Quantum computing in finance: Key use cases The financial services industry could soon use quantum for portfolio management, fraud detection and other complex processes. But... Trump aims to consolidate federal IT contracts Moving billions of dollars' worth of contracts into the General Services Administration could create workload challenges as the ... U.S. levies tariffs in onshoring bid, hiking tech costs Newly implemented tariffs mean businesses will face added costs and trade complexities as the Trump administration pushes for ... Ransomware payments: Considerations before paying To pay or not to pay -- that's the question after a ransomware attack. Law enforcement recommends against it, but that doesn't ... Explaining AI's impact on ransomware attacks and security Experts say AI and LLMs will make ransomware attacks more dangerous, but those same tools could be turned against criminals by ... RSAC Unveils Keynote Speaker Slate for RSAC (TM) 2025 Conference RSAC, the company behind the world's largest and most influential cybersecurity conference, today announced its current lineup of... Palo Alto Networks pushes platformization, AI for security At Ignite in New York, the vendor laid out plans to use AI and platformization to consolidate cybersecurity tools and data to ... How to set up a VLAN for enterprise networks Network administrators configure VLANs to enhance network security and performance. Learn how to set up a VLAN, from ... How multi-cloud networking can ensure reliability Networking services enhance multi-cloud network reliability by reducing configuration errors, adding redundancy and ensuring ... The state of quantum computing: What businesses need to know Quantum computing's potential and steady advancement make the technology worth investigating, but adopters still need to deal ... Broadcom VMware hardens vDefend, drops Tanzu branding in VCF The VMware Cloud Foundation private cloud platform sheds the Tanzu branding for Kubernetes and adds new capabilities to vDefend, ... Dell VxRail vs. Nutanix NX: HCI heavyweights square off Compare Dell VxRail and Nutanix NX, leading hyperconverged infrastructure platforms, to understand their strengths and ideal ...

The new Escape From Tarkov patch has made a lot of changes related to Arena, including the addition of weapon skins for the first time.

In echoes of Minority Report, the British government is working on a “murder prediction” tool aimed at identifying individuals who are most likely to become killers, the Guardian reported this week. The project — originally called the “homicide prediction project” but since renamed as “sharing data to improve risk assessment” — is being run by the U.K.’s Ministry of Justice and uses algorithms and personal data, including from the Probation Service, to make its calculations.  Recommended Videos The government said that the project is currently for research purposes only, and will  “help us better understand the risk of people on probation going on to commit serious violence.” The work was launched under the previous Conservative administration and is continuing under the Labour government, which took office last year.  Civil liberty campagin group Statewatch discovered the project’s existence through a Freedom of Information request. Sofia Lyall, a researcher for Statewatch said, “The Ministry of Justice’s attempt to build this murder prediction system is the latest chilling and dystopian example of the government’s intent to develop so-called crime ‘prediction’ systems.” She said that the tool will “reinforce and magnify the structural discrimination underpinning the criminal legal system,” adding: “Time and again, research shows that algorithmic systems for ‘predicting’ crime are inherently flawed. Yet the government is pushing ahead with AI systems that will profile people as criminals before they’ve done anything.” Lyall called on the government to “immediately halt further development of this murder prediction tool.” The concept of using algorithms to predict potential killers is prominently featured in Philip K. Dick’s 1956 novella Minority Report, later adapted into the hit 2002 movie starring Tom Cruise. In this fictional universe, so-called “PreCrime” officers use psychic mutants (“precogs”) to arrest individuals before they commit murders, representing an early exploration of predictive policing. However, in this case, the story employs precognition rather than traditional algorithms. Back in the real world, predictive policing is known to be used by a number of police departments in the U.S., though its adoption faces growing scrutiny and regulatory challenges. Editors’ Recommendations A literal minority report: Examining the algorithmic bias of predictive policing

a new start Back to basics: Microsoft tests overhauled Start menu in Windows 11 beta builds Redesigned Start menu would give users more control over what apps they see. Andrew Cunningham – Apr 8, 2025 11:22 am | 62 Credit: Microsoft Credit: Microsoft Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Windows 11 has become so synonymous with Microsoft's push into generative AI that it's easy to forget that it originally launched as a mostly cosmetic overhaul of Windows 10. But Microsoft continues to work on fundamental elements of the operating system's design. Case in point, Windows tester phantomofearth enabled an overhauled version of the Start menu from a recent Windows 11 beta build, the menu's first substantial rethink since Windows 11 launched a little over three years ago (via The Verge). The new, larger Start menu displays up to two rows of eight pinned apps—you can't see more than two rows by default, but you can expand this section to show more apps—and then shows the scrollable list of apps installed on your PC. This list is hidden behind an "All" button on the current Start menu. These apps can be displayed as a vertically scrollable list, in a horizontal grid, or sorted by category (which does appear to be the most space-efficient display option). A redesigned Windows 11 Start menu available in current beta builds. Note that the Recommended section can be hidden and that the rows of pinned apps are wider. User phantomofearth on Bluesky A redesigned Windows 11 Start menu available in current beta builds. Note that the Recommended section can be hidden and that the rows of pinned apps are wider. User phantomofearth on Bluesky Viewing all your installed apps by category rather than alphabetically appears to be your most space-efficient option. User phantomofearth on Bluesky Viewing all your installed apps by category rather than alphabetically appears to be your most space-efficient option. User phantomofearth on Bluesky A redesigned Windows 11 Start menu available in current beta builds. Note that the Recommended section can be hidden and that the rows of pinned apps are wider. User phantomofearth on Bluesky Viewing all your installed apps by category rather than alphabetically appears to be your most space-efficient option. User phantomofearth on Bluesky Perhaps most interestingly for people who are tired of Windows' constant reminders and recommendations, the new Start menu looks like it lets you turn that "Recommended" section off entirely, replacing it with a full list of all apps installed on your PC. I find the Recommended area inoffensive when it sticks to showing me recently installed apps or opened files, but recent Windows 11 builds have also used it to advertise apps from the Microsoft Store. Microsoft continues to tweak the Windows 11 UI in other ways as well. A beta build released to Windows Insider testers earlier this month enables "taskbar icon scaling," which can shrink your taskbar icons to a smaller size to make more of them if you have enough apps pinned or opened at the same time (currently, the taskbar reclaims space first by shrinking the size of the search box and widget areas and then by tucking extra icons behind an ellipsis icon in an overflow area). Users can also choose to preserve the current taskbar behavior or use smaller icons all the time to gain some extra space. The current version of the Start menu in public builds of Windows 11 24H2. Credit: Andrew Cunningham The taskbar changes are likely to come to the standard public version of Windows 11 sooner rather than later, since Microsoft is testing them in its Windows Insider Beta channel—that's the second-most-stable channel for new Windows 11 builds, in between the near-final Release Preview channel and the experimental Dev channel. The Start menu changes could be officially announced in a future Windows 11 preview build, or they could never actually be enabled at all. These hidden Windows 11 changes often end up rolling out to the public—things like the Windows version of the Sudo command were initially discovered this way—but Microsoft occasionally tests things internally that don't end up becoming part of the public version of Windows in the end. Andrew Cunningham Senior Technology Reporter Andrew Cunningham Senior Technology Reporter Andrew is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, with a focus on consumer tech including computer hardware and in-depth reviews of operating systems like Windows and macOS. Andrew lives in Philadelphia and co-hosts a weekly book podcast called Overdue. 62 Comments

AP Photo/Bill Sikes 2025-04-09T08:45:02Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Selling a property for profit typically results in paying capital gains tax. But there are ways to defer or avoid capital gains tax altogether. If you own property, look into 1031 exchanges and the Section 121 exclusion. If you sell a property for more than you purchased it for, you'll typically owe capital gains tax on the profit.The amount depends on factors like how long you owned the property and your taxable income, but it could be as high as 37% if you sell within a year and trigger short-term capital gains.You could also avoid capital gains tax completely. CPA Kristel Espinosa highlighted two IRS rules that all property owners looking to reduce their tax bill should familiarize themselves with.1. Defer taxes indefinitely with a 1031 exchangeA 1031 exchange — sometimes called a "like-kind" exchange — allows investors to avoid capital gains tax if they swap one investment property for another one of equal or higher value. This rule is specifically for investment properties, not for primary residences or vacation homes."It's a way to defer capital gains by reinvesting the proceeds into a like-kind property," said Espinosa, noting that this strategy is best for investors who plan to buy and hold real estate for the long term."It's not meant for people who just want to purchase real estate, flip it real quick, and then get another one. The whole point is getting the gain to be deferred into the future, so if you're constantly buying and selling and flipping properties, this 1031 game doesn't work."You'll pay capital gains tax when you sell for good — there's no limit to the number of 1031 exchanges you do — but you can theoretically avoid capital gains tax indefinitely if you continue re-investing in like-kind rentals.Espinosa said her clients use this strategy to diversify their portfolio or upgrade to a property with better cash flow.There's a strict time limit on 1031 exchanges: You must identify your replacement property (or properties) in writing within 45 days of selling the first property. Then you must close on the replacement property within 180 days of your initial property sale.Investor Zeona McIntyre told BI how she used a 1031 exchange to upgrade from a small, short-term rental property in St. Louis to a multifamily in Florida that produced stronger cash flow. Zeona McIntyre is a real-estate investor and the author of "30-Day Stay." Courtesy of Zeona McIntyre "A 1031 exchange allows you to defer your tax burden; a lot of people think, 'Oh, I don't pay any taxes,' but you're technically kicking the can down the road," McIntyre said. "The cool thing, though, is that you can do unlimited 1031 exchanges and infinitely kick it down the road. And then when you pass away, if you pass that on to someone else, like your children or a family member, the inherited home does not have the tax burden anymore. So it dies with you."Another investor spoke to BI about his attempted 1031 exchange that ultimately failed because of the tight 180-day timeline."In my opinion, that's not enough time. I felt like I was rushed," said Steve Lewis, who owns properties in New Jersey and ended up walking away from the exchange and paying capital gains tax on the sale.His major takeaway was that 180 days go by faster than you may think. While his failed 1031 experience may be "rare," he said, "there are so many things that could delay a closing." If you plan to do an exchange, his advice is to plan ahead as much as you possibly can for the next property purchase. 2. Exclude up to $500,000 of the gain of a home sale with the 121 exclusionIf you're a homeowner looking to sell, you may benefit from the Section 121 Exclusion, an IRS rule that lets taxpayers exclude up to $250,000 of the gain from the sale. A couple filing jointly can exclude up to $500,000. If you're an individual and sell your home for a gain of $200,000, for example, you won't have to pay capital gains tax on that amount.There are a few stipulations: You must use the home as your primary residence for at least two of the five years preceding the sale. If you're selling a vacation home, for example, you can't use the exclusion. You can also only use the exclusion every two years.This rule won't be applicable to new homeowners, said Espinosa, but it's a good option for people who have been in their primary residence for years and are looking to sell — and even applies to people who have turned their primary residence into a rental, as long as they satisfy the two-out-of-five-year rule. The two years don't have to be consecutive.If your home profits more than $250,000 as an individual or $500,000 as a couple, you'll pay capital gains tax on the amount that exceeds the limit. Financially independent couple Carl and Mindy Jensen built wealth doing live-in flips. Carl and Mindy Jensen One couple explained to BI how they used the exclusion to avoid capital gains tax on each of their property sales. For years, Carl and Mindy Jensen did "live-in flips," in which they would live in a property while renovating it. They made sure to live in the property for at least two years to capitalize on the tax rule — at that point, they'd sell, avoid capital gains tax, and start their next live-in flip.They used the exclusion for the first time in the early 2000s when they bought a home for $135,000, upgraded the carpet, walls, and bathrooms, and sold it for $235,000."Because we lived in it and owned it for two of the past five years, we paid no taxes on the capital gains," said Mindy. While their gains were around $100,000, they could have excluded up to $500,000 since they were both on the title."And then we did it again," she said. "We bought another house for $265,00 and sold it for $365,000, so we made another 100,000."Thanks to the IRS rule, that $100,000 was also shielded from taxes. Recommended video

In a video game year dominated by dark, bloody fantasy adventures – and continued job losses and studio closures – it was a cute robot that stole the night at the 2025 Bafta video game awards. Sony’s family-friendly platformer Astro Bot won in five categories at yesterday evening’s ceremony, including best game and game design.The rest of the awards were evenly spread across a range of Triple A and independent titles. Oil rig thriller Still Wakes the Deep was the next biggest winner with three awards: new intellectual property, performer in a leading role and performer in a supporting role. Clearly actors looking for Bafta-winning roles need look no further than the North Sea. The only other multiple winner was online shooter Helldivers 2, which won in multiplayer and music. The night’s most nominated title, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, was victorious in just the one category: technical achievement.Still from Still Wakes the Deep. Photograph: Secret ModeElsewhere, the British game award was taken by perhaps the most British game ever made, the Yorkshire-based adventure Thank Goodness You’re Here. Smash-hit card puzzler Balatro may have won only a single award – debut game – but it was surely also victorious in the non-existent best acceptance speech of the night category, thanks to actor Ben Starr’s appearance in full jester make-up and three-pronged hat.There were a couple of surprise triumphs. Hardcore role-playing adventure Metaphor: ReFantazio won in the highly competitive narrative category, while sumptuous side-scrolling platformer Neva claimed artistic achievement and Vampire Survivors swooped in for Evolving game. The game beyond entertainment award went to Tales of Kenzera: Zau, a magical adventure inspired by the death of creative lead Abubakar Salim’s father and based on Bantu mythologies.Finally, the Bafta fellowship was awarded to legendary soundtrack composer Yoko Shimomura, who has scored games such as Street Fighter II, Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XV. “Music has always been there with me, when things were sad or when I was filled with anger, shifting my mood from negative to positive,” she said in her acceptance speech. “I’ve sometimes felt I have no talent for music, when I’ve been unable to write or play in the way I wanted. But now I am working in my dream job, writing music for the games I love.”The full list of Bafta games awards winnersAnimation Astro BotArtistic achievement NevaAudio achievement Astro BotBest game Astro BotBritish game Thank Goodness You’re HereDebut game BalatroEvolving game Vampire SurvivorsFamily Astro BotGame beyond entertainment Tales of Kenzera: Zauskip past newsletter promotionSign up to Pushing ButtonsFree weekly newsletterKeza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gamingPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionGame design Astro BotMultiplayer Helldivers 2Music Helldivers 2Narrative Metaphor: ReFantazioNew intellectual property Still Wakes the DeepPerformer in a leading role Alec Newman, Caz McLeary in Still Wakes the DeepPerformer in a supporting role Karen Dunbar, Finlay in Still Wakes the DeepTechnical achievement Senua’s Saga: Hellblade IIBafta fellowship Yoko Shimomura

Rooted in Tradition, Nature, and Community: Wellness and Healing Spaces from the North to the South AfricaPresented by:Save this picture!© Sergey PesterevWellness and healing spaces are shaped by cultural traditions, geographical contexts, and social structures. Across the world, certain practices have been deeply rooted for centuries, like Roman baths, Turkish hammams, and Japanese onsens, while others evolve by drawing inspiration from rituals or redefining their own concept and image of a healing environment. Europe, North America, and Oceania are characterized by a focus on personal journeys, self-care, and often luxurious wellness spaces. Asia shapes the prevailing global perception of wellness through meditation-based healing, inner reflection, and holistic retreats. In Africa, wellness is deeply rooted in ancestral traditions, integrated with nature, and centered around community and social interaction. The commonality worldwide lies in sensory engagement, relaxation, and holistic healing, often tied to nature. But what does wellness look like in Africa? What are the healing spaces that shape it, and what architectural languages define wellness from north to south?Warka Village / Warka Water + Arturo Vittori Save this picture!African healing spaces are designed for social interaction. This cultural foundation extends into the built environment, fostering collective experiences. The Warka Village in Cameroon embodies this philosophy, with a design and structure rooted in community-based living. Centralized communal areas and larger pavilions create spaces for gathering, sharing, and collective rituals. Here, people come together to share meals, hold meetings, and engage in daily life together. The physical spaces encourage interaction through communal water use, intergenerational living, and shared rituals. Additionally, nature integration plays a key role - there are no artificial borders, and every element of the architecture, layout, and materials aligns with natural and biophilic principles. The design embraces organic, flowing forms that mimic natural patterns in plants and animals, while maximizing natural airflow and sunlight for comfort and sustainability. The Warka Tower not only harvests water from the air but also embodies the role of water as a healing element in wellness. Related Article Designing in Harmony with Nature: Architecture in Urban Wetlands and the Pursuit of Territorial Well-Being Kamwokya Community Center / Kéré ArchitectureSave this picture!Warka Village thrives in a rural context, fostering a self-sustaining environment, whereas the Kamwokya Community Center in Uganda offers an urban counterpart. Designed by Diébédo Francis Kéré, it fosters collective well-being through social interaction, participatory and nature-inspired design. Its open, communal spaces encourage collaboration and engagement, fostering a strong sense of community ownership within Uganda's dense urban fabric. The center serves as a community hub, offering educational, recreational, and social spaces. The design utilizes local, sustainable materials, like earth, clay, and timber, to ensure harmony with the natural environment, while passive cooling and natural ventilation enhance sustainability in the urban setting.Dar HI / MATALI CRASSETSave this picture!Nestled in the desert landscape of Tunisia, Dar HI reinterprets North African wellness traditions through a blend of modern design and ancient rituals. Drawing inspiration from traditional hammams and mud baths, the retreat is deeply rooted in the ritual of cleansing, both physical and spiritual, while fostering social connection. The space encourages guests to engage in time-honored purification practices, emphasizing the communal aspect of wellness that has long defined North African healing culture. Designed by Matali Crasset, Dar HI integrates geothermal heating, earth-toned materials, and open courtyards to create a multisensory wellness experience. The architecture embraces the natural elements, allowing the desert air and sunlight to shape the atmosphere. Clay walls, warm ochre hues, and intimate gathering spaces evoke a sense of grounding, while the use of renewable energy enhances the connection between biophilic design and well-being. Maternity Waiting Village / MASS Design GroupSave this picture!In Malawi, where expectant mothers from remote areas often face challenges in accessing healthcare, the Kasungu Maternity Waiting Village provides a vital, wellness-oriented space for maternal care. Inspired by the tradition of maternity waiting homes, the village offers a safe and supportive environment where pregnant women can stay before giving birth, ensuring they are close to medical assistance when needed. More than just a medical facility, the design prioritizes well-being, fostering a sense of community and emotional support through shared experiences. Built using locally sourced bricks and designed with natural ventilation, the village creates a calm, healing atmosphere. The layout is centered around communal courtyards, encouraging social interaction among women who share similar experiences and challenges. These gathering spaces not only provide comfort but also reinforce cultural traditions of care and collective strength. By weaving together architecture, health, and social connection, the MASS Design Group has created a model for maternal wellness that is both deeply rooted in local traditions and forward-thinking in its approach to care.Langbos Children's Centre / Jason Erlank ArchitectsSave this picture!Across Africa, wellness is not an individual pursuit but a collective experience, deeply intertwined with ancestral traditions, nature, and social connection. From the communal cleansing rituals of Dar HI in Tunisia to the maternity-centered care of Kasungu Maternity Waiting Village in Malawi, healing spaces redefine well-being through local materials, passive design strategies, and cultural practices. Warka Village in Cameroon fosters self-sufficiency in a rural setting, while the Kamwokya Community Center in Uganda transforms urban wellness through participatory-driven design. Whether in villages or dense cityscapes, these spaces reinforce a holistic approach, where architecture is not just a frame for well-being but actively nurtures and reinforces it. In a world increasingly drawn to commercialized wellness, Africa's healing spaces offer an alternative: a return to rituals, a reconnection with nature, and a reaffirmation of community as the foundation of well-being.Save this picture!This article is part of an ArchDaily curated series that focuses on built projects from our own database grouped under specific themes related to cities, typologies, materials, or programs. Every month, we will highlight a collection of structures that find a common thread between previously uncommon contexts, unpacking the depths of influence on our built environments. As always, at ArchDaily, we highly appreciate the input of our readers. If you think we should mention specific ideas, please submit your suggestions.This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: Building Wellbeing: Designing Spaces for Healing, presented in collaboration with the Hushoffice.With its line of A-class pods Hushoffice helps create acoustically balanced workplaces that offer great environment for collaboration and focus, foster employee wellbeing, and accommodate the needs of neurodiverse staff, as well as employees with motor impairments.Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and architecture projects. We invite you to learn more about our ArchDaily Topics. And, as always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us. Image gallerySee allShow less About this author Cite: Hadir Al Koshta. "Rooted in Tradition, Nature, and Community: Wellness and Healing Spaces from the North to the South Africa" 09 Apr 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1028770/rooted-in-tradition-nature-and-community-wellness-and-healing-spaces-from-the-north-to-the-south-africa&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

هيك بتحوّل واتساب لسكرتيرة شخصية بتحجز مواعيد وبتبعت إيميلات عبر n8n