• ChatRex: A Multimodal Large Language Model (MLLM) with a Decoupled Perception Design
    www.marktechpost.com
    Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs) have shown impressive capabilities in visual understanding. However, they face significant challenges in fine-grained perception tasks such as object detection, which is critical for applications like autonomous driving and robotic navigation. Current models fail to achieve precise detection, reflected in the low recall rates of even state-of-the-art systems like Qwen2-VL, which only manages 43.9% of the COCO dataset. This gap emerges from inherent conflicts of tasks associated with perception and understanding and limited datasets that would be able to fairly balance these two required parts.Traditional efforts toward incorporating perception into MLLMs usually involve tokenizing the coordinates of a bounding box to fit this form with auto-regressive models. Though these techniques guarantee compatibility with understanding tasks, they suffer from cascading errors, ambiguous object prediction orders, and quantization inaccuracies in complex images. A retrieval-based perception framework is, for instance, as in Groma and Shikra; it could change the detection of an object but isnt as strong as a robust real-world task on diverse tasks. Moreover, the mentioned limitations are added to insufficient training datasets, which fail to address the twin requirements of perception and understanding.To overcome this challenge, researchers from the International Digital Economy Academy (IDEA) developed ChatRex, an advanced MLLM that is designed with decoupled architecture with strict separation between perception and understanding tasks. ChatRex is built on a retrieval-based framework where object detection is considered as retrieving bounding box indices rather than a direct coordinate prediction. This novel formulation removes quantization errors and increases the accuracy of detection. A Universal Proposal Network (UPN) was developed to generate comprehensive fine-grained and coarse-grained bounding box proposals that addressed ambiguities in object representation. The architecture further integrates a dual-vision encoder, which integrates high-resolution and low-resolution visual features to enhance the precision of object tokenization. The training was further enhanced by the newly developed Rexverse-2M dataset, an enormous collection of annotated images with multi-granular annotations, thus ensuring balanced training across perception and understanding tasks.The Universal Proposal Network is based on DETR. The UPN generates robust bounding box proposals at multiple levels of granularity, which has effectively mitigated inconsistencies in object labeling across datasets. The UPN can then accurately detect objects in different scenarios by using fine-grained and coarse-grained prompts during training. The dual-vision encoder enables the encoding of visuals to be done compactly and efficiently by replacing high-resolution image features with low-resolution representations. The dataset for training, Rexverse-2M, contains more than two million annotated images, along with region descriptions, bounding boxes, and captions, which balanced the perception of the understanding and contextual analysis of ChatRex.ChatRex performs top-notch in both perception and understanding benchmarks as it surpasses all other present models. In object detection, it has better or higher precision, recall, and mean Average Precision, or mAP, score than competitors on datasets including COCO and LVIS. In referring to object detection, can accurately associate descriptive expressions to corresponding objects, which explains its ability to deal with complex interactions between textual inputs and visual inputs. The system excels further in generating grounded image captions, answering region-specific queries, and object-aware conversational scenarios. This success stems from its decoupled architecture, retrieval-based detection strategy, and the broad training enabled by the Rexverse-2M dataset.ChatRex is the first multimodal AI model that resolves the long-standing conflict between perception and understanding tasks. Its innovative design, combined with a robust training dataset, sets a new standard for MLLMs, allowing for precise object detection and context-rich understanding. These dual capabilities open up novel applications in dynamic and complex environments, illustrating how the integration of perception and understanding can unlock the full potential of multimodal systems.Check out the Paper and GitHub Page. 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. Aswin Ak+ postsAswin AK is a consulting intern at MarkTechPost. He is pursuing his Dual Degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He is passionate about data science and machine learning, bringing a strong academic background and hands-on experience in solving real-life cross-domain challenges. [Download] Evaluation of Large Language Model Vulnerabilities Report (Promoted)
    0 Comments ·0 Shares ·78 Views
  • The Lenovo Cyber Monday Sale for 2024 Is Live: The Best Deals on Legion Gaming PCs and Laptops
    www.ign.com
    Lenovo seemed to have taken a back seat during Black Friday, but apparently not for Cyber Monday. They've just kicked off a Lenovo Cyber Monday Sale early with some great deals on their Legion gaming PCs and laptops. These deals are far better than the Lenovo deals we saw during Black Friday and easily as good as the best deals from other retailers. It's actually not surprising that Lenovo decided to hold off until now; according to my past experience, online-only PC retailers like Lenovo, Alienware, and HP (Omen) generally tend to dish out better deals on Cyber Monday.Featured in this articleLenovo Legion Tower 7i i9 RTX 4080 Super Gaming PCLenovo Legion Tower 5 i7 RTX 4070 Super Gaming PCLenovo Legion Pro 7 Gen 9 16" Intel Core i9-14900HX RTX 4090 Gaming LaptopLenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 9 16" Intel Core i9-14900HX RTX 4070 Gaming LaptopLenovo LOQ 15" AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS RTX 4060 Gaming LaptopYou can quickly browse through all of the listed products on sale above.Lenovo Legion Tower 7i RTX 4080 Super Gaming PCLenovo Legion Tower 7i i9 RTX 4080 Super Gaming PCThis the currently the best Cyber Monday deal at Lenovo. This Legion Tower 7i RTX 4080 Super gaming PC is currently available for under $2000 with coupon code "LEGIONC5SALE24". The 4080 Super is a second generation card that supersedes the RTX 4080. It's Nvidia's second most powerful card and a superior GPU to AMD's Radeon RX 7900 RTX if you factor in DLSS and ray tracing performance. In our RTX 4080 Super review, Jacqueline Thomas writes, "If you're in the market for a 4K graphics card around $1,000, it's hard to think of any GPU that's a better purchase right now. This is the RTX 4080 that should have launched in 2022."Lenovo Legion Tower 5 i7 RTX 4070 Super Gaming PCLenovo Legion Tower 5 i7 RTX 4070 Super Gaming PCThis Lenovo Legion Tower 5 gaming PC is equipped with an Intel Core i7-14700F CPU, RTX 4070 GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD. That's a good price for a gaming PC with well rounded specs ready to go without any upgrades. The RTX 4070 Super is one of the best graphics cards for most people; it's affordably priced and yet it's powerful enough to run games at up to 4K (although 1440p is its sweet spot). In her RTX 4070 Super review, Jacqueline Thomas wrote that "The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super is the mid-range card we should have got back when the RTX 4000 generation launched. It's around 16% faster in most games at the same price. If you've been waiting to make your GPU upgrade, now's the time." I personally gamed on a 4K monitor with a RTX 3080 GPU (less powerful than the RTX 4070 Super) before I upgraded.Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16" RTX 4090 Gaming LaptopLenovo Legion Pro 7 Gen 9 16" Intel Core i9-14900HX RTX 4090 Gaming LaptopIf you're looking for an incredibly powerful gaming desktop replacement, this laptop is a strong contender. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7 gaming laptop features a 16" QHD+ display, Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU, RTX 4090 GPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD. The Intel Core i9-14900HX is Intel's most powerful CPU and excels at both gaming and workstation duties. The RTX 4090 is still the most powerful mobile GPU on the market, and by a very substantial margin. It's roughly equivalent to a desktop RTX 3090 GPU. It has more than enough power to run most games at well over 60fps on the 2560x1600 display. In fact, it could probably hit 240fps (the display has a 240Hz refresh rate).Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16" RTX 4070 Gaming LaptopLenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 9 16" Intel Core i9-14900HX RTX 4070 Gaming LaptopThis Lenovo Legion Pro 7 gaming laptop offers a lot of upgrades for a very reasonable price. Unlike most laptops at this price point, it's equipped with an Intel Core i9-14900X (Intel's best 14th gen CPU), RTX 4070 GPU with the maximum TGP rating, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 2TB SSD (both double what you would normally see). The RTX 4070 mobile GPU performs on par with the RTX 3080 and should provide ample horsepower to power games on the QHD+ display.Lenovo LOQ 15" RTX 4060 Gaming LaptopLenovo LOQ 15" AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS RTX 4060 Gaming LaptopLenovo is offering one of the least expensive RTX 4060 gaming laptops for Cyber Monday. This Lenovo LOQ gaming laptop features a 15" 1080p display, AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS CPU, RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. The LOQ is Lenovo's lineup of budget-oriented gaming laptops, but it houses the same powerful components you'd find in their Legion lineup. The RTX 4060 is a good match with the 1080p display; you should be able to run most games at 1080p. Why Choose Lenovo?Lenovo Legion gaming PCs and laptops generally feature better and more rugged build quality than what you'd find from most other prebuilt PCs. For desktop PCs in particular, people like the fact that Lenovo does not use many proprietary components in their rigs, so the PCs are much easier to upgrade with easiy obtainable, off-the-shelf parts. For laptops, Lenovo generally does not throttle the GPU on most of their Legion laptops, so you should expect maximum performance from a given GPU. Lenovo generally includes a solid 1 year warranty with the option to extend.Will the Deals Change for Cyber Monday?In my experience, many of the same deals we saw on Black Friday will return for Cyber Monday 2024, including deals that were sold out or expired. Retailers usually release their hottest selling items in batches so that every sale event has at least some inventory reserved. That said, I also expect plenty of new, never before seen deals. Traditionally, Black Friday was known as the "retail holiday," where the best deals were found in-store, and Cyber Monday was known as the "online holiday," where the best deals were online only. Although today the lines have blurred, it is still true that many online only retailers still consider Cyber Monday the sale event of the year instead of Black Friday. Expect some amazing sales to come out of online-only sites like Amazon, Newegg, Dell, HP, Lenovo and several online-only deals from traditional retailers like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. In fact, Amazon has taken the preemptive and already switched over to Cyber Monday.Why Should You Trust IGN's Deals Team?IGN's deals team has a combined 30+ years of experience finding the best discounts in gaming, tech, and just about every other category. We don't try to trick our readers into buying things they don't need at prices that aren't worth buying something at. Our ultimate goal is to surface the best possible deals from brands we trust and our editorial team has personal experience with. You can check out our deals standards here for more information on our process, or keep up with the latest deals we find on IGN's Deals account on Twitter.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.
    0 Comments ·0 Shares ·67 Views
  • Trending iPhone Deal: Buy an iPhone 16, Get a $500 Gift Card in Walmart's Black Friday Sale
    www.ign.com
    The best deals on a new iPhone are almost always at Walmart during Black Friday. And even though the big day is over, most of Walmart's Black Friday sale is still live, including the best deal on a new iPhone weve seen all year: Buy a select iPhone at Walmart, and youll get up to $500 in Walmart gift cards (see the deal here). At a store that sells just about everything, thats nearly as good as cash. And its by far the best iPhone deal weve found this Black Friday.Up to $500 Gift Card with Select iPhone at WalmartIf you have an eligible trade-in, you can get up to $1,500Up to $500 Gift Card with Select PhonesSee it at WalmartThe deal is valid on pretty much all models of iPhone 16 and 15, including iPhone and iPhone Plus (the larger model), as well as iPhone Pro and Pro Max. Alternatively, if you want to hop to the Android side, you can get the same gift card deal on the Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Ultra. All you have to do is select the one you want on the carrier of your choice: Verizon, AT&T, or Straight Talk.Personally, I would recommend going with an iPhone 16 since its the newest model, and the standard iPhone 16 is very close to the 16 Pro in terms of features. Both can run Apple Intelligence, the new AI features that have begun rolling out and will continue throughout this year and next. In its current state, Apple Intelligence can do things like write and edit emails, create images, identify plants and animals in your photos, and more. Siri is also getting major improvements and can connect to ChatGPT for help when Siri doesnt have an answer.As noted above, if you have an eligible trade-in to offer, you can crank the free gift card amount all the way up to $1,500, which can buy you a lot at Walmart. This deal runs through December 8, which is a week past Cyber Monday. That means you have a good deal of time to consider your options and make the right choice for you.More Apple Black Friday DealsiPad 10th GenLowest price in 30 daysApple Watch SE 2Apple AirPods MaxApple AirTags (4-Pack)Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB)And if youre in the market for other Apple items, check out our full roundup of Apple Black Friday deals, which includes all-time low discounts on things like AirPods Pro, iPad, and MacBook Air.What to Expect for Cyber MondayAs Black Friday continues for big retailers throughout the weekend, keep an eye on video game Black Friday deals from Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox. Waiting for Cyber Monday is risky as the hottest gaming deals tend to sell out fast. This is why Black Friday tends to be the better time to buy video games.When does Black Friday end and Cyber Monday begin?As we inch closer to the end of the biggest consumer holiday, it's smart to keep in mind what each big retailer is planning, when their Black Friday sales end, and when certain Cyber Monday deals begin. As IGN's Commerce Manager, Eric Song states in his Black Friday deals post: "I've worked through numerous Black Fridays over the years, and my experience has always been the same: about half of the deals end on Black Friday at midnight, and the other half will stay live through the weekend and end on Cyber Monday. That said, most deals switch to Cyber Monday a day early, on Sunday, Dec 1.Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky and Threads.
    0 Comments ·0 Shares ·81 Views
  • Netflix New Releases: December 2024
    www.denofgeek.com
    Netflix has a lot to offer this holiday season from Christmas specials and live events to new movies and series, theres something for every member of the family to watch.The Short n Sweet-heart herself, Sabrina Carpenter has a Christmas special set to premiere on Dec. 6 with a variety of guests and songs to bring in the holiday season with a little bit of spice. Netflix is also testing the limits of its live-streaming capabilities with two Christmas day NFL football games set to stream live. First the Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers, then the Baltimore Ravens will face off against the Houston Texans, the latter of which is set to feature a halftime performance by the one and only Queen Bey Beyonce.If youre looking to laugh, Fortune Feimster, Michelle Buteau, Nate Bargatze, Jamie Foxx, and Ronnie Chieng all have comedy specials dropping throughout the month.As far as TV shows go, the biggest title dropping this month is the second season of the hit Korean drama Squid Game. Dropping the day after Christmas, this season is poised to be the perfect post-holiday binge in that weird liminal space between Christmas and the New Year. The spy thriller Black Doves is another action-packed original series worth a look this month. Starring Keira Knightly, this series follows a spy (Knightly) on a quest for vengeance after her lover is killed.Heres everything else coming toNetflixthis month. Note that Netflix marks its international offerings with that respective countrys two-letter country code. You can find a list of those abbreviationshere.Netflix New Releases December 2024December 1Bunkd: Season 7BurlesqueDaddy Day CareThe Happytime MurdersLittleMidwayProject XWere the MillersZero Dark ThirtyDecember 230 for 30: Bad Boys30 for 30: Celtics/Lakers: The Best of Enemies30 for 30: Sole Man30 for 30: This Magic Moment30 for 30: This Was the XFL30 for 30: Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York KnicksDecember 3Fortune Feimster: Crushing It NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIALDecember 4The Childrens Train (IT) NETFLIX FILMChurchill at War NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYThe Only Girl in the Orchestra NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYTomorrow and I (TH) NETFLIX SERIESThat Christmas (GB) NETFLIX FAMILYThe Ultimatum: Marry or Move On: Season 3 NETFLIX SERIESDecember 5BEASTARS: Final Season: Part 1 (JP) NETFLIX ANIMEBlack Doves (GB) NETFLIX SERIESComplianceJentry Chau vs the Underworld NETFLIX FAMILYSubservienceTop Chef: BostonTop Chef: KentuckyTop Chef: SeattleDecember 6A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter NETFLIX SPECIAL (9pm ET / 6pm PT)Biggest Heist Ever NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYCamp Crasher (AR) NETFLIX FILMEchoes of the Past (EG) NETFLIX SERIESMary NETFLIX FILMDecember 9The Great British Baking Show: Holidays: Season 7 (GB) NETFLIX SERIESRubble and Crew: Season 1December 10Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was NETFLIX COMEDY EVENTPolo NETFLIX SPORTS SERIESRugged Rugby: Conquer or Die (KR) NETFLIX SERIESDecember 11The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYMakaylas Voice: A Letter to the World NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYMaria NETFLIX FILMOne Hundred Years of Solitude: Part 1 (CO) NETFLIX SERIESQueer Eye: Season 9 NETFLIX SERIESDecember 12La Palma (NO) NETFLIX SERIESNo Good Deed NETFLIX SERIESDecember 131992 (ES) NETFLIX SERIESCarry-On NETFLIX FILMDisaster Holiday (ZA) NETFLIX FILMDecember 16The Dead Dont DieThe Equalizer: Seasons 1-3December 17Aaron Rodgers: Enigma NETFLIX SPORTS SERIESRonny Chieng: Love To Hate It NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIALDecember 18Julias Stepping Stones NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYThe Manny: Season 2 (MX) NETFLIX SERIESDecember 19The Dragon Prince: Season 7 NETFLIX FAMILYProject Runway: Seasons 18-19Virgin River: Season 6 NETFLIX SERIESDecember 20Ferry 2 (BE) NETFLIX FILMThe Six Triple Eight NETFLIX FILMUmjolo: Day Ones (ZA) NETFLIX FILMUniverXO Dabiz (ES) NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYDecember 21Flipping Out: Seasons 6-8December 24Your Friend Nate Bargatze NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIALDecember 25NFL on Christmas: Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans NETFLIX LIVE EVENTNFL on Christmas: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers NETFLIX LIVE EVENTDecember 26Squid Game: Season 2 (KR) NETFLIX SERIESDecember 28Maestro in Blue: Season 3 (GR) NETFLIX SERIESDecember 30Mad Max: Fury RoadDecember 31Avicii Im Tim (SE) NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYAvicii My Last Show (SE) NETFLIX FILMEvil: Season 3The Millionaire Matchmaker: Seasons 5-7Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIALLeaving Netflix December 2024December 1AliBattle Kitty: Season 1Blood and BoneThe Boss Baby: Get That Baby!Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe PileCaptain Underpants Epic Choice-o-RamaCarmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to StealCat BurglarChoose LoveThe Devils OwnDiary of a Mad Black WomanDoing Hard TimeEscape The UndertakerFrances HaGlengarry Glen RossHeadspace: Unwind Your MindHunter KillerIt Chapter TwoJohnny Tests Ultimate Meatloaf QuestThe Last Kids on Earth: Happy Apocalypse to YouThe Little ThingsNational SecurityPoint BreakSpace Jam: A New LegacySpirit Riding Free: Ride Along AdventureStretch Armstrong: The BreakoutTo LeslieTrivia Quest: Season 1TriviaverseTroyWe Lost Our HumanWhat to Expect When Youre ExpectingDecember 2White GirlDecember 3The CommuterDecember 6ReminiscenceDecember 7TrollsVoltron: Legendary Defender: Seasons 1-8December 16Darkest HourMortal KombatDecember 20Ruby Gillman, Teenage KrakenDecember 25The FlashDecember 31Royal Pains: Seasons 1-8
    0 Comments ·0 Shares ·77 Views
  • Google Maps app showing incident reports from Waze
    9to5google.com
    As part of the redesigned incident reporting across all platforms, Google said Maps would show Waze reports for users to confirm while navigating. This is beginning to roll out.When Google Maps announced in late July, with the actual rollout taking place mid-September the improved reporting UI for Android, iOS, Android Auto, CarPlay, and Android Automotive, the company also said these reports come from the Maps and Waze communities, and you can even see which app a report came from.Waze further detailed how Google Maps will surface reports from our drivers with attribution to Waze directly in the app, starting with police alerts. In the future, more data types will be shared and attributed to Waze. Were excited for more drivers to see reports coming from Waze. This wouldnt be possible without our partnership with Geo, where we aim to bring the most comprehensive map data to all drivers through bi-directional data exchange (like KoiFish)We saw the first case of this being live over the past day. In the Google Maps mobile app, one user was prompted with a bottom sheet that noted Police reported ahead. There is From Waze drivers attribution, and a Are they still there? question with large Yes or No buttons. This panel disappears automatically after a countdown.Credit: u/Truckin_18Sharing incident reporting between the two services ultimately makes both apps richer. Google Maps is larger, with the app surpassing 2 billion monthly active users as of late October. For comparison, a report in late 2022 said Waze has 151 million. Internally, both apps are managed by the same Google Geo team.Waze is much more focused on crowdsourced mapping conditions, while Google Maps is more general purpose. In October, Waze started testing a Conversational Reporting capability.More on Google Maps:Add 9to5Google to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Google experts who break news about Google and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google 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
    0 Comments ·0 Shares ·77 Views
  • How I turned the M4 Mac mini into a travel computer
    9to5mac.com
    People have been loving the all-new M4 Mac mini since it was released last month. The combination of power, price, and new smaller form factor has people drooling over what is possible. But for me, the best part was the new size. This had me thinking, can I use this as a mobile desktop solution? The answer is yes, as long as you have the necessary accessories!Be sure to check out my video below showing off how I am able to use my Mac mini as a mobile desktop solution.Must-havesIn the video above, I mention around 10 different accessories that I have used for this setup, but in reality, you need four to be able to take this on the go. The rest are just nice to have in order to really feel at home wherever you set up. But lets start with the mainstays.M4 Mac miniFor my computer of choice, I went with the baseline M4 Mac mini. It comes with 16GB of unified memory and 256GB of onboard storage. In the next section, I will talk about some external storage solutions that are easy to bring with you. I like to just get the baseline to save as much as I can. Right now, the M4 Mac mini is on sale on Amazon for just $529 brand new! This is an absurd price for such a small and powerful computer.Espresso DisplayArguably the most important accessory will be the display. There are so many portable displays out there ranging from $50 all the way to $1000 if you want. But the perfect middle ground has to be the new 15in Espresso display. For just $299 you get:15in Full HD high-precision panel1.68 pounds5.3mm in thickness300 nits brightness2x USB-C ports with power passthroughPowered with a single USB-C cableIncludes: Stand, Microfiber cloth, cable, caseIt literally feels like this is a product made by Apple. It even looks like a shrunken iMac display! This is a no brainer if you want a high quality and well made portable monitor that also has a crazy low price. Save an extra 10% with code 9to510 at checkout!Peripherals The next two products you need will have to be a keyboard and mouse. Since this is a travel setup I tried to find something that was easy to bring with you on the go. For the keyboard I went with the ProtoArc folding keyboard. Then for the mouse I went with my tried and true Logitech Anywhere S2.ProtoArc Keyboard:Connects to 3 devicescharges via USBC with 5 months of standby timeFolds to compact form factorWhen open it shows 105 key layout with number padAuto connects when keyboard is openedOn sale for $35.99Logitech Anywhere S3 MouseCharges via USBC and holds charge for 70 daysConnects to 3 devicesHigh quality feel8K DPI sensor for precisionOn sale for $67!The Backpack Waterfield Tech Folio SlimThe Tech Folio Backpack by WaterField Designs is the ultimate companion for tech lovers, providing a stylish and tough way to haul around all your gearincluding your M4 Mac Mini travel setup. Made for pros and creatives, it mixes smart organization with high-quality materials to keep up with your busy lifestyle.Key Features:All-in-One Storage:Fits laptops, tablets, chargers, cables, theM4 Mac Mini, and a15 Portable Espresso Displayperfectly.Travel-Ready:Ideal for creating a portable, organized workspace anywhere.Premium Build:Crafted with rugged ballistic nylon or waxed canvas and full-grain leather.Convertible Design:Easily switches between a folio and a backpack.Comfortable Carry:Ergonomic straps and padded back for all-day comfort.Handcrafted Quality:Made in San Francisco with meticulous attention to detail.Stay organized, stylish, and ready to work on the go with this ultimate travel companion. Once you have these items then you will be ready to use your M4 Mac mini on the move! But if you want a few more accessories, the rest I would consider nice to have.Nice to have accessoriesExternal storage Lexar SSD 2TBUltra-fast external storage for seamless backups and file transfers.Compact and durable design, perfect for on-the-go use.1 TB, 2TB and 4TB options$154 for the 2TB model!AirPods ProActive Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode for versatile listening.Comfortable fit with customizable ear tips for all-day use.Best headphones for the price Currently listed at $153!Moft Tripod StandLightweight and foldable, perfect for video calls or presentations.Sturdy build supports various devices securely.Helps to be able to use continuity camera with iPhone for a webcam solution!AirTag 4-PackEffortless tracking for keys, bags, or other essentials.Precision Finding makes locating misplaced items quick and easy.Always use one of these in each of my bagsCurrently $72 for a 4 pack!Final takeOf course buying a laptop would be the best choice if you were planning on needed a portable computing solution. So if that is your need, then yes, go get a MacBook Air. But if you were like me, and left your MacBook Air at home and was only used as a desktop, then this could work for you. This setup is for the people that 90% of the time are at their desk, but every once and while need to take their Mac mini on the go. That is where this setup shines. Let me know what you think. Is this something you would do? Would you travel with your Mac mini if you needed? Lets discuss below!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
    0 Comments ·0 Shares ·80 Views
  • Woman Annoyed When She Gets on Wegovy and It Does Nothing
    futurism.com
    The fever-pitch hype around GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro makes them sound like game-changing medications, and for many they are but for other patients, the experience is totally underwhelming.In an interview withthe Associated Press, 38-year-old Danielle Griffin said that although she was able to get a prescription for Novo Nordisk's weight loss shot Wegovy and even got it covered by her insurance,which is still often a struggle the medication just didn't work for her."I have been on Wegovy for a year and a half," Griffin said, "and have only lost 13 pounds."Despite doing "everything right," including dieting, exercising, and drinking lots of water, she's had "no success" with the popular weight loss injectable."Its discouraging," Giffin said.While there's been scrutiny on a laundry list of side effects that can come with glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs, which seem to work by mimicking the body's feeling of fullness, non-responsiveness of this sort hasn't captured much attention.Obesity experts toldthe AP, however, that up to 20 percent or one in every five patients may not lose weight on the drugs at all.Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital, told the news wire that because "different people have different responses," these drugs won't work the same for everyone who takes them.From medications that stymie weight loss to differences in brain and gut chemistry, lots of factors influence how people metabolize GLP-1s, the Mass General doctor said."[Obesity] is a disease that stems from the brain," Stanford said. "The dysfunction may not be the same."Endocrine specialist Jody Dushay of Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center said that she's also seen people have issues losing weight with GLP-1s though generally, she and her patients are able to tell whether they're going to work within a few weeks.Between non-responsiveness and undesirable gastrointestinal side effects like vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea, those who run into issues with drugs like Wegovy often feel at wit's end, Dushay said. There are plenty of other options, however, including switching to a different GLP-1."I tell them: it's not game over," the endocrinologist said.Indeed, Griffin told the AP that she eventually switched over to Zepbound, a similar drug made by Eli Lilly and that within just three months, she'd lost seven pounds."Im hoping its slow and steady," the woman said.Share This Article
    0 Comments ·0 Shares ·76 Views
  • Cybertruck Owners Actually Love the Fact That Their Car Could Fly Apart at Any Moment
    futurism.com
    Just twelve months since it began shipping out to customers, the Cybertruck is now on its sixth recall this time for turning into a seven-thousand pound paperweight while driving.And yet, people keep buying the Tesla pickup. Its owners have adopted a siege mentality against the onslaught of bad press, and perhaps against the world, which isn't very kind to the stainless steel behemoths.What draws someone to dump $100,000 on a vehicle that reportedly bricks after going through a car wash? One explanation is that it's a sign of the extreme loyalty that Elon Musk inspires in his fans.But there could be more to it. As an automotive expert suggests, the Cybertruck's shoddiness may actually be what endears it to its edgy buyers."The people drawn to [the Cybertruck] don't have quality of construction or safety at the top of mind," Ivan Drury, director of insights at the automotive inventory company Edmunds, told Wired. "That this could be a dangerous vehicle to drive is key to its appeal."Cybertruck buyers are people "who think 'I don't care if I kill people when I drive this thing down the street,'" he added.As of October, Tesla has sold over 28,250 Cybertrucks, according to Kelly Blue Book, making it one of the best selling EVs in the country (though this is still a far cry from the 250,000 per year that Musk once estimated).Its selling points are varied. It's hyped as "bullet-proof" and "apocalypse proof,"though your results may vary; Tesla also claims it can off-road and tow and be an all-around workhorse.For many owners, the reality has been soberingly different. Sloppy construction, discolored body panels and getting stumped by normal truck stuff have all come to define the vehicle since its launch. There have even been reports of brand new Cybertrucks suddenly breaking down.It's not surprising, then, that the Cybertruck has been recalled at an average of once every two months. If anything, it's surprising it hasn't been recalled more.But that amount is already alarming. Harl Brauer, an executive analyst at iSeeCars, estimates that the Cybertruck's tally of six recalls make it "worse than 91 percent" of all other 2024 vehicles."We aren't comfortable making [lifetime recall] predictions on the Cybertruck at this very early stage," Brauer told Wired. "But so far it isn't doing very well."Yet according to Drury, Cybertruck owners don't pay attention to details like that. In fact, you can more or less sum up their ethos as a giant "fuck you" to sound car-buying wisdom."Cybertruck customers are in it for the stares and glares they don't care about how many times [this vehicle is] going to be recalled over 30 years," Drury told Wired. "They're buying this car for now, with zero thought to the future.""A standard auto customer wants to know if a car will last 10 years or will be ongoing good value for money," he added. "A Cybertruck customer doesn't care about any of that. Owning a Cybertruck isn't practical; it's a boast. A boast that 'I have so much discretionary income I can afford to waste it on an impractical car.'"Share This Article
    0 Comments ·0 Shares ·74 Views
  • Microsoft Fixes AI, Cloud, and ERP Security Flaws; One Exploited in Active Attacks
    thehackernews.com
    Nov 29, 2024Ravie LakshmananAI Security / Cloud SecurityMicrosoft has addressed four security flaws impacting its artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, enterprise resource planning, and Partner Center offerings, including one that it said has been exploited in the wild.The vulnerability that has been tagged with an "Exploitation Detected" assessment is CVE-2024-49035 (CVSS score: 8.7), a privilege escalation flaw in partner.microsoft[.]com."An improper access control vulnerability in partner.microsoft[.]com allows an unauthenticated attacker to elevate privileges over a network," the tech giant said in an advisory released this week.Microsoft credited Gautam Peri, Apoorv Wadhwa, and an anonymous researcher for reporting the flaw, but did not reveal any specifics on how it's being exploited in real-world attacks.Fixes for the shortcomings are being rolled out automatically as part of updates to the online version of Microsoft Power Apps. Also addressed by Redmond are three other vulnerabilities, two of which are rated Critical and one is rated Important in severity -CVE-2024-49038 (CVSS score: 9.3) - A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Copilot Studio that could allow an unauthorized attacker to escalate privileges over a networkCVE-2024-49052 (CVSS score: 8.2) - A missing authentication for a critical function vulnerability in Microsoft Azure PolicyWatch that could allow an unauthorized attacker to escalate privileges over a networkCVE-2024-49053 (CVSS score: 7.6) - A spoofing vulnerability in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales that could allow an authenticated attacker to trick a user into clicking on a specially crafted URL and potentially redirect the victim to a malicious siteWhile most of the vulnerabilities have already been fully mitigated and require no user action, it's advised to update Dynamics 365 Sales apps for Android and iOS to the latest version (3.24104.15) to secure against CVE-2024-49053.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE
    0 Comments ·0 Shares ·75 Views
  • Cybercriminals Exploit Popular Game Engine Godot to Distribute Cross-Platform Malware
    thehackernews.com
    Nov 28, 2024Ravie LakshmananWindows Security / CryptominingA popular open-source game engine called Godot Engine is being misused as part of a new GodLoader malware campaign, infecting over 17,000 systems since at least June 2024."Cybercriminals have been taking advantage of Godot Engine to execute crafted GDScript code which triggers malicious commands and delivers malware," Check Point said in a new analysis published Wednesday. "The technique remains undetected by almost all antivirus engines in VirusTotal."It's no surprise that threat actors are constantly on the lookout for new tools and techniques that can help them deliver malware while sidestepping detection by security controls, even as defenders continue to erect new guardrails.The newest addition is Godot Engine, a game development platform that allows users to design 2D and 3D games across platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and the web.The multi-platform support also makes it an attractive implement in the hands of adversaries who can now leverage it to target and infect devices at scale, effectively broadening the attack surface."The Godot Engine's flexibility has made it a target for cybercriminals, enabling stealthy, cross-platform malware like GodLoader to spread rapidly by exploiting trust in open-source platforms," Eli Smadja, security research group manager at Check Point Software Technologies, said in a statement shared with The Hacker News."The Godot Engine's flexibility has made it a target for cybercriminals, enabling stealthy, cross-platform malware like GodLoader to spread rapidly by exploiting trust in open-source platforms. For the 1.2 million users of Godot-developed games, the implications are profound -- not just for their devices but for the integrity of the gaming ecosystem itself. This is a wake-up call for the industry to prioritize proactive, cross-platform cyber security measures to stay ahead of this alarming trend."What makes the campaign stand out is that it leverages the Stargazers Ghost Network in this case, a set of about 200 GitHub repositories and more than 225 bogus accounts as a distribution vector for GodLoader."These accounts have been starring the malicious repositories that distribute GodLoader, making them appear legitimate and safe," Check Point said. "The repositories were released in four separate waves, primarily targeting developers, gamers, and general users."The attacks, observed on September 12, September 14, September 29, and October 3, 2024, have been found to employ Godot Engine executables, also known as pack (or .PCK) files, to drop the loader malware, which is then responsible for downloading and executing final-stage payloads such as RedLine Stealer and the XMRig cryptocurrency miner from a Bitbucket repository.In addition, the loader incorporates features to bypass analysis in sandboxed and virtual environments and add the entire C:\ drive to the Microsoft Defender Antivirus exclusions list to prevent the detection of malware.The cybersecurity company said GodLoader artifacts are primarily geared towards targeting Windows machines, although it noted that it's trivial to adapt them to infect macOS and Linux systems.What's more, while the current set of attacks involves the threat actors building custom Godot Engine executables for malware propagation, it could be taken a notch higher by tampering with a legitimate Godot-built game after obtaining the symmetric encryption key used to extract the .PCK file.This sort of attack, however, can be averted by switching to an asymmetric-key algorithm (aka public-key cryptography) that relies on a public and private key pair to encrypt/decrypt data.The malicious campaign serves up another reminder of how threat actors frequently leverage legitimate services and brands to evade security mechanisms, necessitating that users download software only from trusted sources."Threat actors have utilized Godot's scripting capabilities to create custom loaders that remain undetected by many conventional security solutions," Check Point said. "Since Godot's architecture allows platform-agnostic payload delivery, attackers can easily deploy malicious code across Windows, Linux, and macOS, sometimes even exploring Android options.""Combining a highly targeted distribution method and a discreet, undetected technique has resulted in exceptionally high infection rates. This cross-platform approach enhances malware versatility, giving threat actors a powerful tool that can easily target multiple operating systems. This method allows attackers to deliver malware more effectively across various devices, maximizing their reach and impact."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE
    0 Comments ·0 Shares ·97 Views