Several industry watchers who spoke to CNBC forecast bitcoin will hit $200,000 in 2025.

Apple's unusual move is an ingenious marketing strategy.

Westchester County looks like the world's most boring dating app.

From childhood malaria vaccines to record-breaking solar panels to the discovery of a lost ancient city, this tumultuous year still had plenty of high points.

MacworldTrade your endless social media scrolling for something a little more brain-friendly. Curiosity Stream is packed with thousands of documentaries on various topics that turn your screen time into did-you-know moments. From unraveling ancient mysteries to exploring futuristic tech, this streaming service is a paradise for curious minds.Heres the kicker: you pay once and stream forever for $159.97 (reg. $399). Yup, no monthly charges sneaking onto your credit card statement. Just a lifetime of content you can brag about at parties (and probably annoy your friends with random facts).The production quality? Chefs kiss. Gorgeous visuals in HD, expert narrations, and storytelling that keeps you hooked. Youll go from wait, whats a black hole? to confidently explaining quantum physics (or something close to it).Fire it up on any of your devices and let the binge-worthy learning begin. Who says documentaries cant be your next guilty pleasure? Spoiler alert: they totally can.Score a lifetime subscription to a Curiosity Stream Standard Plan on sale for $159.97.Curiosity Stream Standard Plan: Lifetime Subscription $199.99See DealStackSocial prices subject to change.

Monday, December 30th, 2024Posted by Jim ThackerThe Pixel Farm releases PFTrack 24.12.19html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"The Pixel Farm has released PFTrack 24.12.19, the latest version of its match-moving software, completely overhauling its scene-reconstruction toolset.A powerful tool for camera and object tracking for VFX and visualization workOriginally released over two decades ago, PFTrack is a well-regarded match-moving tool for visual effects and visualization work.It has a node-based architecture, providing access to range of automated and manual tools for tracking cameras and objects, plus a built-in a lens distortion toolset.Its scene-reconstruction tools include a native photogrammetry toolset for reconstructing scene geometry from still images or video, and support for Lidar data.PFTrack 24.12.29: AI-powered updates to the photogrammetry toolsIn the latest update, PFTrack 24.12.19, that photogrammetry toolset has been completely overhauled.The Photo Survey node gets a new machine-learning-based feature matching engine, described as faster and more accurate than its precedecessor.The Point Cloud node now generates Lidar-quality results, and there are new tools for cleaning up point clouds by manually removing unwanted points, as shown in the video above.There are also workflow and performance updates to Match Camera, and to USD workflows, including support for point-based geometry.Other new features from recent updatesPFTrack 24.12.19 is the latest of a steady stream of updates to the software this year.Full changelogs are now only available inside the app itself, although you can find a summary of the new features from the previous release, PFTrack 24.08.22, in this blog post.The release featured updates to the Survey Solver and Geometry Track, better glTF and FBX export, and the option to export OpenEXR stereo disparity maps.Price and system requirementsPFTrack is compatible with Windows 10+, macOS 10.13+ and Rocky Linux 8+. The software is rental-only.Personal subscriptions cost 25/month (around $32/month). Enterprise subscriptions are priced on enquiry on The Pixel Farms website, but cost $1,125/year via resellers.Read more about recent updates to PFTrack on The Pixel Farms blogHave your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we dont post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.Latest NewsThe Pixel Farm releases PFTrack 24.12.19Update to the match-moving software 'completely overhauls' the scene-reconstruction toolset. Check out its new AI-powered features.Monday, December 30th, 2024Get unusual iOS digital painting app Flame Painter for freeFull version of Escape Motions' iPad and iPhone app for painting images using particle brushes is now free, as is mandala-creation app Inspirit.Saturday, December 28th, 2024Faceform releases Wrap 2024.11 and Wrap4D 2024.11Check out the new features in the topology transfer tools for creating digital doubles and blendshapes from 3D scans of actors.Friday, December 27th, 2024DreamWorks Animation releases MoonRay 1.7Check out the latest features in the open-source release of DreamWorks' renderer, used on movies like The Wild Robot.Thursday, December 26th, 2024Sparseal releases Uniform 1.3Check out the new features in the modeling and texturing iPad app, including support for procedural objects and projection painting.Thursday, December 26th, 2024Happy holidays to all CG Channel readers!Updates to the site may be less frequent than usual over the next two weeks, but normal service resumes on 6 January.Wednesday, December 25th, 2024More NewsTutorial: Introduction to Marvelous DesignerBlack Friday, Cyber Monday and Holiday 2024 deals for CG artistsRandomControl releases Maverick Indie and Maverick Studio 2024Pilgway releases 3DCoat 2024.30Terragen Sky now lets you paint clouds into the sky directlyPlanetside Software releases Terragen 4.8Photoshop users can now create filters in Substance 3D DesignerPixar releases RenderMan 26.3Create game characters with CC Auto Setup for 3ds Max and V-RayLeopoly releases Shapelab 2025 and Shapelab LiteAdobe releases Photoshop 26.2Check out Blender's experimental anime rendering buildsOlder Posts

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn MoreIf 2023 was the year of generative AI-powered chatbots and search, 2024 was all about AI agents. What started from Devin earlier this year grew into a full-blown phenomenon, offering enterprises and individuals a way to transform how they work at different levels, from programming and development to personal tasks such as planning and booking tickets for a holiday.Among these wide-ranging applications, we also saw the rise of data agents this year AI-powered agents that handle different types of tasks across the data infrastructure stack. Some did basic data integration work while others handled downstream tasks, such as analysis and management in the pipeline, making things simpler and easier for enterprise users.The benefits were improved efficiency and cost savings, leading many to wonder: How will things change for data teams in the years to come?Gen AI Agents took over data tasksWhile agentic capabilities have been around for some time, allowing enterprises to automate certain basic tasks, the rise of generative AI has taken things entirely to the next level.With gen AIs natural language processing and tool use capabilities, agents can go beyond simple reasoning and answering to actually planning multi-step actions, independently interacting with digital systems to complete actions while collaborating with other agents and people at the same time. They also learn to improve their performance over time.Cognition AIs Devin was the first major agentic offering, enabling engineering operations at scale. Then, bigger players began providing more targeted enterprise and personal agents powered by their models.In a conversation with VentureBeat earlier this year, Google Clouds Gerrit Kazmaier said he heard from customers that their data practitioners constantly faced challenges including automating manual work for data teams, reducing the cycle time of data pipelines and analysis and simplifying data management. Essentially, the teams were not short on ideas on how they could create value from their data, but they lacked the time to execute those ideas.To fix this, Kazmaier explained, Google revamped BigQuery, its core data infrastructure offering, with Gemini AI. The resulting agentic capabilities not only provide enterprises the ability to discover, cleanse and prepare data for downstream applications breaking down data silos and ensuring quality and consistency but also support pipeline management and analysis, freeing up teams to focus on higher-value tasks.Multiple enterprises today use Geminis agentic capabilities in BigQuery, including fintech company Julo, which tapped Geminis ability to understand complex data structures to automate its query generation process. Japanese IT firm Unerry also uses Gemini SQL generation capabilities in BigQuery to help its data teams deliver insight more quickly.But, discovering, preparing and assisting with analysis was just the beginning. As the underlying models evolved, even granular data operations pioneered by startups specializing in their respective domains were targeted with deeper agent-driven automation.For instance, AirByte and Fastn made headlines in the data integration category. The former launched an assistant that created data connectors from an API documentation link in seconds. Meanwhile, the latter enhanced its broader application development offering with agents that generated enterprise-grade APIs whether its for reading or writing information on any topic using just a natural language description.San Francisco-based Altimate AI, for its part, targeted different data operations including documentation, testing and transformations, with a new DataMates tech, which used agentic AI to pull context from the entire data stack. Multiple other startups, including Redbird and RapidCanvas, also worked in the same direction, claiming to offer AI agents that can handle up to 90% of data tasks required in AI and analytics pipelines.Agents powering RAG and moreBeyond wide-ranging data operations, agentic capabilities have also been explored in areas such as retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and downstream workflow automation. For instance, the team behind vector database Weaviate recently discussed the idea of agentic RAG, a process allowing AI agents to access a wide range of tools like web search, calculator or a software API (like Slack/Gmail/CRM) to retrieve and validate data from multiple sources to enhance the accuracy of answers.Further, towards the end of the year, Snowflake Intelligence appeared, giving enterprises the option to set up data agents that could tap not only business intelligence data stored in their Snowflake instance, but also structured and unstructured data across siloed third-party tools such as sales transactions in a database, documents in knowledge bases like SharePoint and information in productivity tools like Slack, Salesforce and Google Workspace.With this additional context, the agents surface relevant insights in response to natural language questions and take specific actions around the generated insights. For instance, a user could ask their data agent to enter the surfaced insights into an editable form and upload the file to their Google Drive. They could even be prompted to write to Snowflake tables and make data modifications as needed.Much more to comeWhile we may not have covered every application of data agents seen or announced this year, one thing is pretty clear: The technology is here to stay. As gen AI models continue to evolve, the adoption of AI agents will move at full steam, with most organizations, regardless of their sector or size, choosing to delegate repetitive tasks to specialized agents. This will directly translate into efficiencies.As evidence of this, in a recent survey of 1,100 tech executives conducted by Capgemini, 82% of the respondents said they intend to integrate AI-based agents across their stacks within the next 3 years up from a current 10%. More importantly, as many as 70 to 75% of the respondents said they would trust an AI agent to analyze and synthesize data on their behalf, as well as handle tasks such as generating and iteratively improving code.This agent-driven shift would also mean significant changes to how data teams function. Currently, agents outcomes are not production-grade, which means a human has to take over at some point to fine-tune the work for their needs. However, with a few more advancements over the coming years, this gap will most likely go away giving teams AI agents that would be faster, more accurate and less prone to the errors usually made by humans.So, to sum up, the roles of data scientists and analysts that we see today are likely to change, with users possibly moving to the AI oversight domain (where they could keep an eye on AIs actions) or higher-value tasks that the system could struggle to perform.Daily insights on business use cases with VB DailyIf you want to impress your boss, VB Daily has you covered. We give you the inside scoop on what companies are doing with generative AI, from regulatory shifts to practical deployments, so you can share insights for maximum ROI.Read our Privacy PolicyThanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here.An error occured.

Dec 31, 2025Ravie LakshmananVulnerability / Incident ResponseThe United States Treasury Department said it suffered a "major cybersecurity incident" that allowed suspected Chinese threat actors to remotely access some computers and unclassified documents. "On December 8, 2024, Treasury was notified by a third-party software service provider, BeyondTrust, that a threat actor had gained access to a key used by the vendor to secure a cloud-based service used to remotely provide technical support for Treasury Departmental Offices (DO) end users," the department said in a letter informing the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs."With access to the stolen key, the threat actor was able to override the service's security, remotely access certain Treasury DO user workstations, and access certain unclassified documents maintained by those users."The federal agency said it has been working with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and that available evidence points to it being the work of an unnamed state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actor from China.The Treasury Department further said that it has taken the BeyondTrust service offline, adding there is no evidence that the threat actors have access to the environment.Earlier this month, BeyondTrust revealed that it was the victim of a digital intrusion that allowed bad actors to breach some of its Remote Support SaaS instances.The company said its investigation into the incident found that the attackers gained access to a Remote Support SaaS API key that allowed them to reset passwords for local application accounts. BeyondTrust has yet to reveal how the key was obtained."BeyondTrust immediately revoked the API key, notified known impacted customers, and suspended those instances the same day while providing alternative Remote Support SaaS instances for those customers," it said.The probe has also uncovered two security flaws in Privileged Remote Access (PRA) and Remote Support (RS) products (CVE-2024-12356, CVSS score: 9.8 and CVE-2024-12686, CVSS score: 6.6), the former of which has been added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, citing evidence of active exploitation in the wild.The disclosure comes as several U.S. telecommunication providers have found themselves in the crosshairs of another Chinese state-sponsored threat actor named Salt Typhoon.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Our Experts Written by James Bricknell Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement Why You Can Trust CNET 16171819202122232425+ Years of Experience 14151617181920212223 Hands-on Product Reviewers 6,0007,0008,0009,00010,00011,00012,00013,00014,00015,000 Sq. Feet of Lab Space How we test CNETs expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.Table of Contents Our Picks Easily washable Pure Enrichment View details $28 at Amazon (on-page coupon) View details Easy to wrap as needed Sunbeam Heating Pad View details $44 at Amazon View details Lumbar and heat support Newgam Lumbar Support Pillow View details $29 at Amazon View details Do not fear sleep Sunbeam Heating Pad for Neck and Shoulder View details $47 at Amazon View details Budget-friendly relief My Heating Pad for Pain Relief View details $23 at Amazon View details Subscribe to better fitness Apple Fitness Plus View details $80 at Apple View details Table of Contents If aches and pains are creeping up on you this winter, a heating pad could be the simple solution you didnt know you needed. Heating pads offer targeted relief for sore muscles -- especially for common trouble spots like the lower back and hips. Generally they are good for pains that come from daily activities, like the toll of a physically demanding job or from being hunched over a desk.For those of us spending our days sitting, often not in the best office chairs, a heating pad can help melt away tension and discomfort without breaking the bank. Theyre affordable, easy to use, and perfect for cozying up in the colder months. Plus, a quality heating pad is a practical gift that anyone would appreciate. Most heating pads deliver some relief for joint pain, neck pain and back pain and can even help with arthritis and cramps. To be clear, if you're experiencing back pain and you don't know why, you should consult your doctor. Trust me, you do not want to let random pain go untreated for long. That being said, let's have a look at what we can use to relieve some pain and pressure. $28 at Amazon (on-page coupon) This is a large heating pad you can wrap around problem spots. I switched to this brand for its more even heating (avoiding hot and cold spots that trouble electric heaters). The control pad lets you choose auto-shutoff or sustained heat until you're ready for a break. Plus, you can disconnect the cord and toss the soft microfiber pad into the wash to freshen it up.-- Jessica Dolcourt $44 at Amazon I suffer from an injury to my sciatic nerve that just loves to flare up when I sit down too much. Working from home, I tend to find myself getting deeply involved in a project and not standing as often as I should, which leads to some pain. When this happens, I know I need to break out my handy Sunbeam heating pad that I've had for a few years now.It's super reliable and has multiple temperature settings to control how much heat it lets off. It's available in a few different sizes, but I picked one of the middle sizes to cover more of my back at once to help relieve my back pain. It has a fabric pad cover, which has stayed clean for the years I've used it.-- Jared DiPane $29 at Amazon During lockdown, I bought one of these for myself to more comfortably work from bed. Then, I got two more to give as gifts to people who didn't know they needed them. Now I can't live without this cushy, portable support.-- Jessica Dolcourt $47 at Amazon $74 at Walmart I grabbed a Sunbeam heating pad because the most important feature of a heating pad, for me, is the ability to shut off automatically. I'm good at taking a painkiller, putting a heating pad on and falling asleep. Not the safest way to live. So it's nice to know my heating pad will turn off automatically after two hours of use. This model fits well everywhere, spreads heat out nicely and I don't have to worry about it being unsafe just because I've dozed off.-- Russell Holly

In its updated 2024 Guideline for the Primary Prevention of Stroke, the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association state that the Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce the risk of stroke. Specifically, it is recommended that adults with no prior cardiovascular disease and people with high or intermediate risk follow the diet, which was also named the best diet of 2024 byUS News and World Reportand is also one of the best weight loss diets, according to experts.The Mediterranean diet is a nutrient-rich and nonrestrictive diet that works for many people. If that sounds appealing, here's everything you need to start the Mediterranean diet. But before you delve into any new diet, make sure to consult your doctor.What is the Mediterranean diet? Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. The Mediterranean diet is inspired by the traditional diets of people who live along the Mediterranean coast. While each country's diet may vary, the Mediterranean diet consists mainly of plant-based foods, seafood, lean poultry, whole grains, nuts, beans, olive oil, herbs and spices. The key is to eat as much fresh food as possible since highly processed foods are limited in the diet. Green Mediterranean dietA recent popular variation of the Mediterranean diet is the green Mediterranean diet. Instead of occasionally having red and processed meats with the regular diet, the green version eliminates meat and focuses on plant-based foods.There are set amounts of calories and protein to hit each day, in addition to three recommendations. Each day, an individual must obtain 100 grams of duckweed (an aquatic plant, usually put in a shake), 3 to 4 cups of green tea and 1 ounce of walnuts. A 2021 study found that the green Mediterranean diet variation may be healthier for one's heart than the original diet. It may even be more effective in preventing and managing chronic diseases. A 2022 study found that the diet may aid in age-related brain health. Read more:The Atlantic Diet: Why Eating Local, Whole Foods May Improve Your HealthMediterranean diet benefitsThe Mediterranean diet has many health benefits and is great for kosher, vegetarian or budget-conscious people.Heart healthThe most well-known benefit of this diet is its potential to boost heart health. A 2019 study concluded that the Mediterranean diet could lower your risk of stroke and heart disease. Also, due to the lower saturated fat content in the diet, a 2021 study found that it can slow the process of plaque building up in the arteries. Brain healthThe Mediterranean diet can promote brain health as we age. A 2021 study on Alzheimer's disease found that a Mediterranean diet can lower the risk of dementia and other risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. It may also improve memory and cognitive function. Possible weight lossThis diet may help you lose weight and maintain long-term weight loss. A 2020 study found that participants who lost at least 10% of their body weight on the Mediterranean diet were two times more likely to keep the weight off. Note that any diet is not complete without added exercise. If you are serious about weight loss, add daily exercise to your routine in addition to a new diet. Make sure to consult your doctor to find the right diet and exercise plan for you.Read more: Does Your Blood Type Affect Your Heart Health? Yes, but Here's the Full StoryHow does the Mediterranean diet work? Getty Images/Claudia Totir/MomentThe Mediterranean diet is one of the easiest to follow, and counting calories is not required. While there are no strict rules, there are a few recommendations. These include eating fish or seafood at least twice a week, drinking lots of water, eating a wide range of foods and filling your plate with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and olive oil, daily. On top of these recommendations, your meals and snacks are up to you. Here is what you are encouraged to eat. Foods to eat on the Mediterranean dietOn the Mediterranean diet, try to eat plant-based and whole foods. These may include:Fish (salmon, tuna, herring, etc.)SeafoodPoultry, in moderationVegetablesFruitsDairy productsEggs, in moderationOlive oilChickpeasLentilsQuinoaPastaYogurt, in moderationNuts100% whole-wheat breadHerbsSpicesA glass of red wine with meals (no more than one glass for women, two glasses for men)A bit of dark chocolateFoods to limit on the Mediterranean dietWhile no foods are "off-limits," try to eat the following rarely:Red meatsSugary foods and drinksProcessed foodsButterMeal ideasFill your grocery list with these meal ideas for the week.BreakfastGreek yogurt with fresh fruit and a cup of teaWhole-wheat toast with natural peanut butter and a cup of coffee (added cream and sugar in moderation)LunchChicken orzo soup with vegetablesGreek salad with olives, avocado and feta cheeseDinnerSalmon cooked in olive oil, brown rice and roasted vegetablesTuna over quinoa and arugula with olive oil vinaigrette dressingSnacksAssorted nuts and seeds with natural cheesePita bread and vegetables with hummusIs the Mediterranean diet right for you? Getty Images/Westend61/Westend61Although named the best diet of 2024, the Mediterranean diet is not for everyone. Talk to your doctor before making any major dietary changes. If you are considering trying this diet for yourself, here are some points to remember. You should try the Mediterranean diet if:You do well with nonrestrictive dietsYou already eat lots of seafood, plant-based foods and whole grainsYou are looking for a budget-friendly diet low in unhealthy fats and high in healthy fatsTry another diet or seek a dietitian if:You need more structure or require some foods to be completely off-limitsYou have major food restrictions or allergiesYou need a tailored diet, weight loss and exercise plansMediterranean diet FAQs What is not allowed on the Mediterranean diet? Technically, no foods are strictly "off-limits" on the Mediterranean diet. You should try to either cut back on or avoid processed foods (especially processed meats), red meats, white breads and pastas, butter, processed oils and excessive alcohol (besides red wine). Can you eat eggs on the Mediterranean diet? Yes, you can eat eggs in moderation on the Mediterranean diet. If you have high cholesterol, try not to have more than four egg yolks in one week. Can you eat bananas on the Mediterranean diet? Yes, you can eat bananas on the Mediterranean diet. It is recommended to eat lots of fruits and vegetables on this diet. Which cheese is OK to eat on the Mediterranean diet? Natural cheeses are the best to eat on the Mediterranean diet. While there are no restrictions, the diet recommends limiting processed cheese. Stay away from heavily processed cheeses like American cheese or cheese-in-a-can. Instead, lean toward natural cheeses like mozzarella, feta, cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan or Muenster.