Got a project that’s too contemporary for your client? Submit your conceptual works, images and ideas for global recognition and print publication in the 2025 Vision Awards! The clock is ticking — submit your work ahead of the Main Entry deadline on June 6th. After almost fifty years of being open to the public, the Centre Pompidou will temporarily close for a major renovation. The works will address structural aging and bring the facility up to current safety, accessibility and environmental standards, ensuring the Centre Pompidou can continue to operate as a world-class institution. The closure is expected to last approximately five years, with reopening planned for 2030. As would-be visitors postpone their architectural pilgrimages, it’s an opportune moment to revisit some of its most distinctive architectural features. Since its inauguration in 1977,  it is one of Paris’ most recognizable landmarks, an icon of High-Tech architecture and a beacon of cultural innovation. Designed by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, the building turned traditional museum design upside down (or, rather, inside-out!), with its boldly exposed infrastructure and brightly color-coded mechanical systems. French architecture firm Moreau Kusunoki, in collaboration with Frida Escobedo Studio, was selected to lead the ambitious project for their thoughtful approach to contemporary interventions in historic settings and their commitment to sustainability. The upgrade involves no expansion of the original structure; instead, it focuses on improving the building’s long-term resilience and functionality while staying true to the original design’s spirit. View of Centre Pompidou from Montmartre, Paris, France. | Photo by Zairon via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0. 1. The Centre Pompidou is undoubtedly a bold architectural landmark and a prime example of High-Tech Architecture, also known as Structural Expressionism. This style emerged in the late 1960s, primarily in the United Kingdom, and later spread internationally. Highly influenced by Modernism and Brutalism, High-Tech Architecture proudly displays building components, such as structural and mechanical systems, which are typically concealed. The style also celebrates industrial materials, engineering innovation, and prefabrication. Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers were part of a wave of architects, including Norman Foster, Santiago Calatrava, Nicholas Grimshaw, and Michael Hopkins, among others, who contributed significantly to the style’s development. As one of the style’s earliest and most provocative designs, the Centre Pompidou remains an all-time architectural icon.  2. The Centre Pompidou opened its doors in 1977, stirring controversy because of its industrial, rough aesthetic. Its boldly displayed structural and mechanical systems made the building look more like an industrial construction — such as factories or power plants — than a conventional civic building. Many critics saw it as out of place in historic Paris, especially compared to institutions like the Louvre, which embody traditional architectural principles. Yet, its provocative aesthetics, once criticized, are now recognized as a strength, pushing the boundaries of what an art institution can look like. Today, the Centre Pompidou is a powerful symbol of contemporary architecture that reflects the spirit of artistic avant-garde. Views of Paris from Centre Pompidou’s panoramic escalator. Photos by Huân Lê via Unsplash (right) and Florian Peeters via Unsplash (left). 3. Located in the Beaubourg area of Paris’ Marais district, the Centre Pompidou — also referred to as Beaubourg — has played a key role in revitalizing the neighborhood and activating public life with its plaza. It represents far more than a traditional museum, promoting street performances and cultural events. This strategy has transformed the area into a dynamic neighborhood, attracting both locals and visitors. 4. The Centre Pompidou was envisioned as a multidisciplinary cultural institution. In addition to its world-class modern and contemporary art collection, it also houses the Bibliothèque publique d’information (Bpi), the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM), movie theaters, and performance spaces. The integration of multiple disciplines under one roof promotes a vibrant cultural ecosystem that engages a broad and diverse public. 5. One of the Centre Pompidou’s most striking features is the external glass-enclosed escalator that rises the south façade overlooking the plaza. Nicknamed “la chenille” — French for “the caterpillar” — the escalator is more than just functional; it is a defining part of the visitor experience, offering panoramic views of Paris. This façade, with its distinctive escalator, has become so emblematic that a stylized drawing of it serves as the Centre Pompidou’s logo and branding. Centre Pompidou’s color-coded infrastructure. | Photo by Adora Goodenough via Unsplash. 6. Another outstanding feature of the building’s design is its color-coded infrastructure systems, which not only serves a functional purpose but also creates a vibrant visual language. Each  system is painted a different color to indicate its function: Blue for air ducts Green for plumbing Yellow for electrical systems Red for circulation (staircases, escalators, and elevators) The upcoming upgrade project will maintain this defining design aspect — so closely tied to the building’s identity and the spirit of the institution it houses — while improving the building’s overall functionality and sustainability with more energy-efficient technologies.   Centre Pompidou 2030 design by Moreau Kusunoki in association with Frida Escobedo Studio. Paris, France | Visualization by Moreau Kusunoki 7. Like the building’s infrastructure systems, the structure is also external, forming a steel exoskeleton composed of prefabricated steel trusses and diagonal bracing. This design approach reflects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers’ intent to create a visually striking architecture that emphasizes clarity and legibility. The renovation will preserve and restore this architectural expression while making significant upgrades to meet today’s standards, including the refurbishment of the steel frame and façades without compromising the original design intent. 8. By placing the building’s structural and mechanical systems on the exterior, the Centre Pompidou offers expansive open spaces that can be easily reconfigured. This design approach optimizes the flexible use of spaces, ideal for exhibitions and performances. The new design will not expand the original structure but will make better use of previously underutilized areas. According to the architect’s project statement, the renovation seeks to “rationalize and simplify the spatial organization in order to establish clear, readable layout principles.” Centre Pompidou 2030 design by Moreau Kusunoki in association with Frida Escobedo Studio. Paris, France | Visualization by Moreau Kusunoki 9. In their project statement, Moreau Kusunoki also explain the shift in societal values since the Centre Pompidou opened in 1977: “When the Centre Pompidou was conceived, notions of speed, animation and information dissemination symbolized progress. Today, the paradigm is reversed: faced with information overload, fragmented attention and isolation caused by screen time, the Centre Pompidou offers a space where mediation, human interaction and the physical experience are central.” 10. The Atelier Brancusi is integral to the Pompidou’s identity. Situated just beside the main building on Place Georges-Pompidou, it will also close temporarily during the renovation. The renovation measures are aimed to ensure its careful preservation and eventual reopening in 2030. Got a project that’s too contemporary for your client? Submit your conceptual works, images and ideas for global recognition and print publication in the 2025 Vision Awards! The clock is ticking — submit your work ahead of the Main Entry deadline on June 6th. Top image: Centre Pompidou 2030 by MOREAU KUSUNOKI,Paris,France The post 10 Facts About Centre Pompidou, a High-Tech Architectural Iconic in Paris appeared first on Journal.

While the developer alleviates many of Season 2’s balance complaints, Tekken 8’s next DLC character, Fahkumram, is surging ahead. Out on June 7th for Season 2 Character Pass holders and June 10th for everyone else, the Muay Thai fighter brings his signature dose of destruction. As a relatively new combatant to the series, having debuted in Tekken 7: Fated Retribution, Fahkumram is battling for the Thai military for the sake of his wife and daughter. His style mixes hard-hitting elbow and knee strikes, faints, and channeling lighting to enhance his attacks. His Rage Art is especially breathtaking since it’s a powerful kick that sends his opponent flying (and destroys a chunk of the environment). How he’ll fare in the current meta remains to be seen, so stay tuned for more details. Tekken 8 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC and has sold over three million copies. It faced controversy recently due to Season 2’s changes, for which the developer promised extensive fixes.

DJI seems to be preparing three new drones for release in the coming months: a Mini 5 Pro, Avata 3, and a Neo 2, according to DroneXL. The site published leaked images and video of the drones, along with a new FCC filing that suggests DJI is also working on a new action camera called the DJI Osmo Nano. DroneXL published a video showing two drones that may be follow-ups to the Avata 2 and the adorable DJI Neo. DroneXL notes a few differences, like that the Avata 3’s battery sits farther back and it’s got a larger camera unit up front. It also has four-blade propellers rather than the three-blade setup of the Avata 2. Next to the Avata 3 is what the outlet thinks is a Neo 2 prototype, although it’s hard to discern much more than that it appears to have redesigned propeller guards compared to the original. Yesterday, DroneXL pointed to a new FCC filing that revealed some information about the unannounced Mini 5 Pro. The filing shows the Mini 5 Pro will pack a whopping 33.5Wh battery — a big improvement over the 18.9Wh of the Mini 4 Pro — and the outlet writes that the wireless transmissions specs support rumors that it could stream video from as far as 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) away, or 5 kilometers farther than its predecessor. That range edges it closer to that DJI Mavic 4 Pro that wasn’t supposed to launch in the US but somehow went on sale here, anyway. (We’d love to know why, but DJI won’t say.) The Mini 5 Pro is expected to launch in September. Rounding out DroneXL’s rumor post is a newly-published FCC filing for the DJI Osmo Nano, a new wearable action camera that appears to have a modular display like the Action line. The outlet notes that the company is also expected to release a Mic 3 and Osmo 360 camera, though it doesn’t have any solid guesses about when they’re coming.

Real-world data is often costly, messy, and limited by privacy rules. Synthetic data offers a solution—and it’s already widely used: LLMs train on AI-generated text Fraud systems simulate edge cases Vision models pretrain on fake images SDV (Synthetic Data Vault) is an open-source Python library that generates realistic tabular data using machine learning. It learns patterns from real data and creates high-quality synthetic data for safe sharing, testing, and model training. In this tutorial, we’ll use SDV to generate synthetic data step by step. pip install sdv We will first install the sdv library: from sdv.io.local import CSVHandler connector = CSVHandler() FOLDER_NAME = '.' # If the data is in the same directory data = connector.read(folder_name=FOLDER_NAME) salesDf = data['data'] Next, we import the necessary module and connect to our local folder containing the dataset files. This reads the CSV files from the specified folder and stores them as pandas DataFrames. In this case, we access the main dataset using data[‘data’]. from sdv.metadata import Metadata metadata = Metadata.load_from_json('metadata.json') We now import the metadata for our dataset. This metadata is stored in a JSON file and tells SDV how to interpret your data. It includes: The table name The primary key The data type of each column (e.g., categorical, numerical, datetime, etc.) Optional column formats like datetime patterns or ID patterns Table relationships (for multi-table setups) Here is a sample metadata.json format: { "METADATA_SPEC_VERSION": "V1", "tables": { "your_table_name": { "primary_key": "your_primary_key_column", "columns": { "your_primary_key_column": { "sdtype": "id", "regex_format": "T[0-9]{6}" }, "date_column": { "sdtype": "datetime", "datetime_format": "%d-%m-%Y" }, "category_column": { "sdtype": "categorical" }, "numeric_column": { "sdtype": "numerical" } }, "column_relationships": [] } } } from sdv.metadata import Metadata metadata = Metadata.detect_from_dataframes(data) Alternatively, we can use the SDV library to automatically infer the metadata. However, the results may not always be accurate or complete, so you might need to review and update it if there are any discrepancies. from sdv.single_table import GaussianCopulaSynthesizer synthesizer = GaussianCopulaSynthesizer(metadata) synthesizer.fit(data=salesDf) synthetic_data = synthesizer.sample(num_rows=10000) With the metadata and original dataset ready, we can now use SDV to train a model and generate synthetic data. The model learns the structure and patterns in your real dataset and uses that knowledge to create synthetic records. You can control how many rows to generate using the num_rows argument. from sdv.evaluation.single_table import evaluate_quality quality_report = evaluate_quality( salesDf, synthetic_data, metadata) The SDV library also provides tools to evaluate the quality of your synthetic data by comparing it to the original dataset. A great place to start is by generating a quality report You can also visualize how the synthetic data compares to the real data using SDV’s built-in plotting tools. For example, import get_column_plot from sdv.evaluation.single_table to create comparison plots for specific columns: from sdv.evaluation.single_table import get_column_plot fig = get_column_plot( real_data=salesDf, synthetic_data=synthetic_data, column_name='Sales', metadata=metadata ) fig.show() We can observe that the distribution of the ‘Sales’ column in the real and synthetic data is very similar. To explore further, we can use matplotlib to create more detailed comparisons—such as visualizing the average monthly sales trends across both datasets. import pandas as pd import matplotlib.pyplot as plt # Ensure 'Date' columns are datetime salesDf['Date'] = pd.to_datetime(salesDf['Date'], format='%d-%m-%Y') synthetic_data['Date'] = pd.to_datetime(synthetic_data['Date'], format='%d-%m-%Y') # Extract 'Month' as year-month string salesDf['Month'] = salesDf['Date'].dt.to_period('M').astype(str) synthetic_data['Month'] = synthetic_data['Date'].dt.to_period('M').astype(str) # Group by 'Month' and calculate average sales actual_avg_monthly = salesDf.groupby('Month')['Sales'].mean().rename('Actual Average Sales') synthetic_avg_monthly = synthetic_data.groupby('Month')['Sales'].mean().rename('Synthetic Average Sales') # Merge the two series into a DataFrame avg_monthly_comparison = pd.concat([actual_avg_monthly, synthetic_avg_monthly], axis=1).fillna(0) # Plot plt.figure(figsize=(10, 6)) plt.plot(avg_monthly_comparison.index, avg_monthly_comparison['Actual Average Sales'], label='Actual Average Sales', marker='o') plt.plot(avg_monthly_comparison.index, avg_monthly_comparison['Synthetic Average Sales'], label='Synthetic Average Sales', marker='o') plt.title('Average Monthly Sales Comparison: Actual vs Synthetic') plt.xlabel('Month') plt.ylabel('Average Sales') plt.xticks(rotation=45) plt.grid(True) plt.legend() plt.ylim(bottom=0) # y-axis starts at 0 plt.tight_layout() plt.show() This chart also shows that the average monthly sales in both datasets are very similar, with only minimal differences. In this tutorial, we demonstrated how to prepare your data and metadata for synthetic data generation using the SDV library. By training a model on your original dataset, SDV can create high-quality synthetic data that closely mirrors the real data’s patterns and distributions. We also explored how to evaluate and visualize the synthetic data, confirming that key metrics like sales distributions and monthly trends remain consistent. Synthetic data offers a powerful way to overcome privacy and availability challenges while enabling robust data analysis and machine learning workflows. Check out the Notebook on GitHub. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also, feel free to follow us on Twitter and don’t forget to join our 95k+ ML SubReddit and Subscribe to our Newsletter. Arham IslamI am a Civil Engineering Graduate (2022) from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, and I have a keen interest in Data Science, especially Neural Networks and their application in various areas.Arham Islamhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/arhamislam/Step-by-Step Guide to Create an AI agent with Google ADKArham Islamhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/arhamislam/Implementing an LLM Agent with Tool Access Using MCP-UseArham Islamhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/arhamislam/Implementing an AgentQL Model Context Protocol (MCP) ServerArham Islamhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/arhamislam/Implementing An Airbnb and Excel MCP Server

Following last week’s sojourn to the past, the season 2 finale of The Last of Us throws us right back into the aftermath of Ellie killing Nora. If there were any doubt that her innocence has been lost, Ellie’s conversation with Dina this week confirms it. She’s numb, looking blankly into a mirror and not quite recognising who she sees in the reflection. It’s in stark contrast to the last time we saw Ellie commit such violence: in season one, when her emotions burst forth after fighting off David. Back then, she could collapse into Joel’s arms. But now she’s the protector, looking after Dina and the child she’s carrying. At least she’s the protector in theory. Because little of what Ellie decides to do next reflects that outlook.Instead, it's Jesse who must act like the responsible adult, despite barely being older than Ellie or Dina. His words of warning fall on deaf ears, as Ellie refuses to see how her mission is bringing down everyone around her. It culminates in a lesson in selflessness at a Seattle bookstore in which Jesse finally admits that he voted against going after Abby in episode 3. Young Mazino is fantastic in this moment of revelation, bringing a much-needed level of maturity and level-headedness, without ever patronising Ellie. Jesse knows her too well to know she won’t react well to being told what to do, so he gently nudges her in the right direction. Sadly, she chooses a different path.PlayEllie’s choice between avenging those she’s lost or retreating back to Jackson with those who remain echoes her decision way back in episode 2. On that Wyoming mountain, she opted to follow her heart and go after Joel, rather than helping the greater Jackson community fight the flames and infected. You’d think her journey since would’ve been an eye-opening one, but it’s clear she hasn’t learned her lesson, as the ever-strong fuel of love and hate dominate her decision making, and seemingly always will. Bella Ramsey is great in this rooftop confrontation with Jesse, displaying a sternness and personality that far outsize their stature.The dynamic between Ellie, Dina, and Jesse makes for a strong first half to the episode, but I feel the rest of the finale loses its way. We barrel along towards its horrifying centerpiece: the murders of Mel and Owen. The realisation that Mel is pregnant is undoubtedly a real sickener, compounded further by Dina’s situation and Ellie flicking through the pages of a children's book only minutes prior. But I find the choice to make her death accidental a curious one. What’s meant to represent the lowest Ellie will sink in her quest for revenge is reduced to a tragic mishap.Another example of this adaptation pulling its punches when it comes to moments of pure violence, numbing the impact of the story as a result.“We’re made to feel some sympathy for Ellie in the show’s version of this event, when really, it should be the point at which we fear her most. She should feel like a lost cause, not like a lost child stumbling into a horror movie. She can’t lie like Joel could. Not even a little white one to put Mel at ease. This moment acts in fantastic concert with the story of Eugene in last week’s episode, but it’s just nowhere near as effective in its overall execution, and another example of this adaptation pulling its punches when it comes to moments of pure violence, numbing the impact of the story as a result.Bella Ramsey is astonishing in their display of Ellie’s despair, but the scene is harmed by the speed at which their character finds herself in this situation. The episode darts from one location and set of characters to another across its final 20 minutes. We see Isaac’s armada setting off into the night, with their intentions unknown. He fully expects to die tonight, but where are they going? It’s a mystery for another time (unless you’ve played The Last of Us Part 2, of course). The moving pieces and distance covered can be a little disorientating, especially if you’re not already familiar with the game’s plot and narrative devices. We barely know Isaac, and barely know any of the people Ellie will kill. Oh, and we even see her washed up on an island before almost being dispatched with in a uniquely Seraphite manner, only to be saved by a distant alarm. It’s all over in the blink of an eye, and it feels like one too many ingredients have been tossed into the mix as we’re thrown around like Ellie in the choppy Pacific waters.We’re getting scraps of a story here, including that almost-hanging. The problem is, this is TV and viewers will have to wait many months, if not years, to see the gaps filled in, rather than the half dozen hours of game that follow in The Last of Us Part 2. I admire the decision to stick to this structure, although I do feel the main effect of the dual perspectives was to hold the reveal of Abby’s motive until the halfway point – a revelation granted to us only two episodes into this season. I wonder how much impact seeing her perspective will have when our hatred for her hasn’t been built up in quite the same way.Even Jesse’s death is done too quickly, barely giving us a moment to sit with it before the clock rewinds. Ultimately, it’s a tough one, because it’s hard to judge just how successful this part of the story is without a third season for context. A barely half-told story is hard to evaluate, but the decision to let the viewers know that we’re following the same structure as the source material is a smart one. A smash cut to black following Abby’s arrival would’ve been tantilising, but I think even more bewildering for an audience not familiar with where this story goes. Rewinding time teases a whole new side to this story, one seen through the eyes of characters we’re just getting acquainted with – and without the performances of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey to anchor it. I’m fascinated by the prospect, and eager to see Druckmann and Mazin contend with the challenge it presents.

This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 7. With its season 2 finale, The Last of Us, the show takes viewers back to Seattle, delivering an epic final episode that ends Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) arc of the story, for now, and sets up Abby’s (Kaitlyn Dever). Ellie and Dina’s (Isabela Merced) journey has only gotten more and more dangerous with violence between the W.L.F. and Seraphites continuing to ramp up. Now that Jesse (Young Mazino) and Tommy (Gabriel Luna) are in the picture, the stakes are even higher to make sure that everyone makes it back to Jackson alive. But just because more of her chosen family is in danger doesn’t mean that Ellie will give up the hunt for Abby so easily. Here’s everything that goes down in the season 2 finale of The Last of Us. Ellie’s Return The episode begins with Dina and Jesse back in the theater. Jesse is tending to Dina’s wound and realizes he has to push the arrow through her leg to avoid further damage to her arteries. Even though tensions are high, it’s clear that the two still care about each other, even if their feelings are no longer romantic. Not long after Jesse sends Dina off to rest, Ellie returns, and immediately starts looking for Dina. She finds her resting in the dressing room, and the two share a tender moment taking care of each other. Ellie checks on Dina’s wound and Dina starts to dress Ellie’s scrapes and bruises. Dina reassures Ellie that the baby is okay and asks Ellie what happened after they got separated. Ellie tells her that she found Nora, but only got two words from her to indicate where Abby is “whale” and “wheel.”  Ellie also confesses that she left Nora to die and succumb to the Cordyceps infection, and that it was easier to hurt her than she thought it was going to be. Dina tries to reassure Ellie that maybe Nora got what she deserved – Nora was the one who held Ellie down and forced her to watch Joel die after all. But Ellie isn’t so sure. She tells Dina about Salt Lake City and what she learned about that day from Nora, that Abby’s father was among the Fireflies that Joel killed. Dina is surprised by this and seems to be realizing that maybe they aren’t so different from Abby and her crew after all. She tells Ellie that they need to go home. Finding Tommy The next morning, Jesse and Ellie head off into Seattle to try and find Tommy. Jesse asks Ellie what’s up with Dina after she declined a drink the night before and insisted that she can’t die. He guesses that she’s pregnant, and Ellie accidentally confirms it, not realizing that Jesse is just guessing. This makes Jesse’s desire to go back to Jackson even stronger, and tells Ellie that now he can’t die for her revenge quest either. As the rain starts to pour, Ellie and Jesse seek refuge in a parking garage, only to nearly be caught in the crossfire between the W.L.F. and the Seraphites. The W.L.F. chase a young Seraphite into the garage, stripping him down and dragging him off. Ellie wants to intervene, stop the W.L.F. from killing the kid, but Jesse holds her back because he doesn’t want to die for a war they have no stake in.  They make it to Jesse and Tommy’s rendezvous point, a bookstore, but Tommy is nowhere to be found. Ellie picks up a children’s book to give to Dina while they wait and tries to have a heart to heart with Jesse about her and Dina’s feelings for each other. Jesse tells Ellie that he fell for a girl who came through Jackson a while back, but that he let her go to fulfill his duty to Jackson. He emphasizes the fact that he was taught to put other people first, and this sets Ellie off. But their argument is interrupted by chatter on the walkie talkie. The W.L.F. are talking about a sniper that sounds an awful lot like Tommy. The Search for Abby Ellie and Jesse go to higher ground to find a way to where Tommy might be, but Ellie gets distracted when she sees the aquarium in the distance. She sees a ferris wheel and realizes that that is likely what Nora was talking about. Jesse insists that they need to go save Tommy from the W.L.F., but Ellie argues that he’d want her to follow this lead. She becomes singularly focused, pushing Jesse to let her follow this lead. Jesse tells her that he voted no back in Jackson because he could see the selfishness in Ellie’s plan, and that it wasn’t for the good of the community. Ellie fights back, saying that Jesse isn’t morally superior just because he puts others first. He let a kid die earlier because he wasn’t in their community. She tells him that she had to watch her community beaten to death in front of her, and that Jesse would do the same if he was in her shoes. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! The two part ways, and Ellie makes her way to the aquarium on her own, nearly dying by both the stormy weather and a group of zealous Seraphites along the way. But despite all of the dangers she encounters in her path, she makes it to the aquarium, finding not Abby, but Owen (Spencer Lord) and Mel (Ariela Barer) instead. The two are arguing about whether or not to go after Abby, wherever she’s gone, and don’t notice that Ellie’s there until it’s too late. She tries to get them to point to Abby’s location on the map, as Joel has done before, but Owen reaches for a gun under the table. Ellie reacts, shooting him in the neck. The bullet goes through him and nicks Mel’s neck accidentally. Ellie panics, rushing to Mel’s side as she gives Ellie instructions to try and save her unborn child. Ellie is clearly shaken, sitting there holding her knife as Mel bleeds out. Tommy and Jesse eventually rush in, taking in the carnage. Tommy holds Ellie and tries to comfort her while Jesse is visibly shaken, as though he knows that this could be him and Dina if they stay in Seattle much longer. What Are the W.L.F. Planning? Meanwhile, the W.L.F. seem to be using the cover of the rainstorm to plan an assault on the Seraphites. On top of planning this, Isaac (Jeffrey Wright) is also looking for Abby, confessing to Sergeant Park that he’s been planning for her to take over the W.L.F. after him. He seems ready to die for his crusade against the Seraphites and wants someone he can trust to lead the army after his death.  It’s fortuitous for Ellie that Isaac is planning this raid. On her way to the Aquarium, she gets caught by a group of Seraphites that are ready to hang and gut her like a fish, until they hear alarm bells from their village. Anyone who is familiar with The Last of Us Part II knows that this attack on the Seraphites plays a big role in Abby’s story and will likely be featured more in-depth next season. Theater Showdown Jesse, Tommy, and Ellie make it back to the theater in one piece, the W.L.F. and Seraphites presumably too distracted by their conflict to pay them much mind. Tommy and Jesse start planning the journey back to Jackson, agreeing to leave as soon as the rain lets up enough to transport Dina safely. Tommy tries to reassure Ellie that Owen and Mel made their choice when they helped Abby kill Joel, and leaves for the lobby to pack. Ellie still doesn’t seem quite ready to leave Seattle with Abby still out there, but has seemed to finally realize how much danger she’s putting the others in by staying.  She and Jesse have a heart to heart and Ellie actually apologizes to Jesse for leaving him behind. Jesse accepts her apology, saying that he knows that she would “set the world on fire” to save him too. Their heartfelt moment is unfortunately short-lived, as they both hear a violent commotion out in the lobby. They rush through the doors, and Jesse is immediately shot dead. Realizing that Abby has found them, she tosses her gun to the side and puts her hands in the air. She pleads with Abby to let Tommy go, not wanting to watch Abby kill another person she loves. Abby tells Ellie that she wasted the second chance she gave her and the screen cuts to black as we hear a gunshot in the background. We’ll likely have to wait until next season to see who fired the gun and who or what was shot. Seattle Day One: Abby Edition The episode ends by going back in time a few days. We see Abby wake up to news that Isaac wants to meet with her. She walks around what appears to be a W.L.F. base of some sort, and the final shot of the episode includes Abby looking out into an old stadium that has now been fashioned into a home.  In The Last of Us Part II, this is where players pick up Abby’s story again and get to control her as a true protagonist of the game. The game follows her over the course of the same three days that we’ve been following Ellie in Seattle, and her arc and perspective are just as important to this story as Ellie’s are. Abby has been a controversial character in the games, but hopefully viewers will keep an open mind as the show transitions to Abby’s side of the story next season.

Memorial Day 2025 has arrived and it’s now time to take stock of the best deals on Apple gear. We have notable offers on the latest M4 MacBook Air lineup alongside the return of all-time lows across the Apple Watch Series 10 configurations, the return of 2025 lows on AirPods 4, AirPods Max deals, and solid $100 price drops on iPad mini 7. Those offers are joined by up to $300 off M4 iPad Pro and M3 iPad Air discounts as well as a host of notable discounts on charging gear, EVs, power stations, fashion brands, and much more. Scope it all out down below.  more…

The New York Times published an article this week with a strange and bigoted claim about Asian women.The claim came when the newspaper reported, in line with the industry consensus, that for Apple to move any serious amount of iPhone production to the United States from Asia would result in making its gadgets prohibitively expensive.That's true, for reasons ranging from the United States' lack of specialized manufacturing equipment to its lack of properly trained workers. But alongside those reality-based issues, the NYT decided to throw in some bizarre race science."Young Chinese women have small fingers," the article reads, "and that has made them a valuable contributor to iPhone production because they are more nimble at installing screws and other miniature parts in the small device, supply chain experts said."For one thing, it's not even clear that the claim that Chinese women have small fingers is even true. Research on global hand size is lacking, but one study found that the average Chinese person has a hand size approximately equal to that of the average German. An analysis of hand size around the world, though it didn't include China, found that even the largest average differences in women's hand size between countries was negligible.And even if it was true, there doesn't seem to be a lick of evidence — or, for that matter, even anyone online making the claim — that small hands are preferable for manufacturing small devices. The closest thing we could find was a paper that found that surgeons with smaller hands actually had a harder time manipulating dextrous operating tools, which would seem to contradict the NYT's claim that small hands are an advantage for small specialized movements.Unsurprisingly, the NYT's bigoted claim went viral. One particularly compelling counterargument that emerged there: the smartphone repair technicians who engage in microsoldering fixes for broken iPhones are often men, and their larger fingers don't seem to be causing any issues."My favorite part is that [there are] adult men, in America, that do iPhone repair, and they often do repair tasks much more intricate than what assembly requires," one user noted. "Like nobody even thought about this for a second."Sarah Jeong, an editor at The Verge whose outrage at the NYT's assertion helped propel it to virality, pointed out that men do all kinds of skillful tasks on a tiny scale — such as for Warhammer 40K and other role-playing games that require users to hand-paint tabletop minifigurines."Grown ass men with sausage fingers are also out there painting tiny dolls using nail art brushes so they can play house... with their friends," Jeong joked. "American men have plenty of manual dexterity."Julia Carrie Wong, a senior reporter at The Guardian who also blasted the wild take, revealed that she emailed the newspaper to give them a piece of her mind. In response, a communications director there told her that the NYT "does not make racial or genetic generalizations" and was simply "[citing] experts who have experience with the industrial process in US and Chinese factories."That's a pretty wild claim even on its face: that the NYT is publishing race science based on anonymous experts.It also raises an ugly possibility: that the newspaper's use of the word "young" to describe the Chinese women working in Apple factories was supposed to insinuate something dark. Apple has a long history of getting caught employing child labor at its factories, who actually would have smaller fingers because they were minors — so it could be, whether the NYT understood it or not, that its "experts" were simply winking at the reality that it's hard to build affordable gadgets in a country with robust labor rights.Share This Article

Are your web privacy controls protecting your users, or just a box-ticking exercise? This CISO's guide provides a practical roadmap for continuous web privacy validation that's aligned with real-world practices. – Download the full guide here. Web Privacy: From Legal Requirement to Business Essential As regulators ramp up enforcement and users grow more privacy-aware, CISOs face a mounting challenge: ensuring that what their organization says about privacy matches what their digital assets are doing. 70% of top US websites still drop advertising cookies even when users opt out, a clear contradiction of privacy claims. This gap exposes organizations to compliance failures, reputational damage, and user distrust. A Practical Approach to Web Privacy Validation Drawing from real-world incidents and regulatory trends, this guide outlines how CISOs can integrate continuous privacy validation into their security operations and explains why it's becoming a foundational practice. Reactive vs Proactive Web Privacy Programs Most privacy programs rely on static audits and ineffective cookie banners, but these are poorly suited for today's dynamic web. The modern web has made these techniques obsolete and elevated the role of continuous monitoring—it's now essential for maintaining regulatory compliance. Reliance on the old reactive approach leads to silent privacy drift, which can trigger: Unauthorized data collection: For example, a new marketing pixel silently collecting user IDs, or a third-party script tracking behavior that strays outside of the stated policy. Broken consent mechanisms: Cookie consent that resets after updates, or embedded content dropping cookies before the user consents. Non-compliance: A form update unintentionally collecting extra, undisclosed personal data; an AI chatbot processing queries without the required transparency. Brand damage: Users noticing an unexpected widget accessing location data without their clear consent. The takeaway: Privacy risks are hiding in plain sight. A proactive approach is more likely to hunt them down before any damage is done. Reactive vs Proactive Privacy Programs: Scenario Comparison Aspect/ Scenario Reactive Privacy Program (Traditional) Proactive Privacy Program (Continuous Validation) Approach Periodic, manual audits and static compliance checks. Continuous, automated monitoring and validation in production. Detection of New Risks New scripts, vendors, or third-party tools may go unnoticed for months. Every page load and code change is scanned for new trackers/scripts. Time to Discovery Weeks or months—typically only found after user complaints or a regulator inquiry. Minutes or hours—automated alert triggers immediate investigation. Regulatory Risk High: Undetected issues can lead to major fines and investigations. Low: Issues are caught early, reducing exposure and demonstrating diligence. Remediation Validation Fixes are assumed to work, but rarely verified in production. Automated validation confirms that remediations are effective. Resource Efficiency High manual effort, prone to oversight (issues can be missed) and burnout. Automated workflows free up teams for higher-value tasks. Adaptation to New Regulations Scrambles to keep up; often playing catch-up with new laws and frameworks. Agile response; continuous validation meets evolving requirements. Scenario Walkthrough: The Leaky Script Step Reactive Program Proactive Program Script added to website No immediate detection Detected instantly as a new third-party element. Data leakage begins Continues for months, often unnoticed. Alert issued; data flow flagged as policy violation. Discovery Discovered only after complaints or regulatory inquiry. Privacy team investigates within hours of the alert. Response Scramble to contain, investigate, and report; faces regulatory fines. Issue remediated quickly, minimizing exposure and risk. Outcome €4.5M fine, public backlash, loss of trust. No fine, incident averted, trust preserved. Download the full CISO's guide here. What Is Website Privacy Validation? Website Privacy Validation tools shift privacy from reactive to proactive by continuously monitoring your websites, applications, and third-party code live in production. This ensures that your real-world activity aligns with your declared policies. Key capabilities: Continuous Data Mapping, Policy Matching, Instant Alerts, Fix Validation, and Dashboard Oversight. Why Continuous Validation Is the New Standard Only 20% of companies feel confident in their privacy compliance, but continuous validation removes doubt. It strengthens compliance, simplifies audits, and integrates into existing security workflows, thanks to agentless deployment of some vendors that minimizes operational overhead. Case in Point: The Cost of Inaction A global retailer launched a loyalty program, but unknown to them, it included a third-party script that was sending customer emails to an external domain. This went undetected for four months and eventually led to a €4.5 million fine, public backlash, and a loss of executive trust. With privacy validation, the issue could have been resolved in hours, not months, and all that expensive fallout could have been avoided. Much like the global retailer, providers in both the healthcare and financial services industries have opened themselves up to serious repercussions after failing to proactively validate web privacy. For instance, a hospital network neglected to validate the third-party analytics scripts running on its site, which left them free to silently collect patient data without consent. This violated HIPAA regulations, risked fines, and damaged patient trust. Similarly, a bank suffered a data breach when a third-party vendor added a tracking script that accessed sensitive account information without proper authorization. In both cases, web privacy validation could have immediately flagged these issues, preventing unauthorized data collection, avoiding legal repercussions, and preserving customer trust across these highly regulated sectors. Get Ready for 2025's Tougher Regulations New frameworks like the EU AI Act and New Hampshire's NHPA are changing how organizations approach privacy. CISOs now face unprecedented validation requirements, including: Comprehensive AI risk assessments with continuous algorithm transparency Advanced consent mechanisms that dynamically respond to signals like Global Privacy Control Rigorous safeguards for sensitive data processing across all digital touchpoints Mandatory documentation and technical validation of privacy controls Cross-border data transfer mechanisms that withstand increasing scrutiny The regulatory landscape isn't just evolving—it's accelerating, so organizations that implement continuous web privacy validation now will be strategically positioned to navigate these complex requirements while their competitors are scrambling to catch up. Don't Wait for a Violation Before You Take Action Explore actionable steps and real-world examples in the full CISO's Guide to Web Privacy Validation. → Download the full CISO's Guide to Web Privacy Validation here. Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

John Edwards, Technology Journalist & AuthorMay 26, 20255 Min ReadLuis Moreira via Alamy Stock PhotoStructured data, such as names and phone numbers, fits neatly into rows and columns. Unstructured data, however, has no fixed scheme, and may have a highly complex format such as audio files or web pages. Unfortunately, there's no single best way to effectively manage unstructured data. On the bright side, there are several approaches that can be used to successfully tackle this critical, yet persistently elusive challenge. Here are five tested ways to achieve effective unstructured data management from experts who participated in online interviews. Tip 1. Use AI-powered vector databases combined with retrieval-augmented generation "One of the most effective methods I've seen is using AI-powered vector databases combined with retrieval augmented generation," says Anbang Xu, founder of AI video generator firm Jogg.AI. A former senior software engineer at Google, Xu suggests that instead of forcing unstructured data into rigid schemas, using vector databases will allow enterprises to store and retrieve data based on contextual meaning rather than exact keyword matches. "This is especially powerful for text, audio, video, and image data, where traditional search methods fall short," he notes.  For example, Xu says, organizations using AI-powered embeddings can organize and query vast amounts of unstructured data by meaning rather than syntax. "This is what powers advanced AI applications like intelligent search, chatbots, and recommendation systems," he explains. "At Jogg.AI, we’ve seen first-hand how AI-driven indexing and retrieval make it significantly easier to turn raw, unstructured data into actionable insights." Related:Tip 2. Take a schema-on-read approach Another innovative approach to managing unstructured data is schema-on-read. "Unlike traditional databases, which define the schema -- the data's structure -- before it's stored, schema-on-read defers this process until the data is actually read or queried," says Kamal Hathi, senior vice president and general manager of machine-generated data monitoring and analysis software firm at Splunk, a Cisco company. This approach is particularly effective for unstructured and semi-structured data, where the schema is not predefined or rigid, Hathi says. "Traditional databases require a predefined schema, which makes working with unstructured data challenging and less flexible." The key advantage of schema-on-read is that it enables users to work with raw data without needing to apply traditional extract-transform-load (ETL) processes, Hathi states. "This, in turn, allows for working with the diversity typically seen in machine-generated data, such as system and application telemetry logs." Related:Tip 3. Look to the cloud Manage unstructured data by integrating it with structured data in a cloud environment using metadata tagging and AI-driven classifications, suggests Cam Ogden, a senior vice president at data integrity firm Precisely. "Traditionally, structured data -- like customer databases or financial records -- reside in well-organized systems such as relational databases or data warehouses," he says. However, to fully leverage all of their data, organizations need to break down the silos that separate structured data from other forms of data, including unstructured data such as text, images, or log files. This is where the cloud comes into play. Integrating structured and unstructured data in the cloud allows for more comprehensive analytics, enabling organizations to extract deeper insights from previously siloed information, Ogden says. AI-powered tools can classify and enrich both structured and unstructured data, making it easier to discover, analyze, and govern in a central platform, he notes. "The cloud offers the scalability and flexibility required to handle large volumes of data while supporting dynamic analytics workloads." Additionally, cloud platforms offer advanced data governance capabilities, ensuring that both structured and unstructured data remain secure, compliant, and aligned with business objectives. "This approach not only optimizes data management but also positions organizations to make more informed and effective data-driven decisions in real-time." Related:Tip 4. Use AI-powered classification and indexing One of the best ways to get a grip on unstructured data is to use AI-powered classification and indexing, says Adhiran Thirmal, a senior solutions engineer at cybersecurity firm Security Compass. "With machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP), you can automatically sort, tag, and organize data based on its content and context," he explains. "Pairing this approach with a scalable data storage system, like a data lake or object storage, makes it easier to find and use information when you need it." AI takes the manual work out of organizing data, Thirmal says. "No more wasting time digging through files or struggling to keep things in order," he states. "AI can quickly surface the information you need, reducing human error and improving efficiency. It's also excellent for compliance, ensuring sensitive data -- like personal or financial information -- is properly handled and protected." Tip 5. Create a unified, sovereign data platform An innovative approach to managing unstructured data goes beyond outdated data lake methods, says Benjamin Anderson, senior vice president of technology at database services provider EnterpriseDB. A unified, sovereign data platform integrates unstructured, semi-structured, and structured data in a single system, eliminating the need for separate solutions. "This approach delivers quality-of-service features previously available only for structured data," he explains. "With a hybrid control plane, organizations can centrally manage their data across multiple environments, including various cloud platforms and on-premises infrastructure." When it comes to managing diverse forms of data, whether structured, unstructured, or semi-structured, the traditional approach required multiple databases and storage solutions, adding operational complexity, cost, and compliance risk, Anderson notes. "Consolidating structured and unstructured data into a single multi-model data platform will help accelerate transactional, analytical, and AI workloads." About the AuthorJohn EdwardsTechnology Journalist & AuthorJohn Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications, including Computerworld, CFO Magazine, IBM Data Management Magazine, RFID Journal, and Electronic Design. He has also written columns for The Economist's Business Intelligence Unit and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Communications Direct. John has authored several books on business technology topics. His work began appearing online as early as 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he wrote daily news and feature articles for both the CompuServe and Prodigy online services. His "Behind the Screens" commentaries made him the world's first known professional blogger.See more from John EdwardsWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore ReportsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also Like