The thing you need to know about OpenAI, according to OpenAI, is that its only goal is to solve the most important challenge of our time in order to benefit all of humanity and the whole world. That will continue to be the case, the organization said in an announcement on Friday, even as it restructures itself from a corporation controlled by a nonprofit to a stand-alone corporation that happens to throw a lot of money at an affiliated nonprofit.How does this restructuring help OpenAI fulfill its mission of benefiting all humans and things non-human? Well, its simple. OpenAIs current structure does not allow the Board to directly consider the interests of those who would finance the mission. Under the new structure, OpenAIs leadership will finally be able to raise more money and pay attention to the needs of the billionaires and trillion-dollar tech firms that invest in it. Voila, everyone benefits. Not mentioned in the press release is the fact that a year ago the non-profit board that oversaw OpenAI unsuccessfully tried to give CEO Sam Altman the boot for outright lying in ways that, according to former board member Helen Toner, made it difficult for the board to ensure that the companys public good mission was primary, was coming firstover profits, investor interests, and other things,With its new structure, OpenAI wants to maintain at least a facade of altruism. The for-profit company will be incorporated as a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation, which means that its board can consider how the companys actions impact stakeholders like employees and customers in addition to its fiduciary responsibility to shareholders (Corporate law experts have pointed out that normal corporations are also perfectly free to do this). Other publicly traded Delaware Public Benefit Corporations include Laureate Education, which operates a string of for-profit universities around the world, including one that was accused multiple times of misleading students about the cost of its degree programs (Laureate sold Walden University prior to the university settling a class action lawsuit earlier this year for $28.5 million). Another is Lemonade Inc., an insurance company that once advertised, and quickly apologized for, an AI feature it claimed could detect fraudulent customers by analyzing their faces.Mixed in with all the effective accelerationist saviorism in OpenAIs announcement, is the clear message that the new company plans to raise a ton more money to further its drive toward artificial general intelligence (AGI). According to reporting from The Information, OpenAI and Microsoft have defined AGI as systems that can generate at least $100 billion in profits. You know, the hallmark of intelligence. What will become of the nonprofit that currently oversees the company is less clear, although it certainly wont be pinching pennies. It wasnt a very traditional nonprofit to begin with, having quickly churned through $137 million in donated cash from Elon Musk and other tech moguls in addition to more than $100 million in free computing from Google, Microsoft, and others in order to create generative AI systems that now benefit for-profit corporations.After the corporate transition is complete, the nonprofit wont have any oversight duties at OpenAI but it will receive shares in the new for-profit company and be one of the best-resourced non-profits in history, according to OpenAIs press release. That will allow it to pursue charitable initiatives in sectors such as health care, education, and science. Needless to say, it wont be long before we all start benefitting from its charity.

26 December 2024/ Business & Tech/ Jay BarmannParents of OpenAI Whistleblower Don't Believe He Died By Suicide, Order Second AutopsyThere is a bit more intrigue around the tragic death late last month of former OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji, who was found dead in his Lower Haight apartment of an apparent suicide.Balaji had only recently become a whistleblower about OpenAI and its use of copyrighted material to train its ChatGPT AI model, speaking to the New York Times in an interview published in October. In addition to the legal issues around consuming copyrighted material, Balaji told the Times it was also "not a sustainable model for the internet ecosystem as a whole."On November 26, two days before Thanksgiving, Balaji was found dead in his apartment on Buchanan Street. The medical examiner deemed it a death by suicide, and the SFPD has said there is "no evidence of foul play."Balaji's mother, Poornima Ramarao, who lives in the Bay Area, tells Bay Area News Group this week that she and her husband are "demanding a thorough investigation" into their son's death. They do not believe he would have taken his own life, and they say there had been zero indication in his mental state that this could be a possibility."No one believes that he could do that," Ramarao tells the news group. The mother says that she and her husband had last spoken to their son on November 22, in a 10-minute phone call in which he had not indicated anything was wrong. He said he was heading out to get dinner.Ramarao said that when she had asked Balaji, who had quit his job at OpenAI over the summer, how he would make a living, he assured he wasn't concerned, and said "money is not important to me I want to offer a service to humanity."Balaji was reportedly working to establish a nonprofit that was centered on machine learning.Balaji also reportedly reassurred his parents about his decision to go public with his concerns about OpenAI, and they say they were proud of him and that he was untroubed by his decision. Days before his death, Balaji was named in a legal filing by the New York Times as a person with significant documents to support their case. The Times is among multiple companies suing OpenAI over the use of copyrighted materials."He was very happy," Ramarao tells Bay Area News Group, adding that he had just turned 26 less than a week earlier, and he had spent his birthday backpacking with high school friends in the Catalina Islands. "He had a blast. He had one of the best times of his life," the mother says.The parents have hired an attorney, Phil Kearney, and they have commissioned a second, independent autopsy.Previously: OpenAI Whistleblower Found Dead In His SF ApartmentIf you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, round-the-clock support, information and resources for help. Call or text the lifeline at 988, or see the 988lifeline.org website, where chat is available.

EarthBound turns "adults into kids, and kids into adults".Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors as part of our Best of 2024 series. This article was originally published in August. Enjoy!Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Nile celebrates the innocence of youth, the pain of growing up, and the magic of a cult classic SNES RPG, which celebrates its 30th anniversary on 27th August 2024...Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Biggest surprise! Most long-winded title! Crappiest Switch publisher!The end of 2024 is nigh, but before we get there it's time to look back on what has been a surprisingly chonky year for Switch, software-wise, in the eighth year since we first got our hands on the thing.We've listed our personal Switch GOTYs, you've ranked yours - now it's time to round up the stragglers with a light-hearted celebration of the year's highs (and a handful of lows). Yes, it's time for this year's round of NL's Alternative Game Awards.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Image: moesoftThe latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived (a day later, as many of us at NL were enjoying our Boxing Day leftovers) and it's bringing a handful of new games to the eShop in your region.And, uhhh... it really is a handful. But hey! There's plenty of games on sale in both North America and Europe, so tuck into those. Still, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!Switch eShop - New ReleasesBasketball Legends 24 (DEZVOLT GAMES, 27th Dec, $9.99) - Step into the world of Basketball Legends 24, where past, present, and future converge in an epic celebration of hoops culture. Gather your team of legends, experience the evolution of basketball across different eras, and dominate the courts with next-level gameplay and stunning visuals. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a casual fan, this game promises endless excitement and fierce competition.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube789kWatch on YouTube Buried Alive: Breathless Rescue (Great Escape, 28th Dec, $9.99) - Are you ready to embark on a spine-chilling adventure? Step into the shoes of the protagonist and experience the terror of being "Buried Alive" in a crypt. Your mission is clear: Escape the confines of your coffin, find the key to unlock the door, and unveil the dark secrets that lie within. Your mission: escape the suffocating grip of the coffin and find your way to freedom!Life or Reach (KOUSHI, 1st Jan, $3.75) - A fighting game where you can control your reach! ? During a match, you can extend the reach of your weapon in exchange for your own stamina! Extending your reach makes you more likely to be defeated, but it allows you to instantly overcome situations where you are at a disadvantage in distance!Old Coin Pusher Friends 3 (STP WORKS, 26th Dec, $3.99) - Work together with other players to defeat yokai, punish corrupt officials, and aim for the jackpot. As you progress in the game, you can enhance your abilities with various upgrades.Sudoku Classic2 (G-MODE, 26th Dec, $5.99) - It's a video game, but you can play it as if you were writing with a pen on paper. You can customize the assist functions to your liking.The Escape Room Chronicles ep4:The 24-Hour TV Station (D3PUBLISHER, 26th Dec, $5.99) - Featuring fully refined graphics, immersive interactive elements, and various play modes with multiple endings, this game promises a unique experience for every player. With memo and camera functions at your fingertips, its designed to be easy for beginners and exciting for veterans alike. Dive into the world of simple yet addictive puzzle-solving with this thrilling escape game!Thinking of You Beyond Time (moesoft, 27th Dec, $24.99) - The characters are brought to life using E-mote animation system. When they breathe, wink, or speak, it all looks very realistic. Additionally, the game features Japanese voice acting. Time flows like a river, quietly taking away the warmth of the past, yet unable to erase the whispers deeply buried in the heart.What will you be downloading this week? (48 votes)Basketball Legends 242%Buried Alive: Breathless Rescue 0%Life or Reach 0%Old Coin Pusher Friends 32%Sudoku Classic26%The Escape Room Chronicles ep4:The 24-Hour TV Station 0%Thinking of You Beyond Time10%Nothing for me this week79%So that's your lot for this week's North American Nintendo Download. Go on, be a sport and drop a vote in the poll above, and comment below with your hot picks! Every game we scored 9/10 or higherEvery game we scored 9/10 or higherRelated GamesSee AlsoShare:01 Alana has been with Nintendo Life since 2022, and while RPGs are her first love, Nintendo is a close second. She enjoys nothing more than overthinking battle strategies, characters, and stories. She also wishes she was a Sega air pirate. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related Articles161 Games You Should Pick Up In Nintendo's 'Hits For The Holidays' eShop Sale (North America)Every game we scored 9/10 or higherPSA: Switch 2 Is Getting Revealed In The Next 100 DaysSet your AlarmosBest Nintendo Switch Games Of 2024The finest Switch games of 2024Multiple Cartoon Network Games Have Been Removed From The Switch eShopMerry Christmas!

In BriefPosted:11:55 AM PST December 27, 2024Image Credits:Savo PrelEvic / AFPTerraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon will face fraud charges in the U.S.Do Kwon, the co-founder of collapsed cryptocurrency startup Terraform Labs, will be extradited from Montenegro to the U.S. to face federal fraud charges, as first reported by Bloomberg.Kwon faces charges in both the U.S. and South Korea; Terraform Labs TerraUSD and Luna cryptocurrencies crashed in 2022, causing investors to lose over $40 billion.Terraform and Kwon were found personally liable for fraud following a civil trial on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegations in April.Terraform agreed to pay $4.5 billion to settle the case with the SEC.Kwon was arrested in March 2023 at the airport in Podgorica, the Montenegrin capital, while preparing to board a flight to Dubai. Its unclear when Montenegro plans on releasing Kwon to the U.S., and whether the governments latest decision supersedes its order in August to extradite Kwon to South Korea.Topics

If there was one phrase that captured the vibe and theme of 2024 at least in the transportation sector it was business whiplash. Legacy automakers changed direction on their all-EVs-or-bust strategy, startups pivoted, and some Silicon Valley VCs and executives adjusted their views on a changing political landscape in which they now are playing starring roles.Jaguar went in an entirely new polarizing direction with a rebranding that got a lot of attention and lit social media on fire, at least for a few days. GM slowed its EV plans and was forced to change lanes on software an internal restructure accelerated by problems with the Chevy Blazer EV that has had positive developments. But the automakers most striking shift was its decision to no longer fund development of the Cruise robotaxi.Everywhere we looked, founders, VCs, and automotive execs were changing course to take advantage of shifting consumer demand and, in many cases, to simply survive.Here are the biggest topics and stories in transportation in 2024.Autonomous vehicles: Pivots, survivors, and scaleThe buzzy years of autonomous vehicle tech from 2016 to 2020 are long gone, and the hype cycle has brought us through the trough of disillusionment. A handful of remaining AV startups, including Ghost Autonomy and Phantom Auto, which had already pivoted, took their final breaths in 2024. Other AV startups took a cue from their brethren in other sectors and turned to defense, officially becoming dual-use companies. And others, like TuSimple, have pivoted almost entirely away from developing autonomous technology, and instead have moved to embrace *checks notes* AI animation and gaming.The path to a commercial robotaxi business is still fraught. GM decided to no longer fund the Cruise robotaxi development program; the automaker will now use that tech and talent to incrementally improve its hands-off advanced driver assistance system and eventually introduce personal autonomous vehicles.AVs did, however, get a boost thanks to a booming and hypey AI industry and newfound interest in the end-to-end approach to autonomy (just ask Wayve). Waymo and Zoox, two well-funded AV companies, are still on the commercial robotaxi path. And of course theres Tesla, which this year revealed its Cybercab prototype with plans to start production in 2025 or 2026. CEO Elon Musk also promised to unleash unsupervised FSD and launch a robotaxi service in California and Texas next year, but were taking those promises with a heavy dose of skepticism given Musks penchant for missing deadlines.Other AV must-reads of 2024:EVs are put to the testLegacy automakers like Ford and GM spent billions of dollars beefing up their electric vehicle lineups and investing in U.S. battery manufacturing facilities to keep on top of supply chains. EV sales bolstered by the Biden administrations EV tax credit continued to reach record highs this year. But automakers and investors have feared that sales for electric cars, which accounted for 8.9% of total auto sales in the third quarter, havent risen at the pace they hoped for. Tesla even saw its own profits drop at the start of the year, with Musk noting that automakers were pulling back from EVs due to pressure from hybrids. That pullback might just continue into 2025 with the incoming administrations plans to cut the EV tax credit.Meanwhile in EV startup land, the SPAC model has continued to prove unsuccessful for driving long-term business growth. We chronicled the messy downfall of Fisker which crumbled under its founders whims including how the startup left its HQ in complete disarray and had to sign a deal with American Lease, the company that bought Fiskers fleet, to help owners get help with recall repairs.Canoo has also struggled to maintain enough cash to operate, and in December it began to furlough workers. Perhaps the startups money troubles came from unsustainable spending habits, like spending double Canoos annual revenue on CEO Tony Avilas private jet, or acquiring the assets of its bankrupt peer Arrival.Faraday Future, despite raising over $1 billion when it merged with a SPAC in 2021, is also sinking fast to the point where data mining company Palantir now owns an 8.7% stake in the company after Faraday was unable to pay for services rendered.One of the only new EV players that didnt go public through a special purpose acquisition merger was Rivian. While Rivian hasnt had the smoothest run since its record-breaking IPO, the EV maker hit some major milestones in 2024, albeit with some speed bumps along the way, including a series of lawsuits alleging top executives of harassment.Rivian unveiled in March its next-generation R2 SUV and a surprised R3 hatchback. In the summer, Rivians path to survival became linked to being able to sell its revamped R1T pickup and the R1S SUV at a profit to sustain itself long enough to get its cheaper R2 SUV on the road. Rivian even snagged a $6.6 billion loan to restart production on its Georgia plant, although it appears that deal was helped along thanks to a secret agreement with the United Auto Workers union.Tesla was in a state of flux as Musk fought to hold onto his $56 billion pay package through sheer determination and investor loyalty. The automaker issued mass layoffs this year, axed its entire Supercharger team, abandoned plans to build a $25,000 EV, oversaw seven Cybertruck recalls, and unveiled its robotaxi prototype.Other EV must-reads of 2024:EVTOLs are still attracting investors2024 was a year of big intentions for the electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles industry. It felt like every other week there was an announcement as two of the biggest players Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation shared plans for future commercial electric air taxi launches starting in 2025.Its also been a year of big fundraises as both companies tried to secure more cash to achieve Federal Aviation Administration certification and launch commercial air taxi services in 2025. Joby, for example, first secured a $500 million bag from Toyota, then raised $222 million before launching a $300 million public offering. Archer recently raised $430 million and teamed up with Anduril to dive into defense a theme were expecting to continue into 2025 as defense tech heats up. And Beta Technologies raised a $318 million Series C.There were also plenty of partnerships between eVTOL startups and more-traditional air carriers like Betas recent win with Air New Zealand and the development of vertiports in key urban areas across the U.S., Europe, and Asia.Not every startup has been so lucky, though, as companies burned through capital and failed to find more funding. German eVTOL startup Lilium filed for bankruptcy after failing to raise enough capital to continue. In December, the company shut down and laid off 1,000 workers, but appears to have gotten a last minute lifeline from an investor. Stay tuned.2025 will be the year where well see if the companies that remain can secure proper FAA approval and begin to make a business out of eVTOLs.Here are some other eVTOL must-reads of 2024:Micromobilitywobbles forwardThe hype over shared micromobility has long since died. This year saw the last gasps of consolidation, pivots, and a few survivors.Tier and Dott finally merged, and Lime continued on its steady path to, if not consistent profitability, at least sustainability and market dominance.VanMoofs bankruptcy in 2023 revealed how difficult it is to scale a new e-bike business, despite a consumer appetite for sexy, sleek e-bikes. Cake filed for bankruptcy at the start of the year, and Onyx Motorbikes was on the verge of bankruptcy itself when its 37-year-old owner died suddenly, leaving an absolute mess in his wake. Cake and Onyx have been given fresh chances of survival in 2025.Some startups have managed to find a way to keep an e-bike business afloat. Just look at Joco. The startup has fought the odds and managed to turn its docked e-bike rental service for delivery workers into a profitable business, and has even branched out into building battery charging cabinets.Here are some other micromobility must-reads of 2024:Bloom is reinventing how e-bikes are made in the US

Data-loss prevention startup Cyberhaven says hackers published a malicious update to its Chrome extension that was capable of stealing customer passwords and session tokens, according to an email sent to affected customers, who may have been victims of this suspected supply-chain attack.Cyberhaven confirmed the cyberattack to TechCrunch on Friday but declined to comment on specifics about the incident.An email from the company sent to customers, obtained and published by security researcher Matt Johansen, said the hackers compromised a company account to publish a malicious update to its Chrome extension in the early morning of December 25. The email said that for customers running the compromised browser extension, it is possible for sensitive information, including authenticated sessions and cookies, to be exfiltrated to the attackers domain.Cyberhaven spokesperson Cameron Coles declined to comment on the email but did not dispute its authenticity.In a brief emailed statement, Cyberhaven said its security team detected the compromise in the afternoon of December 25, and that the malicious extension (version 24.10.4) was then removed from the Chrome Web Store. A new legitimate version of the extension (24.10.5) was released soon after.Cyberhaven offers products that it says protect against data exfiltration and other cyberattacks, including browser extensions, which allow the company to monitor for potentially malicious activity on websites. The Chrome web store shows the Cyberhaven extension has around 400,000 corporate customer users as of time of writing.When asked by TechCrunch, Cyberhaven declined to say how many affected customers it had notified about the breach. The California-based company lists technology giants Motorola, Reddit, and Snowflake as customers, as well as law firms and health insurance giants.According to the email that Cyberhaven sent to its customers, affected users should revoke and rotate all passwords and other text-based credentials, such as API tokens. Cyberhaven said customers should also review their own logs for malicious activity. (Session tokens and cookies for logged-in accounts that are stolen from the users browser can be used to log-in to that account without needing their password or two-factor code, effectively allowing hackers to bypass those security measures.)The email does not specify whether customers should also change any credentials for other accounts stored in the Chrome browser, and Cyberhavens spokesperson declined to specify when asked by TechCrunch.According to the email, the compromised company account was the single admin account for the Google Chrome Store. Cyberhaven did not say how the company account was compromised, or what corporate security policies were in place that allowed the account compromise. The company said in its brief statement that it has initiated a comprehensive review of our security practices and will be implementing additional safeguards based on our findings.Cyberhaven said its hired an incident response firm, which the email to customers says is Mandiant, and is actively cooperating with federal law enforcement.Jaime Blasco, the co-founder and CTO of Nudge Security, said in posts on X that several other Chrome extensions were compromised as apparently part of the same campaign, including several extensions with tens of thousands of users.Blasco told TechCrunch that he is still investigating the attacks, and believes at this point that there were more extensions compromised earlier this year, including some related to AI, productivity, and VPNs..It seems it wasnt targeted against Cyberhaven, but rather opportunistically targeting extension developers, said Blasco. I think they went after the extensions that they could based on the developers credentials that they had.In its statement to TechCrunch, Cyberhaven said that public reports suggest this attack was part of a wider campaign to target Chrome extension developers across a wide range of companies. At this point its unclear who is responsible for this campaign, and other affected companies and their extensions have yet to be confirmed.

Hi Everyone, I am currently trying to mimic the electric sparks shown for the effect of the projectile of Radahn in Elden Ring. At the time stamp if you put it to .25 speed and play frame by from you can see the sparks are created on the path the projectile took only after the projectile impacts with the ground. https://youtu.be/bxlmP2biXqk?t=162I have been toying with generate event location and death events in Niagara but cannot seem to see how I could spawn only after the main projectile collides and dies.Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Congestion pricing, or congestion relief, is a project 20 years in the making in New York. And, on January 5, the network will finally go into effect. Passenger vehicles will be charged $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, whether they arrive from New Jersey, Connecticut, or Long Island. What equipment is necessary to make such a sophisticated system function? Dattner Architects worked under Parsons, the engineering lead on the project to design the boxes that register vehicle numbers and automatically charge motorists, sending money back to the MTA for much needed capital. Stantec and Doppelmayr were also on the project team.Parsons designed the equipment to make the system run smoothly, and Dattner Architects ideated the houses that shield the tech from the elements. Dattners work also entailed the evaluation of site-specific contexts for over 100 locations, helping determine where the boxes should go.The sensors were designed to be easily installed on traffic posts. (Courtesy Dattner Architects)According to a study performed by the MTA each weekday more than 900,000 people in vehicles enter the Manhattan CentralBusiness District (CBD). After January 5, small trucks will be charged $24, and large trucks $36 if they so choose to come into Manhattan. Taxi cabs will be tolled $1.25 per ride, and Uber $2.50. Motorcyclists, meanwhile, will have to shell out $7.50. At night, passenger vehicles will have to pay just $2.25. This fee goes for all of Manhattans eight thoroughfares south of Central Park: Lincoln Tunnel, Queensboro Bridge, Queens-Midtown Tunnel, Williamsburg Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, Hugh Carey Tunnel, and the Holland Tunnel.The prototype designed by Dattner Architects was reproduced more than 100 times and installed in site-specific locales south of 60th Street. This design can be easily installed on your run-of-the-mill traffic post. There will be one sensor per traffic lane.Dattner Architects led the architectural design and visual quality management component of the project as part of the TransCore Design-Build-Operate-Maintain program.