Unsurprisingly, yesterdays big Half-Life release wasnt the sequel to Half-Life 2 or even the third Half-Life 2: Episode entry, but a 20th-anniversary update to Valves legendary 2004 game. And given what studio co-founder Gabe Newell has to say on the subject in a 2-hour documentary that the company released in tandem with the update, it seems less likely than ever that well be seeing either follow-up anytime soon.Newell explains what he calls his personal failure near the end of the video:You cant get lazy and say, oh, were moving the story forward. Thats copping out of your obligatiion to gamers, right? Yes, of course they love the story. They love many, many aspects of it. But sort of saying that your reason to do it is because people want to know what happens next... you know, we couldve shipped it, like, it wouldnt have been that hard. You know, the failure was my personal failure was being stumped. Like, I couldnt figure out why doing Episode 3 was pushing anything forward.Thats not to say the company didnt try. One idea for Episode 3 included an Ice Gun that Engineer David Speyrer says in the documentary wouldve let players spray amorphous shapes that could serve as barriers, platforms, or even Silver Surfer mode paths that they would shoot in front of themselves to cross gaps. Speyrer also talks about blob enemies that could move through grates or split into smaller head-crabby things. RelatedBut Speyrer and other Valve employees featured in the video echo Newells sentiment that they just couldnt come up with ideas that seemed worth a new Half-Life game. One of its level designers said something similar in a 2020 IGN interview. He also blamed scope creep the tendency of a project to slowly grow beyond its original plan and the company wanting to get going on developing the Source 2 engine that drives VR prequel Half-Life: Alyx. Newell sees Half-Life 2 as an engine, a platform, or at best a whole industry unto itself, gaming journalist Geoff Keighley, who Newell once gave a key card for Valves studios and told to do whatever you want, wrote for Gamespot.

Model efficiency is important in the age of large language and vision models, but they face significant efficiency challenges in real-world deployments. Critical metrics such as training compute requirements, inference latency, and memory footprint impact deployment costs and system responsiveness. These constraints often limit the practical implementation of high-quality models in production environments. The need for efficient deep learning methods has become important, focusing on optimizing the trade-off between model quality and resource footprint. While various approaches including algorithmic techniques, efficient hardware solutions, and best practices have emerged, architectural improvements remain fundamental to efficiency gains.Several approaches have emerged to address model efficiency challenges, each with distinct focuses and limitations. Existing methods like LoRA introduce low-rank adapter weights during fine-tuning while keeping other weights constant, and AltUp creates parallel lightweight transformer blocks to simulate larger model dimensions. Other methods like compression techniques, include quantization and pruning to reduce model size and latency but can impact model quality. Knowledge distillation techniques transfer knowledge from larger teacher models to smaller student models, and progressive learning approaches like Stacking and RaPTr grow networks gradually. However, these methods involve complex training or trade-offs between efficiency and performance.Researchers from Google Research, Mountain View, CA, and Google Research, New York, NY have proposed a novel method called Learned Augmented Residual Layer (LAUREL), which revolutionizes the traditional residual connection concept in neural networks. It serves as a direct replacement for conventional residual connections while improving both model quality and efficiency metrics. LAUREL shows remarkable versatility, with significant improvements across vision and language models. When implemented in ResNet-50 for ImageNet 1K classification, LAUREL achieves 60% of the performance gains associated with adding an entire extra layer, with only 0.003% additional parameters. This efficiency translates to matching full-layer performance with 2.6 times fewer parameters.LAURELs implementation is tested in both vision and language domains, focusing on the ResNet-50 model for ImageNet-1K classification and a 3B parameter decoder-only transformer for language tasks. The architecture seamlessly integrates with existing residual connections, requiring minimal modifications to standard model architectures. For vision tasks, the implementation involves incorporating LAUREL into ResNet-50s skip connections and training on ImageNet 1K using 16 Cloud TPUv5e chips with data augmentation. In the language domain, two variants of LAUREL (LAUREL-RW and LAUREL-LR) are implemented in a 3B parameter transformer model and trained from scratch on text tokens using 1024 Cloud TPU v5e chips over two weeks.The results demonstrate LAURELs superior efficiency compared to traditional scaling methods. In vision tasks, adding an extra layer to ResNet-50 enhances accuracy by 0.25% with 4.37% more parameters, but LAUREL-RW achieves 0.15% improvement with just 0.003% parameter increase. The LAUREL-RW+LR variant matches the performance of the extra-layer approach while using 2.6 times fewer parameters, and LAUREL-RW+LR+PA outperforms it with 1.82 times fewer parameters. Moreover, in language models, LAUREL shows consistent improvements across tasks including Q&A, NLU, Math, and Code with only a 0.012% parameter increase. This minimal parameter addition makes LAUREL efficient for large-scale models.In conclusion, researchers introduced the LAUREL framework which represents a significant advancement in neural network architecture, offering a complex alternative to traditional residual connections. Its three variants LAUREL-RW, LAUREL-LR, and LAUREL-PA can be flexibly combined to optimize performance across different applications. The frameworks success in both vision and language tasks, along with its minimal parameter overhead shows its potential as a superior alternative to conventional model scaling approaches. The versatility and efficiency of LAUREL make it a promising candidate for future applications in other architectures like Vision Transformers (ViT).Check out the Paper. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. If you like our work, you will love ournewsletter.. Dont Forget to join our55k+ ML SubReddit. Sajjad Ansari+ postsSajjad Ansari is a final year undergraduate from IIT Kharagpur. As a Tech enthusiast, he delves into the practical applications of AI with a focus on understanding the impact of AI technologies and their real-world implications. He aims to articulate complex AI concepts in a clear and accessible manner. LinkedIn event, 'One Platform, Multimodal Possibilities,' where Encord CEO Eric Landau and Head of Product Engineering, Justin Sharps will talk how they are reinventing data development process to help teams build game-changing multimodal AI models, fast

ChatGPT Gets Windows App 0 like November 16, 2024Share this postLast Updated on November 16, 2024 by Editorial TeamAuthor(s): Get The Gist Originally published on Towards AI. Plus: Elon Musk Sues OpenAIThis member-only story is on us. Upgrade to access all of Medium.Welcome to Get The Gist, where every weekday we share an easy-to-read summary of the latest and greatest developments in AI news, innovations, and trends all delivered in under 5 minutes! In todays edition:ChatGPT Desktop App Launches for WindowsElon Musk Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Breach of Founding MissionAnthropic Partners with US Government to Secure AI Against Nuclear RisksNew Gemini Model Beats ChatGPT-4oAnd more AI news.Image by: MSPowerUserThe Gist: ChatGPT is now available for all Windows users via the Microsoft Store, while macOS gains beta integration with developer tools for paid users, expanding its usability across platforms.Key Details:Windows users can now download ChatGPT for free, featuring web search, text-to-image tools, and lifelike voice interactions.macOS users can test a beta feature that connects ChatGPT with tools like VS Code and Terminal, enabling seamless workflow integration.The Windows app offers a shortcut (Alt + Space) for quick access, while the macOS app requires a direct download from OpenAIs website.OpenAI plans to expand the macOS apps compatibility with more software in the near future.Image by: BloombergThe Gist: Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing it of deviating from its founding Read the full blog for free on Medium.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post

LatestMachine Learning AI-Powered Art Generator: Opensource And Free 0 like November 16, 2024Share this postLast Updated on November 16, 2024 by Editorial TeamAuthor(s): Anoop Maurya Originally published on Towards AI. This member-only story is on us. Upgrade to access all of Medium.Image Generated By Author using this ToolIts 2 AM, and youre deep in your world of code, brainstorming ideas, or maybe just procrastinating. A random thought hits you: What if I could visualize this weird concept? A cyberpunk city floating on a massive jellyfish or an alien invasion reimagined as a Renaissance painting. You know its impossible to draw it yourself, but what if you could just describe it and watch the magic happen?Enter AI-powered art generators the ultimate tool for nerds with a vivid imagination and a love for tech. With models like Stable Diffusion, you can now create stunning, surreal, or downright absurd visuals by typing out a text prompt. And the best part? Its all done with the power of open-source AI, accessible to anyone whos ready to nerd out and experiment.Sure, there are plenty of ready-to-use tools out there, but theres something uniquely satisfying about building your own system. Heres why its worth it: Total Control: You decide how it works customize outputs, tweak settings, and experiment with new features. Open Source: Its all yours to explore, modify, and make better. No locked Read the full blog for free on Medium.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post

If you're in the process of building out a new gaming PC and you're looking for the best gaming processor, this is it. Right now, the recently released AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 desktop processor is back in stock at Amazon at its retail price of $479 shipped. This is the official launch price with zero markup, and it's not bundled with anything you don't want or need.The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming processor currently on the market and a much better option than the new Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. If you're waiting for a discount on this processor for Black Friday, though, don't hold your breath. It's very unlikely the price will drop before the end of the year.Back in Stock: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Desktop ProcessorNew ReleaseAMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 Desktop Processor$479.00 at AmazonIn our AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review, Jackie Thomas wrote that "The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is extremely powerful in games, which makes it easier to recommend than other recent processors like the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K or Ryzen 9 9900X. Especially if youre building a rig with a powerful graphics card, the 9800X3D is going to be the best way to get the most performance out of whichever GPU you pair it with. AMD's X3D series processors are optimized for gaming. In that respect, they bench better than even the most expensive of AMD's standard lineup of CPUs thanks to AMD's 3D V-Cache technology. Although perfectly capable of handing multitasking, rendering, and creation, the limited number of cores means they aren't the ideal processors for those tasks. At its retail price of $479, the 9800X3D $110 cheaper than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K ($589) and $170 cheaper than the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, even though it outperforms both of them in gaming. Unless you're a staunch Intel fan, or you're still on AM4 and don't want to upgrade all of your components, the 9800X3D is the obvious choice for your next gaming rig.Black Friday Deal: RTX 4070 for $499PNY GeForce RTX 4070 GPUIf you're looking for a good graphics card that pairs well with the 9800X3D, there's one that happens to be on sale for Black Friday. As part of its Black Friday Sale, Walmart has the PNY GeForce RTX 4070 video card for just $499, making it the least expensive RTX 4070 we've seen. The 4070 is an excellent card for gaming at up to 1440p at high framerates, although it's certainly good enough to run many games in 4K as well. In our GeForce RTX 4070 Founder's Edition review, Jacqueline Thomas wrote that "The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 is the first RTX 40-series graphics card that actually delivers solid value for most people. It doesnt blow away the competition, but at this price it doesnt really need to."When Is Black Friday 2024?The actual date of Black Friday in 2024 falls on November 29, but the holiday deals season starts a lot earlier than that. Plenty of retailers have already been dropping deals online. (This usually starts in the last week of October, just before Halloween.) More and more deals will roll out leading up to the event, which culminates in massive discounts on Black Friday. Retailers will not reveal their biggest Bdeals until the big day, but many deals will be available well in advance.Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Upgrading your gaming laptop can be an expensive proposition. With a gaming PC, you have save money by going the DIY route or you can just upgrade specific components instead of replacing the entire desktop. Also, since the monitor is not a part of the system, you can keep using it for future builds. You can't afford such luxuries with a laptop. You'd essentially have to buy an entirely new system every time. Fortunately, laptop prices have dropped tremendously over the years, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't save even more.Fortunately, Black Friday is fast approaching and there is no better time to invest in a gaming laptop. We are still a few weeks out from November 29, but some retailers like Best Buy and Dell have already released their first set of early Black Friday, including some great deals on gaming laptops. As more stores reveal their Black Friday plans and hopefully push out their deals in advance, we'll be sure to update this article.Best Buy Gaming Laptop DealsStarting on November 8, Best Buy has been releasing a set number of early Black Friday deals every Friday leading up to Black Friday. This week's refresh includes several gaming laptop models ranging from budget to best. The Acer Nitro V 15" laptop boasts an RTX 4050 GPU for a budget price of $699.99. On the other end of the spectrum, the Acer Predator Helios with a massive 18" display, powerful i9-14900HX CPU, and best-in-class RTX 4090 GPU, is available for $2,399.99. That's the best price we've seen so far for an RTX 4090 gaming laptop for Black Friday.Acer Nitro V 15" AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS RTX 4050 Gaming LaptopAcer Predator Helios 18 QHD+ Intel Core i9-14900HX RTX 4090 Gaming LaptopASUS ROG Strix 18" QHD Intel Core i9-14900HX RTX 4080 Gaming LaptopHP OMEN 16" Intel Core i7-13620H RTX 4060 Gaming LaptopHP OMEN Transcend 14" 3K OLED Intel Core Ultra 9-185H RTX 4070 Gaming LaptopAcer Predator Helios Neo 16 Intel Core i9-14900HX RTX 4060 Gaming LaptopASUS TUF 15" Intel Core i7-13620H RTX 4070 Gaming LaptopASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 16" Intel Core i7-13620H RTX 4070 Gaming LaptopASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 16" QHD+ OLED Intel Core Ultra 9 185H RTX 4090 Gaming LaptopMSI Crosshair 16" Intel Core i7-14650HX RTX 4070 Gaming LaptopAlienware Gaming Laptop DealsThe Alienware Early Black Friday Sale is already live and active, and there are plenty of discounts on both the m-series and x-series gaming laptops. The m-series is Alienware's best selling gaming laptop. However, the Alienware x-series is a more recent model that boasts a slimmer and lighter redesign. It's the thinnest Alienware laptop ever and compares in build quality and performance to other high-end ultra-thin laptops like the Razer Blade. Alienware deals generally update every Thursday at 8am CST so expect more deals to trickle in ahead of Black Friday.Alienware m16 R2 16" Intel Core Ultra 7 RTX 4060 Gaming LaptopAlienware m16 R2 16" Intel Core Ultra 9 RTX 4070 Gaming LaptopAlienware m18 R2 18" i7 RTX 4070 Gaming LaptopAlienware m18 R2 18" i9 RTX 4090 Gaming LaptopAlienware x16 R2 16" Intel Core Ultra 7 RTX 4060 Gaming LaptopAlienware x16 R2 16" Intel Core Ultra 7 RTX 4070 Gaming LaptopAlienware x16 R2 16" Intel Core Ultra 9 RTX 4080 Gaming LaptopDell G15 15" AMD Ryzen 7 RTX 4060 Gaming LaptopDell G16 16" i9 RTX 4070 Gaming LaptopAlienware x14 R2 14" i7 RTX 4050 Gaming LaptopLenovo Legion Slim 16" RTX 4070 Laptop for $1121.99Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 9 16" 2560x1600 (QHD+) AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS RTX 4070 Gaming Laptop with 16GB RAM, 1TB SSDLenovo does have one very good laptop deal worth mentioning. You can get a Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 9 16" Ryzen Edition RTX 4070 gaming laptop for only $1121.99 shipped. The Legion Slim model is thinner than your typical gaming laptop, and yet is still equipped with a GPU that has the same high-wattage TGP as the full-sized Legion Pro. It weighs in at only 4.63 pounds and measures 0.78" at its thinnest point. RTX 4070 mobile GPU performs on par with the RTX 3080 and you'll want this kind of power to run games comfortably on the laptop's beefed up 2560x1600 QHD+ display.Not All Laptop GPUs Are the SameThere are two important tidbits that deserve mention concerning graphics cards found in laptops. First, mobile GPU variants are not as powerful as their desktop counterparts. For example, a mobile RTX 4060 doesn't perform as well as a desktop RTX 4060. The mobile versions are generally about one to two tiers lower in performance. Using the same example, the mobile RTX 4060 performs more similarly to a desktop RTX 4050.Second, not all laptops feature the same performance out of the same GPU. Two laptops equipped with the same RTX 4060 GPU, for example, might perform very different in gaming. In order to roughly tell how good a GPU will be, you can look at the TGP rating. That's basically the amount of power supplied to the GPU. A higher TGP rating means more power will be delivered, equating to stronger performance, however the wattage consumption and heat generated will be higher. Here are the maximum TGP rates for the RTX 40 series graphics cards:Mobile RTX 4050: 115WMobile RTX 4060: 115WMobile RTX 4070: 115WMobile RTX 4080: 150WMobile RTX 4090: 150WShould You Buy Now or Wait for Black Friday?At this point, Black Friday is only a few weeks away and in most cases it's better to wait. There are some deals here that are probably as low as they will go, even on Black Friday. However, it's very likely that the same deals you see now will also be available on November 29, even if they go out of stock.Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Many people dream of moving abroad, whether it's to experience a different culture, a desire for a slower life, or as am escape from the ever changing political climate. But one road block you'll consistently hit, no matter your nationality, revolves around your visa status. Even if you have a work visa, being able to put down permanent roots in a country where you don't have citizenship is not at all stress-free. There are some loopholes, however, specifically around international real estate that make the moving (and remaining) process so much easier. Depending on the country, you can essentially buy your way to citizenship, or at least a permanent residency, by investing in real estate. One of the main caveats comes down to the price, because unfortunately, you can't simply purchase a $30,000 home in Greece, for example, and expect your dual citizenship to be approved the next day. There are other eligibility requirements you must meet, and they differ by country. These won't be cheap investments by any means, but ask yourself: How much are you willing to pay to change everything? Below, we've broken down 25 countries that offer a Golden Visa to Americans when they purchase a new international home.For more real estate stories:1United Arab Emirates (Dubai)owngarden//Getty ImagesThe UAE is a popular real-estate-to-residency option for a few reasons: There's no income, wealth, or inheritance tax. Residents also report a fairly high quality of life rating, depending on their income status, and purchasing property can lead to gaining full citizenship, though not immediately.After meeting the eligibility requirements listed on the Global Citizen Solutions site and proving that you own property in the country, you'll then receive a golden visa, which grants you residency for at least five years. The renewal process is fairly simple and can be extended to a ten-year visa. As long as you meet certain exceptional qualities around merit and contributing to the nation's development, a golden visa holder can gain citizenship.Citizenship or residency: CitizenshipMinimum investment requirement: $545,000Related Story: 8 Places To Visit In Dubai If You Love Design2TurkeyAlexander Spatari//Getty ImagesThe process of gaining citizenship via real estate investments in Turkey is much more straight forward than in Dubai, and there are plenty of advantages to doing so. You must purchase property and agree that you won't sell the home for three years, according to the Republic of Turkey's Investment Office, and then you can apply for citizenship. Turkey is home to some beautiful historic cities and stunning natural landscapes. The country has a universal healthcare systemand a big medical tourism industrythough you may want to check on other social and political issues before calling your accountant. Citizenship or residency: CitizenshipMinimum investment requirement: $400,000Advertisement - Continue Reading Below3DominicaNANCY PAUWELS//Getty ImagesDual citizenship can be had in this Caribbean island by purchasing a government approved project. you can find this list of projects the Commonwealth of Dominica site. After your purchase has gone through, you then have to pay an additional fee to the government which starts at a cool $75,000 (more if you're bringing any dependents along with you). You also must not sell your investment for three years after citizenship is granted. Even with the extra government fees, this is still one of the smaller investments on the list. Citizenship or residency: CitizenshipMinimum investment requirement: $200,0004St. Kitts and NevisBriBar//Getty ImagesIn October of 2024, the minimum real estate investment requirement for citizens ship in St. Kitts and Nevis was reduced from $400,000 to $325,000, which makes this second passport option an even more appealing pick. St. Kitts and Nevis citizens hold one of the strongest passports in the Caribbean, and you don't have to pay income, investment, or wealth taxes in the country. There's also no stay requirement.However, the minimum investment requirement of $325k is only for approved condos and resort hotel shares. For a single-family home or other private dwelling, the minimum requirement is $600k, and neither real estate option can be sold for seven years, according to St. Kitts & Nevis Citizenship by Investment site. Upon citizenship approval, expect to pay a government fee of at least $25,000.Citizenship or residency: CitizenshipMinimum investment requirement: $325,000Advertisement - Continue Reading Below5Antigua and BarbudaWestend61//Getty ImagesThis safe and welcoming country is a popular one among those who seek a second citizenship in and around the Caribbean. However, you don't have free rein of all the real estate listingsyou must purchase an approved project for this investment if you want that passport. After you purchase one of these projects, you can then submit the sale agreement, along with the other required paperwork, to the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU), according to Henley & Partners, and pay a fee of at least $10,000. Choosing Antigua and Barbuda as your second citizenship option will require you to spend at least five days in the country within the first five years of obtaining citizenship, and you won't be able to sell the property for at least five years, either.Citizenship or residency: CitizenshipMinimum investment requirement: $300,0006GrenadaWestend61//Getty ImagesWhen seeking citizenship through Grenada's investment program, the process is a bit convoluted than in some of the other countries' on this list. It's a lengthy, stringent process, according to Henley & Partners, and will require a background check. However, you'll get a healthcare system that is rated as the best in the Caribbean and will get to live (with no minimum staying requirements) in a truly beautiful place.The home you purchase to start this process must be from a list of government-approved projects. After you pay the minimum investment, you'll still be expected to pay an additional, non-refundable contribution of at least $50,000. The property must be held for at least five years.Citizenship or residency: CitizenshipMinimum investment requirement: $270,000Advertisement - Continue Reading Below7VanuatuRichard I'Anson//Getty Images The country of Vanuatu first started their citizenship by investment program in 2021, and have since revoked citizenship from almost 30 people due to illegal and unreasonable behavior, according to their Citizenship's Office and Commission website. While this might initially be off-putting, think about it this way: As long as you're not being rowdy, you'll get to live in a safe place. In order to obtain citizenship through a real estate investment, you must purchase property from a rather short list of approved properties and attend an in-person interview, but after that, there's no minimum stay requirement, according to Global Citizen Solutions. Citizenship or residency: CitizenshipMinimum investment requirement: $200,0008St. LuciaPaul Baggaley//Getty ImagesThis is one to keep an eye on. While St. Lucia does allow citizenship through a real estate purchase with a minimum requirement plus a $50,000 administrative fee, according to Henley & Partners, you must select a property from an approved list of projects. And right now, there are no projects available. Their website does say this list will be updated at some point, but there's no obvious timeline currently. Citizenship or residency: CitizenshipMinimum investment requirement: $300,000Advertisement - Continue Reading Below9Greece Allard Schager//Getty ImagesLive out your Mamma Mia fantasies by moving to Greece. Greece is a hot vacation destination, but there are many reasons to want to live there full-time, including amazing food, an affordable cost of living, a good public healthcare system, and, of course, proximity to other European countries. By purchasing real estate, you're given a residence permit of five years that you can renew an unlimited number of times, and you're allowed to apply for citizenship after seven years of residence.There are a few options to choose from when deciding your Greek real estate venture, according to Henley & Partners: You can spend the minimum requirement "towards the conversion of commercial properties into residential use or the restoration of listed buildings," or you can up your investment to at least 400,000 to purchase a single property. However, if you hope to live in Athens, Thessaloniki, or any of the islands with a population of more than 3,100 inhabitants, expect to pay 800,000.Citizenship or residency: Residency Minimum investment requirement: 250,000 Related Story: Beautiful Cities in Greece That Deserve More Love10SpainEloi_Omella//Getty ImagesSpain is one of the world's most popular vacation destinations thanks to its rich culture and history, an excellent quality of life, and a highly developed economy. Through their Golden Visa program, a real estate investment will help you gain a residence permit with an initial duration of three years. However, as long as you maintain your real estate investment, you can renew this permit every five years after that, according to Henley & Partners. Once you've resided in the country for 10 years, then you can apply for citizenship.There's no minimum stay requirement in Spain, but you do have to visit the country before obtaining the first residence permit. Citizenship or residency: Residency Minimum investment requirement: 500,000Advertisement - Continue Reading Below11MaltaSylvain Sonnet//Getty ImagesThis small European island is known for its mesmerizing beaches, quaint villages, and seemingly endless sunshine, and at first glance, it might seem like one of the more affordable real estate investment options on this list. However, with all the fees and a mandatory donation, the cost adds up. There are a few investment options to gain indefinite permanent residency in Malta. According to Henley & Partners, you can either make a property purchase of 300,000 in South Malta or Gozo or spend 350,000 anywhere else. There's also an opportunity to lease a residence for at least five years for 10,000 per year in South Malta or Gozo, or 12,000 per year anywhere else in the country. However, this is where the extra costs come in. There's a minimum investment requirement of at least 28,000, a donation to a non-governmental organization of 2,000, and a non-refundable administrative fee of 40,000.Citizenship or residency: Residency Minimum investment requirement: 300,00012HungaryTanatat pongphibool ,thailand//Getty ImagesStarting January 1, 2025, Hungary is opening up its golden visa program to include real estate purchases that meet a minimum spend requirement, according to Immigrant Invest. There are plenty of reasons to want to live in Hungary, besides the proximity to other beautiful countries: universal healthcare, lower cost of living, great food scene, and low tax rates.In order to purchase property, you must get permission from the Land Registry as well as hire a lawyer to accompany the deal. There are a few extra fees, but they're low compared to other options on this list. A residence permit is granted for ten years and may be extended once for another ten years. However, as long as you meet certain requirements listed on Get Golden Visa, you can apply for citizenship after eight years of residence.Citizenship or residency: Residency Minimum investment requirement: 500,000Advertisement - Continue Reading Below13ColombiaSebastian Saldarriaga Torres//Getty ImagesThis beautiful South American country doesn't have a minimum investment amount; the amount is set as multiples of the country's national minimum monthly salary, according to Global Citizen Solutions. The eligibility requirement states that a real estate purchase from a foreign investor must be worth 350 times the national minimum wage, which is about $335 currently. This will qualify you to obtain a temporary residency visa for one to three years. However, you can continuously renew this visa for the duration of your investment, and once you hit the five year mark, you can apply for permanent residency. Citizenship or residency: ResidencyMinimum investment requirement: $117,00014BrazilDanny Lehman//Getty ImagesA comparatively easy option for obtaining permanent residency somewhere outside the U.S. is Brazil. There are a few investment opportunities, but if you're doing so through a real estate purchase, the minimum cost requirement varies by region: Buying a property in the north or northeast of the country will cost at least BRL 700,000 ($140,000), and buying a property anywhere else will cost at least BRL 1,000,000 (about $200,000), according to Global Citizen Solutions. Once you've made your purchase, you're eligible for a permanent residency. To maintain status, you must keep the property for at least for years and visit the country once every two years. After you've lived there for four years, you can apply for citizenship.Citizenship or residency: Residency Minimum investment requirement: $140,000Advertisement - Continue Reading Below15CambodiaPhoto by Supoj Buranaprapapong//Getty ImagesIf you're looking to live in Southeast Asia, then Cambodia is the only realistic option for gaining permanent residency through a real estate investment. A big perk is the relatively low minimum cost requirement, though the ten-year renewable visa is another benefit.After living in Cambodia for five years, you can apply for a Cambodian passport, according to La Vida Golden Visas. Plus, there's no minimum stay requirement to keep your permanent residency status. Citizenship or residency: ResidencyMinimum investment requirement: $100,00016Anguillacdwheatley//Getty ImagesThis British territory in the Caribbean offers permanent residency through real estate investmen. Anguilla is popular for a few reasons, including its low taxes, idyllic scenery, no minimum stay requirement, and the fact that it serves as an easier pathway to British citizenship. According to Select Anguilla, there are a few fees you must take into account when purchasing real estate on top of the minimum investment requirement. You also must hold the purchase for at least five years in order to maintain residency status, but after that, you're able to apply to become a British Overseas Territories Citizen, according to La Vida Golden Visas.Citizenship or residency: Residency Minimum investment requirement: $750,000Advertisement - Continue Reading Below17Cayman IslandsJodiJacobson//Getty ImagesThe scenic Cayman Islands are mainly known for the absence of corporate, capital gains, inheritance, personal income, and recurring property taxes, but there are plenty of other reasons to seek residency there. According to Sotheby's Realty, permanent residency here opens the door to possible eventual British Citizenship, just like in Anguilla. However, the minimum investment requirement is the highest on this list, which could understandably turn away a lot of people. If this is something doable for you and your family though, then you're set to have permanent residency for life, as long as you visit at least one day per year.Citizenship or residency: Residency Minimum investment requirement: $2.4 million18CuraaoWestend61//Getty ImagesCuraao, located in the Caribbean, is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and is beloved for its beautiful scenery, political stability, and thriving economy. And because it's under Dutch rule, investors can apply for Dutch citizenship after five years of permanent residency, according to La Vida Golden Visas. To obtain permanent residency, there are a few investment options, a real estate purchase being one of them. However, how much you spend determines how long your residence permit lasts. If you spend $280,000, your renewable permit is valid for three years; spend $425,000, your renewable permit is valid for five years; spend $850,000, you obtain an indefinite residence permit. Citizenship or residency: ResidencyMinimum investment requirement: $280,000Advertisement - Continue Reading Below19CyprusStefan Cristian Cioata//Getty ImagesCyprus is a small Mediterranean island east of Greece with low cost of living, no inheritance tax, high-quality healthcare, and an extremely low crime rate. Not to mention, its landscape is stunning. To obtain permanent residency via real estate, you must purchase a property that hits the minimum investment requirement plus value added tax (VAT), according to Henley & Partners. You also must make a secured annual income of at least 50,000 from abroad to qualify for residence. The minimum stay requirement is small, requiring you to visit the country once every two years. After you've resided in Cyprus for seven years, you can apply for citizenship. Citizenship or residency: ResidencyMinimum investment requirement: 300,00020Namibia Marco Bottigelli//Getty ImagesConsidered one of the safest nations in Africa, Namibia is also known for its high quality of life, economic opportunities, and spectacular natural beauty. While the government is looking for more foreign investors, residency through real estate investments can only be achieved by buying in one approved location, according to Henley & Partners, and that's at the President's Links Estate. You obviously don't have many options when it comes to real estate investments, but if you do buy there, you'll get you a five-year, renewable work permit. After seven years of retaining the investment, you can apply for permanent residency. Citizenship or residency: Residency Minimum investment requirement: $365,000

Apple users across the globe have been reporting that theyre receiving refunds for AppleCare+ on iPhones they purchased and traded in years ago. Seemingly, there isnt anything specific triggering the refund, but there are a number of varying cases.AppleCare+ refund emailApple is refunding AppleCare+ on a wide variety of recently traded-in iPhone models, ranging from the iPhone 11 Pro to the iPhone 14 Pro. The email to affected customers states the following:Dear Customer,Our records indicate that you are eligible for a refund associated with your AppleCare+ agreement (number) for the iPhone 12 Pro Max you returned or traded in.We have issued a refund for $201.47 to the payment method associated with your Apple Account. Please allow 30 days for the refund to process.If you have questions or need help, contact Apple Support.Sincerely,Apple SupportVarying refund amountsInterestingly, some people are seemingly getting refunds in excess of what their unused portion of AppleCare+ wouldve been worth. AppleCare+ costs $199 for two years of coverage on iPhone Pro models, and $269 for theft and loss coverage. A refund of $201.47 seems a bit high, presuming that this customer used their iPhone for a reasonable amount of time.On top of that, Dylan McDonald on X reported that he received a refund of $181.36 for AppleCare+ on his iPhone 12 Pro Max, despite only subscribing to the monthly plan. He does note that he forgot to cancel his subscription for a few months after trading in, but even then the refund shouldve been closer to $40, not $200.It hasnt been so positive for everyone though, and multiple customers are receiving refunds as small as a couple dollars.Wrap upIf Apple isnt able to automatically refund you, youre advised to contact Apple Support, who can provide a form for issuing your Repair Extension Program Refund.It still isnt quite clear whats going on, but customers in both the US and UK are receiving such refunds. Users are also showing that theyve already received refunds in their bank accounts, so the emails dont seem to be an error.It is worth noting that customers were always able to call in and ask for partial refunds on 2 year AppleCare+ plans, though Apple is seemingly creating an automated process for it now.Well update this story if we learn any clarifying details. Have you personally received such an email? Let us know in the comments.Follow Michael:X/Twitter,Threads,InstagramAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost.Request your EXTENDED TRIALtoday and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.As Apple has shifted to a rolling thunder of new features for iOS 18 where it brings out new features and functionality over time, so has it done the same for its enterprise tools. iOS 18.1 brings some important features to Apple IT admins with their device management solution.About Apple @ Work:Bradley Chambers managed an enterprise IT network from 2009 to 2021. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, 1000s of Macs, and 1000s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.MDM can disable RCS messagesWith iOS 18.1, Apple IT admins can now prevent users from sending or receiving Rich Communication Services (RCS) messages. This adds another layer of communication control for enterprise environments that rely on tighter messaging restrictions.MDM can manage writing tools and mail summarizationAdministrators can now manage access to Writing Tools and Mail summarization features introduced in iOS 18.1. This ensures that users have consistent access to these productivity tools, or it can restrict them as necessary, depending on company policy.Messages app restriction can no longer be bypassed using ShareSheetIn response to previous workarounds, iOS 18.1 has closed a loophole where the Messages app restriction could be bypassed using the ShareSheet. Now, when Messages is restricted, users cannot share content via this app, ensuring more robust compliance with company policies.Users can no longer deactivate per-app VPNThe update restricts users from deactivating per-app VPN connections, ensuring that all app-specific traffic is routed through the VPN as mandated by the organizations device management configuration. This enhances security by maintaining consistent VPN use.MDM can disable the ability to record phone callsiOS 18.1 allows Apple IT admins to prevent users from recording phone calls, whether for privacy, legal, or compliance reasons. This feature helps enforce stricter call recording policies across managed devices.MDM can disable the ability to hide appsAdministrators can now prevent users from hiding apps, which is useful in scenarios where visibility of all installed apps is required for compliance. In addition, this update allows blocking of apps from being locked by users, reinforcing app visibility and access.Wrap upWith iOS 18.1, Apple has expanded its approach to introducing new features over time, delivering notable updates for both users and enterprise IT admins. The added MDM capabilities underscore Apples focus on refining device management and security within enterprise environments. These updates, like controlling RCS messages, restricting call recording, and managing per-app VPN usage, offer IT teams more granular control over devices.As Apple continues its rolling thunder strategy for iOS and macOS updates, IT administrators can expect further improvements that align with evolving enterprise needs. iOS 18.1s advancements mark a step forward in empowering admins to secure and streamline device management.Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost.Request your EXTENDED TRIALtoday and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Wait, what?Shadow and BoneA team of scientists has found that the narrow beam of a laser, under specific conditions, can cast a shadow a counterintuitive finding that could open the doors for new applications of optical lasers.Conventional knowledge presupposes that if two light beams cross, nothing of note happens. But in an experiment, as detailed in a new paper published in the journal Optica, Brookhaven National Laboratory researcher Raphael Abrahao and his team found something strange: a narrow green laser beam, when shot through a larger blue laser beam inside of a ruby crystal, created a shadow."Laser light casting a shadow was previously thought impossible since light usually passes through other light without interacting," said Abrahao in a statement. "Our demonstration of a very counter-intuitive optical effect invites us to reconsider our notion of shadow."Throwing ShadeThe concept for the experiment started because of a joke the researchers shared over a meal together."What started as a funny discussion over lunch led to a conversation on the physics of lasers and the nonlinear optical response of materials," Abrahao explained. "From there, we decided to conduct an experiment to demonstrate the shadow of a laser beam."First, the team shot a high-power green laser through a cube-shaped ruby crystal. They then shot a different blue laser through the same material at a perpendicular angle.Lo and behold, readings from a sensor pointed at the surface the blue laser was illuminating revealed a shadow in the shape of the green laser beam.In simple terms, the green laser acted more like an object, not a beam of light, creating what by all accounts could be described as a shadow.The researchers suggest this is because of "optical nonlinear absorption" occurring inside of the ruby cube. The green light increases the absorption of the blue beam, creating a darker region that casts the shadow.The researchers measured a maximum contrast of around 22 percent, roughly the equivalent of a shadow a tree casts on a sunny day."This discovery expands our understanding of light-matter interactions and opens up new possibilities for utilizing light in ways we hadnt considered before," Abrahao explained."This new finding could prove useful in various applications such as optical switching, devices in which light controls the presence of another light, or technologies that require precise control of light transmission, like high-power lasers," he added.The team is now hoping to demonstrate how a laser beam's intensity can be controlled with the use of another laser, and to explore whether the same effect can be reproduced using other wavelengths and materials.More on lasers: NASA Spacecraft Shoots Japanese Moon Lander With LaserShare This Article