The streaming giant says VMware is in violation of five patents, and demands to be paid.

We think we might know when the rumored M4 MacBook Air, the iPad 11, the iPad Air 7, and the iPhone SE 4 are showing up.

Almost two dozen flaws were found in two solutions, granting RCE and site takeover.

It's been nearly five years since the coronavirus broke out in the U.S., but digital health companies are still reeling.

Back in 1979, Sony cofounder Masaru Ibuka was looking for a way to listen to classical music on long-haul flights. In response, his companys engineers dreamed up the Walkman, ordering 30,000 units for an initial production run. Forty-five years later, Sony has sold over 400 million Walkmans and incited a revolution in music technology.While there are still Walkmans for sale, most use iPhones and Androids to tune in nowadays. Sony Walkman sound engineer Sato Hiroaki, who joined the company in 1986 while the device was at its peak, sees remnants of the Walkman in our present listening patterns. To this day, I still see the simplicity and user centric design of the Walkman in portable music products, Hiroaki writes to Fast Company in an email. Every time I see someone listening to music on their headphones, I think of the initial introduction of the Walkman, and how that got us to where we are.The Walkmans early daysForty-five years ago, Sonys then-president Norio Ohga took up Ibukas call for a transportable listening device. He asked an engineer to turn the companys Pressman tape recorder into a playback-only stereo device. The resulting model was clunky: Headphones then were heavy enough to keep the listener stationary, and custom batteries limited marketability. But slowly, Sony slimmed the product enough for mass production.[It] freed listeners from the confines of their living rooms, Hiroaki writes. In order to do this, original engineers made the decision to remove the recording functionality and forgo an embedded speaker, and added stereo playback circuitry in the available space to make the player more portablea decision that ended up creating a whole new product category.The original model, the TPS-L2, was a mere 5 x 3 inches, small enough to hold in the palm of your hand. It also only had one use: To feed the audio from a cassette tape into the attached headphones. But that alone was technologically innovative, especially in a time when stereos blasted muffled radio static into the open air.It was impressive at the time, because youre hearing it piped directly into your brain, as opposed to ambient sound, says Mark Katz, a music professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.Sony produced an initial 30,000-unit run of the TPS-L2. Only 3,000 sold in the first month but, through word of mouth, it spread. By the second month, that run had sold out, and batch sizes were upped to meet rising demand. Sony entered a golden era, where sales skyrocketed and brand cach grew. In just a year postlaunch, Sonys U.S. sales grew 41.3%. Within five years, they were making $6.7 billion worldwide.While the launchs success may look fated in hindsight, Sony took a major risk taking such a nascent product to market. In his book The Wide Lens, Dartmouth Colleges Ron Adner details how being first isnt always the smartest. Consider the adjacent MP3 boom: While dozens of companies (including Sony) pushed out devices, it was Apples iPod that captured the market three years later. Sometimes holding back is betterbut not for the Walkman.The market really does appreciate great execution, and getting the right idea right can give you a tremendous first mover advantage, Adner says. The risk of being a first mover is [that] youre going to get it wrong. Somebody else is going to learn from your mistakes. . . . The lesson for entrepreneurs from the Walkman is: Theres what it looks like when you have the right insight delivered in the right way.A revolution of personalized listeningSolo listening wasnt always the norm. Before the Walkman boosted cassettes to top status, vinyl records were all the rage, though they were expensive and cumbersome. Their players, of course, were even bigger. Stereos simplified the listening process, but they, too, were large and loud. This all meant music was heard with friends and family, and rarely by oneself.In the 70s, when I was in college, guys would have these big, expensive stereo systems, and every other room in a dormitory would be blasting out a different kind of music, says Mark Coleman, author of Playback. Music became a much more personal thing.This communal listening model proved difficult to shake. For the first few years, Walkman listeners were scoffed at for their colorful headphones and propensity to walk into traffic. The TPS-L2 even had two headphone jacks, just in case listeners wanted to plug in with a friend.Listening to music by yourself was seen as antisocial, says Katz, the UNC professor. Back then, it seemed actively transgressive that someone would decide to close themselves off from the world, especially in public places.By now, the culture has flipped. Private listening is the norm, with public listening reserved for concerts and ambient soundtracking. Walk the streets of any major city; youll see glaring white AirPods, only a touch more reserved than those original Walkman headsets. Only now, were not making fun of those who walk around with AirPods in.Neal Manowitz, president and COO of Sony Electronics, remembers his Walkman fondly. Whenever he hears Asias Heat of the Moment, he thinks back to the 80s, when hed blast the song on his WM-4 device. While hes proud of Sonys push towards private, personalized listening, he emphasizes that the Walkman still had more neighborly functions.With the creation of mixtapes, people could now curate their own set of songs to hear in whatever order they wanted (rather than listening to the radio) and take it on the go, Manowitz writes in an email to Fast Company. [It brought] people together through the sharing of music, without having to be in the same room. Behavior we take for granted today, like creating a playlist online, was revolutionized during the peak of the Walkman.The Walkman still looms largeAfter 45 years, Sony is still defined by the Walkman. Their mid-80s bump awed the entire market, inspiring later visionaries like Steve Jobs, who fashioned Apple after the company. Even now, as Sonys stock climbs to record highs, everything is still compared to that infamous era. CNNs headline: Sony hasnt been this hot since it made the Walkman.The Sony brand has always been synonymous with entertainment fueled by technological innovation. With Walkman, the brand immediately gained cultural cache as well, Manowitz writes. The brand was no longer just good tech, it became a symbol for personalization, creation, and self-expression as well.The Walkman didnt just help Sony; it also spun off dozens of companies and industries in the music tech area. The headphones market is now crowded and moneyed: Apple, Bose, and indeed Sony fight it out for market share. But, before the Walkman, these devices were mostly frowned upon.In the 70s, if you were sitting around listening to music on headphones, you were identifying yourself as a nerd or a stoner, says Playback author Coleman. Headphones became much more common then.The Walkman isnt dead. Since 1979, Sony has rolled out over 1,000 models of the device. Hiroaki details this progression, moving from cassettes to CDs to dropping physical media altogether. Theyve also added a touch screen, wireless capability, and some new AI functions. But some things have stayed the same: I believe that the idea of listening to ones favorite music in ones favorite place with good sound has remained unchanged since the first-generation Walkman TPS-L2, he writes.Holding the new-age Walkman can be a bit jarring. Its design is entirely different, turned into a pseudo-iPhone that can even browse Google Chrome. But, plugging in a nice big pair of headphones, theres something refreshing about the device. As streaming blurs music, podcasts, and videos, and as the music market is continually warped by TikTok, its nice to hold a device solely devoted to pure-form listening. Now, the Walkman is nostalgic; 45 years ago, it was revolutionary.

Given their visual allure, its an obvious jump for objects of design to make their way to the big screen. But seeing a piece of architecture or industrial design on film can be more than just a different view. These five films about design and designers dig into the stories of the making of places and products, but also the peopleand controversiesbehind them.Modernism, Inc.: The Eliot Noyes Design StoryThis documentary details the widespread impact of architect Eliot Noyes on 20th-century corporate America. A modernist architect and industrial designer, Noyes is best known for his long tenure as a consultant design director for IBM. In addition to designing the companys famously smooth Selectric typewriter, Noyes essentially designed IBMs corporate identity, integrating design throughout its products, management, and marketing. The film explores his unique perspective, and also the ways his thinking has become infused in the form and function of modern corporations around the world.Stardust: The Story of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott BrownStardust profiles the partnership and marriage of two pioneers of postmodern architecture. Lauded as much for their influential designs as their academic imprint, Venturi and Scott Brown carved unique careers in architecture, and the nature of their partnership was seen through a skewed lens for decades. The film is a professional biography of their designs, but also focuses on the rife sexism in the architecture industry and the often imbalanced credit the pairs work would receivesuch as when Venturi was named alone as the 1991 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate. Directed by Venturi and Scott Browns son, Stardust exposes the fallacy of seeing Scott Brown as just the wife and not the equal partner.E.1027: Eileen Gray and the House by the SeaA dramatized retelling of the conflict surrounding one of the worlds most renowned early Modernist homes, and the controversy that has shrouded its reputation. Designed in 1929 by the Irish furniture designer Eileen Gray, E.1027 was a seaside villa on the French Riviera that she intended to be a place of respite for herself and her lover, architect Jean Badovici. The film centers around the homes controversial interior murals, which were later added by the famed architect Le Corbusier after Gray and Badovici separated. The murals brought the house to the attention of the world but enraged Gray, who saw the famous architect usurping her authorship of the home. Referred to as a docufiction by directors Beatrice Minger and Christoph Schaub, the film is a mix of archival footage and scenes recreated with actors. Fittingly, most of the film was shot inside the home itselfwhich has fortunately been preserved.The BrutalistA historical drama set in post-war Philadelphia, this film follows the story of an architect and Holocaust survivor eking out a living as an immigrant laborer. Hes been forced by circumstance to abandon his innovative and successful career in architecture, until a wealthy industrialist hires him to design an ambitious community center. Personalities and cultures clash. Drug addictions ensue. Kindness is countered with betrayal. Design nerds will surely swoon over scenes of the community centers design and construction, as well as vivid moments inside a marble quarry in Carrara, Italy. Newly released in the U.S., the film has already garnered several awards nominations and is expected to be an Oscar contender for best film of the year.MegalopolisThis science fiction epic from writer/director Francis Ford Coppola takes an extravagant stab at the trope of the visionary architect pursuing Utopia. Set in an alternate and class-riven 21st-century New York known as New Rome, the story follows a starchitect who proposes a utopian plan for a new city, only to be opposed by the citys corrupt mayor. (The architect also has the secret ability to stop time, but thats another matter.) The film, which Coppola had been trying to make since the early 1980s and eventually self-financed for more than $120 million, has been critically panned and bombed at the box office. But sometimes even bad films are good. Its a flamboyant, absurd, star-studded spectacle that fully embraces the clearly fictional concept of an architect whos actually able to reinvent the world. As the films protagonist says in the trailer, My plan is a city that people can dream about. Dream on!

The workplace is at an inflection point. Rapid advancements in AI, intensifying polarization, eroding employee perks and protections, and shifting employee expectations are transforming the role of HR in unprecedented ways. These trends demand bold, strategic responses from HR leaders who must balance technological adoption with human-centered leadership, global instability, and increasing demands to do more with less.After taking last year off, Im back to weigh in on the evolving landscape of HR and people operations in the new year. You can check out past year predictions for 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020. (Looking back, I had more hits than misses, although Im still haunted by that Metaverse pick. Alas, Zuckerberg.)So, what will the HR landscape look like in 2025? From redefining job roles in the age of AI to reimagining the workplace, HR leaders are navigating uncharted territory. The future demands agility, and HR is again at the helm of this change.Here are seven key trends reshaping the future of work.1. AI Automation Will Reimagine Your JobWill AI take your jobor make it better? In 2025, the rise of agentic AI and automation is poised to reshape job roles, deconstructing traditional responsibilities and redistributing tasks between humans and machines. This shift is already underway: A McKinsey report notes that AI could automate up to 70% of routine tasks in sectors like finance, retail, and customer service.The coming result is a hybrid workforce model, where AI agents handle routine tasks while humans focus on complex problem-solving. For HR leaders, this evolution means redesigning roles to reflect these synergies, updating performance metrics, and realigning recruitment strategies to prioritize creativity, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and the ability to learn.This transformation offers opportunities and challenges. Companies leveraging AI effectively see improved productivity, yet employees often express understandable concerns about job security. By addressing these anxieties with transparent communication and robust reskilling programs, HR can ensure automation enhancesnot replaceshuman contributions.2. Well need to get serious about AI and hiringWhat happens when your next interview isnt with a person? Companies including EY are already using AI avatars to allow candidates to practice interviews. Chipotle partners with Paradox to create a virtual team member called Ava Cado, and expects conversational AI tools to reduce time to hire for restaurant positions by 75%. This is just the beginning.In 2025, AI-driven avatars will be used by more companies to conduct interviews at scale. A recent study by Resume Builder found 70% of companies will use AI for hiring in 2025, with 24% saying they currently use AI for the entire interview processa statistic surely to be appreciated by law firms, as Ill explain in the next prediction.Expect job seekers to match this embrace of AI.Job applicants are already using tools like BulkApply.ai, Sonara, and LazyApply to mass apply to numerous jobs. Companies are seeing as much as 3X increase in job applicants according to a report by recruiting software company Ashby, overwhelming recruiting teams and clogging applicant funnels.As organizations grapple with these challenges, onsite interviews will make a comeback as a safeguard against AI-driven deception and to evaluate interpersonal skills that technology cant measure.Ethical implications loom large. Misuse of AI could lead to discriminatory practices or undermine trust in the hiring process. HR leaders must create protocols to verify candidate authenticity while maintaining fairness and equity.Were already in uncharted territory, and the clone wars are just beginning.3. AI in Hiring Will Go Under A Legal MicroscopeHiring decisions made by machines will come under fire this year. The rapid advancements of AI are outpacing its regulation, but the policies are catching up.Last year the European Union approved the EU AI Act, including heavy fines for employers using AI as an emotional recognition system. In the United States, things are even more complicated, as current AI regulations have been driven more on a state-by-state basis, with California striking down an AI safety bill that would have mandated a kill switch for rogue AI technologies.This lack of overarching rules and regulations will make it increasingly difficult for HR teams to ensure compliance while under immense pressure to adopt AI tools and realize their benefits.The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has declared that employersnot software vendorsbear responsibility for discriminatory AI outcomes, placing HR leaders in the spotlight.A study by the Brookings Institution highlights the risks: Poorly designed algorithms can perpetuate biases in hiring, excluding qualified candidates based on gender, race, or socioeconomic factors. This year, organizations face heightened pressure to audit their AI tools for compliance with anti-discrimination laws, or risk financial penalties and reputational damage.Proactive measures are non-negotiable. HR teams must collaborate with legal experts to evaluate hiring technologies and ensure transparency. Equally important is educating leadership about the potential risks and ethical considerations of AI-driven recruitment.4. DEI Strategies Will Evolve Amid BacklashAs political headwinds intensify, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are becoming both a target of controversy and a litmus test for organizational values.While some companies including Walmart scale back their efforts under societal pressure, others are strategically reframing their approach to avoid backlash. Despite the political discourse, the financial argument for DEI remains robust. World Economic Forum research shows companies with above-average diversity scores drive 45% average revenue from innovation, while companies with below-average diversity scores drive only 26%.HR leaders face a choice: Adapt and evolve these initiatives or risk losing credibility with employees and stakeholders. Strategies must be measurable, impactful, and shielded from performative tendencies. True impact requires measurable goals, transparent progress reporting, and initiatives that resonate with employees at every level.HR leaders must navigate this complexity with both pragmatism and purpose, ensuring their strategies reflect substance over symbolism.5. Leaders will prioritize efficiencyDo more with less. This mantra has become the defining ethos of corporate America heading into 2025. Inspired by Elon Musks high-profile DOGE cost-cutting strategies, organizations are embracing efficiency as the ultimate goal. AI and automation tools are leading this charge, promising faster workflows and reduced redundancies.But at what cost? The relentless drive for productivity risks alienating employees, undermining morale, and increasing burnout. The pendulum has swung firmly away from the employee-first ideals of The Great Resignation, leaving HR in a precarious position.Success will depend on creating strategies that prioritize technological integration while safeguarding the employee experience. The question is no longer whether organizations can do more with less, but whether they can do better with lesswithout losing their most valuable resource: their people.6. Learning & Development Will Take Center StageIs your organization prepared for the generative AI revolution? In 2025, Learning & Development (L&D) is no longer a supplemental function but a critical driver of organizational success. As automation transforms industries, the World Economic Forum estimates that 50% of all employees will require reskilling by 2025 to remain competitive in the labor market.Leading companies are already adapting. Walmart, for example, has pioneered skills-based training programs aligned with individual career trajectories, setting a benchmark for others to follow. This approach resonates with employees: LinkedIns Workplace Learning Report found that 94% of workers would remain longer at organizations that prioritize their development.Microlearning platforms are emerging as key enablers, offering short, targeted modules designed for maximum engagement and efficiency. Yet, HR leaders face the challenge of ensuring these programs align with broader organizational objectives. By embedding training into corporate strategy, companies can build a workforce that thrives amid rapid change.7. Certain Entry-Level Roles Will Face ExtinctionWhat happens when machines take over entry-level jobs? Automation is rapidly reshaping the labor market. These shifts are eliminating tasks traditionally performed by early-career professionals, such as data entry, research, administrative work, and basic analysis.This erosion of foundational roles creates a critical challenge for organizations and job seekers alike. Without entry-level opportunities, young professionals risk missing out on the experiences that build essential skills. For HR leaders, the solution lies in innovation: rotational programs that expose employees to multiple departments, hybrid roles blending human oversight with AI, and structured mentorship initiatives.One way to solve for this is to redesign career pathways to include mentorship programs, internships, and AI-human collaboration opportunities, ensuring that young professionals continue to build essential skills.2025 and Beyond: HRs Role in Building the AI-Enabled Future WorkforceThe next chapter of work in 2025 is neither purely technological nor purely humanits the seamless integration of both. HR leaders who rise to the occasion will shape workplaces where innovation thrives, employees feel valued, and organizations achieve unprecedented success.The stakes couldnt be higher in this first year of broad AI adoption: The choices made today will define the talent landscape for a generation.

The architectural designer Antony Gibbon recently designed the Burl Treehouse. It is a series of rounded treehouse pods, that allow guests to experience nature in a unique and surreal manner while focusing on sustainability. The treehouses are currently concepts, and they merge organic aesthetics with a minimal and subtle design. They are inspired by the natural shape of tree burls the rounded and textured growths on tree trunks. The treehouse is floating in the air, seamlessly merging with the lovely forest setting.Designer: Antony GibbonThe treehouses are offered support by slender vertical slits and suspension cables. They are anchored to the trees, which reduces the disruption and damage to the forest floor while allowing the pods to seemingly float in the air. You can access the pods through the timber suspension bridges. The interior of the pod is made using light-toned cedar and ash wood, forming a warm and inviting vibe. The exterior is clad with charred wood shingles, showcasing the traditional Japanese technique of shou sugi ban, which adds a visually fascinating look to the pods.Each cabin features a bedroom with built-in storage, a small bathroom with a shower, and interior furnishings which make it seem spacious and cozy. Every pod has been equipped with a central circular window, allowing the space to be filled with natural light, and offering panoramic views of the surrounding forest.However, we do wonder how the treehouses will fare in extreme weather conditions, and the kind of strain they could create on the natural supports. However, currently, the treehouses do seem to be an interesting upcoming eco-tourism retreat. Lets see how it goes!The post This Floating Cabin Concept Is The Forest Treehouse Retreat Of Your Dreams first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Marshmallow apartment is where pink dreams come to life. Its where every curve, every texture, and every shade whispers elegance. And the design is as soft as it looks! From the blush-toned backsplash to the cloud-like sofathis apartment is quite like a love letter to modern whimsy. Come on in; lets explore this pastel paradise.The standout piece in the living room is the curved blush sofa. It has a light baseaccentuated with a darker, really feminine print. The cloud-like shape of the sofa is what adds this sense of softness to the ambiance. The mismatched cushions add asymmetry.In front of the couch, we see an organically shaped pink lucite coffee table. Lucite is a design secret to keeping the space feeling open (as the eye can see through it), while the tint of pink keeps the ambiance elegant. The coffee table books and mini sculptures add visual interest.In one corner, theres a statement pink chair. This blends soft upholstery with metallic accents. The Tokyo flower market art leaning against the wall provides a fresh and modern aesthetic. Finally, a wavy white floor lamp adds a fun and sculptural element.The kitchen features a pink geometric tile backsplash. This sets the tone for a subtly playful ambiance. A sleek stainless steel faucetwith hints of pinkprovides functionality but also adds to the beauty of the space. We especially love the ornate wall moldings, infusing Parisian elegance into the space.The soft pink cabinetry blends into the space. And the mosaic flooring introduces texture and movement. For the accessoriessubtle elements like a white teapot, glass pitchers, and a marble tray enhance the soft luxury.The sculptural pink dining table joins the kitchen and living room. This is paired with rounded, upholstered chairs with cylindrical backrests, which offer comfort as well as a soft aesthetic. The focal point in this space is the translucent, petal-like chandeliercreating a whimsical feel. Not to forget the decorative ceiling medallion at the top, adding an architectural element.Finally, the sheer white curtains filter light beautifully. Plus, they add an airy and ethereal feeling to the space.

Musk's finally made a flying car.... kind of.