This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. How the federal government is tracking changes in the supply of street drugs In 2021, the Maryland Department of Health and the state police were confronting a crisis: Fatal drug overdoses in the state were at an all-time high, and authorities didn’t know why. Seeking answers, Maryland officials turned to scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the national metrology institute for the United States, which defines and maintains standards of measurement essential to a wide range of industrial sectors and health and security applications.There, a research chemist named Ed Sisco and his team had developed methods for detecting trace amounts of drugs, explosives, and other dangerous materials—techniques that could protect law enforcement officials and others who had to collect these samples. And a pilot uncovered new, critical information almost immediately. Read the full story.—Adam Bluestein This story is from the next edition of our print magazine. Subscribe now to read it and get a copy of the magazine when it lands! Phase two of military AI has arrived —James O’Donnell Last week, I spoke with two US Marines who spent much of last year deployed in the Pacific, conducting training exercises from South Korea to the Philippines. Both were responsible for analyzing surveillance to warn their superiors about possible threats to the unit. But this deployment was unique: For the first time, they were using generative AI to scour intelligence, through a chatbot interface similar to ChatGPT.  As I wrote in my new story, this experiment is the latest evidence of the Pentagon’s push to use generative AI—tools that can engage in humanlike conversation—throughout its ranks, for tasks including surveillance. This push raises alarms from some AI safety experts about whether large language models are fit to analyze subtle pieces of intelligence in situations with high geopolitical stakes. Here are three open questions to keep your eye on as the US military, and others around the world, bring generative AI to more parts of the so-called “kill chain.” Read the full story. This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The FCC wants Europe to choose between US and Chinese technology Trump official Brendan Carr has urged Western allies to pick Elon Musk’s Starlink over rival Chinese satellite firms. (FT $)+ China may look like a less erratic choice right now. (NY Mag $)2 Nvidia wants to build its AI supercomputers entirely in the US It’s a decision the Trump administration has claimed credit for. (WP $)+ That said, Nvidia hasn’t said how much gear it plans to make in America. (WSJ $)+ Production of its latest chip has already begun in Arizona. (Bloomberg $) 3 Mark Zuckerberg defended Meta in the first day of its antitrust trialHe downplayed the company’s decision to purchase Instagram and WhatsApp. (Politico)+ The government claims he bought the firms to stifle competition. (The Verge)+ Zuckerberg has previously denied that his purchases had hurt competition. (NYT $)4 OpenAI’s new models are designed to excel at coding The three models have been optimized to follow complex instructions. (Wired $)+ We’re still waiting for confirmation of GPT-5. (The Verge)+ The second wave of AI coding is here. (MIT Technology Review) 5 Apple has increased its iPhone shipments by 10%It’s part of a pre-emptive plan to mitigate tariff disruptions. (Bloomberg $) + The tariff chaos has played havoc with Apple stocks. (Insider $)6 We’re learning more about the link between long covid and cognitive impairment Studies suggest that a patient’s age when they contracted covid may be a key factor. (WSJ $)7 Can’t be bothered to call your elderly parents? Get AI to do it 📞404 Media) 8 This video app hopes to capitalize on TikTok’s uncertain futureBut unlike TikTok, Neptune allows creators to hide their likes. (TechCrunch) 9 Meet the tech bros who want to live underwaterColonizing the sea is one of the final frontiers. (NYT $) + Meet the divers trying to figure out how deep humans can go. (MIT Technology Review)10 Google’s new AI model can decipher dolphin sounds🐬 If they’re squawking, back away. (Ars Technica)+ The way whales communicate is closer to human language than we realized. (MIT Technology Review) Quote of the day "If you don't like an ad, you scroll past it. It takes about a second." —Mark Hansen, Meta’s lead lawyer, makes light of the Federal Trade Commission’s assertion that users of its platforms are inundated with ads during the first day of Meta’s monopoly trial, Ars Technica reports. The big story Recapturing early internet whimsy with HTML Websites weren’t always slick digital experiences. There was a time when surfing the web involved opening tabs that played music against your will and sifting through walls of text on a colored background. In the 2000s, before Squarespace and social media, websites were manifestations of individuality—built from scratch using HTML, by users who had some knowledge of code.Scattered across the web are communities of programmers working to revive this seemingly outdated approach. And the movement is anything but a superficial appeal to retro aesthetics—it’s about celebrating the human touch in digital experiences. Read the full story.  —Tiffany Ng We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.) + Who doesn’t love a good stroll?+ All hail Shenmue, the recently-crowned most influential game of all time.+ This Wikipedia-powered museum is really quite something (thanks Amy!)+ This spring’s hottest accessory is a conical princess crown. No, really.

Building to contain advanced acoustics testing chambers for industrial and commercial research Exterior view of the approved scheme Sheppard Robson has been given the go ahead for an advanced acoustics research facility for the University of Salford. The 1,300sq m building is being billed by the university as an investment into acoustics research on an “international scale”. The scheme, which is expected to take around 18 months to build, will contain a series of acoustic testing chambers for researchers and specialist technical staff to measure sounds for a range of commercial and industrial uses. It is part of Salford University’s six-decade long work with some of the world’s biggest manufacturing brands to ensure products emit acceptable levels of noise. CGI showing the building’s internal research spaces Most recently Salford’s experts have worked on projects to manage drone noise, develop e-scooter alarm noises and make forklift trucks safer in a work environment.  The new centre is aiming to increase the research, innovation and development that the university’s acoustics team is able to offer. Contractor Morgan Sindall is set to start work on scheme this summer. Director of the National Institute of Airborne Acoustic Metrology at the University of Salford, Claire Lomax said: “The whole acoustics team at Salford are thrilled planning consent has been granted for this globally unique building. Every person on earth is affected by what they can or cannot hear, which is why acoustics as a science is so significant. “To have this facility in Salford shows the University’s commitment to innovation to enrich lives – in this case through pioneering research, impacting policy and industry standards, and shaping products sold worldwide.” The project team also includes client project manager Gleeds, acoustics consultant Arup, MEP engineer Buro Happold, structural engineer Renaissance, landscape architect Planit and sustainability consultant BDP. It will sit within the wider £2.5bn, 240 acre Crescent Salford masterplan which is being delivered by the Crescent Partnership, the university, Salford city council and ECF in a joint partnership with Homes England, L&G and Muse.

Built using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), Hanham Hall was the first large-scale volume housebuilder scheme in England to meet the 2016 zero-carbon standard. The Barratt Homes development created 185 new homes on a 3.8ha site formerly occupied by a psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of Bristol. HTA Design’s project included the renovation of the Grade II*-listed Hanham Hall itself, which has been repurposed for community use. The extensive grounds have been regenerated to increase biodiversity as well as providing playspaces, greenhouses and allotments. Architect's voice Our first challenge was achieving the zero-carbon standard for all homes. Leading with fabric-first construction, structural insulated panels (SIPs) formed walls and roofs, providing excellent thermal performance, airtightness and speed of construction. Utilising SIPs led to considerable benefits compared with a standard onsite masonry approach. Combined with photovoltaic panels and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems, the homes minimise energy use and cost. Simple passive design solutions support comfort and usability year-round. All homes meet Lifetime Homes and Building for Life standards. The development had to carefully respond to, and even enhance, the surrounding green belt fields. New biodiverse meadows and orchards were designed around existing mature hedgerows, waterways and retained mature trees, embedded as part of a site-wide sustainable urban drainage system. Simon Toplis, partner and head of architecture, HTA Design   Project data Location Whittucks Road, Hanham, Bristol Type New build Context Suburban Planning permission date November 2009 Completion 2013 Construction cost £42 million Construction cost per m² £3,700 Construction cost per home £215,000 Number of homes 185 Housing type Houses and flats Mix of homes Percentage of 1B2P: 19%, Percentage of 2B3P: 26%, Percentage of 2B4P: 9%, Percentage of 3B5P: 10%, Percentage of 4B6P: 33%, Percentage of 5B8P: 3% Site area 3.8ha Density 51.3 homes per hectare Development area 18,994m² (total), 17,006m² (residential) Height 2-3 storeys Tenure mix 65% private sale, 35% affordable Percentage of affordable housing 35% Aspect 100% dual-aspect homes Client Barratt Homes Client type Housebuilder Architectural appointment Direct appointment Procurement Design and build Design or Quality Review Panel review No Design team novation Yes Lead contractor Barratt Homes Main structural system Composite timber frameAdvertisement Environmental data Annual carbon emissions 10.62 kgCO2/m² Operational energy use 58 kWh/m²/yr Onsite energy generation 21% Average energy bill per home Unknown All-electric No Post-occupancy evaluation undertaken Yes U-values 0.14 W/m²K (walls, roofs and floors, area-weighted) Airtightness at 50Pa 1.50 m³/h.m² Residents' voices I love that Hanham Hall is surrounded by the wildlife-rich Avon Woods, expansive fields, and has its own wildflower meadow, allotments, orchard and beehives. Anonymous resident After a neighbour lent us a garden bed in their allotment for us to trial, gardening has become an integral part of my creative and wellbeing practice. It has also been a big part of getting to know people – and a big part of the whole ethos here of getting in touch with nature. Anonymous resident Living here feeds my fascination with nature and seasonality, allowing me to imbue my creative practice, artworks and workshops with this same curiosity and reverence. Holly

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Marie has one regular die labeled with the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and a second cube that is completely blank. She labels this cube in a special way. If you roll both dice, you can get the following totals: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. The special part: all 12 total values are equally likely to be rolled. How did Marie label the cube?Amanda MontañezThe sides of the die must be labeled 0, 0, 0, 6, 6 and 6.There are 36 possible totals when rolling two dice. If the 12 sum values are all to have the same probability, then each value must occur exactly three times.Amanda MontañezThe total value of 12 can be achieved with two dice only if both dice show a 6. Because the value 12 must appear three times in the table, the cube Marie labels must have three sides with a 6. The rest of the needed results are possible only if the other three sides are labeled with a 0.For each sum value from 1 to 12, the probability p isp = 3 / 36 = 1 / 12 ≈ 8.3%We’d love to hear from you! E-mail us at games@sciam.com to share your experience.This puzzle originally appeared in Spektrum der Wissenschaft and was reproduced with permission.

Xbox Game Pass late April titles announced GTA 5! Modern Warfare 2! Clair Obscur! Dredge! Image credit: Xbox / Eurogamer News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on April 15, 2025 Microsoft has announced its next wave of Game Pass titles available in April 2025, including the return of Grand Theft Auto 5, a game you may have heard of. As announced previously, this return also brings with it the PC Game Pass debut of GTA 5's new Enhanced Edition for PC players - the first time the game has been offered in any PC subscription service. Also included in these latest additions is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - the more recent one from 2022 - although you'll only be getting access to that, for now, if you have Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass. It's the same deal as well for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the turn-based RPG from France that we've been keeping a hopeful eye on. Here are the list of Xbox Game Pass additions for late April 2025: Grand Theft Auto 5 (Cloud, Console and PC, via Standard, Ultimate and PC) - available now Neon White (Console, now with Game Pass Standard) - 16th April SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game (Cloud, Console and PC, via Standard, Ultimate and PC) - 16th April Crime Scene Cleaner (Cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC, via Standard, Ultimate and PC) - 17th April Tempopo (Cloud, Console and PC, via Ultimate and PC) - 17th April Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC, via Ultimate and PC) - 24th April Towerborne: Game Preview (Cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC, via Ultimate and PC) - 29th April Far Cry 4 (Cloud, Console and PC, via Standard, Ultimate and PC) - 30th April Anno 1880 (Cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC, via Standard, Ultimate and PC) - 1st May Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Cloud, Console and PC, via Ultimate and PC) - 1st May Dredge (Cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC, via Standard, Ultimate and PC) - 6th May Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 preview - can an incredible battle system make up for bland exploration?Watch on YouTube As ever, whenever Microsoft giveth, so it taketh away. Games getting the chop this time include Rebellion's Sniper Elite 5 and the Annapurna-published Thirsty Suitors. The full list of titles leaving Xbox Game Pass on 30th April are as follows: Have a Nice Death (Cloud, Console, and PC) Kona II Brume (Cloud, Console, and PC) Sniper Elite 5 (Cloud, Console, and PC) The Last Case of Benedict Fox (Cloud, Console, and PC) Thirsty Suitors (Cloud, Console, and PC) The Rewinder (Cloud, Console, and PC) If you want to keep playing these games after they leave Game Pass, you'll need to purchase them. On the plus side, Game Pass subscribers get a 20 percent discount before they leave the service. For everything else in Microsoft's subscription, you can check out our handy Xbox Game Pass guide listing every title available.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Marvel Rivals Season 2 sparked the competitive scene with a massive balance patch, new heroes, and maps that reshaped the game’s dynamic. Emma Frost, together with the Krakoa map, introduces new strategies to the 6v6 hero shooter. NetEase’s patch notes reveal buffs and nerfs for practically every class to diversify team compositions and counter Season 1’s support-heavy supremacy. Vanguards such as Hulk and Thor received mobility, while Doctor Strange and Magneto were nerfed, lowering their pick rates. Duelists like Winter Soldier had changes to temper their ferocity, while Strategists like Rocket Raccoon received considerable modifications. The meta currently favors fast-paced, dive-oriented play, with Emma Frost emerging as a game-changer in backline management. The patch also changed Team-Up abilities, removing synergies like Magneto’s Metallic Fusion and introducing new ones like Namor’s Gamma Monstro with Hulk. During this patch, one Strategist rose to prominence, redefining the healer role, and it’s none other than Rocket Raccoon. Rocket’s Season 2 buffs have transformed him into a powerhouse, with a tweak in his kit sparking debates about his dominance—an exploit that’s quietly making him the go-to healer. Marvel Rivals Rocket Raccoon bug makes him overpowered in Season 2 by doubling his healing rate In Marvel Rivals Season 2, Rocket Raccoon gains balance adjustments that elevate his role as a Strategist, giving him a meta-defining choice. His ultimate, C.Y.A., receives a significant overhaul: the damage boost is lowered from 40% to 25%, but it now offers linked teammates 100 Bonus Health per second, with a limit of 150, and a 75 per second falloff after breaking the link. His Healing Orbs have also been tweaked, with healing per second reduced from 70 to 50, but a new 55-health burst on hit improves his ability to save low-HP friends swiftly. Bounce Rocket’s Orbs to apply a double healing bonus to allies. Image by VideoGamer. However, players soon found out that upon bouncing these orbs off the floor and a wall to heal allies, this 55 bonus healing burst twice on the healed ally. While a normal hit heals an ally at the usual rate, this bounce tricks the system by implying there are two different orbs fired at a teammate, thus granting a whopping 110 healing boost. Upon trying this feature out, one player clarified that the exploit is an intended feature and not a bug, “This was confirmed to not be a bug, but rather an intended feature. Whoa! Be sure to be ground-bouncing those Rocket orbs for RIDICULOUS heals!” Despite a nerf to Jetpack Dash (cooldown raised from 6 to 10 seconds, distance lowered from 10 to 8 meters), Rocket’s mobility remains high, complementing his improved healing output. These modifications improve his performance in clutch situations, ensuring his viability in high ranks and rush-style combinations. Marvel Rivals Platform(s): macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X Genre(s): Fighting, Shooter Related Topics Marvel Rivals Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

This is the second cover we have produced with Lenny Kravitz, a superstar who is both a rock legend and an AD100 designer—a rare combo indeed. AD photographed Kravitz for our May 2019 cover story on his bucolic Brazilian farm, and the atmospheric Open Door video of that vast property is widely considered one of our best ever. (I agree and will never forget the Portuguese word for farm— fazenda—which viewers learned from Kravitz himself in the video.)A corner of the primary suite. Photo: Matthieu SalvaingKravitz’s Grammy Awards and James Brown’s boots. Photo: Matthieu SalvaingPhotos of Kravitz’s mother hang in a room dedicated to her. Photo: Matthieu SalvaingThis time we visit his grand 1920s mansion in Paris, which he bought some 20 years ago and first shared with our sister publication AD France in 2010. Kravitz has since extensively reimagined the interiors in the way only a pro can—and also shares a secret subterranean party space that has never before been published. The ravishing retreat is a tour de force mix of art, furniture, and objects, alongside artworks and photographs that lovingly document his own family history. On these pages and in the epic accompanying Open Door video on YouTube and archdigest.com—don’t miss it!—Kravitz is definitively revealed as a connoisseur, a collector, a curator, and a multihyphenate creative visionary. The things he surrounds himself with—Warhol masterpieces, African artifacts, major music memorabilia, and rare furnishings by Paul Evans, Karl Springer, Afra and Tobia Scarpa, Joe Colombo, and others—offer an astounding feast of the dreamily recherché.Describing his aesthetic as “soulful elegance”— a fitting description of the man himself—Kravitz says, “It’s designed, curated, balanced, not too minimal, not too maximalist.” Adding: “It’s comfortable, clearly. But also chic.” Welcome to his world!Kravitz at his Brazilian ranch on AD’s May 2019 cover. Photo: Simon UptonAD, May 2025

The European Commission is giving staffers visiting the US on official business burner laptops and phones to avoid espionage attempts, according to the Financial Times. The use of clean and locked-down hardware is common practice for anyone visiting China, Russia, and other states where aggressive electronic surveillance is expected. Apparently the European Union has added the United States to that list. "The transatlantic alliance is over," an EU official told the newspaper, which reported the commission "is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to some US-bound staff to avoid the risk of espionage — a measure traditionally reserved for trips to China." Next week, officials from the EU are due in Washington DC for the spring meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund. Four sources told the FT the EC had changed its guidance to ensure that visitors to America take serious precautions against cyber-espionage. "They are worried about the US getting into the commission systems," said one. The relationship between the US and Europe has chilled severely in the past few months since President Trump threatened to invade Greenland, slapped tariffs on Euro imports, backed a Sieg-Heil'ing Elon Musk, sent Vice President JD Vance to lecture the continent on free speech, humiliated Ukraine's president, and made other smart foreign policy moves. Germany, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Ireland have all altered their travel advice for citizens visiting the Land of the Free, mainly urging travelers to follow all requirements as strictly as possible or consider simply not going, after a bunch of visitors from the EU and UK were detained for visa and immigration infractions. Trans-gendered travelers are advised that they may be barred from entry. France’s minister of higher education and research, Philippe Baptiste, lodged an official complaint last month after one French boffin was reportedly barred from entering the country for a conference after a border patrol examination of their phone found what was said to be extreme anti-Trump comments, although the US says it was because officers found confidential American information in the scientist's possession. Taking a burner device, to be honest, sounds like standard practice for people in sensitive lines of work, though this is all being interpreted as an indication of quite how badly relations have slipped between Europe and the US. And while a certain amount of spying on one's allies is expected – former German chancellor Angela Merkel was most peeved when it turns out her phone was being bugged by the NSA – a recommendation to take fresh devices is something new. Ultimately, spies spy, and when it comes to spying on the world, no one doubts America's abilities, regardless of who is in charge. "Washington is not Beijing or Moscow, but it is an adversary that is prone to use extra-legal methods to further its interests and power," Luuk van Middelaar, director of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics think tank, told the FT. "Democrat administrations use the same tactics. It is an acceptance of reality by the Commission." A European Commission spokesperson, an in email to The Register, did not deny equipment was being handed out to staff as reported. And while the spinner claimed the commission had not issued official guidance to use burner laptops and phones, they did admit it had tweaked its recommendations. "We have recently updated several country specific traveling recommendation factsheets for officials. They reflect the latest changes in the way the commission communicates and the general increase of threats globally regarding cybersecurity," the spokesperson told us. "Finally, indeed we recommend linking the e-visa to an EU laissez-passer for senior officials, in order to underline the official nature of the visit and facilitate visa processes in embassies prior to departure. Again, these updated recommendations were included in many other countries' factsheets to the attention of travelling senior officials." We understand the FT stands by its yarn. And it wouldn't be the first time the EU had denied a story, only to later confirm its veracity. ® PS: Facebook giant Meta intends to train its AI on public posts and other data in Europe after last year pausing the practice. "People based in the EU who use our platforms can choose to object to their public data being used for training purposes," the tech giant noted.

Baldur's Gate 3's huge Patch 8 is now live, finally giving you your chance to dive into its new subclasses, cross-play mechanics, photo mode, and more. Yep, your days of jealously staring through the window at all of those stress testers enjoying some early fun are now over. Read more