Falu My LeadLea Architecture brings Scandinavian living to a Greenpoint townhouse using strategic color blockingByDaniel Jonas Roche March 17, 2025East, Interiors (Angela Hau)SHAREScandinavian sensibilities have taken over a Little Poland townhome. The Greenpoint renovation project was byLea Architecture, a Brooklyn office founded by Jane Lea. The project remixes Scandinavian living with Falu red-inspired color blocking, the designer said. The renovation happened across all three of the townhouses floors; it prioritized making the 4,975-square-foot home more aesthetically pleasing, spacious, and energy efficient.From outside, the Greenpoint Townhouse still looks like its neighbors; the stately brick, white lintels and door frames dont cry out for attention from passersby. The building has a commercial unit on the ground floor and a single-story garage to its side. Lea Architecture and the client opted to keep much of the exterior intact while material exploration happened inside. The team also leveraged the top of the three-car garage for added outdoor space. This deck is connected to the kitchen area, which offers nice space for outdoor dining in the warmer months.Read more about the residence on aninteriormag.com.

All images courtesy of Heather Rios, shared with permissionDelight in Heather Rioss Delectable Cakes Made from Polymer Clay and EmbroideryMarch 17, 2025Kate MothesWhile Heather Rioss slices of layer cake look ready to stick a fork into, you may want to think twice. Formed of polymer clay and finished with embroidery, the artist pairs the sweets with a vintage plateand sometimes a forkin playful trompe loeils.Enveloped in realistic frosting and decorated with berries, blossoms, and sprinkles, each work evokes pieces youd be ready to dig into at a birthday or wedding. Rios meticulously embroiders each sponge element, fashioning patterned layers in thread on a hoop before transferring the finished panel to the sculpture.In addition to freestanding forms, Rios embellishes small paintings with shallow reliefs of cakes on canvas, emphasizing vibrant color and the fluffy texture of the exposed interiors.Many of Rioss cakes would be exceedingly difficult to achieve in reality, like detailed floral designs or motifs from blue-and-white porcelain. Lucky for us, we can have our cake and keep it, too. Find more on the artists Instagram, and purchase a slice from her Etsy shop.A sponge embroidery in progressNext article

close 'CyberGuy': Is it safe to open that spam email? Tech expert Kurt Knutsson says opening emails is safe, but risks arise from interacting with links, attachments or HTML content. We want to warn you about a potential issue that could occur after refinancing your home: an unexpected surge in spam messages. "Morgan" from Yuma, Arizona, reached out to share that she experienced this."We had to refinance our house and tried through XYZ. We now get a lot of spam that I have to continually block. I know it is them because weve used Rocket Mortgage for years and never had an issue, and XYZ was the only new organization we had been communicating with using that email. How do you prevent that?"The good news is there are ways to avoid spam and prevent it from coming back. Heres what you need to know. Illustration of deleting messages (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Tips to help combat spamIf you get a spam message, avoid replying or clicking on any links in the message. Follow the steps below to prevent future spam texts.How to stop spam text messages on iPhoneOpen the Settings appScroll down and tapAppsScroll down to the Messages app and open itScroll down until you seeFilter Unknown Senders and toggle it onOpen the Messages appand tap on Filters in the upper right-hand corner. Then, you will see that your text messages have been filtered into five categories: All Messages, Known Senders, Unknown Senders, Unread Messages and Recently DeletedNow, messages from senders not in your contact list will be directed to the "Unknown Senders" folder, and you wont receive a notification for them.How to stop spam text messages on AndroidSettings may vary depending on your Android phones manufacturer.Open theMessages appTap the three-dots icon in the top-right cornerInSettings, scroll down and tapSpam ProtectionTurn onEnable spam protection Illustration of securing your data (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)How to attempt to minimize these annoying robocallsAlong with spam messages, those annoying robocalls after searching for a lender to refinance can be a serious nuisance. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to minimize these interruptions as well and protect your privacy.1) Dont answer calls or texts from unfamiliar numbersNot answering unfamiliar calls is one of the best ways to avoid a potential scam. Most phone carriers now label robocalls as "Spam Risk" or something similar. Scammers often use your local area code or even parts of your phone number to make you think the call is legitimate. That's why it's crucial to carefully check the number before picking up. If you dont recognize the number, its safest to ignore the call or text in case it's spam.2) Block the numberIf you get a spam call and want to prevent future calls from the same number, you can easily block it. Find out how to block unknown callers on both iPhones and Android deviceshere.3) Use your carriers spam and robocall blocking serviceMajor carriers like Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile offer free services to block spam and robocalls. These include AT&T Call Protect, Sprint/T-Mobile Scam Shield and Verizon Call Filter. Reach out to your provider for more details.4) Try third-party spam-blocking appsiPhones and Androids have apps available for users to download to detect spam calls before they reach you.Get our top recommendations here.5) Invest in personal data removal servicesUnfortunately, theres a high chance that your phone number is readily available on many lists that data brokers sell to numerous search websites. However, removing your number from these sites can help lower the chances of spammers getting a hold of it and reaching out to you. With a data removal service, your personal information is removed from the web so data brokers and scammers never get their hands on your personal phone number, home address or email address. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time.Check out my top picks for data removal services here. Illustration of the delete icon (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Kurts key takeawaysAs frustrating as spam may be, there are steps you can take to minimize these unwanted messages, including blocking numbers, using carrier spam-blocking services and enabling built-in spam filters on your phone. These tips will help you reduce spam and protect your personal information.Whats your biggest challenge when it comes to spam calls and texts? Let us know by writing us atCyberguy.com/Contact.For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading toCyberguy.com/Newsletter.Follow Kurt on his social channels:Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com.All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurts free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Earlier this month, councillors had an opportunity to discuss the past and current issues faced by Birmingham City Council in its implementation of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system from Oracle.The councils extraordinary meeting, held on 11 March, gave council members a chance to voice their concerns following publication of a Grant Thornton report in February looking at what went wrong with the implementation of the Oracle ERP system. Work will continue on the reimplementation, which is due to go live in April 2026. During the meeting, council members sought reassurance that this deadline would not slip.Councillor Albert Bore noted that the council previously ran a 10-year joint venture with Capita to run an SAP ERP system. This ended in 2018, when the council took the decision to insource its IT function and move to a cloud-based Oracle ERP system.During this time, Bore said IT expertise was held in the council, but what followed was, according to Bore, a predictable debacle.Councillor Meiron Jenkins, who has previous experience of implementing ERP systems, said: Implementing ERP systems has been my life for 40 years and over that time Ive seen some pretty bad implementations, but this really is a one-off. It is truly remarkable what a complete mess you made of implementing it.The findings of the Grant Thornton value-for-money report into the Oracle ERP project highlight serious governance concerns, lack of ownership among senior executives and a culture that deterred negative concerns being raised.As Jenkins points out, if senior managers are not closely involved in the details of an ERP implementation, the chance of it going wrong increases significantly. And thats whats happened here, he said, referring to the Birmingham City Councils implementation of Oracle to replace SAP.Jenkins said that in 2020 he collaborated on a scrutiny inquiry into the Birmingham City Council Oracle project before it began. We made some recommendations. If only those recommendations had been followed, so many of these problems would have been avoided, he said.In his 2020 letter to councillors about the forthcoming Oracle project, Jenkins included a link to an article covering great ERP disasters. I put it in because I thought [they could] read these great ERP disasters and these were big companies, run by experienced senior people, who had gone so badly wrong.As well as failings of senior management, some councillors raised concerns that the external professionals paid to audit the council should have put more emphasis on the risks being carried by the council due to its ERP implementation.One councillor said to Computer Weekly: Were the senior executives not being truthful to the external auditors? I think this is one of the things we need to understand as an organisation.Councillor Lee Marsham said: We should all be alarmed at this report because, regardless of our political leanings, we were all misled. In the spirit of cross-party working, I want to praise councillor Jenkins who asked the right questions in the audit committee and was told by very senior officers, Nothing to see here.Marsham also praised the work of councillor Paul Tilsey as vice-chair of the audit committee, and the previous audit committee chair, councillor Fred Grindrod, who he said challenged officers and was told repeatedly that he was wrong to do so.Marsham pointed out that in March 2023, the external auditor reported that Oracle was not a significant risk. Our external auditors [Grant Thornton] last week revealed to the audit committee for the first time that they were not told the full facts either. Could our external auditor, a corporate partner, have done more? he asked.Tilsey went further, saying: Ive read the report very, very carefully. There is a criticism I would have to make of Grant Thornton, because in the report it says quite clearly that senior officers were not responding to Mark [Stocks] and his team. Stocks, who works for Grant Thornton, is Birmingham City Councils external auditor. I think I might have taken some very affirmative action in that kind of situation, Tilsey added.Six months after the March 2023 auditors report, there appears to be a very clear indication that the auditor was seeking greater clarity on the project and the reimplementation. September 2023s external auditors report prepared by Grant Thornton lists a statutory recommendation that the council should set a target date for the completion of the safe and compliant phase of the Oracle implementation. We consider that this should be completed by 30 November 2023, the auditor stated.Another statutory recommendation stated: The council should consider the capacity of its senior staff to deal with the Oracle safe and compliant and reimplementation phases alongside the other competing pressures.The latest auditors report recommends that the council ensure additional resources are provided to ensure the critical project is completed at the earliest opportunity. This may include additional internal or external IT capacity and capability. In the longer term, the council will need to ensure that it rebuilds its own IT capacity and capability, the report stated.A spokesperson for Grant Thornton UK said: We note the comments and questions raised by councillors in relation to our report in the public interest; however, we do not agree with some of these comments and believe they stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of the responsibility of auditors amongst certain council members. As has previously been explained to the councillors, auditors are not responsible for the implementation of council financial systems this is the responsibility of the officers and members.The National Audit Office code of practice sets out the responsibilities of auditors as Grant Thornton notes, there is no requirement to audit the implementation of financial systems.We note that other councils implement financial systems every year without auditor involvement and without the level of failure that has occurred at Birmingham, the spokesperson said. Given the previous failure to effectively implement Oracle, we continue to monitor the situation and whether we should take the unusual step of carrying out an audit of the reimplementation.During the extraordinary meeting, councillor Jaime Scott stated that Birminghams income management system (IMS), which is one of the most fundamental parts of how the council understands its financial position, is running behind its original timescale for implementation.Previously, Grant Thornton auditor Stocks discussed the workaround the council had put in place with its existing bank reconciliation system (BRS). When asked about the delays of the new IMS, Stocks said: You cant go live until because you have your workarounds for the current cash system. You have to delay until youre ready and we actively encourage all our clients to delay until all the testing is done, adding that unless the system is running properly, all you will be doing is replacing one dysfunctional system with another.Speaking to Computer Weekly, Scott said that after a conversation with the Oracle project lead, the Oracle implementation team is confident the IMS will be ready. But, he added: We need to keep a check on it to ensure theres not any further slippage, because if these things slip, we could easily then be into Christmas. Such a slippage could impact the new provisional live date of April 2026.Read more stories about the Birmingham City Council Oracle implementationBirmingham City Councils Oracle implementation explained - What went wrong: The council swapped out a heavily customised SAP ERP system for Oracle Cloud, but since it went live, it has had numerous technical challenges.How poor IT project management failed Birmingham Oracle implementation: Birmingham City Councils Oracle system the biggest of its kind in Europe went live in April 2022, resulting in a catastrophic IT failure.

ZDNET's key takeaways HP's 16-inch Envy x360 2-in-1 (2024) comes in a variety of configurations, but the version with 1TB of storage and an OLED display starts at $1,299.It sports one of the most gorgeous displays I've seen on a convertible laptop in this price range.It's a little on the heavy side, and the configuration swapping can be buggy. View now at HP We saw a host of great 2-in-1 laptops in 2024, forcing more and more laptop diehards (myself included) who were previously unwilling to commit to the form factor embrace convertibles, which give you the best of both worlds.TheHP Envy x360 16" 2-in-1shows up to the party with all the features that consumers actually want in a 2-in-1: a gorgeous display, beefy speakers, and a suite of hardware to back it up. This results in a solid performance and a satisfying media experience at a mid-range price point.Also: HP shows off three next-gen laptops and revamps its desktops at CES 2025Yes, a 16-inch screen is large when used as a tablet -- a little unwieldy, even. However, the OLED display on this laptop is so good that it doesn't matter to me. In fact, it could be bigger, and I would still happily tote it around. details View at Hp The Envy x360 features a 2.8K (2880 x 1800) resolution OLED touchscreen with a variable 120Hz refresh rate and edge-to-edge glass that results in a smooth-as-silk visual experience. The 500-nit brightness is more than enough for normal use, and the glossy finish looks gorgeous (although it may not be for everyone, because fingerprints are a thing).Also: This Lenovo laptop handled my various workflows with grace - and it's surprisingly affordableVideo playback is vibrant, smooth, and sharp, with a realistic depth of color and contrast. HP also advertises the Envy x360 as an "IMAX certified" laptop, one of the first of its kind. It earned this certification for its ability to display IMAX-formatted content in its original 1.43:1 or 1.90:1 aspect ratio. While a flashy designation, this is a laptop we're talking about here; it's still a 16-inch screen. It does look good, though -- I'll give it that.The audio is also decent. While it may seem that the two vents on either side of the keyboard are speakers, audio actually originates from the dual DTS:X Ultrabar-shaped speakers on the back of the device. There isn't a lot of bass, but mid-frequency audio and dialogue sound crisp and clear and held their own when I played Netflix in a noisy kitchen. Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETThe previously mentioned vents on either side of the keyboard are actually for expelling heat, something my colleague Cesar Cadenas will appreciate, as this is a laptop you can actually place on your lap without getting first-degree burns on your legs.The Envy x360 is positioned just below HP's Spectre line of laptops to provide great performance that serves most users' needs. We reviewed the 2024 Spectre x360early last year and found it has top-notch hardware thanks to the "Meteor Lake" AI processor, but it will run you hundreds of dollars more.The Envy x360 model that I tested, however, came with an integrated AMD Radeon GPU that, coupled with the AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor, can run both CPU-intensive and graphics tasks well. This aligns with its targeted creator/freelancer consumer demographic, allowing visual apps like DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Photoshop to run smoothly, with an eye toward generative AI capabilities.I found that the battery life was better than average -- especially for an OLED-equipped laptop -- thanks to the efficiency gains of the Ryzen 7 8840HS processor. With only intermittent use, the laptop lasted me several days, while sustained activity resulted in over 10 hours of battery life, more or less equivalent to what is advertised. Even better is the fast charging feature, which I found even faster than HP's 50% in 45-minute claims.Also: My favorite lightweight laptop for work is not a ThinkPad or MacBook - and it's on saleThe 2-in-1 form factor requires a certain degree of physical fortitude, and its hinge-style design (which is almost identical to the Lenovo 7i 2-in-1) supports a sturdy build that's up to the task. It has minimal screen wobble, yet enough resistance to stay in place as a touchscreen.That said, this is not a particularly light laptop, weighing in at around four pounds, with most of that weight coming from the 16-inch OLED. Despite the weight, it's very thin -- only 0.72 inches -- which results in a laptop that still feels sufficiently portable. Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETPort selection on the 2024 Envy x360 will also be sufficient for most users, with two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an HDMI port. The keyboard is particularly unique: the keys are big and chunky, in a matte gray color, with oversized letters in a distinct sans serif font. It looks good but lacks a right-side number pad, which I prefer to have on a laptop -- especially one of this size.Also: This 11-in-1 docking station is the office productivity gadget I didn't know I neededIf you can't tell already, I'm a big fan of the Envy x360, and out of all the 2-in-1 laptops I've tested, I prefer this one. My main critique of this laptop is the bugginess that can occur when swapping between the different orientations. Going from tablet to laptop can result in delayed or glitchy keyboard response, and the screen orientation can stick in one position or another, requiring a deliberate re-positioning of the laptop to reset the internal gyroscope.These issues are prevalent across all 2-in-1 laptops I've tested and are (usually) intermittent enough to not be problems -- but in certain moments, facing non-functioning hardware can be frustrating, and you should keep that in mind.ZDNET's buying adviceThe HP Envy x360 16 (2024) is priced well for an upper-mid-tier device with a gorgeous display and solid performance. Creators will love this laptop's flexible form factor and impressive battery life. This is a laptop for work as much as it is for entertainment, and if you're looking for a 2-in-1 laptop, you have to consider the Envy x360.Compared to its rivals, HP's model offers a more complete package. Take a look at Lenovo's Yoga 7i. It's also a great machine worth consideration, but the Yoga is heavier with a duller screen. Microsoft's 11th-Gen Surface Pro arguably has better hardware, but it is much smaller, sporting a 13-inch touchscreen.If you're looking for a smaller option, considerHP's 2024 Spectre x360, which has a 14-inch display. For something more adventurous, check out the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i, which has two displays.Featured reviews

Netflix has hidden codes that unlock a vast collection of secret categories and genres. Here's how to find them and use them for your next binge session.

The PittMaxThere are a number of high profile shows currently airing on all manner of streaming services, from The White Lotus to Severance to Reacher. But the actual best show on TV? I think you can definitely make the case for Maxs The Pitt, the new ER drama from well, a couple guys behind the original ER, including star Noah Wyle and producer and writer R. Scott Gemmill.The Pitt is the 24-styled tale of a single ER shift in an overwhelmed emergency department in Pittsburg, led by Wyle overseeing a hierarchy of residents, med students and nurses constantly juggling chaotic case after chaotic case, while dealing with their own personal issues.The Pitt is a rare series that will run for 15 episodes, 15 hours of that ER shift rendered in real time that again, no show has really gotten away with in earnest since FOXs 24. It features compelling performances from its entire cast, weaving its various patient and physician storylines in and out of each other seamlessly.The PittMaxYes, its true that a lot of craziness is all happening in a single day between the staff and patients, and that much insanity (miscarriages, rat infestation, now a mass shooting) may not happen all at once. But I am embedded in the medical scene with my wife in the profession, and she and all her friends say that this is probably the best, most accurate medical drama theyve ever seen. Yes, there are cases this insane, and they can all come in this quickly. Yes, the tactics and diagnoses and prescriptions are almost entirely accurate. The worst thing that can be said Ive heard is well, a medical student wouldnt know that, but even among actual ER doctors I know, the general sentiment is yeah, its pretty close. The closest theyve seen on TV, at least.The show is capable of some absolute gut-punches. One of the most significant (spoilers) was an accidental overdose of a college student that resulted in irreversible brain death as we watched his parents in denial over the fact. But far and away the hardest episode to get through was about the drowning death of a little girl as she tried to save her younger sister after she fell in a pool. Just horrific but yes, too common in real life, as I have friends who have lived through this exact experience. You can only imagine how much harder it hits in person.Sure, I guess you could say something like the super-heady Severance is doing higher-concept TV and is better in some ways, but The Pitt is far more accessible and executes its concept almost flawlessly. A brand new hit series running for 15 full episodes is unheard of in this day and age, and with the show renewed for season 2 already, theyre all going to mount up and do it again. Its a must-watch.Follow me , and .Pick up my sci-fi novels the and

The Switch 2 with a diagram showing a model for AI upscaling.Jason EvangelhoIts fascinating how much weve learned about the Switch 2 from published patents. From Nintendos plans for dual-screen capabilities, to the mouse functionality of the new Joy-Cons, to the way those Joy-Cons attach to the console magnetically, these public documents have spoiled much of what Nintendo may plan to unveil in its upcoming Switch 2 Direct. Today we have one more detail to add to the pile: a clear outline of how the Switch 2 might use AI to generate higher-resolution gaming images without needing more powerful hardware.We already know the Switch 2 represents a dramatic leap in performance compared to the original Switch. However, the upgraded Nvidia Tegra processor inside might not be powerful enough to consistently deliver 1080p resolution gaming in handheld mode. Thats where the concept of AI Upscaling enters the picture.The updated patent thats the focus of this news is just that: updated. A prior version of the patent used vague language, simply suggesting the Switch 2 would include technology for converting images through use of a trained neural network.The newly published update (first spotted by Mike Odyssey on X) reveals much more detail, including a diagram showing the journey of an image through this neural network, and the input and output resolutions 540p to 1080p.A diagram showing how Switch 2 might use AI to upscale an image from 540p to 1080p. USPTOThis effectively confirms the Switch 2 will use AI technology like Nvidias DLSS, which can take a lower resolution image and transform it to a higher resolution image, making a game look sharper and more detailed. But its worth pointing out that the Switch may not specifically tap Nvidias upscaling tech. Its entirely possible there may be some Nintendo secret sauce in the mix, similar to how Sonys PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) works.And while its only an assumption until Nintendo confirms it, this could also serve as confirmation that the Switch 2s native display will be 1080p.Your Switch Games Look Better On Switch 2These resolution numbers are important, especially where backwards compatibility is concerned. Weve always known the vast majority of our Switch games would work on Switch 2, and we hoped playing them on the new console might bring some visual upgrades to the experience. At this point, that wish looks like it might be granted. Thats terrific news not just for Nintendo fans, but for Nintendo itself.Think about it. Your Switch games look better on Switch 2 is a pretty compelling selling point.AI upscaling like this has benefits beyond the obvious visual upgrades. It could also improve battery life in handheld mode, and its important that battery life doesnt take a hit because of the systems more powerful hardware and higher resolution display.Its probably time to downscale any expectations that the Switch 2 will deliver gaming at 4K when docked, although its feasible that the home screen and menus might output at 4K. I hope Im wrong, but I just think 4K gaming is still way too ambitious a target for a portable console.Hopefully all this speculation will melt away and be confirmed by Nintendo when the Switch 2 Direct happens next month on April 2.

In brief: Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee has issued a stark warning about the company's declining market share, particularly in AI semiconductors. In a rare and candid address to thousands of executives, he stated that Samsung is facing "a do-or-die survival issue." Lee's remarks were delivered via a prerecorded video at a recent internal seminar attended by approximately 2,000 executives from Samsung's various affiliates. The seminars are part of the company's broader effort to restore what it calls "Samsung's true identity."In the video, Lee bluntly states, "Samsung is facing a matter of survival." He urged executives to deeply reflect on the situation and prepare for difficult measures, even if it requires sacrificing short-term profits to secure the company's future.The warning comes at a critical time. Samsung's annual shareholders' meeting is set for March 19, and all eyes are on the company's strategy to address its growing challenges.Samsung has been grappling with declining market share and profits across multiple sectors including TVs, smartphones, and even DRAM. However, its biggest challenge appears to be in the semiconductor and AI chip markets, where the company is losing ground to rivals.Last year, reports surfaced that Samsung had shifted its executives to a grueling six-day workweek to "inject a sense of crisis" after recognizing its struggles in AI chips. However, the strategy does not seem to have delivered the intended results. // Related StoriesInvestors are growing restless as well and have demanded a clear roadmap from management on how Samsung plans to boost earnings, stabilize its stock price, and recover from what analysts have called an unprecedented crisis for its core businesses.The pressure on Lee is mounting, but he has reportedly been constrained by legal troubles for nearly a decade. He was acquitted earlier this year of stock-rigging and accounting fraud charges related to a controversial 2015 merger. However, prosecutors have since appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, prolonging his legal battles.For now, Lee appears to be making calculated moves ahead of the shareholders' meeting such as this latest warning. The Korea Herald, citing analysts, suggests that this is a strategic effort to project proactive leadership and move away from his previously more passive approach.Samsung's stock reacted positively to Lee's tough talk, climbing more than five percent on Monday.

Facepalm: Generative AI tools are able to perform the sorts of tasks that once seemed the stuff of sci-fi, but most of them still struggle with many basic skills, including reading analog clocks and calendars. A new study has found that overall, AI systems read clock faces correctly less than a quarter of the time. A team of researchers at Edinburgh University tested some top multimodal large language models to see how well they could answer questions based on images of clocks and calendars.The systems being tested were Google DeepMind's Gemini 2.0, Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Meta's Llama 3.2-11B-Vision-Instruct, Alibaba's Qwen2-VL7B-Instruct, ModelBest's MiniCPM-V-2.6, and OpenAI's GPT-4o and GPT-o1.Various types of clocks appeared in the images: some with Roman numerals, those with and without seconds hands, different colored dials, etc.The systems read the clocks correctly less than 25% of the time. They struggled more with clocks that used Roman numerals and stylized hands.The AI's performance didn't improve when the seconds hand was removed, leading researchers to suggest that the problem comes from detecting the clocks' hands and interpreting the angles on a clock face. // Related StoriesUsing 10 years of calendar images, the researchers asked questions such as what day of the week is New Year's Day? and What is the 153rd day of the year?Even the most successful AI models got the calendar questions wrong 20 percent of the time.The success rates varied based on the AI system being used. Gemini-2.0 was the highest scorer in the clock test, while GPT-01 was accurate 80% of the time on the calendar questions."Most people can tell the time and use calendars from an early age," said study lead Rohit Saxena, from Edinburgh University's School of Informatics. "Our findings highlight a significant gap in the ability of AI to carry out what are quite basic skills for people. These shortfalls must be addressed if AI systems are to be successfully integrated into time-sensitive, real-world applications, such as scheduling, automation and assistive technologies."Aryo Gema, another researcher from Edinburgh's School of Informatics, said, "AI research today often emphasises complex reasoning tasks, but ironically, many systems still struggle when it comes to simpler, everyday tasks."The findings are being reported in a peer-reviewed paper that will be presented at the Reasoning and Planning for Large Language Models workshop at The Thirteenth International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR) in Singapore on April 28. The findings are currently available on the preprint server arXiv.This isn't the first study this month showing AI systems still make plenty of mistakes. The Tow Center for Digital Journalism studied eight AI search engines and found that they are inaccurate 60 percent of the time. The worst culprit was Grok-3, which was 94 percent inaccurate.