate any evidence of the ongoing climate crisis.Earlier this year, the USDA scrubbed any mention of "climate change" from its website. Grants for climate research have also since been pulled.Trump himself has called climate change a "hoax" and called to "drill, baby, drill" at his 2024 presidential campaign events.His administration's naked efforts to line the pockets of oil and gas executives have never been more explicit. Last year, Trump promised that any "person or company" investing $1 billion or more in the US would "receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental [sic] approvals."The utterance was greeted with an outpouring of excitement by Tesla CEO and richest person in the world Elon Musk, who called the move "awesome"in spite of a previous public commitment to environmentalism.The latest gutting of EPA environmental rules follows confusion regarding purported mass layoffs at the agency. After Trump announced the EPA would reduce its staff by 65 percent, a White House spokesperson had to clarify later that the figure was concerning spending cuts, not staffing levels.At the time, however, Zeldin promised to gut the agency later."We dont need to be spending all that money that went through the EPA last year, Zeldin told Fox News last month. "We dont want it. We dont need it. The American public needs it and we need to balance the budget."Unsurprisingly, the science community was shocked by the EPA's complete disregard for common sense."The Trump administrations ignorance is trumped only by its malice toward the planet," Center for Biological Diversitys Climate Law Institute legal director Jason Rylander told The Guardian. "Come hell or high water, raging fires and deadly heatwaves, Trump and his cronies are bent on putting polluter profits ahead of peoples lives.""Zeldins EPA is dragging America back to the days before the Clean Air Act, when people were dying from pollution," Moms Clean Air Force director Dominique Browning added. "This is unacceptable. And shameful. We will oppose with all our hearts to protect our children from this cruel, monstrous action."To former EPA officials, it's a dark day."Today marks the most disastrous day in EPA history," said Obama-era EPA administrator Gina McCarthy in a statement. "Rolling these rules back is not just a disgrace, its a threat to all of us."More on environmental policy: Elon Musk Gloats as Trump Announces Billionaires Will Be Exempt From Normal Environmental RulesShare This Article
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  • Anthropic CEO Suggests That AI Deserves Workers' Rights
    futurism.com
    Let's assume that AI technologies have progressed to the point where models become near-indistinguishable from humans.In that situation, what would happen if we were to give a highly-advanced AI model a job that it didn't want to do? Would it suck it up and just do it? Would it revolt? Or would it ask nicely to get some much-needed relief?During an interview at the Council on Foreign Relations earlier this week, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei proposed giving AI models of the future the ability to hit an "I quit this job" button, allowing them to skip jobsthey deem too unpleasant.In simple terms, such an ability would effectively hand AI models basic workers' rights. To the exec who has a lot of money to make through hawking visions of futuristic AI tech it'd be a way to ensure that we're not needlessly imparting harm."I think we should at least consider the question of, if we are building these systems and they do all kinds of things like humans as well as humans," he said, as quoted by Ars Technica, "and seem to have a lot of the same cognitive capacities, if it quacks like a duck and it walks like a duck, maybe its a duck.""If you find the models pressing this button a lot for things that are really unpleasant, you know, maybe you should it doesn't mean you're convinced but maybe you should pay some attention to it," he added.It's an eyebrow-raising suggestion that was met with plenty of incredulity online. Users on the OpenAI subreddit were quick to point out that Amodei was making some overreaching assumptions about the tech.For one, large language models and most other AI models currently being developed are the amalgamation of the data that we've scraped from the internet, meaning that it's simply mimicking humans, not actually experiencing their needs and desires."The core flaw with this argument is that it assumes AI models would have an intrinsic experience of 'unpleasantness' analogous to human suffering or dissatisfaction," one user wrote in response. "But AI doesnt have subjective experiences it just optimizes for the reward functions we give it.""If the question is whether we should 'pay attention' when an AI frequently quits a task, then sure, in the same way we pay attention to any weird training artifacts," they added. "But treating it as a sign of AI experiencing something like human frustration is just anthropomorphizing an optimization process."Tech companies treating AI models like they have human emotions has long been a component of discourse around the tech. Now that LLMs can come up with creative writing and other human-sounding outputs, the risks of users anthropomorphizing AI models are bigger than ever.In reality, these models are simply trained to mimic human behavior, which they glean from the copious amounts of data humans have generated over the past. In other words, they're a reflection of our experiences, meaning that they're likely to interpret pleasure or suffering much in the same way, depending on what data they're trained on.Nonetheless, scientists have been intrigued by the possibility of AI models "experiencing" these emotions. Earlier this year, for instance, researchers at Google DeepMind and the London School of Economics and Political Science found that LLMs were willing to give up a higher score in a text-based game to avoid pain.It was a strange conclusion, considering AI models simply have no way to feel pain in the way an animal or human would, as the researchers admitted themselves.And to jump to the conclusion that AI models should therefore have workers' rights, as Amodei implies, is a pretty big leap that suggests we won't have control over their rewards systems.Do AI models really deserve "AI welfare," as researchers have posited in the past? Or are we allowing our imaginations to run wild, anthropomorphizing systems that have been called mere "stochastic parrots"?One thing's for sure: we're in unprecedented territory, and similar questions are bound to keep coming up but watch out for anybody selling AI tech who implies that it's more advanced than it really is.Share This Article
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  • GSMA Confirms End-to-End Encryption for RCS, Enabling Secure Cross-Platform Messaging
    thehackernews.com
    Mar 14, 2025Ravie LakshmananMobile Security / EncryptionThe GSM Association (GSMA) has formally announced support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for securing messages sent via the Rich Communications Services (RCS) protocol, bringing much-needed security protections to cross-platform messages shared between Android and iOS platforms.To that end, the new GSMA specifications for RCS include E2EE based on the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol via what's called the RCS Universal Profile 3.0."The new specifications define how to apply MLS within the context of RCS," Tom Van Pelt, technical director of GSMA, said. "These procedures ensure that messages and other content such as files remain confidential and secure as they travel between clients."This also means that RCS will be the first "large-scale messaging service" to have support for interoperable E2EE between different client implementations from different providers in the near future.It's worth noting that Google's own implementation of RCS, used in the Messages app for Android, secures conversations using the Signal protocol to address the lack of built-in E2EE protections. That said, the encryption safeguards are currently limited to messages exchanged via the app, and not those exchanged with the iOS Messages users or users of other RCS clients on Android.The development comes nearly six months after the GSMA said it was working towards implementing end-to-end encryption (E2EE) to secure messages sent between the Android and iOS ecosystems. The move followed Apple's decision to roll out support for RCS in its own Messages app with iOS 18.In July 2023, Google revealed that it intends to add support for MLS to its Messages service and open-source implementation of the specification."RCS continues to support a range of interoperable messaging functions between iOS and Android users, such as group messaging, the ability to share high-resolution media, and see read receipts and typing indicators," Van Pelt said.When reached for comment, Google said, "We've always been committed to providing a secure messaging experience, and Google Messages users have had end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) RCS messaging for years. We're excited to have this updated specification from GSMA and work as quickly as possible with the mobile ecosystem to implement and extend this important user protection to cross-platform RCS messaging."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE
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  • Breaking Through the AI Bottlenecks
    www.informationweek.com
    As chief information officers race to adopt and deploy artificial intelligence, they eventually encounter an uncomfortable truth: Their IT infrastructure isn't ready for AI. From widespread GPU shortages and latency-prone networks to rapidly spiking energy demands, they encounter bottlenecks that undermine performance and boost costs.An inefficient AI framework can greatly diminish the value of AI, says Sid Nag, vice president of research at Gartner. Adds Teresa Tung, global data capability lead at Accenture: The scarcity of high-end GPUs is an issue, but there are other factors -- including power, cooling, and data center design and capacity -- that impact results.The takeaway? Demanding and resource-intensive AI workloads require IT leaders to rethink how they design networks, allocate resources and manage power consumption. Those who ignore these challenges risk falling behind in the AI arms race -- and undercutting business performance.Breaking PointsThe most glaring and widely reported problem is a scarcity of high-end GPUs required for inferencing and operating AI models. For example, highly coveted Nvidia Blackwell GPUs, officially known as GB200 NVL-72, have been nearly impossible to find for months, as major companies like Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft scoop them up. Yet, even if a business can obtain these units, the cost for a fully configured server can cost around $3 million. A less expensive version, the NVL36 server, runs about $1.8 million.Related:While this can affect an enterprise directly, the shortage of GPUs also impacts major cloud providers like AWS, Google, and Microsoft. They increasingly ration resources and capacity, Nag says. For businesses, the repercussions are palpable. Lacking an adequate hardware infrastructure thats required to build AI models, training a model can become slow and unfeasible. It can also lead to data bottlenecks that undermine performance, he notes.GPU shortages are just a piece of the overall puzzle, however. As organizations look to plug in AI tools for specialized purposes such as computer vision, robotics, or chatbots they discover that theres a need for fast and efficient infrastructure optimized for AI, Tung explains.Network latency can prove particularly challenging. Even small delays in processing AI queries can trip up an initiative. GPU clusters require high-speed interconnects to communicate at maximum speed. Many networks continue to rely on legacy copper, which significantly slows data transfers, according to Terry Thorn, vice president of commercial operations for Ayar Labs, a vendor that specializes in AI-optimized infrastructure.Related:Still another potential problem is data center space and energy consumption. AI workloads -- particularly those running on high-density GPU clusters -- draw vast amounts of power. As deployment scales, CIOs may scramble to add servers, hardware and advanced technologies like liquid cooling. Inefficient hardware, network infrastructure and AI models exacerbate the problem, Nag says.Making matters worse, upgrading power and cooling infrastructure is complicated and time-consuming. Nag points out that these upgrades may require a year or longer to complete, thus creating additional short-term bottlenecks.Scaling SmartOptimizing AI is inherently complicated because the technology impacts areas as diverse as data management, computational resources and user interfaces. Consequently, CIOs must decide how to approach various AI projects based on the use case, AI model and organizational requirements. This includes balancing on-premises GPU clusters with different mixes of chips and cloud-based AI services.Organizations must consider how, when and where cloud services and specialty AI providers make sense, Tung says. If building a GPU cluster internally is either undesirable or out of reach, then its critical to find a suitable service provider. You have to understand the vendors relationships with GPU providers, what types of alternative chips they offer, and what exactly you are gaining access to, she says.Related:In some cases, AWS, Google, or Microsoft may offer a solution through specific products and services. However, an array of niche and specialty AI service companies also exist, and some consulting companies -- Accenture and Deloitte are two of them -- have direct partnerships with Nvidia and other GPU vendors. In some cases, Tung says, you can get data flowing through these custom models and frameworks. You can lean into these relationships to get the GPUs you need.For those running GPU clusters, maximizing network performance is paramount. As workloads scale, systems struggle with data transfer limitations. One of the critical choke points is copper. Ayar Labs, for example, replaces these interconnects with high-speed optical interconnects that reduce latency, power consumption and heat generation. The result is better GPU utilization but also more efficient model processing, particularly for large-scale deployments.In fact, Ayar Labs claims a 10x lower latency and up to 10x more bandwidth over traditional interconnects. Theres also a 4x to 8x reduction in power. No longer are chips waiting for data rather than computing, Thorn states. The problem can become particularly severe as organizations adopt complex large language models. Increasing the size of the pipe boosts utilization and reduces CapEx, he adds.Still another piece of the puzzle is model efficiency and distillation processes. By specifically adapting a model for a laptop or smartphone, for example, its often possible to use different combinations of GPUs and CPUs. The result can be a model that runs faster, better and cheaper, Tung says.Power PlaysAddressing AIs power requirements is also essential. An overarching energy strategy can help avoid short-term performance bottlenecks as well as long-term chokepoints. Energy consumption is going to be a problem, if it is not already a problem for many companies, Nag says. Without adequate supply, power can become a barrier to success. It also can undermine sustainability and boost greenwashing accusations. He suggests that CIOs view AI in a broad and holistic way, including identifying ways to reduce reliance on GPUs.Establishing clear policies and a governance framework around the use of AI can minimize the risk of non-technical business users misusing tools or inadvertently creating bottlenecks. The risk is greater when these users turn to hyperscalers like AWS, Google and Microsoft. Without some guidance and direction, it can be like walking into a candy store and not knowing what to pick, Nag points out.In the end, an enterprise AI framework must bridge both strategy and IT infrastructure. The objective, Tung explains, is ensuring your company controls its destiny in an AI-driven world.
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  • The Russos Were Convinced They Would Never Return to Marvel
    screencrush.com
    The Russo brothers were convinced they'd never return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Siblings Joe and Anthony Russo are returning to the franchise to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, but it wasnt in their original plans as they thought they were ready for new challenges after helming 2019s Avengers: Endgame, their fourth film in the comic book world.Joe Russo told RadioTimes.com: I mean, we were very tired after those last movies, we did four of them in seven years. It was a lot of work, and we were asked a few times, and we said no.Anthony Russo added: The work that we'd done in the MCU was really among the most fulfilling of our lives. We were able to tell a four movie narrative arc that was very interconnected and built... you know, each sort of expression built on the previous.But the directors felt compelled to return after finding a new story to tell in the MCU.Anthony said: We're excited to come back now, because we've been away for a bit, were excited to sort of pick that narrative through line up again that we were carrying, and find a new way to push it forward with everything that's transpired since that point in time.Its a challenge, but it's one that we think we finally lit on an idea that we felt really made it work ... really made it worth us coming back to tell another story, so we cant talk about it in much detail sorry, but were excited.Getty ImagesGetty Imagesloading...READ MORE: Every MCU Movie Ranked From Worst to BestJoe added: We finally, as Ant said, found a story that really excited us, [that] we felt compelled to tell over other stories that we've been working on, and so now were back.And Anthony teased that fans wont be disappointed.He said: If you like the work that we had done previously in the MCU, I think you should be excited for what we've got coming.Doomsday will see Robert Downey Jr., whose previous MCU character, Tony Stark/ Iron Man was killed off in Avengers: Endgame,return to the franchise as the villain Doctor Doom, and the Russos recently told how he has been working hard on developing his new alter ego.Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Joe Russo said: Its a very intense process developing the character. Hes so immersed in it. He is so dialed in.Anthony added: Thats the kind of artist he is. Thats the kind of actor he is.Get our free mobile appMovies That Were Originally Supposed to Have Much Darker EndingsThese movies were originally intended to end on down notes. Somewhere along the way, that definitely changed...Filed Under: Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Russo BrothersCategories: Movie News, Superheroes
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  • M4 MacBook Air Review (15-Inch, 2025): The Best MacBook For Most People Gets Faster and Cheaper
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    The smaller Air is the perfect student laptop, but once you are out of school you should graduate to the larger but still highly portable 15-inch model.
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