This story was originally published in October 2024. In March 2025, 23andMe filed for bankruptcy and announced its plans to facilitate a sale process to maximize the value of its business.MIT Technology ReviewsHow Toseries helps you get things done.Things arent looking good for 23andMe. The consumer DNA testing company recently parted ways with all its board members but CEO Anne Wojcicki over her plans to take the company private. Its also still dealing with the fallout of a major security breach last October, which saw hackers access the personal data of around 5.5 million customers.23andMes business is built on taking saliva samples from its customers. The DNA from those samples is processed and analyzed in its labs to produce personalized genetic reports detailing a users unique health and ancestry. The uncertainty swirling around the companys future and potential new ownership has prompted privacy campaigners to urge users to delete their data.Its not just you. If anyone in your family gave their DNA to 23&Me, for all of your sakes, close your/their account now, Meredith Whittaker, president of the encrypted messaging platform Signal, posted on X after the boards resignation.Customers should consider current threats to their privacy as well as threats that may exist in the futuresome of which may be magnified if 23AndMe were sold to a new owner, says Jason Kelley, activism director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. 23AndMe has protections around this much of this. But a potential sale could put your data in the hands of a far less scrupulous company.A spokesperson for 23andMe said that the company has strong customer privacy protections in place, and does not share customer data with third parties without customers consent. Our research program is opt-in, requiring customers to go through a separate, informed consent process before joining, they say. We are committed to protecting customer data and are consistently focused on maintaining the privacy of our customers. That will not change.Why deleting your account comes with a caveatDeleting your data from 23andMe is permanent and cannot be reversed. But some of that data will be retained to comply with the companys legal obligations, according to its privacy statement.That means 23andMe and its third-party genotyping laboratory will hang onto some of your genetic information, plus your date of birth and sexalongside data linked to your account deletion request, including your email address and deletion request identifier. When MIT Technology Review asked 23andMe about the nature of the genetic information it retains, it referred us to its privacy policy but didnt provide any other details.Any information youve previously provided and consented to being used in 23andMe research projects also cannot be removed from ongoing or completed studies, although it will not be used in any future ones.Beyond the laboratories that process the saliva samples, the company does not share customer information with anyone else unless the user has given permission for it to do so, the spokesperson says, including employers, insurance companies, law enforcement agencies, or any public databases.We treat law enforcement inquiries, such as a valid subpoena or court order, with the utmost seriousness. We use all legal measures to resist any and all requests in order to protect our customers privacy, the spokesperson says. To date, we have successfully challenged these requests and have not released any information to law enforcement.For those who still want their data deleted, heres how you go about it.How to delete your data from 23andMeLog into your account and navigate to Settings.Under Settings, scroll to the section titled 23andMe data. Select View.You may be asked to enter your date of birth for extra security.In the next section, youll be asked which, if any, personal data youd like to download from the company (onto a personal, not public, computer). Once youre finished, scroll to the bottom and select Permanently delete data.You should then receive an email from 23andMe detailing its account deletion policy and requesting that you confirm your request. Once you confirm youd like your data to be deleted, the deletion will begin automatically and youll immediately lose access to your account.What about your genetic sample?When you set up your 23andMe account, youre given the option either to have your saliva sample securely destroyed or to have it stored for future testing. If youve previously opted to store your sample but now want to delete your 23andMe account, the company says, it will destroy the sample for you as part of the account deletion process.What if you want to keep your genetic data, just not on 23andMe?Even if you want your data taken off 23AndMe, there are reasons why you might still want to have it hosted on other DNA sitesfor genealogical research, for example. And some people like the idea of having their DNA results stored on more than one database in case something happens to any one company. This is where downloading your data comes into play. FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritage, GEDmatch, and Living DNA are among the DNA testing companies that allow you to upload existing DNA results from other companies, although Ancestry and 23andMe dont accept uploads.How to download your raw genetic dataNavigate directly to you.23andme.com/tools/data/.Click on your profile name on the top right-hand corner. Then select Resources from the menu.Select Browse raw genotyping data and then Download.Visit Account settings and click on View under 23andMe data.Enter your date of birth for security purposes.Tick the box indicating that you understand the limitations and risks associated with uploading your information to third-party sites and press Submit request.23andMe warns its users that uploading their data to other services could put genetic data privacy at risk. For example, bad actors could use someone elses DNA data to create fake genetic profiles. They could use these profiles to match with a relative and access personal identifying information and specific DNA variantssuch as information about any disease risk variants you might carry, the spokesperson says, adding: This is one reason why we dont support uploading DNA to 23andMe at this time.Update: This article has been updated to reflect that when asked about the nature of the genetic information it retains, 23andMe referred us to its privacy policy but didnt provide any other details.

A software developer has proven it is possible to run a modern LLM on old hardware like a 2005 PowerBook G4, albeit nowhere near the speeds expected by consumers.A PowerBook G4 running a TinyStories 110M Llama2 LLM inference Image credit: Andrew Rossignol/TheResistorNetworkMost artificial intelligence projects, such as the constant push for Apple Intelligence, leans on having a powerful enough device to handle queries locally. This has meant that newer computers and processors, such as the latest A-series chips in the iPhone 16 generation, tend to be used for AI applications, simply due to having enough performance for it to work.In a blog post published on Monday by The Resistor Network, Andrew Rossignol the brother of Joe Rossignol at MacRumors writes about his work getting a modern large language model (LLM) to run on older hardware. What was available to him was a 2005 PowerBook G4, equipped with a 1.5GHz processor, a gigabyte of memory, and architecture limitations such as a 32-bit address space. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Despite recent caution and reducing of budgets, Apple TV+ has reportedly spent tens of millions of dollars to be the studio to make the next project from the team behind "F1."Brad Pitt in a teaser image for 'F1'In a least a sign of confidence in how its blockbuster "F1" movie is going to be received, Apple TV+ has now beaten off competition from other studios to sign Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer's for an as-yet untitled UFO conspiracy thriller. The deal comes after it was reported that "F1" could be Apple's last major theatrical release, following low box office returns for many of its movies.According to The Hollywood Reporter, Apple has confirmed that it has signed the pair, but not disclosed any details of the project or contract. Other sources, however, report that the deal was worth a quoted dozens of millions of dollars. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The Greater Bay Area Sports Centre in Guangzhous Nansha District is entering its final stages of construction, with completion scheduled for June 2025 ahead of the China National Games in November. The scheme was designed by Zaha Hadid Architects in collaboration with the Guangdong Architectural Design & Research Institute.Image credit: CRLandImage credit: CRLandSet within a 70-hectare riverside park at the southern end of Guangzhou, the sports center will anchor a new civic, business, and residential district within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, which is projected to reach a population of 100 million by 2030. The parkland has also been designed as part of the districts flood protection strategy, incorporating wetlands to manage extreme sea-level changes.Image credit: CRLandImage credit: CRLandThe complex includes a 60,000-seat stadium, a 20,000-seat indoor arena, and a 4,000-seat aquatics center with a 50-metre swimming pool and diving well. The facilities wil...

The American Institute of Architects has published a letter to the General Services Administration cautioning against the mandating of preferred architectural styles for federal buildings. The letter, signed by AIA Interim Executive Vice President and CEO Stephen Ayers and addressed to GSA Acting Secretary Stephen Ehikian, comes in response to President Trumps recent memo on Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture.AIA remains steadfast in our support for design freedom, community engagement, and the continued adherence to the Design Excellence Program and the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, which have successfully shaped our federal building landscape for over six decades without federal mandates, the letter reads. These principles ensure that federal buildings remain functional, sustainable, and reflective of contemporary needs while respecting historical and regional contexts.While acknowledging the directives emphasis on ensuring federal public buil...

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work by uploading projects to Architizerand sign up for ourinspirational newsletters.The Sagrada Famlia remains a major tourist attraction even though its still under construction. Its work in progress nature is precisely one of its most distinctive and appealing aspects, drawing visitors worldwide who are eager to witness its ongoing evolution. In 2024, the Sagrada Famlia achieved a record 4,833,658 visitors, the highest number to date.Although the basilica is unfinished, it has been recognized for its architectural and cultural significance. In 2005, UNESCO designated the Nativity faade and the Crypt, parts completed by Gaud before he died in 1926, as World Heritage sites.Over time, construction has faced numerous challenges, including the devastation of Gauds workshop during the Spanish Civil War, political and economic instability, and, more recently, delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges, advancements in modern technology have accelerated construction in recent decades, making the 2026 completion goal attainable.Aerial view of the Sagrada Famlia. Barcelona, Spain. | Photo by Archie McNicol via Pexels.1. After over 140 years of construction, the Sagrada Famlia remains unfinished. Its complex design and reliance on private donations contribute to the extended timeline. It is expected to be completed in 2026, marking 100 years since Gauds death.2. During the Spanish Civil War (19361939), anarchist militias set fire to Gauds workshop, destroying original drawings, models and design plans, making it difficult for future architects to interpret and continue his vision. After the war, architects had to painstakingly reconstruct Gauds designs using surviving photographs, sketches and model fragments, striving to remain faithful to Gauds vision while interpreting missing details.3. Antoni Gaud initially used siliceous sandstone from Barcelonas Montjuc hill for the Sagrada Famlia. However, as the quarries quickly became depleted, alternative sources became necessary. Nowadays, stone is sourced from other Spanish regions, such as Galicia and Cantabria, and from other countries, including England, Scotland and France.Left: Angels Nativity Facade Sagrada Famlia Barcelona 2014, Photo by Jos Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro via Wikipedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 | Right: Passion Faade (Sagrada Familia West Facade 4) by Wiki ktulu via Wikipedia Commons, CC BY 3.04. The Sagrada Famlias Nativity and Passion faades, depicting different aspects of Christs life, present a striking contrast in style.The Nativity Faade was designed mainly by Gaud. It is heavily decorated and highly organic, celebrating Christs birth. Its elaborate carvings feature natural motifs, including plants, animals, and flowing forms, symbolizing life and creation.In contrast, the Passion Faade, designed by sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs, features a stark, skeletal design symbolizing Christs suffering and crucifixion.5. Gauds design for the Sagrada Famlia embodies his belief that nature is the ultimate inspiration, integrating organic structure and ornamentation. For instance, the basilicas interior columns branch out like trees to support the vaulted ceiling, evoking a forest canopy. Also, visitors can discover intricately carved plants and animals, including turtles at the base of columns, eagles, lions and other natural motifs throughout the building.Sagrada Famlias arboriform columns. Barcelona, Spain. | Photo via PxHere.6. Gaud engineered a self-supporting structure using hyperboloid and paraboloid columns. This technique eliminated the need for traditional buttresses. Today, the basilicas construction continues to honor his vision by blending traditional craftsmanship with modern technologies like prefabrication, prestressed stone panels and parametric design tools.7. Traditional techniques remain central to the Sagrada Famlias construction. Skilled stonemasons hand-carve sculptures, timbrel Catalan vaulting enhances structural integrity and trencads mosaic decorates surfaces. These techniques complement modern technologies (beginning with aeronautic softwares in the early 1990s and later embracing parametric design) balancing tradition with innovation to preserve authenticity while accelerating construction.8. When completed, the basilica will have 18 towers, representing the 12 apostles, 4 evangelists, the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.Twelve Apostles towers: These towers range from 98.5 to 120 meters (approximately 323.16 to 393.70 feet) in height. They are positioned in groups of four on each of the three faades: Nativity, Passion, and Glory (main faade).Four Evangelist Towers: They stand at 135 meters (approximately 443 feet) tall, making them the third tallest structures within the basilica. These towers encircle the central Jesus Christ tower. Dedicated to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, each tower is crowned with a tetramorph: a man (Matthew), a lion (Mark), an ox (Luke), and an eagle (John). Virgin Mary Tower: This tower, standing at 138 meters (approximately 452.76 feet), is topped with a twelve-pointed star, symbolizing the morning star.Jesus Christ Central Tower: Upon completion, this will be the tallest of all, reaching 172.5 meters ( approximately 565.94 feet), surpassing the current tallest church, Ulm Minster in Germany, which stands at 161.5 meters (530 feet). It will be surmounted by a four-armed cross, designed to serve as a viewing platform, offering panoramic views of Barcelona.Renovation of two cloisters in the Sagrada Famlia Basilica by COMA Arquitectura. Barcelona, Spain. Interior view (top); floor plan and section (bottom) | Photo by Fundaci Junta Constructora del Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia.9. Some temporary spaces have been designed to accommodate the large influx of tourists, even though they were not part of the original plans. Once the construction is completed, these areas will revert to their original uses. For instance, Gaud originally designed two cloisters as ambulatory spaces connecting the Nativity Faade and the Passion Faade to the sacristies at the corners of the basilica. These cloisters were intended to serve as meditative pathways, providing circulation and acoustic separation from the city. However, they have been repurposed as multi-purpose spaces for visitor services and other temporary functions during construction.10. A controversial aspect of the Sagrada Famlias original design is its grand plaza, intended to provide a monumental approach to the basilica. However, when Gaud developed this scheme in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Barcelona was not as densely built as it is today.Numerous residential and commercial buildings occupy the site originally intended for the grand plaza leading to the Sagrada Famlias main entrance. Implementing Gauds vision would require demolishing several properties, which has sparked significant opposition from residents. Moreover, the plaza would need to be constructed above Mallorca Street, a major traffic thoroughfare, further complicating the project.Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work by uploading projects to Architizerand sign up for ourinspirational newsletters.Top image via PEXELS.The post 10 Facts About Barcelonas Soon-To-Be-Completed Sagrada Famlia appeared first on Journal.

With Assassins Creed Shadows having recently come out to quite a bit of success, Ubisoft has taken to the franchises subreddit to thank fans for supporting the latest title. In the statement, the development team also mention that there would be more to come for Assassins Creed Shadows.In the message posted by the official Ubisoft Assassins Creed Reddit account, the developers talk about being moved by another post on the subreddit that was aimed at thanking the studio for developing the game.Seeing your excitement, your thoughtful reactions, and your joy has meant the world to us, wrote the dev team. After years of hard work, theres nothing more rewarding than watching the community connect with what weve created.The team also said in its message that, while it doesnt often respond to individual posts, the studio is reading posts and is constantly taking its players into consideration during development. This includes feedback, as well as players celebrating the games in the franchise, and even players coming up with their own theories about where the overall story is going.While we dont reply directly, please know were listening, reads the post. The entire Dev Team has been reading your posts the celebrations, the feedback, the theories and its been inspiring. It fuels us. And it helps us keep improving.Thank you for being part of this journey with us. This is just the beginning for Shadows, and were thrilled to see the game evolve with you by our side.Assassins Creed Shadows was released on March 20 across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Since its release, the game quickly got more than a million players in its first day alone. Just a couple of days later, Ubisoft had confirmed that 2 million players had played Assassins Creed Shadows. It is worth noting that, since the company didnt reveal sales figures, these numbers likely take into account the ability to play the title through Ubisofts own subscription service.More recently, with weekly sales figures coming out for various regions, Assassins Creed Shadows managed to top the UK market in terms of physical copies sold. According to the report, while it didnt hit the same numbers as Assassins Creed Valhalla, Shadows was able to beat other major Ubisoft titles like Star Wars Outlaws, and is said to be comfortably ahead of Monster Hunter Wilds in terms of sales.On PC, Assassins Creed Shadows recently hit another milestone. The concurrent player count on Steam peaked at more than 41,000 players on launch, putting it ahead of every other title in the franchise aside from Assassins Creed Odyssey. Since then, Shadows has overtaken the concurrent player counts for Odyssey, and at the time of writing, is sitting at an all-time peak of more than 64,000 concurrent players.For more details on Assassins Creed Shadows, check out our review, where we gave the title a score of 9 out of 10. We praised the game for its great protagonists, wonderful rendition of its time period, and the open world feeling dynamic and alive thanks to how it makes use of seasons. On the flip side, we also criticised the games clumsy writing and technical issues.

Remedy Entertainment has offered several new details for FBC: Firebreak, its upcoming co-op shooter set in the Control universe. And if the lack of FOMO elements wasnt appealing enough, the developer also confirmed cross-platform play on day one in a recent preview event attended by MP1st.Unfortunately, cross-progression wont be available out of the box, though it could arrive later. Not at launch. Maybe way down the line. Its a maybe, said community manager Julian Fondum.A lot of things were doing on the back end is definitely built in the way that we can do a bunch of things down the line when we have more resources and so on. So, were really, really trying to build a very good foundation for the future, but no. Currently, theres not going to be cross-progression.Online matchmaking is also confirmed, allowing random players to match together (and hopefully not grief each other). Cross-play will also include a friend code-like system.FBC: Firebreak launches this Summer for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC with Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium subscribers able to play on day one. As members of the Federal Bureau of Controls first responders unit (named, surprise, Firebreak), players take on Jobs to clear out The Oldest House.You can choose from one of three Crisis Kits with different perks and Altered Augments. Each Job also has Threat and Clearance Levels to decide the difficulty and length, with rewards scaling accordingly.

Monday, March 24th, 2025Posted by Jim ThackerCheck out new open-source 3D character generator CharMorphhtml PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"The title character from Blender open movie Sintel reworked using open-source 3D character generator CharMorph by artist Sean Buckley.The Blender Character Project has released CharMorph 0.4, the first major release of its open-source 3D character creation system for Blender.Described as a spiritual successor to MB-Lab, it generates custom rigged 3D characters, complete with hair and clothing, for use in animations, motion graphics, VFX or games.The developers say that their aim is to provide high-quality, parameterized character models that not only rival closed-source solutions but exceed them in quality.A spiritual successor to earlier open-source 3D character creatorsCharMorph is a successor to previous open-source Blender character generator MB-Lab itself a community fork of the popular Manuel Bastioni Lab. Both have now been discontinued: Manuel Bastioni Lab in 2018, and MB-Lab last year, with development work moving on to CharMorph following the release of MB-Lab 1.8.1.According to the development team, CharMorph reimplements most of MB-Labs features, and uses the same base meshes and character morphs, but does not contain any of MB-Labs code.Generates custom rigged 3D characters for use in animation, VFX or games projectsCharMorph makes it possible to create custom 3D characters by starting with one of the base 3D characters included with the software and applying morphs to modify it.The morphs have to be baked destructively before the character is rigged, although it is possible to export them in advance, making it possible to keep iterating on a character design.It is also possible to use CharMorph to modify an existing imported 3D character, including those with different topology.Exported characters can be rendered with Eevee, Blenders real-time renderer, or Cycles, its main production renderer: you can find more details in the online documentation.Although CharMorph is inspired by earlier Blender character creator MB-Lab, it has a number of new features, including the option to set the color of a characters eyes or skin directly.Comes with readymade base characters that can be used in commercial projectsAlthough it lacks some of the features from MB-Lab, such as auto-modeling, CharMorph has a number of advantages over its predecessor, listed on the projects GitHub page.Key benefits include support for Rigify, Blenders modular character rig creation system, including for facial rigs, and real-time fitting of clothing.It is also possible to set skin and eye color directly, and displacement is done at material level rather than using the Displace modifier, making it possible to preview the effect in Eevee.But perhaps most significantly, it is possible to use characters generated with CharMorph in any kind of commercial work, including closed-source games.Whereas the base character from MB-Lab is licensed under an AGPL license, CharMorph has three alternative base characters with Creative Commons licenses: either CC-BY attribution licenses, or in the case of the Vitruvian character added in the latest update, a full CC0 license.In a story on BlenderNation, the developers comment that they aim to provide character models that can compete with those from closed-source solutions like Character Creator or Daz Studio, achieving the level of quality seen in blockbuster movies and next-gen video games.Plans to support non-humanoid characters in future releasesAs well as the Vitruvian character, CharMorph 0.4 features a number of other improvements, including the option to download characters or update the add-on directly within Blender.The development team says that it now plans to extend the software beyond humanoid characters, making it possible to create animals and other creatures.License and system requirementsCharMorph is compatible with Blender 4.4. Its a free download.The software is open-source: the source code is available under a GPLv3 license. The individual base characters are available under a range of licenses: the new Vitruvian character is CC0.Visit the CharMorph websiteRead the online documentation for CharMorphDownload CharMorph from GitHubHave your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we dont post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.Latest NewsZen Masters releases Zen UV 5.0Check out the new features in the free update to the popular Blender UV editing toolset for games and visual effects work.Tuesday, March 25th, 2025Peregrine Labs ships Yeti 5.2Check out the latest features in the popular Maya fur and feathers plugin, including new nodes for resolving intersections.Monday, March 24th, 2025Check out new open-source 3D character generator CharMorphPromising free Blender add-on generates rigged 3D characters with skin materials and hair, suitable for games, animation or VFX work.Monday, March 24th, 2025Polygonflow releases new free version of DashUse the powerful Content Browser from the Unreal Engine 5 world-building tool free indefinitely. Comes with thousands of free 3D assets.Sunday, March 23rd, 2025Unity unveils its 2025 product roadmapFeatures due in Unity this year include in-editor LOD generation, swappable physics backends, and more generative AI tools.Thursday, March 20th, 2025Unity previews Unity 6.1Check out the key artist features in the next version of the game engine, including support for Variable Rate Shading and better DX12 ray tracing.Thursday, March 20th, 2025More NewsCharacter Creator to get new MetaTailor pluginNVIDIA unveils Blackwell RTX PRO GPUs with up to 96GB VRAM5 key features in Blender 4.4Sketchsoft releases Feather 1.1GIMP 3.0 is out after seven years in developmentAdobe releases Substance 3D Modeler 1.21Adobe releases Substance 3D Painter 11.0Free tool: Lens Cap for BlenderCelsys releases Clip Studio Paint 4Assetify 2.1 converts Blender assets to game-ready formatsTutorial: Creature Combat Animation in MayaWonder Studio becomes Autodesk Flow StudioOlder Posts

German games market drops 6% to 9.4bn in 2024Console sales dropped by 26% to 807 million, but revenues still above those recorded in 2022 News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on March 25, 2025 The German games market decreased by 6% year-on-year to 9.4 billion in 2024, with sales of premium games dropping 17% to 921 million compared to revenues of 1.1 million the previous year.This is according to market figures from the German Games Industry Association (Game), based on data compiled by YouGov Shopper, Nielsen IQ, and Data.ai.Overall, games sales (including premium games, in-game and in-app purchases) was down 6% to 5.5 million.In-game and in-app purchases saw a slight decrease of 3% to 4.6 million, with Game noting that this market segment is an "important source of revenue" for games companies as it helps "offset the economic risk" in response to increased development costs.Looking at hardware, revenues decreased 10% to 2.9 million in 2024. But it was consoles that saw the steepest drop, with a YoY decrease of 26% to 807 million last year.However, Game highlighted that 2023 was an outlier in terms of console sales as models that "weren't consistently available" to consumers in years prior resulted in a "catch-up effect". It noted that revenues in 2024 were still above those recorded in 2022.As for online gaming services, this segment increased by 12% to 965 million in 2024 compared to 860 million the previous year."After years of frequent strong growth, the German games market took a breather in 2024," said Game managing director Felix Falk. "This was due in part to the fact there were fewer game hits last year and that the demand for game consoles has normalised again.""The greatest growth is seen in online game services like cloud gaming which underscores the perpetual dynamics and innovative strength of the games industry. In combination with new game consoles and blockbuster titles that have already been announced, this promises renewed overall growth in the near future."