In context: Some industry experts boldly claim that generative AI will soon replace human software developers. With tools like GitHub Copilot and AI-driven "vibe" coding startups, it may seem that AI has already significantly impacted software engineering. However, a new study suggests that AI still has a long way to go before replacing human programmers. The Microsoft Research study acknowledges that while today's AI coding tools can boost productivity by suggesting examples, they are limited in actively seeking new information or interacting with code execution when these solutions fail. However, human developers routinely perform these tasks when debugging, highlighting a significant gap in AI's capabilities. Microsoft introduced a new environment called debug-gym to explore and address these challenges. This platform allows AI models to debug real-world codebases using tools similar to those developers use, enabling the information-seeking behavior essential for effective debugging. Microsoft tested how well a simple AI agent, built with existing language models, could debug real-world code using debug-gym. While the results were promising, they were still limited. Despite having access to interactive debugging tools, the prompt-based agents rarely solved more than half of the tasks in benchmarks. That's far from the level of competence needed to replace human engineers. The research identifies two key issues at play. First, the training data for today's LLMs lacks sufficient examples of the decision-making behavior typical in real debugging sessions. Second, these models are not yet fully capable of utilizing debugging tools to their full potential. "We believe this is due to the scarcity of data representing sequential decision-making behavior (e.g., debugging traces) in the current LLM training corpus," the researchers said. // Related Stories Of course, artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly. Microsoft believes that language models can become much more capable debuggers with the right focused training approaches over time. One approach the researchers suggest is creating specialized training data focused on debugging processes and trajectories. For example, they propose developing an "info-seeking" model that gathers relevant debugging context and passes it on to a larger code generation model. The broader findings align with previous studies, showing that while artificial intelligence can occasionally generate seemingly functional applications for specific tasks, the resulting code often contains bugs and security vulnerabilities. Until artificial intelligence can handle this core function of software development, it will remain an assistant – not a replacement.

If you’re thinking about buying a new device for the primary purpose of accessing Microsoft’s Copilot, we can’t recommend the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 enough. It’s an even more tempting purchase right now because it’s available from Walmart for just $830, for savings of $369 on its original price of $1,199. We’re not entirely sure how much longer stock will be available, but since past Surface Pro deals expired pretty quickly, we recommend completing your transaction as soon as you can to make sure you don’t miss out. The “spectacular” Microsoft Surface Pro 11 received 4.5 stars out of 5 in our review, where we also described it as “the best Surface Pro ever made.” It all begins with its great performance, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor and 16GB of RAM. With these specifications and Windows 11 Home pre-installed, the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is a designated Copilot+ PC that’s built to take advantage of the capabilities of Microsoft’s Copilot. You’ll be able to access the AI assistant on the go, as the device’s battery can last up to 14 hours on a single charge. The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 features a gorgeous 13-inch OLED touchscreen with 2880 x 1920 resolution, and it has a 180-degree kickstand at the back for when you need to prop it up while using it. It’s also our top pick among the best 2-in-1 laptops, but in order to transform the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 from a tablet to a laptop, you’ll have to buy the Surface Pro keyboard, which is sold separately. Related The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is a powerful device with Microsoft’s Copilot, and it’s currently on sale from Walmart at $369 off. From a sticker price of $1,199, it’s down to only $830, but probably not for long. There’s a chance that it’s back to its regular price as soon as tomorrow, so if you want to pocket the savings when buying the Microsoft Surface Pro 11, you’re going to have to push through with your purchase immediately. Editors’ Recommendations

George Bernard Shaw, Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Carnegie and others have lobbied to reform English spelling. The language has been resistant.

I work as the editor for a magazine about Disney World, so I'm at the parks at least four or five times a year (for work, I swear!).Every time I've gone, I've asked my husband, Trent, to join me, but he's always said no.He'd say Disney isn't for him as he's not a huge fan of the movies, he gets severe motion sickness on the tamest of rides, and he hates big crowds. However, I was convinced I could plan a trip to win him over if only he'd give me a chance.Earlier this year, we finally went together — and he loved it. Here's the adults-only trip that sealed the deal. I made sure we had a sit-down meal at a nice restaurant at least once a day. We watched animals roam by Animal Kingdom Lodge after our meal at Sanaa. Timothy Moore When I travel to Disney World for work, I'm always on the go, chasing stories and trying to cram in as many experiences as possible. That means my meals are usually quick Dole Whips and pretzels while standing in line.However, to win Trent over, I decided to slow down and indulge in some of Disney World's best dining.We visited at least one sit-down restaurant a day and stayed far away from character dining and buffets, where the food is usually an afterthought.One of our favorite meals was at Sanaa, where we got the world-famous bread service and then watched animals roaming the safari at Animal Kingdom Lodge.We also got a fancy dinner at Toledo, a steakhouse at the top of Gran Destino Tower, and a massive brunch at Chef Art Smith's Homecomin'. We geeked out on a behind-the-scenes tour of Epcot's greenhouses. The Behind the Seeds tour was fairly affordable and relaxing. Timothy Moore Disney offers a lot of cool backstage tours, but one of the nerdiest (and cheapest at under $50 a person) is the Behind the Seeds Tour at Epcot's Land Pavilion.For about an hour, a knowledgeable scientist took us on a small group tour of all the greenhouses, and we learned about the innovative ways Disney grows food and manages pests.Although the tour isn't adults-only, the subject matter might be a little dry for little ones — and we didn't see many kids here when we went.If you're on an adults-only trip, this tour could be a great way to get a break from the screaming toddlers around the parks. World Showcase was a great place to spend our time. We had fun walking around World Showcase and its many pavilions. Timothy Moore It's no secret that World Showcase is the best place for 21-and-over fun at Disney World, and Trent and I definitely ordered a few drinks from the different pavilions.However, as history buffs, we also enjoyed touring World Showcase beyondWe stopped by each country pavilion's museum and enjoyed live entertainment from the Voices of Liberty at the American Adventure Pavilion and the taiko drummers at the Japan Pavilion. Our itinerary had plenty of room for naps and downtime. We'd rest for a bit before heading back to the parks at night. Timothy Moore When I do Disney alone, I'm a rope-drop-to-kiss-goodnight kinda guy, with no breaks in between. I love being at the parks from open to close, but I knew Trent would get burned out if we attempted that.So I followed the advice I usually give parents with little kids: Take a midday break back at the hotel.We'd nap, grab drinks at the pool bar, and even read in a hammock. Then, refreshed, we'd head back to the parks in the evening. We took a sangria class and went bar-hopping with friends. The sangria class was fun. Timothy Moore Coronado Springs Resort has a sangria class on weekends where you get to sample different types of sangria and concoct your own. This was a huge hit with Trent.We also bar-hopped around Disney Springs with friends and went to the BoardWalk area's dueling piano bar, Jellyrolls, with some of my coworkers. (Jellyrolls is set to close later this month, unfortunately). Plus, we made sure to stop at some of my favorite quiet spots at Disney World. Tom Sawyer Island may not be around for much longer. Timothy Moore I get overwhelmed by large groups and loud noises, so I have a few favorite spots around the parks where I go to cool off and decompress.I really liked sharing my favorite secret spots in Disney with Trent, who also doesn't do well in crowds. My favorite is Tom Sawyer Island, which is unfortunately set to be replaced with "Cars" attractions this year.I also took him to the koi pond in Epcot's Japan Pavilion to decompress, the patio of BaseLine Tap House to people watch with beers, and the Discovery Island Trail at Animal Kingdom to go on a quiet walk.Having some spaces all to ourselves at Disney World made the experience more magical. Lastly, we focused on shows instead of big attractions. We saw "Festival of the Lion King" with friends Timothy Moore Because Trent experiences severe motion sickness, we couldn't do too many rides. Haunted Mansion and Spaceship Earth were OK, but even something like Soarin' or Rise of the Resistance would've been too much for him.Fortunately, this meant we weren't stressed about waiting in long lines to get on rides or managing Lightning Lane passes to try to skip them. Instead, we simply walked around and enjoyed the theming of each park.We also spent a lot of time watching shows — and there are a lot of good ones at Disney. Our favorites included the "Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular," "Festival of the Lion King," and, of course, "Fantasmic."

President Donald Trump’s tariff plan has rattled Wall Street, alarmed the United States’ trading partners, and made Americans afraid of checking their retirement accounts. It’s also been extremely confusing: After announcing that he would implement steep tariffs across the board (for reasons that didn’t make much sense), Trump walked back some of the tariffs before they were set to go into effect. However, he is still waging a trade war with China, and the tariff rates on many other countries remain much higher than they were before this whole saga began.Throughout this, Trump and his allies have suggested that while the tariffs are hurting Wall Street, they’re going to have a positive effect for small businesses on “Main Street.” The logic is that it’s only the wealthy who own stocks and have 401(k)s, and are therefore feeling the pain of the plunging market. But that’s not true, and it’s not just Wall Street that will suffer from these tariffs. That’s not because tariffs are always bad. As I wrote last week, tariffs can be used for good if implemented narrowly and strategically to help prop up certain industries, which is why some unions support the idea of harsher tariffs. But Trump’s plan is far too broad, and it’s unclear what he even hopes to achieve with them. In reality, the people who will be most affected by Trump’s tariffs are poor people. That’s true for low-wage workers who might lose jobs in developing countries around the world as factories downsize or close because of the negative effect of tariffs on trade. It’s also true for low-income families in the United States, for at least two reasons.How Trump’s tariffs will hurt low-income AmericansThere are two ways the tariffs will hurt people with low incomes:The first and most obvious impact of Trump’s tariffs is that they will raise prices on everyday goods. Tariffs act as a consumption tax — a levy that people ultimately pay at the checkout counter because businesses will likely raise their prices to offset their tariff bills. Unlike income taxes, which are adjusted based on how much a household makes, everyone will pay the same rate on the same good. According to the Budget Lab at Yale University, which analyzed the impact of the original tariffs Trump announced over a week ago, the average American household would be levied about $3,800. For the lowest income households, the tariff-imposed cost-of-living increase is lower — about $1,700 — in part because their overall spending is lower.But they will still pay a larger share of their income toward the price hikes. The bottom 10 percent of households by income, for example, would spend 4 percent of their disposable income on tariffs, while the top 10 percent will only pay 1.6 percent. (If Trump fully reverses some of his tariffs, the impact will be smaller but the overall trend will be the same: Lower-income people will carry the biggest burden.)The second potential impact of the tariffs is on the health of the broader economy. When Trump announced his original tariff plan on what he called “Liberation Day,” economic forecasts immediately showed an increase in the likelihood of a recession. Economists also worried that the new tariffs might cause stagflation — a combination of high inflation, rising unemployment, and stagnant economic growth. When Trump put a pause on implementing some of his tariffs, Goldman Sachs pulled back its recession forecast. But given the high tariffs still in place — and the instability of global financial markets — a recession is still on the table. And if a recession does materialize, then low-income families will bear the brunt of it. During recessions, the number of people in poverty rises; between 2007 and 2009, during the Great Recession, the number of people living below the poverty line increased by nearly 5 million. The job market can also be a greater challenge for low-income people. Not only can job loss sometimes lead to long-term unemployment, workers without college degrees — who tend to earn less than college-educated workers to begin with — are more likely to find new jobs that have lower wages than before.Is there a fix?The good news is that all of this is reversible. The bad news is that it largely relies on Trump changing his mind, though as we saw this week, that’s always a possibility.There are two other avenues for change. The first is Congress: Before Trump walked back his “Liberation Day” promises, at least seven Republican senators signed onto a bipartisan bill to put limits on the president’s authority to impose tariffs. That’s unlikely to work, in part because the bill still falls short of the 60 votes it would need to pass the Senate, and because Trump’s abrupt U-turn has softened some of the pushback that his original tariff plan received. The second is the courts: Federal courts could potentially strike down Trump’s tariffs, which are unpopular even in some right-wing circles. A libertarian group, for example, has already filed a lawsuit against Trump, claiming that he is misusing his emergency powers. But the quickest and likeliest change can only come from Trump himself, and it’s hard to predict what he’ll do next. In the meantime, his latest tariff policy shows exactly where Trump’s priorities are: tax hikes for the poor, and tax cuts for the rich.This story was featured in the Within Our Means newsletter. Sign up here.See More:

After a decade focusing solely on its ongoing shared world shooter Destiny, Bungie is reviving its old sci-fi shooter series Marathon. As part of the game’s official unveiling on Saturday, the developer released a cinematic short that may be one of the coolest videos of 2025. Written and directed by Spanish animator Alberto Mielgo—best known for Love, Death, & Robots and art director for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse—the eight-minute video lays out the intriguing, violent, and more than a little unsettling sci-fi world of this new Marathon. As it opens, something…weird happens on the planet Tau Ceti IV. Some colonists are crushed by satellite debris from a meteor shower, others die where they stand in gruesome fashion. Even creepier is that we see these deaths span across several decades, from 2794 to 2812 and 2827. We then jump ahead to 2893, where cybernetic beings—former humans who have machine bodies crafted by cybernetic silkworms—are looting the colony for anything they can get their hands on to sell to various factions still stationed on the planet. This second part of the cinematic, which features narration from Final Fantasy XVI’s Ben Starr, is meant to show you Marathon’s gameplay loop. Since this is a multiplayer extraction shooter, players will take on the role of cybernetic mercenaries called Runners to steal data, research, and the like for Tau Ceti’s various factions, and shoot each other (or the planet’s wildlife or security bots) to get loot and escape safely. But the main point of this cinematic is take you into Bungie’s new sci-fi world and offer glimpses of what you’ll see as you shoot each other into scrap. Vibes and atmosphere have always been one of Bungie’s strong suits, and what’s really interesting about this short is seeing Runners like Glitch (Erica Lindbeck) and Void (Elias Toufexis) be aware that something about Tau Ceti and their being there is wrong, but unable to fully vocalize why. Whatever’s drawn them there has its hooks in them deep, and not even getting shot to bits will keep them from keeping on after they’ve been rebuilt. Fancy cinematics are nothing new for games at this point in the medium’s life. But for Bungie, Marathon feels like a massive step forward from what the studio’s previously done with Halo and Destiny. The game’s aesthetic is pretty striking and distinct from anything seen in major sci-fi games in quite some time. As cold as everything looks—this is, after all, a world shaken by its inhabitants mysteriously vanishing, possibly because of some thing roaming the hallways—there’s a vibrancy to the colors that don’t clash as much as you’d think. It’s also just shot differently than any Bungie cutscene to date; the camera being so close to the Runners provides intimatcy they’re not getting (or ignoring) from each other and makes the scenes where they die hit that much harder. For many, this short will be enough to sell them on Marathon alone, and it’s likely Sony plans to use snippets of it to promote the game on TV. For others, the short has done everything right in terms of getting them hooked…but it’s a strictly multiplayer game with no single-player offering to speak of. That’s a real shame, since at their best, Bungie’s story campaigns were memorable and have stayed with players for years. It’s easy to imagine this being so engrossing if we were able to just be on Tau Ceti and investigate its secrets in an engaging narrative with tight gunplay and some sweet music. Ah, well—for the multiplayer heads, Marathon will run to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on September 23. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Circular Pavilion / Fabian A. Wagner + Wiss. Ass. Louise Daussy + Hochschule Kaiserslautern University of Applied SciencesSave this picture!© Martin SigmundInstallations & Structures, Pavilion•Academy Garden Stuttgart, Germany Architects: Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2024 Photographs Photographs:More SpecsLess Specs Save this picture! Text description provided by the architects. The circular pavilion was developed by students at Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences using components from the Black Pavilion at the Villa Massimo in Rome. The similarity of the components and the simplicity of the joints of the Black Pavilion allows the panels and squared timbers to be reused immediately. A new circular pavilion was designed from these components and erected as part of a design-build teaching project in the Academy Garden in front of the New Palace in Stuttgart. The pavilion was exhibited as part of the Summer of the Arts, served as a venue for the BDA's exchange of ideas with Karin Sander, Max Zitzelsberger and Fabian A. Wagner and offered a protected space in the Akademiegarten that citizens could appropriate.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!In keeping with the symmetrical layout of the palace complex, the pavilion was placed in a basic geometric shape - the circle - in the center in front of the New Palace. In order to counteract the spaciousness of the Academy Gardens and create an appropriate atmosphere for the intended uses, an upwardly open space was designed that hides the pedestrian level and thus makes it possible to experience the park and the New Palace from a new perspective. In order for the pavilion to exude a certain presence in front of the massive palace complex, an attempt was made to create as large a space as possible from the few components.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The circular pavilion shows how architecture can be positioned in the public space and thus offers all citizens the opportunity to participate, communicate and exchange ideas. The open, circular space is intended to serve various usage scenarios. With a diameter of eight meters, it offers space for up to 30 people. For the BDA Wechselgespräch, a pillar was erected in the middle of the circle to which the necessary technology was attached. This column was symbolically placed in the center of the circle - a totem for technology where visitors and speakers can gather around. While the small platforms served as seating for the speakers during lectures, they can be arranged into a large table for other uses - such as a picnic or a performance in a circle. The stage elements can also be stacked to create a Podium for readings. The spatial and visual boundaries of the circle also create a place of peace and quiet, protected from prying eyes. The circle is thus both a place of retreat and a meeting place.Save this picture!The construction is based on a repeating module that forms a circle when arranged in a row. The structural timbers were screwed together using maritime pine boards. The roof panels of the black pavilion were attached horizontally to the upper ends of the wooden uprights. The round holes in the roof panels were positioned at eye level to allow directional views and vistas. The roof panels of the circular section of the Black Pavilion were also installed. With the quarter circle pointing upwards, these allow views towards the Landtag and Stadtpalais. Pointing downwards, they mark the entrance.Save this picture!Save this picture!Both the construction and dismantling of the individual components had to be taken into account at the planning stage. The junctions were planned to be easily accessible, inspectable and removable. To ensure this, all connection points were produced using screw connections. The construction was carried out at various levels using simple pincer connections and wooden nail plates."Wet connections" such as gluing or grouting were avoided in the interests of circularity. The anchoring in the ground was micro-invasive using ground nails or ground screws, which were attached with ropes to the base points of the rafters or uprights.Save this picture!When designing the circular pavilion, the students reversed the classic design process: a new structure was developed from the existing one. This design methodology contributes to the success of the building turnaround. We can only conserve resources if we learn to reuse what already exists. No components had to be sawn or destroyed for the circular pavilion - all parts were used in their original dimensions. The circle is simple and modular so that it can be erected by the students without any tools. The connections were made with wooden nail plates and are easily accessible and revisable.Save this picture!Save this picture!While the architectural discourse of recent years has focused primarily on robustness, durability and the decomplexification of construction, this approach pursues the goal of designing buildings in such a way that they can be repaired and dismantled.Save this picture! Project gallerySee allShow less About this office Published on April 13, 2025Cite: "Circular Pavilion / Fabian A. Wagner + Wiss. Ass. Louise Daussy + Hochschule Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences" 13 Apr 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1028815/circular-pavilion-fabian-a-wagner-plus-wiss-ass-louise-daussy-plus-hochschule-kaiserslautern-university-of-applied-sciences&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

More than 90 percent of the plastics in the GPGP are microplastics.   Image: The OceanCleanup Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Azure waves lapping against huge piles of built-up junk. Garbage mountains rising above the sea. A thick crust of filth coating the ocean’s surface. It’s easy to find striking images of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). The problem is that these pictures of the GPGP are misleading and obscure the truth about the content of the GPGP, its origins, and the threat it poses to our ocean life.   A voyage to the “soup of microplastics” Visiting the GPGP is not easy. For Bruno Sainte-Rose, a lead computational monitor at The Ocean Cleanup, an organization dedicated to tackling marine waste, a trip begins by boarding a ship at Victoria Harbour in British Columbia.  Ocean Cleanup’s System 001 prototype is towed out of the San Francisco Bay in September 2018 to tackle the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Image: JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images JOSH EDELSON Sailing southwest, the first thousand miles of ocean is relatively clear. “Then, all of a sudden, after three and a half days of sailing, you see an increase of debris sightings,” says Sainte-Rose. This junk isn’t piled up on the sea’s surface. Instead, the ocean within the GPGP becomes like a “soup of microplastics,” says Sainte-Rose. Larger objects dot this broth, including tangles of “ghost nets”—thick masses of abandoned fishing gear. The Ocean Cleanup estimates that as much as 86 percent of the plastics in the GPGP come from fishing activity. The nonprofit organization reckons that the GPGP has grown to cover an area of ocean twice the size of Texas. How did this happen?  Fifty years of trash As far back as 1973, seafarers traveling through the North Pacific Ocean noticed an unusually high number of man-made objects. While it’s no surprise to find pieces of plastic in our seas—a 2023 study estimated that there are 171 trillion of them—it was surprising to find them so far from any landmass. “The international space station is actually closer to the GPGP most of the time than it is to the rest of human beings,” Sainte-Rose points out.  The remote area of sea where the GPGP is located is surrounded by the North Pacific Gyre, a network of rotating ocean currents. These ensnare plastic and other debris that enters their flow, gradually moving them across the ocean. Eventually, slowly turning vortexes within the gyre draw in the debris. The GPGP is split into two main areas—the Western Garbage Patch near Japan and the Eastern Garbage Patch between California and Hawaii. While the plastic may subsequently move between these two areas of the GPGP, which change in size and location as time passes, they are unlikely to escape these swirling currents. According to NOAA: “‘Patch’ is a misleading nickname, causing many to believe that these are islands of trash. Instead, the debris is spread across the surface of the water and from the surface all the way to the ocean floor.” Image: NOAA The Ocean Cleanup is fighting against this accumulation. In 2024, the foundation removed 11.5 million kilos of garbage from the world’s oceans and rivers. They even put a price tag on cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. For $7.5 billion, Sainte Rose’s team estimates that the GPGP could be cleared within a decade.  The plastic ecosystem Not everyone agrees that cleaning up the GPGP would be the best way to address our oceans’ plastic problem. The Ocean Cleanup uses large net-based systems to dredge junk from the ocean. These nets effectively remove larger plastic items, but over 90 percent of the plastic items in the GPGP are microplastics, less than 5 mm in size. The net system has been designed to be easy for animals to swim out of, but as they suck up larger pieces of plastic from the sea, the Cleanup team also removes animals and microbes that cling on to these items. “You do see a very broad diversity of microorganisms attaching to the plastic,” says Sonja Oberbeckmann, a marine microbiologist at the Federal Institute for Material Research and Testing in Germany. Oberbeckmann says many of these microbes also live on natural materials, but some are “thriving” on plastic particles.  Sainte-Rose points to evidence that some of these plastic riders are invasive species that shouldn’t be present in the ocean in the first place. Additionally, targeting the GPGP is just one of the Ocean Cleanup’s approaches to their goal of plastic-free waters. Dredge systems installed in polluted rivers halt debris from entering the ocean in the first place.  These coastal cleanups are easier, less expensive proposals for local governments, which are more willing to fund a river-based project that earns them a highly visible environmental win. Securing funding to clean the far-from-home and hard-to-visualize Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a harder sell.  “It’s everyone’s and no one’s problem, right?” concludes Sainte-Rose. 

Nature, Published online: 09 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08824-3An integrated optical parametric amplifier with an ultra-wide bandwidth was implemented using geometrically optimized low-loss nonlinear rib silicon nitride waveguides including the demonstration of broadband all-optical wavelength conversion.

Earth's oceans could one day turn purple.