More stunning uses of invisible effects.

Michael Bloombergs organization Bloomberg Philanthropies is announcing a $600 million gift to the endowments of four historically Black medical schools.Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and the billionaire founder of Bloomberg LP, will make the announcement Tuesday in New York at the annual convention of the National Medical Association, an organization that advocates for African American physicians.This gift will empower new generations of Black doctors to create a healthier and more equitable future for our country, Bloomberg said in a statement.Black Americans fare worse in measures of health compared with white Americans, an Associated Press series reported last year. Experts believe increasing the representation among doctors is one solution that could disrupt these long-standing inequities. In 2022, only 6% of U.S. physicians were Black, even though Black Americans represent 13% of the population.The gifts are among the largest private donations to any historically Black college or university, with $175 million each going to Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College and Morehouse School of Medicine. Charles Drew University of Medicine & Science will receive $75 million. Xavier University of Louisiana, which is opening a new medical school, will also receive a $5 million grant.The donations will more than double the size of three of the medical schools endowments, Bloomberg Philanthropies said.The commitment follows a $1 billion pledge Bloomberg made in July to Johns Hopkins University that will mean most medical students there will no longer pay tuition. The four historically Black medical schools are still deciding with Bloomberg Philanthropies how the latest gifts to their endowments will be used, said Garnesha Ezediaro, who leads Bloomberg Philanthropies Greenwood Initiative.The initiative, named after the race massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma more than 100 years ago, was initially part of Bloombergs campaign as a Democratic candidate for president in 2020. After he withdrew from the race, he asked his philanthropy to pursue efforts to reduce the racial wealth gap and so far, it has committed $896 million, including this latest gift to the medical schools, Ezediaro said.In 2020, Bloomberg granted the same medicals schools a total of $100 million that mostly went to reducing the debt load of enrolled students, who schools said were in serious danger of not continuing because of the financial burdens compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.When we talked about helping to secure and support the next generation of Black doctors, we meant that literally, Ezediaro said.Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of Morehouse School of Medicine, said that gift relieved $100,000 on average in debt for enrolled medical students. She said the gift has helped her school significantly increase its fundraising.But our endowment and the size of our endowment has continued to be a challenge, and weve been very vocal about that. And he heard us, she said of Bloomberg and the latest donation.In January, the Lilly Endowment gave $100 million to The United Negro College Fund toward a pooled endowment fund for 37 HBCUs. That same month, Spelman College, a historically Black womens college in Atlanta, received a $100 million donation from Ronda Stryker and her husband, William Johnston, chairman of Greenleaf Trust.Denise Smith, deputy director of higher education policy and a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, said the gift to Spelman was the largest single donation to an HBCU that she was aware of, speaking before Bloomberg Philanthropies announcement Tuesday.Smith authored a 2021 report on the financial disparities between HBCUs and other higher education institutions, including the failure of many states to fulfill their promises to fund historically Black land grant schools. As a result, she said philanthropic gifts have played an important role in sustaining HBCUs, and pointed to the billionaire philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scotts gifts to HBCUs in 2020 and 2021 as setting off a new chain reaction of support from other large donors.Donations that have followed are the type of momentum and support that institutions need in this moment, Smith said.Dr. Yolanda Lawson, president of the National Medical Association, said she felt relief, when she heard about the gifts to the four medical schools. With the Supreme Courts decision striking down affirmative action last year and attacks on programs meant to support inclusion and equity at schools, she anticipates that the four schools will play an even larger role in training and increasing the number of Black physicians.This opportunity and this investment affects not only just those four institutions, but that affects our country. It affects the nations health, she said.Utibe Essien, a physician and assistant professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, who researches racial disparities in treatment, said more investment and investment in earlier educational support before high school and college would make a difference in the number of Black students who decide to pursue medicine.He said he also believes the Supreme Court decision on affirmative action and the backlash against efforts to rectify historic discrimination and racial inequities does have an impact on student choices.Its hard for some of the trainees who are thinking about going into this space to see some of that backlash and pursue it, he said. Again, I think we get into this spiral where in five to 10 years were going to see a concerning drop in the numbers of diverse people in our field.Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and non-profits receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.Thalia Beaty, Associated Press

Local studio RA! has created a blocky house called Casa LL with polystyrenepanels and concrete in Tepoztln, Mexico.The 481-square meter (5,178-square foot) home was completed by the Mexico City-based team of Cristbal Ramrez de Aguilar, Pedro Ramrez de Aguilar and Santiago Sierra, who lead RA!.Located on a lot under the cliffs of Tepozteco, the "geometric composition of the house responds to a fragmentation of prisms that join and separate to shape its internal spaces," the team said.RA! have designed a Mexican house made out of polystyrene panels and concrete"They come together to create amplitude and disperse to retreat into solitude."Using concrete that plays off the hues of the surrounding mountains, the sections of the house were designed to resemble stones from the cliffs but sculpted for habitation.The concrete was applied to a three-dimensional wire structure that wrapped expanded polystyrene panels to create an insulated wall assembly.The single-storey Casa LL is oriented inward to a set of internal courtyards and passagewaysThe result is a sand-coloured monolith with board-formed impressions on one side and smooth texture on the other.With now exterior-facing windows, the single-story home is oriented inward towards internal courtyards and passageways."Each of the volumes denies the views from the street, thus creating the volumetric gesture through which the house begins to be discovered," the team said.The separated program blocks are in a roughly L-shaped form, opening the house to the surrounding mountains.Entering at the corner of the L, residents walk into a small courtyard surrounded by service spaces, a home gym and a free-floating studio block.The concrete sand-coloured monolith structure of Casa LL resembles cliff sculpted for habitationTo the right of the entrance is a separate family suite with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a small kitchen and living room. All of the spaces look towards the main backyard through sliding glass doors.Moving directly forward from the entrance, residents enter the main portion of the house with a large kitchen, dining and living space open to the garden through floor-to-ceiling windows.After crossing the property's alleys, an expansion reveals the vast garden that overlooks surrounding mountains"Once crossing the access alleys between the large blocks that compress us and guide us inside, a transition occurs where there is a brutal expansion towards the generous garden and the view of the mountains," the studio said.A library-style family room and outdoor dining space connect to a third courtyard tucked into the corner of the property.Read: Cylindrical voids accommodate trees at Mexican lake house by MCxA GroupThe primary suite sits on the far side of the plan with glazing on either side to open to the main garden and a smaller, more private garden.The large bathroom with twin walk-in closets holds the edge of the house.A library-style family room and living area connects to a third courtyard in the corner of the propertyNarrow plantings along both the exterior walls and interior courtyard spaces create the impression that the walls of the house were raised straight out of the ground, according to the studio.Previously, RA! designed a restaurant with a bar shaped like an upside-down pyramid and another restaurant that was clad in broken white tiles, both in Mexico City.The photography is by Mariana Achach.Project credits:Architecture: RA!Design team: Cristbal Ramrez de Aguilar, Pedro Ramrez de Aguilar, Santiago Sierra, Daniel Martnez, Lourdes GamezMaterials: Covintec, CemexMEP Engineering: Antonio VillarrealStructural Engineering: Daniel ManzanaresThe post RA! turns Mexican house in on itself with interior courtyards appeared first on Dezeen.

The Shaper Trace lets you quickly turn hand-drawn lines into vectors. It's a physical frame that you place around your sketch; you then use your phone to photograph the frame and your sketch, and the SVG file is captured in Shaper's app, where you can smooth and tweak it. You can then send it to your digital fabrication machine of choice, whether it's Shaper's own Origin router, a lasercutter, a CNC mill, et cetera. Because the physical frame carries reference markings, you can shoot the sketch from any angleno need to line your camera up dead overheadand the software compensates. Additionally, it preserves the exact scale of your drawing. (This is handy if, for example, you're tracing a tool that you want to make a cutout for.) The applications are numerous: Here's how it looks in action:Shaper Kickstarted the Trace last year, and found strong demand: $1.1 million in pledges from 13,000-plus backers.The Trace retails for $100 and, pleasingly, the app is included (there are no subscription fees).

PROS: Strong main and telephoto performance Plenty of AI features Big battery Elegant designCONS: Same processor its predecessor No wireless chargingRATINGS:AESTHETICSERGONOMICSPERFORMANCESUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITYVALUE FOR MONEYEDITOR'S QUOTE:Realme's approach with the Realme 13 Pro+ underscores its commitment to staying at the forefront of innovation in the mobile industry.In 2024, AI has become an indispensable component of modern smartphones. From revolutionizing photography and enhancing device efficiency to providing intelligent personal assistance, AI-powered features are no longer luxuries but necessities. Realme has positioned the Realme 13 Pro+ as an Ultra Clear Camera with AI, featuring a dual 50MP Sony AI camera system and the companys proprietary HYPERIMAGE+ AI photography architecture. This combination aims to deliver advanced image processing capabilities and exceptional photo quality.Realme recently hosted a press event in Bangkok to showcase the capabilities of the HYPERIMAGE+ system. Attendees had the opportunity to experience the cameras features firsthand, exploring its potential in various scenarios. Now, we have thoroughly tested the Realme 13 Pro+ to provide you with an in-depth review of its performance and capabilities.Designer: RealmeAestheticsBuilding upon the design language of the Realme 12 series, the Realme 13 Pro+ smartphone embodies an aesthetic journey inspired by Claude Monets renowned painting, Grainstack (Sunset). Gone is the shiny gold vertical line that flowed across the center, replaced by a refined circular camera module with a luxury watch-inspired ring on the back panel.The Realme 13 Pro+ comes in two colorways: Monet Gold and Emerald Green. The review unit we received is the Monet Gold, featuring a frosted glass material that showcases Monets brush-inspired pattern on the back panel. The Emerald Green variant, on the other hand, features vegan leather. Whether opting for the shimmering effects of Monet Gold or the luxurious feel of Emerald Green, the Realme 13 Pro+ offers a choice that reflects individual style while honoring Monets influence on contemporary design.The circular camera module with the gold ring around the edge houses a triple-camera setup and an LED flash. Realme has improved upon the 12 series design by eliminating the fake camera placements and replacing them with the LED flash, resulting in a neater and more practical camera module. The module now features HYPERIMAGE+ inscribed near the bottom against the gold background, while the Realme branding is subtly placed toward the bottom of the device. Overall, the phone presents a clean and sleek aesthetic, with the camera module serving as the focal point.ErgonomicsThe Monet Gold variant measures 161.34mm x 73.91mm x 8.23mm and weighs 190g, while the Emerald Green variant is slightly thicker at 8.41mm but weighs marginally less at 185.5g. It balances well in hand, and the curved and rounded edges ensure a comfortable grip. The Monet Gold features a frosted glass finish that provides a velvety texture, ensuring a secure and comfortable grip without feeling slippery. The Emerald Green variant, with its vegan leather back panel, should offer a similarly high level of grip, if not more tactile and reassuring.PerformanceAs a camera-focused device, the Realme 13 Pro+ boasts two world-first Sony sensors, showcasing Realmes strengthened partnership with Sony. The first is a 50MP main sensor with the Sony LYT-701, featuring a 1/1.56 sensor, f/1.88 aperture, and optical image stabilization (OIS). The second is a 50MP telephoto sensor with the Sony LYT-600, featuring a 1/1.96 sensor and f/2.65 aperture. Completing the triple-camera setup is an 8MP ultrawide lens with an f/2.2 aperture. On the front, the 32MP selfie camera with an f/2.45 aperture is centered at the top of the display.The Realme 13 Pro+ is equipped with Realmes Hyperimage+ camera system, which enhances photos using both on-device AI algorithms and cloud-based AI image editing. The Realme AI HyperRAW Algorithm boosts image clarity and dynamic range, while features like the AI Portrait Algorithm improve subject isolation, bokeh effects, and skin tone. Additionally, the Group Photo Enhance feature sharpens each persons face, regardless of their position in the group photo.In optimal lighting, the main camera captures sharp, vibrant photos with rich detail. In low-light conditions, it maintains good performance and handles exposure well. The 3x zoom photos taken with the telephoto camera are excellent in most scenarios, offering strong dynamic range and detail in both daylight and nighttime. The telephoto lens supports up to 120x zoom, though image quality begins to deteriorate beyond 6x zoom, especially in low-light conditions. The ultrawide camera delivers satisfactory results but isnt particularly remarkable, and the same applies to the front-facing camera.ultrawide1x2x3x10x20x120xThe AI Ultra Clarity feature, even though its still in beta, performs well by naturally unblurring blurred images and salvaging otherwise unusable photos. However, it cannot handle motion blur. The phone also boasts the AI Smart Removal feature, which was first introduced in the GT6 series.Oplus_131072For video recording, the device can capture up to 4K footage at 30 fps or 1080p at 60 fps with the main and telephoto cameras. The ultrawide camera is capped at 1080p resolution at 30 fps. The front-facing camera can record video in 4K at 30 fps but does not support 60 fps. The footage from both the main and telephoto cameras is great, though there is no stabilization available in 4K.Portrait 1xPortrait 3xThe phone is equipped with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, the same as its predecessor, coupled with 12 GB of RAM (expandable by 4 GB) and 512 GB of storage. It handles everyday tasks with many apps open in the background without issue. However, you may need to settle for medium settings in graphic-intensive games. For mobile gamers, the Realme 13 Pro might be a better choice for its 3D VC Cooling system that keeps the phone running at peak performance without getting too hot.The phone features a 6.7-inch AMOLED FHD+ display with a resolution of 1,080 x 2,412 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. The screen boasts an impressive peak brightness of 2,000 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. It also features 2,160Hz PWM dimming and an AI Eye Protection function, designed to reduce eye strain and enhance visual comfort during prolonged use.Powering the device is a robust 5,200 mAh battery, which comfortably lasts through a full day of typical usage. For charging, the Realme 13 Pro+ supports 80W SUPERVOOC technology, allowing for rapid recharge times and minimal downtime. Realme claims that the battery maintains over 80% of its original health even after 1,600 charging cycles, highlighting its durability and longevity.SustainabilityWhile Realme has not specified the use of recycled materials in the construction of the Realme 13 Pro+, the device is designed with sustainability and durability in mind. Its display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, which is known for its robust protection against scratches and drops. Additionally, the Emerald Green variant holds a Swiss SGS 5-Star certification for drop resistance, boasting 160% improved drop resistance and 100% scratch resistance. This design allows you to handle the phone with confidence, even if youre prone to occasional drops or mishaps.The phone is also rated IP65, providing effective protection against dust and water ingress, which further extends its longevity and usability in various conditions. Furthermore, Realmes battery technology contributes to the devices sustainability by ensuring that the battery maintains over 80% of its original health after 1,600 charging cycles. This longevity not only enhances the devices overall lifespan but also supports environmental efforts by reducing the frequency of battery replacements and electronic waste.ValueThe Realme 13 Pro+ is now available in India, starting at 32,999 (approximately $400 USD) for the base model. Realme has also announced that the phone will soon be launched in other global markets. With its compelling blend of features and impressive main and telephoto camera capabilities, the Realme 13 Pro+ offers notable value for money.In the competitive mid-to-high range segment where the Realme 13 Pro+ operates, several strong contenders are vying for attention. For instance, the OnePlus Nord 4, which we reviewed last month, stands out with its excellent battery life and sleek metal unibody design. The Nothing Phone (2a) distinguishes itself with a unique aesthetic and robust performance. Additionally, the Infinix NOTE 40 Pro+ presents a cost advantage at roughly $50 USD less, offering magnetic wireless charging and including a magnetic wireless charger in the box. Each of these alternatives has its strengths, making the choice between them a matter of personal preference and priorities.VerdictThe integration of AI into smartphones reflects a broader trend toward leveraging advanced technologies to redefine user experiences. Realmes approach with the Realme 13 Pro+ underscores its commitment to staying at the forefront of innovation in the mobile industry, particularly in enhancing photography capabilities through AI-driven solutions. With its strong value proposition, the Realme 13 Pro+ offers a compelling option for those seeking a balance of technology, design, and practicality in their smartphone.The post Realme 13 Pro+ Review: AI-Powered Photography Masterpiece or Miss? first appeared on Yanko Design.

Having a healthy mistrust of your motherboard's settings is one way to fend off the Intel chip problem.The risk of failure is still there, however, until Intel releases a microcode fix.

Making use of the new 3D engine in After Effects.

Goodbye!With every new game that gets added to Xbox Game Pass, older ones are removed. This is the circle of life. This month sees the addition of three new games, but four are leaving on August 15. Remember that Game Pass subscribers can buy all of these titles for a 20% discount until they're removed from the service.The big one leaving is the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is a third-person asymmetrical survival-horror game that plays similarly to Dead by Daylight. It pits players against each other as victims vs. members of the Slaughter family, and the victims must find a way to escape.Shadow Warrior 3 is another big game leaving the service. This action-adventure and shooter game is the third main installment of the series and sees protagonist Lo Wang teaming up with a sidekick to defeat an ancient dragon that they accidentally released.Offworld Trading Company is a real-time strategy game in which Mars has been colonized and Earth's corporations are fighing to take control of the planet's resources. Airborne Kingdoms is a unique take on the city-builder genre where players can build their own flying kingdoms and floating metropolises. The Texas Chainsaw MassacreThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre will leave the Game Pass library for console, PC, and cloud on August 15. Shadow Warrior 3Shadow Warrior 3 will leave the Game Pass library for console, PC, and cloud on August 15. Airborne KingdomsAirborne Kingdoms will leave the Game Pass library for console, PC, and cloud on August 15. Offworld Trading CompanyOffworld Trading Company will leave the Game Pass library for PC on August 15.

The Star Wars franchise has always been a bit of a mixed bag. It may be sacrilege to say it out loud, but even the original trilogy has a handful of questionable moments thrown in, as do the prequels, as do the sequels. With Star Wars dishing out so many movies, TV shows, comics, novels, and video games, it's only natural that not all of them land. But even in those misses, fans can still find some shining moments.

Photo: Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate The Gearbox CEO hopes the new movie brings the world of Borderlands to a new audience Continue reading