SonyTable of ContentsTable of ContentsSingle White Female (1992)Mona Lisa Smile (2003)Sweet Dreams (1985)Its almost Christmastime, and now is typically the time for most people to panic. Have all the presents been bought? Has all the work been completed before your break? And if youre part of the McCallister family, did you remember to bring all your children with you when you left for Christmas vacation? (Probably not.)Im here to tell you to chill out. Breathe, relax, and treat yourself to a good movie or two. But why go to the movie theater when you can stay at home and take advantage of your Max subscription? The streamer has hundreds of movies, and the following three are criminally underrated and worth your time.Recommended VideosWe also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max,andthe best movies on Disney+.RelatedSingle White Female (1992) - Clip: Surprise Twins (HD)The early 90s were dominated by erotic thrillers, and one of the best was Single White Female. After catching her boyfriend having an affair with his ex-wife, chic yet vulnerable software designer Allie Jones (Bridget Fonda) kicks him to the curb and places an ad for a single white female roommate to co-habit her ridiculously great New York City apartment. She eventually chooses Hedra Carlson (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a shy, mumbly woman who likes wearing hats and at first helps Allie get over her breakup.Things slowly turn sinister as Hedra becomes possessive, manipulative, and deadly. Soon, Hedra is copying Allie, from her clothes to her crimson bob to even her ex. Who is Hedra, really? Why does she like going to sex clubs at night? And how can Allie detach herself from someone who doesnt want to let go?ColumbiaThe premise has fueled dozens of cheap Lifetime thrillers, but what makes Single White Female special is the stylish direction by Barbet Schroeder (the man loves his blues and grays), the icy, creepy score by Howard Shore, and the terrific performances by Fonda and Leigh. The film ends like a slasher, and while thats disappointing, it doesnt discredit all that came before it. Watch it, and if you have a roommate, keep him or her away from your cute puppy.Single White Female is streaming on Max.MONA LISA SMILE (2003) - Official Movie TrailerIgnore the horrible title Mona Lisa Smile is a peppy middlebrow drama thats practically extinct nowadays, and its more entertaining and surprising than you might think. The story is pure Dead Poets Society hokum, with less poetry and more talk about art. Thats because a new Art History professor, Katherine Ann Watson (Julia Roberts), has arrived to shake things up at the all-female Wellesley College.She finds resistance at first, particularly with Betty Warren (Kirsten Dunst), a snobby senior student who is hellbent on becoming the perfect wife and mother. But through Katherines lectures about art, especially modern artists like Rothko and Pollock, and what it means to her young students, Betty and several others re-think what they want in life.SonyMona Lisa Smile zigs when you expect it to zag, and yes, even though this is a traditional maverick teacher who inspires her students tale, its told with efficiency and intelligence. Roberts is solid as the vaguely bohemian professor, and Dunst is deliciously nasty as Betty. Look for a fresh-faced and bespectacled Ebon Moss-Bachrach as a geeky suitor and cherish Marcia Gay Hardens specific performance as a helpful spinster who is set in her ways.Mona Lisa Smile is streaming on Max.1985 Sweet Dreams Official Trailer 1 TriStar PicturesMusic biopics are back in style again. Earlier this year, Bob Marley: One Love was a winter hit, and soon, well get the Bob Dylan movie A Complete Unknown with Timothe Chalamet, Elle Fanning, and Edward Norton. But the genre has always been popular with audiences and critics alike, and one of the better ones is Karl Reiszs Sweet Dreams, which chronicles the short life of country singer Patsy Cline.Jessica Lange plays Cline, and you can see why she was nominated for an Academy Award in 1986. She breathes vital life into the singer, and doesnt make her an untouchable icon like others do in the genre. (Im not naming names.) Her Patsy is moody, disagreeable, and tempestuous; thats especially true whenever shes in the same room with Charlie Dick (Ed Harris), who would eventually become her husband. Harris is just as good as Lange, and the two share a dynamite chemistry that sells you on their bond.TriStarThe ending is, of course, inevitable, but no less shattering. Sweet Dreams makes you feel the full weight of what Charlie, and by extension us, all lost when Cline passed away, but it also makes you appreciate the music she left behind. Thats the mark and measure of not only a great artist but a great musical biopic as well. (Do yourself a favor and listen to Clines great Sweet Dreams song. It still casts a woozy spell.)Sweet Dreams is streaming on Max.Editors Recommendations

And thats a wrap for production on Stranger Thingsseason 5. Netflix announced that filming for the fifth and final season ofStranger Thingshas been completed.Thats a wrap onStranger Things,the caption reads on the shows X account. See you in 2025. Along with the announcement, numerous behind-the-scenes photos of the cast and crew from season 5 were posted, which you can view below.Recommended VideosThats a wrap on Stranger Things. See you in 2025 pic.twitter.com/29htbnDf7E Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) December 20, 2024Please enable Javascript to view this contentpic.twitter.com/mWwgnuB633 Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) December 20, 2024RelatedStranger Things season 5 will take place in 1987, about a year after the events of the season 4 finale, when the Upside Down invaded Hawkins. On the 2024 edition of Stranger Things Day, Netflix released the titles for the eight episodes in season 5. The titles areThe Crawl, The Vanishing of___,The Turnbow Trap,Sorcerer, Shock Jock,Escape from Camazotz,The Bridge,andThe Rightside Up.The Vanishing of___is the only incomplete title, as the show has not revealed the name of the person who will be disappearing.Stranger Thingsseason 5 ensemble includes Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair, Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman, Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler, and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna.New cast members include Nell Fisher, Alex Breaux, Jake Connelly, and The Terminators Linda Hamilton.Stranger Things premiered in 2016 and instantly became one of Netflixs most popular TV shows. The sci-fi series spawned a stage play and an animated series.Stranger Thingsseason 5 arrives on Netflix in 2025.Editors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsTiers and pricingFeaturesSupportPrivacy and securityWhich is the best long-term VPN?Surfshark and VPN Unlimited each offer good long-term value on virtual private networks (VPNs). Whether you want a VPN to stream global videos, browse overseas websites like a local, or strengthen your cybersecurity, those needs dont go away at the end of the month.Whileall the best VPNs reward customers who keep using their services, Surfshark and VPN Unlimited have particularly compelling offers when you sign on for a year or more.Recommended VideosSurfsharks annual plan is good but the two-year subscription is the best deal. SurfsharkSince were discussing long-term value, affordable pricing is essential. Surfsharks shortest subscription is expensive. At $15.45 monthly, youd pay more than $185 each year.RelatedFortunately, Surfshark offers much more affordable prices when you pay for one or two years in advance. The annual plan costs $48, and the price drops to $56 if you commit to two-years of service.Surfshark adds four extra months for new subscribers, reducing the average monthly cost to $3 with an annual subscription and just $2 with a two-year plan.Those prices make Surfshark one of the best VPN deals available. However, the four-month bonus is only for new subscribers.VPN Unlimiteds annual subscription rates are reasonable but the lifetime plan offers long-term savings. VPN UnlimitedVPN Unlimited has a surprise in its price structure. You can subscribe monthly for $10, annually for $60, or pay a one-time fee of $200 to get a lifetime subscription and keep using the VPN forever.The equivalent monthly cost for an annual subscription is $5, which is OK but not great. The average cost of VPN Unlimiteds lifetime plan drops every day you use the service.In the first year, your average monthly cost is $16.67 but falls to $5 a third of the way into year four. Since you only pay once, your savings increases over time.If you dont want to pay at all, there are some very good free VPN services with only a few restrictions.Surfshark showed impressive speed when connected to a nearby server. Digital TrendsThe best price in the world means nothing if you get poor speeds and limited features services. Ive reviewed Surfshark and VPN Unlimited so I can share my experience with both to help you decide which has enough performance and options for your needs.I found Surfshark to be the fastest, reaching 728Mbps download speed, which is quite fast for a VPN. My native speed without a VPN is 900Mbps, and most VPNs reduce that by more than half.VPN performance is best when connecting to nearby servers, but Surfshark barely slowed when I chose servers in the U.K., France, and Germany. Download speeds averaged 620Mbps for those locations.My VPN Unlimited connection to a nearby U.S. server was quite fast. Digital TrendsVPN Unlimiteds best speed was a fast 595Mbps for a U.S. server. Overseas connections were significantly slower. I measured 278Mbps for U.K., 205Mbps for France, but only 79Mbps for Germany.While Surfshark was faster worldwide in my testing, download speeds can vary, and VPN Unlimiteds performance was good enough for streaming.Latency was good for both VPNs, around 20 to 40 for local servers, 100+ for European countries, and 200+ for distant locations like Australia. I noticed VPN Unlimited took longer to connect, up to 30 seconds, while Surfshark was ready within five seconds.Both VPNs offer advanced features like kill switches to stop unprotected internet use, split-tunneling to exclude select apps from the VPN for optimal speed, and more.Surfsharks around-the-clock customer service was fast and helpful. Digital TrendsSurfshark offers quick, friendly live chat thats available all day, every day. You start off with a well-informed AI chatbot, but can ask for a human at any time. In my testing, I was immediately connected to a live agent who provided personal assistance.VPN Unlimited offers 24/7 email support. That usually means waiting 24 hours for a reply. However, I got an answer in just six minutes. Thats fast for email, but if theres any back-and-forth required, the minutes add up and take much longer than a live chat.Both VPNs have privacy policies that state none of you personal data is shared or sold to third-party advertisers. Surfsharks no-log policy has been verified by an independent auditor, but VPN Unlimited has not.That could simply be a cost-savings measure, but it leaves some doubt about VPN Unlimiteds claim that your activity isnt logged. With Surfshark, theres a greater assurance of robust privacy.Neither VPN service has suffered security breaches. With the ongoing threat of hackers, a clean record is impressive, and both have done a good job of maintaining good cybersecurity.Surfshark provides quicker connections, faster downloads, unlimited connections, and 24/7 live chat. Its one of thebest VPNs for streaming videosand unblocking global content.VPN Unlimited has the potential to be the most affordable VPN ever. You can use it on five devices simultaneously so you dont need to disconnect before switching between your phone and computer. If you buy the lifetime plan and use it for 17 years, the average monthly cost drops to less than a dollar.However, you have to keep using it for many years to recover your initial investment. VPN Unlimiteds owner, KeepSolid, started in 2013. Theres no reason to expect an established company to disappear, but crowded servers and slowdowns could become an issue if too many people choose the lifetime plan.Youd need to use VPN Unlimiteds $200 lifetime plan for over four years to beat the price of Surfsharks $48 annual subscription and for more than seven years to beat its $56 two-year subscription.Overall, Surfshark is my top pick for the best long-term VPN, but if neither sounds like the right solution, there are plenty more to choose from. Its worth doing some research to find the best VPN for your particular needs.Editors Recommendations

DASH AWAY ALL 12 days of OpenAI: The Ars Technica recap Did OpenAI's big holiday event live up to the billing? Benj Edwards Dec 20, 2024 5:01 pm | 0 Credit: J Studios via Getty Images Credit: J Studios via Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreOver the past 12 business days, OpenAI has announced a new product or demoed an AI feature every weekday, calling the PR event "12 days of OpenAI." We've covered some of the major announcements, but we thought a look at each announcement might be useful for people seeking a comprehensive look at each day's developments.The timing and rapid pace of these announcementsparticularly in light of Google's competing releasesillustrates the intensifying competition in AI development. What might normally have been spread across months was compressed into just 12 business days, giving users and developers a lot to process as they head into 2025.Humorously, we asked ChatGPT what it thought about the whole series of announcements, and it was skeptical that the event even took place. "The rapid-fire announcements over 12 days seem plausible," wrote ChatGPT-4o, "But might strain credibility without a clearer explanation of how OpenAI managed such an intense release schedule, especially given the complexity of the features."But it did happen, and here's a chronicle of what went down on each day.Day 1: Thursday, December 5On the first day of OpenAI, the company released its full o1 model, making it available to ChatGPT Plus and Team subscribers worldwide. The company reported that the model operates faster than its preview version and reduces major errors by 34 percent on complex real-world questions.The o1 model brings new capabilities for image analysis, allowing users to upload and receive detailed explanations of visual content. OpenAI said it plans to expand o1's features to include web browsing and file uploads in ChatGPT, with API access coming soon. The API version will support vision tasks, function calling, and structured outputs for system integration.OpenAI also launched ChatGPT Pro, a $200 subscription tier that provides "unlimited" access to o1, GPT-4o, and Advanced Voice features. Pro subscribers receive an exclusive version of o1 that uses additional computing power for complex problem-solving. Alongside this release, OpenAI announced a grant program that will provide ChatGPT Pro access to 10 medical researchers at established institutions, with plans to extend grants to other fields.Day 2: Friday, December 6Day 2 wasn't as exciting. OpenAI unveiled Reinforcement Fine-Tuning (RFT), a model customization method that will let developers modify "o-series" models for specific tasks. The technique reportedly goes beyond traditional supervised fine-tuning by using reinforcement learning to help models improve their reasoning abilities through repeated iterations. In other words, OpenAI created a new way to train AI models that lets them learn from practice and feedback.OpenAI says that Berkeley Lab computational researcher Justin Reese tested RFT for researching rare genetic diseases, while Thomson Reuters has created a specialized o1-mini model for its CoCounsel AI legal assistant. The technique requires developers to provide a dataset and evaluation criteria, with OpenAI's platform managing the reinforcement learning process.OpenAI plans to release RFT to the public in early 2024 but currently offers limited access through their Reinforcement Fine-Tuning Research Program for researchers, universities, and companies.Day 3: Monday, December 9On day 3, OpenAI released Sora, its text-to-video model, as a standalone product now accessible through sora.com for ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers. The company says the new version operates faster than the research preview shown in February 2024, when OpenAI first demonstrated the model's ability to create videos from text descriptions.The release moved Sora from research preview to a production service, marking OpenAI's official entry into the video synthesis market. The company published a blog post detailing the subscription tiers and deployment strategy for the service.Day 4: Tuesday, December 10On day 4, OpenAI moved its Canvas feature out of beta testing, making it available to all ChatGPT users, including those on free tiers. Canvas provides a dedicated interface for extended writing and coding projects beyond the standard chat format, now with direct integration into the GPT-4o model.The updated canvas allows users to run Python code within the interface and includes a text-pasting feature for importing existing content. OpenAI added compatibility with custom GPTs and a "show changes" function that tracks modifications to writing and code. The company said Canvas is now on chatgpt.com for web users and also available through a Windows desktop application, with more features planned for future updates.Day 5: Wednesday, December 11On day 5, OpenAI announced that ChatGPT would integrate with Apple Intelligence across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices. The integration works on iPhone 16 series phones, iPhone 15 Pro models, iPads with A17 Pro or M1 chips and later, and Macs with M1 processors or newer, running their respective latest operating systems.The integration lets users access ChatGPT's features (such as they are), including image and document analysis, directly through Apple's system-level intelligence features. The feature works with all ChatGPT subscription tiers and operates within Apple's privacy framework. Iffy message summaries remain unaffected by the additions.Enterprise and Team account users need administrator approval to access the integration.Day 6: Thursday, December 12On the sixth day, OpenAI added two features to ChatGPT's voice capabilities: "video calling" with screen sharing support for ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers and a seasonal Santa Claus voice preset.The new visual Advanced Voice Mode features work through the mobile app, letting users show their surroundings or share their screen with the AI model during voice conversations. While the rollout covers most countries, users in several European nations, including EU member states, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein, will get access at a later date. Enterprise and education users can expect these features in January.The Santa voice option appears as a snowflake icon in the ChatGPT interface across mobile devices, web browsers, and desktop apps, with conversations in this mode not affecting chat history or memory. Don't expect Santa to remember what you want for Christmas between sessions.Day 7: Friday, December 13OpenAI introduced Projects, a new organizational feature in ChatGPT that lets users group related conversations and files, on day 7. The feature works with the company's GPT-4o model and provides a central location for managing resources related to specific tasks or topicskinda like Anthropic's "Projects" feature.ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team subscribers can currently access Projects through chatgpt.com and the Windows desktop app, with view-only support on mobile devices and macOS. Users can create projects by clicking a plus icon in the sidebar, where they can add files and custom instructions that provide context for future conversations.OpenAI said it plans to expand Projects in 2024 with support for additional file types, cloud storage integration through Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, and compatibility with other models like o1. Enterprise and education users will receive access to Projects in January.Day 8: Monday, December 16On day 8, OpenAI expanded its search features in ChatGPT, extending access to all users with free accounts while reportedly adding speed improvements and mobile optimizations. Basically, you can use ChatGPT like a web search engine, although in practice it doesn't seem to be as comprehensive as Google Search at the moment.The update includes a new maps interface and integration with Advanced Voice, allowing users to perform searches during voice conversations. The search capability, which previously required a paid subscription, now works across all platforms where ChatGPT operates.Day 9: Tuesday, December 17On day 9, OpenAI released its o1 model through its API platform, adding support for function calling, developer messages, and vision processing capabilities. The company also reduced GPT-4o audio pricing by 60 percent and introduced a GPT-4o mini option that costs one-tenth of previous audio rates.OpenAI also simplified its WebRTC integration for real-time applications and unveiled Preference Fine-Tuning, which provides developers new ways to customize models. The company also launched beta versions of software development kits for the Go and Java programming languages, expanding its toolkit for developers.Day 10: Wednesday, December 18On Wednesday, OpenAI did something a little fun and launched voice and messaging access to ChatGPT through a toll-free number (1-800-CHATGPT), as well as WhatsApp. US residents can make phone calls with a 15-minute monthly limit, while global users can message ChatGPT through WhatsApp at the same number.OpenAI said the release is a way to reach users who lack consistent high-speed internet access or want to try AI through familiar communication channels, but it's also just a clever hack. As evidence, OpenAI notes that these new interfaces serve as experimental access points, with more "limited functionality" than the full ChatGPT service, and still recommends existing users continue using their regular ChatGPT accounts for complete features.Day 11: Thursday, December 19On Thursday, OpenAI expanded ChatGPT's desktop app integration to include additional coding environments and productivity software. The update added support for Jetbrains IDEs like PyCharm and IntelliJ IDEA, VS Code variants including Cursor and VSCodium, and text editors such as BBEdit and TextMate.OpenAI also included integration with Apple Notes, Notion, and Quip, while adding Advanced Voice Mode compatibility when working with desktop applications. These features require manual activation for each app and remain available to paid subscribers, including Plus, Pro, Team, Enterprise, and Education users, with Enterprise and Education customers needing administrator approval to enable the functionality.Day 12: Friday, December 20On Friday, OpenAI concluded its twelve days of announcements by previewing two new simulated reasoning models, o3 and o3-mini, while opening applications for safety and security researchers to test them before public release. Early evaluations show o3 achieving a 2727 rating on Codeforces programming contests and scoring 96.7 perecent on AIME 2024 mathematics problems.The company reports o3 set performance records on advanced benchmarks, solving 25.2 percent of problems on EpochAI's Frontier Math evaluations and scoring above 85 percent on the ARC-AGI test, which is comparable to human results. OpenAI also published research about "deliberative alignment," a technique used in developing o1. The company has not announced firm release dates for either new o3 model, but CEO Sam Altman said o3-mini might ship in late January.So what did we learn?OpenAI's December campaign revealed that OpenAI had a lot of things sitting around that it needed to ship, and it picked a fun theme to unite the announcements. Google responded in kind, as we have covered.Several trends from the releases stand out. OpenAI is heavily investing in multimodal capabilities. The o1 model's release, Sora's evolution from research preview to product, and the expansion of voice features with video calling all point toward systems that can seamlessly handle text, images, voice, and video.The company is also focusing heavily on developer tools and customization, so it can continue to have a cloud service business and have its products integrated into other applications. Between the API releases, Reinforcement Fine-Tuning, and expanded IDE integrations, OpenAI is building out its ecosystem for developers and enterprises. And the introduction of o3 shows that OpenAI is still attempting to push technological boundaries, even in the face of diminishing returns in training LLM base models.OpenAI seems to be positioning itself for a 2025 where generative AI moves beyond text chatbots and simple image generators and finds its way into novel applications that we probably can't even predict yet. We'll have to wait and see what the company and developers come up with in the year ahead.Benj EdwardsSenior AI ReporterBenj EdwardsSenior AI Reporter Benj Edwards is Ars Technica's Senior AI Reporter and founder of the site's dedicated AI beat in 2022. He's also a tech historian with almost two decades of experience. In his free time, he writes and records music, collects vintage computers, and enjoys nature. He lives in Raleigh, NC. 0 Comments

Justice for Rost Horizon: Zero Dawn gets the graphical remaster a modern classic deserves This is how to do a remaster. Nate Anderson Dec 20, 2024 3:10 pm | 47 Just look at that fog! Credit: Sony Just look at that fog! Credit: Sony Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreAt their best, "remastered" video games keep terrific older titles viable on new generations of hardware and for new generations of fans. At their worst, they can feel like a cash-in.So it was with some trepidation that I recently fired up the "remastered" Horizon: Zero Dawn, a game which won me over years ago with its PS4 version due to the simple fact that it was ONE OF THE BEST VIDEO GAMES OF ALL TIME and featured ONE OF THE BEST PROTAGONISTS OF ALL TIME in one of the BEST STORIES OF ALL TIME. (Yes, I like superlatives, which are some of the BEST WORDS OF ALL TIME. But the game world really was terrific.) Even my kids were won over, playing through the game and its sequel multiple times.The game tells the story of a future Earth long after catastrophein the form of an autonomous robotic swarmhas ruined the planet. But it's not mere dystopia, though one does come across many wrecked and overgrown spaces from that earlier age. Horizon instead focuses on how humans, having lost most of their past knowledge, rebuilt a world in tribal fashion, a world populated by animal-inspired machines. The game's story operates ambitiously in two timelines and features massive killer robots, cults, and mad Sun Kings, all set against the gorgeous background of the American West.If the original Horizon had a flaw, it was long load times. As one redditor succinctly put it, "These load times are butt, huh?" Indeed they were. Extremely butt, in fact.The payoff was a gorgeous open world with such distinctive art direction that the developer put out a hardcover book showcasing the design work that went into the game. (Yes, I bought it, because it was about ONE OF THE BEST GAMES OF ALLwell, you get it.)But that amazing graphic design, as good as it looked when it appeared on the PS4, was a tiny bit dated as the years passed, especially when its just-as-gorgeous sequel came out on the PS5. The story and gameplay in the first title were still amazing, but it was disappointing not to be able to play both parts of ONE OF THE BEST GAMES..., etc, in identical visual glory.So when Sony put out the recent "remaster" of Zero Dawn, I was cautiously optimistic. Any sort of non-half-assed PS5 reworking ought to reduce load times, right? Machines make it hard to enjoy the view. Machines make it hard to enjoy the view. So many more people in the towns. It's starting to feel a bit crowded! So many more people in the towns. It's starting to feel a bit crowded! Everything about the game looks good. Everything about the game looks good.So many more people in the towns. It's starting to feel a bit crowded!Everything about the game looks good.I meant to dip into the world of Zero Dawn only for a few hours, but I ended up playing through the whole game and its expansion, The Frozen Wilds, over the last few weeks. The arrow-based gameplay, complex story, and voice acting were still terrific, and the remastered elements were far more than a simple cash-in. Even little things, like the way the adaptive triggers on the PS5 controllers mimic the tension of a bowstring, felt perfect.I didn't expect to get sucked back into the game's world for so many hours, but I had a great time doing it and wanted to spread the good word for those who might be looking for an engaging single-player experience over the holidays.Big changesWhen it comes to major changes, the remaster has three.First, the game loads fast. It feels like a ground-up PS5 title. Deathand its attendant reloadsno longer makes me want to throw my controller across the room during difficult battles. It's great.Second, the game looks unbelievable. This is not a case of just upping the resolution to 4K and calling it a day. Sony claims that the game features "over 10 hours of re-recorded conversation, mocap and countless graphical improvements that bring the game to the same visual fidelity as its critically acclaimed sequel." Also, the game's characters have "been upgraded, bringing them in line with current generation advances in character models and rendering."This is not just marketing fluff. The faces look incredible, even in close-up cinematic interludes, but what really caught my eye was the lighting. From the moment a young Aloy spelunks into a cave and finds an electronic gadget attached to a skeleton lying peacefully in a sunbeam, the revamped lighting engine makes its presence clear. No, it's not "realistic"everything looks like a postcard shot. But I found myself pausing the game just to look at the sunlight scattered by a snowstorm or dawn breaking over a mountain range. The lighting interacts with a volumetric set of effects that bring fog and dust devils to life like few other games I've seen. When Aloy tramps through a winter squall, leaving footsteps in the mountain snow as she walks, the effect is magical. (Until a Glinthawk swoops in, screaming, and attacks.)The populated areas, especially the major town of Meridian, also feel vastly improved. The game engine appears to have far more power available to it now, and that power has been devoted to populating towns and villages with double or triple the number of non-player characters. This goes some way toward making the world feel more alive, and I found the effect immediately noticeable.In other words, this is not just some "upscaled" PS4 title; this thing looks like a modern PS5 game, and a good one at that. The incredible art design of the world and its inhabitants are more immersive than ever before. (And you really need to see the game in motion; screenshots look good, but it's the way facial expressions move or how light plays through trees or hit a dust bowl that are truly stunning.)Third, the game improved its audio. According to Sony, audio "has been significantly enhanced. Weve completely revamped the sound mix, now supporting PS5 Tempest 3D Audio Tech2 for higher-order ambisonics and Atmos rendering for an immersive soundscape. Our sound design has also seen major improvements, with hundreds of improvements both in-game and in the cinematics." I take their word for it, but I didn't personally notice a major difference. I don't have an Atmos system, but the audio (still) sounded great.If you love the Horizon series, this is the best way to experience the first title on console. (I haven't tried the PC versions. Also, the less said about the new LEGO version of the game, called LEGO Horizon Adventures, the better.)And if you previously bought the game, you can upgrade for ten bucks (though note that if you bought a PS4 disc version, you'll need to have the game disc inserted both to upgrade and to run the game; and if you have a disc-less PS5, you're out of luck on that front.)Nate AndersonDeputy EditorNate AndersonDeputy Editor Nate is the deputy editor at Ars Technica. His most recent book is In Emergency, Break Glass: What Nietzsche Can Teach Us About Joyful Living in a Tech-Saturated World, which is much funnier than it sounds. 47 Comments

Particles in ship exhaust inadvertently cause cloud brightening some geoengineering projects would try to recreate this effectNASAs Earth ObervatoryHow would the world react if one country launched a solar geoengineering project to cool the planet without the permission of others? Would the sky change colour based on the type of particles injected into the upper atmosphere? Even if global average temperatures cooled in response, how would rainfall change over Africa? These are just some of the questions about solar geoengineering scientists grappled with at a December meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Washington DC, and they

TikTok is a video-sharing social media platformAnatolii Babii / AlamyA US law banning the popular video-sharing app TikTok is set to take effect at the start of 2025 but the US Supreme Court has agreed to hear TikToks legal challenge to this. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump has hinted he might take action against the law, raising new questions about whether it will stand.What would the TikTok ban actually do?Starting on 19 January 2025, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would block US companies such as Google and Apple from allowing users to access or update TikTok through their app stores unless TikToks Chinese owner ByteDance sells the app to a US company. It would also require internet service providers to block the platform on US internet browsers. It was approved with bipartisan support by the House of Representatives and Senate before being signed into law by President Joe Biden in April 2024.If the ban is implemented, it would be practically impossible for new users in the US to download the TikTok app, says Kate Ruane at the Center for Democracy & Technology, a non-profit organisation based in Washington DC. For the 170 million existing TikTok users in the US, the app might remain on their phones. Without access to updates, however, its functionality would degrade over time.AdvertisementPeople in the US could still potentially access TikTok using a virtual private network (VPN) service that disguises a users location. But the experience of using the app could still worsen, says Ruane: because TikTok content would no longer be housed on nearby US servers, it would load more slowly.These restrictions stem from concerns about privacy and security. US lawmakers have stated that TikTok is a national security threat because Chinas government could force ByteDance to hand over TikTok users data or pressure the app to modify its algorithm, presenting content that could manipulate public opinion. However, no firm evidence has been provided to support these claims. TikTok has said it has invested heavily to keep US data safefrom outside influence and manipulation. Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox.Sign up to newsletterIts very concerning that a country like the United States, which has consistently led on the global stage in defending the free, open and interoperable internet, is now taking a step to ban access to an entire platform within its borders that is an extraordinary measure, says Ruane.Will the Supreme Court block the TikTok ban?Although judges in the lower DC Circuit Court of Appeals previously allowed the US law to stand, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear TikToks appeal. TikToks position is that the ban amounts to censorship that violates the free speech rights afforded to Americans under the US Constitutions First Amendment.I would like to see the court really grapple with how this law harms those rights, and how the government should account for the rights of social media users when it is attempting to regulate these speech platforms, says Ruane. The courts have not done that in the course of examining this particular law, even though there are users who are suing, claiming that the law violates their First Amendment rights, as distinct from TikTok.The most likely short-term impact is that the US Supreme Court will temporarily suspend implementation of the law while the justices are considering the case, says Ruane. That could delay the laws effects for months however long the Supreme Court requires to make its decision in 2025. TikTok has specifically asked for such a hiatus in its court filing.If the Supreme Court finds that the ban infringes First Amendment rights, and that the US government has less restrictive options at its disposal, it could issue an injunction that effectively makes it impossible for the government to justify such an outright ban, says Ruane. The Supreme Court may also require the lower DC Circuit Court of Appeals to reexamine its analysis of the case. Such decisions could force the government to find more narrowly tailored options for regulating TikTok.How could Trump prevent the TikTok ban?In his first term, President-elect Trump supported plans to ban TikTok, but he has since changed his stance. During the 2024 presidential campaign, he promised to save TikTok in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, as he encouraged US voters to back him. On 16 December, Trump met the CEO of TikTok and later, during a press conference, said his administration would take a look at the ban. Even if the Supreme Court eventually agrees to let the ban stand, Trump could change the impact of the law.For example, the president could go back to US lawmakers and ask them to change the national law by repealing or amending it, says Ruane. She also described a scenario where Trump could potentially direct his administrations US attorney general to not enforce the law although she cautioned that would be outside the norms of how the US government has typically operated.Even if Trumps attorney general announced that the US government wouldnt enforce the ban, US companies such as Google and Apple might still be reluctant to allow people to access the app through their platforms. If I am in charge of legal risk at one of these companies, I dont know whether I would say were going to trust that [decision], its fine for us to allow access to this app that has been banned, says Ruane.What would a US TikTok ban mean for the rest of the world?If it goes through, the US ban could have significant ripple effects across the world. For starters, people in other countries would no longer have access to new content from US-based TikTok creators and influencers. But more crucially, the US governments actions could encourage other countries eying similar restrictions.The US isnt the first nation to act against TikTok Indias government has blocked the app since 2020 but Ruane expressed concerns that a US ban could encourage authoritarian regimes to bar any app, including some developed in the US, by invoking similar national security justifications.I think it absolutely will be used as a justification for banning TikTok elsewhere, but also for banning access to other applications which have served as important speech platforms in countries where the internet might not otherwise be as open, says Ruane.Would the TikTok ban protect privacy?The ostensible goal of the ban is to protect the privacy of US TikTok users preventing their data from falling into the hands of another nation and to address concerns that Chinas government could manipulate content presented to app users in the US. But Ruane says there are many alternative actions US lawmakers could take before blocking TikTok entirely.For instance, the government could require TikTok to be more transparent about how it gathers and shares individual users data, and what measures it takes to protect their privacy. To alleviate concerns of manipulation, lawmakers might require the platform to share how its algorithms filter and manage the content that users see, says Ruane.The US government could also consider passing a consumer privacy law to provide better legal protections for how social media platforms can share individuals data with other companies or governments. Those options regarding consumer privacy and transparency are less extreme than banning an entire platform, says Ruane.Topics:

Could we build a secure quantum internet with the cables we already use?Shutterstock/Connect worldCaught in a traffic jam with the internet, quantum teleportation persists. An experiment demonstrating that the two can share an optical fibre may point towards an easier way to build an unhackable quantum internet.For many years, Ive had the thought of how can we share quantum information over the same fibres that carry classical communication signals? says Prem Kumar at Northwestern University in Illinois. Now, he and

A live agent spends hours each week manually documenting routine interactions. Another combs through multiple knowledge bases to find the right solution, scrambling to piece it together while the customer waits on hold. A third types out the same response theyve written dozens of times before. These repetitive tasks can be draining, leaving less time for meaningful customer interactionsbut generative AI is changing this reality. By automating routine workflows, AI augments the efforts of live agents, freeing them to do what they do best: solving complex problems and applying human understanding and empathy to help customers during critical situations. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT Enterprises are trying to rush to figure out how to implement or incorporate generative AI into their business to gain efficiencies, says Will Fritcher, deputy chief client officer at TP. But instead of viewing AI as a way to reduce expenses, they should really be looking at it through the lens of enhancing the customer experience and driving value. Doing this requires solving two intertwined challenges: empowering live agents by automating routine tasks and ensuring AI outputs remain accurate, reliable, and precise. And the key to both these goals? Striking the right balance between technological innovation and human judgment. A key role in customer support Generative AIs potential impact on customer support is twofold: Customers stand to benefit from faster, more consistent service for simple requests, while also receiving undivided human attention for complex, emotionally charged situations. For employees, eliminating repetitive tasks boosts job satisfaction and reduces burnout.The tech can also be used to streamline customer support workflows and enhance service quality in various ways, including:Automated routine inquiries: AI systems handle straightforward customer requests, like resetting passwords or checking account balances. Real-time assistance: During interactions, AI pulls up contextually relevant resources, suggests responses, and guides live agents to solutions faster. Fritcher notes that TP is relying on many of these capabilities in its customer support solutions. For instance, AI-powered coaching marries AI-driven metrics with human expertise to provide feedback on 100% of customer interactions, rather than the traditional 2% to 4% that was monitored pre-generative AI.Call summaries: By automatically documenting customer interactions, AI saves live agents valuable time that can be reinvested in customer care. Download the full report. This content was produced by Insights, the custom content arm of MIT Technology Review. It was not written by MIT Technology Reviews editorial staff.

Its a stormy holiday weekend, and youve just received the last notification you want in the busiest travel week of the year: The first leg of your flight is significantly delayed. You might expect this means youll be sitting on hold with airline customer service for half an hour. But this time, the process looks a little different: You have a brief text exchange with the airlines AI chatbot, which quickly assesses your situation and places you in a priority queue. Shortly after, a human agent takes over, confirms the details, and gets you rebooked on an earlier flight so you can make your connection. Youll be home in time to enjoy moms pot roast. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT Generative AI is becoming a key component of business operations and customer service interactions today. According to Salesforce research, three out of five workers (61%) either currently use or plan to use generative AI in their roles. A full 68% of these employees are confident that the technologywhich can churn out text, video, image, and audio content almost instantaneouslywill enable them to provide more enriching customer experiences. But the technology isnt a complete solutionor a replacement for human workers. Sixty percent of the surveyed employees believe that human oversight is indispensable for effective and trustworthy generative AI. Generative AI enables people and increases efficiencies in business operations, but using it to empower employees will make all the difference. Its full business value will only be achieved when it is used thoughtfully to blend with human empathy, ingenuity, and emotional intelligence. Generative AI pilots across industries Though the technology is still nascent, many generative AI use cases are starting to emerge. In sales and marketing, generative AI can assist with creating targeted ad content, identifying leads, upselling, cross-selling, and providing real-time sales analytics. When used for internal functions like IT, HR, and finance, generative AI can improve help-desk services, simplify recruitment processes, generate job descriptions, assist with onboarding and exit processes, and even write code. Download the full report. This content was produced by Insights, the custom content arm of MIT Technology Review. It was not written by MIT Technology Reviews editorial staff.