The Taiex index jumped 28% in 2024 as Asian markets broadly gained ground, supported by falling interest rates globally. Rounding up Asias top three major markets

memories You can love or hate AI, but its killed crappy 8GB versions of pricey PCs and Macs Op-ed: AI has been a cure for $1,600 computers that start with 8GB of memory. Andrew Cunningham Dec 30, 2024 7:35 am | 113 Credit: Microsoft Credit: Microsoft Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreI'd describe myself as a skeptic of the generative AI revolutionI think the technology as it currently exists is situationally impressive and useful for specific kinds of tasks, but broadly oversold. I'm not sure it will vanish from relevance to quite the extent that other tech fads like the metaverse or NFTs did, but my suspicion is that companies like Nvidia and OpenAI are riding a bubble that will pop or deflate over time as more companies and individuals run up against the technology's limitations, and as it fails to advance as quickly or as impressively as its most ardent boosters are predicting.Maybe you agree with me and maybe you don't! I'm not necessarily trying to convince you one way or the other. But I am here to say that even if you agree with me, we can all celebrate the one unambiguously positive thing that the generative AI hype cycle has done for computers this year: the RAM floor for many PCs and all Macs is now finally 16GB instead of 8GB.Companies like Apple and Microsoft have, for years, created attractive, high-powered hardware with 8GB of memory in it, most egregiously in $1,000-and-up putative "pro" computers like last year's $1,599 M3 MacBook Pro or the Surface Pro 9.This meant that, for the kinds of power users and professionals drawn to these machines, that their starting prices were effectively mirages; "pay for 16GB if you can" has been my blanket advice to MacBook buyers for years now, since there's basically no workload (including Just Browsing The Web) that won't benefit at least a little. It also leaves more headroom for future software bloat and future hobby discovery. Did you buy an 8GB Mac, and then decide you wanted to try software development, photo or video editing, CAD design, or Logic Pro? Good luck! Microsoft's Surface Laptop 7 is one of the flagship Copilot+ PCs that comes with no less than 16GB of memory. Credit: Andrew Cunningham This wouldn't have been as big an issue in another era of computing, where people could add more memory after the fact if they discovered they needed it later. But soldered-down memory is the norm in most systems, which means paying whatever manufacturers want for RAM up-front, and that you need to guess how much RAM you'll need to stay happy with your system over its entire useful life. Some PC makers would also bundle RAM upgrades with CPU and storage upgrades, imposing hundreds of dollars worth of price increases on people who just wanted more memory. And as someone who has reviewed hardware for years, I'll tell you that the review samples we get from companies are basically never the entry-level models, helping to obscure the shortcomings of the cheaper versions.AI to the rescue?Microsoft's Copilot+ program was announced in May, with the promise of additional locally processed generative AI features that went above and beyond the Copilot chatbot that Microsoft has been pushing aggressively (and changing constantly) for the last two years. To meet the requirements for Copilot+ label and the marketing push behind it, PCs must have a recent high-end processor, at least 16GB of memory, and at least 256GB of storage. The flagship Copilot+ PCMicrosoft's Surface Pro Xhas a higher starting price is higher than the Surface Pro 9's (at least when it's not on sale, which it currently is), but you can at least buy it confident that you'll get a decently capable and future-proof PC.Apple's face-turn on the RAM questionits first bump to the Mac's base amount of RAM in 12 yearsdidn't come tied to any specific feature. All of the Apple Intelligence stuff that has been announced or released so far will work on Macs, iPads, and iPhones with just 8GB of RAM (one Xcode feature briefly required 16GB of RAM over the summer, but Apple dropped that requirement). But the across-the-board upgrade to 16GB came alongside the first wave of Apple Intelligence features, which were all featured prominently in all of Apple's marketing materials for the new models. The M4 Mac mini launched with the first Apple Intelligence features. Getting 16GB of RAM for $599 makes it Apple's best base-model Mac mini ever. Credit: Andrew Cunningham It does at least seem likely, then, that Apple is laying the groundwork for future AI-powered features that either work exclusively on Macs with more RAM, or work best on Macs with more RAM. Whatever the reason, something that had been a flat $200 upgrade to any Mac for years and years was suddenly included in the base price, lowering the prices for all other RAM upgrades by $200 as well.The reason I like a RAM upgrade is that it's broadly useful even if you actively dislike generative AI and plan to try as hard as you possibly can to keep it off of your computers entirely. Adding a better GPU is of limited usefulness if you don't play games; making a CPU faster is likewise not super necessary if all you're doing is browsing or doing hobbyist-level content creation; adding an NPU to a system does basically nothing at all for the vast majority of users at this point. But adding more memory to your system will help with everything you do, even if you're just loading a bunch of basic-but-RAM-hungry web apps and modern webpages in a browser.The 8GB-to-16GB bump doesn't fix things at the low end of the PC market, where most PCs still come with 8GB of memory (and some of the cheapest still come with 4GB). But it is now somewhat less likely that I will buy a $1,200 computer with the same memory capacity as a $500 computer. Given the proliferation of ads, spammy notifications, and other signs of endemic platform rot that Windows users in particular have been dealing with the last few years, I believe this is the kernel of good that comes with the pile of bad.Andrew CunninghamSenior Technology ReporterAndrew CunninghamSenior Technology Reporter Andrew is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, with a focus on consumer tech including computer hardware and in-depth reviews of operating systems like Windows and macOS. Andrew lives in Philadelphia and co-hosts a weekly book podcast called Overdue. 113 Comments

The US Treasury has been hacked by China-backed actors in what the agency called a "major cybersecurity incident."Hackers accessed "certain unclassified documents" through Treasury workstations, wrote a Treasury official.The US is also probing years-long hacking from China. Microsoft named the group "Salt Typhoon."China-backed hackers have accessed some US Treasury Department computers, the agency told Congress in a letter on Monday.The Treasury learned of the hacking on December 8 when BeyondTrust, a third-party software provider, notified the agency that a hacker had gained access to a key used by BeyondTrust to get into a cloud-based service that provided remote technical support.Aditi Hardikar, the Treasury's assistant secretary for management, wrote in the agency's letter that the hackers accessed "certain unclassified documents" through Treasury workstations.The breach is considered a "major cybersecurity incident," wrote Hardikar. The hackers do not still have access to the agency's information, per her letter.The Chinese embassy in Washington DC hit back at the accusation, saying in a statement to Bloomberg that the US was making "smear attacks against China without any factual basis.""The US needs to stop using cybersecurity to smear and slander China, and stop spreading all kinds of disinformation about the so-called Chinese hacking threat," added the Chinese embassy.The embassy did not immediately respond to a Business Insider request for comment outside regular business hours.A BeyondTrust spokesperson told BI that a "limited number of customers" were involved in the security incident. The customers have been notified and offered support, he added.Georgia-based BeyondTrust holds over $4 million worth of federal government contracts, according to a Bloomberg compilation of government data.The news of the Treasury's hacking comes as the US government continues to probe what US security officials say is a a years-long hacking campaign that originates in China.The investigation started in the summer following alerts from Microsoft, which named the hacker group Salt Typhoon.White House Deputy national security advisor Anne Neuberger told reporters earlier this month that while data belonging to millions of Americans was likely compromised, the hack targeted senior US officials."We believe the calls they recorded and took was really more focused on very senior political individuals," she said.

If you've been looking for AirPods-like convenience for your console of choice, we've got good news the SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds offer just what you're looking forTech06:00, 31 Dec 2024There's even noise cancelling tech insideWhen AirPods first launched, they were memed to high heaven but if you've been on a bus, train, or to an airport recently there's a good chance you've seen plenty of people using them.Apple's nifty buds have helped popularise 'truly wireless' audio, even if some other brands do it just as well (or better), but gaming is starting to get in on the act, too.While a few manufacturers (including Sony) have been giving gamers fantastic audio quality in a diminutive design, I've been testing the SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds for a few weeks now and I think they might be the best of the bunch. In fact, it'll take some convincing to go back to a standard headset.The SteelSeries Gamebuds are ideal for any platform, or going out and aboutIf you've been using any earbuds in the last few years, you'll likely have a good idea of what to expect when opening up the SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds.They come in a pocketable case (although not as small as some non-gaming options) which acts as a portable charger, and they also have a slot for the USB-C dongle that connects them to your system of choice.Each bud can be used on their own, and there are a variety of eartips to not only maximise comfort, but also to prevent a more secure seal. That's important for the Arctis Gamebuds' noise cancellation feature, but I'll come to that shortly.The SteelSeries Gamebuds let you ditch your old headsetSetup is simple, with Bluetooth supported and a 2.4Ghz setting available via the aforementioned dongle, although you may need to use a cable to hook it up to your console (I plugged it into my PS5 Pro via the cable, and then hid it behind the console).The buds are comfortable, too. In the name of science I popped mine in for a quick weights session at the gym, and while the average gamer might not take them for a bench press session, they'll undoubtedly stay in your ears when you're kicking back on the sofa, even with no 'fin' like some brands use.Each of the buds has built-in controls, letting you switch between connectivity modes, but the SteelSeries Arctis app also lets you fiddle with things like EQ, noise cancelling and more if you don't want to learn the various button presses.I may never use a headset on my PS5 againSo, how do they sound? In short, very impressive indeed. The first thing I noticed about the Gamebuds is just how loud they can get. Even if you're not in noise cancellation mode, they can block out pretty much everything around you if you turn them up loud enough, much to my wife's chagrin. There is a noise limiter, though, which is ideal if your hearing is better than mine and you want to keep it that way.The Arctis app on iOS and Android has over 100 presets you can use, and while Black Ops 6 is missing, the Modern Warfare 3 one works just as well. Other options included everything from Baldur's Gate 3 to Black Myth: Wukong, and while not all of them make a huge difference, they help keep things feeling pretty well-tuned to whatever you're playing.In Call of Duty, for example, I appreciated the deep bass of explosions and some impressive directional audio, while switching over to something like Diablo 4 has more of a middle-range. You can create your own presets, too, and I could quite easily spend days tweaking audio settings for titles like Path of Exile 2 and more.SteelSeries' earbuds are like AirPods for your console(Image: Amazon)My only complaint, audio-wise, comes from the mic. When using the buds in Marvel Rivals, my Discord group couldn't hear me until I adjusted the input settings to increase the volume of the mic in the PS5's settings. It's not a deal-breaker, and it works perfectly now, but it's worth mentioning when you first pop them in.Something I absolutely love is the noise cancellation. This really helps get you in the zone, and actually helped me hone in on an opponents' footsteps in Call of Duty Warzone by virtue of being able to hear them better.Over-ear headphones tend to provide a better seal for audio, but for earbuds you can keep in your pocket and wear on the street, these are a perfect fit for my more competitive moments on the PS5.Minor mic hurdle aside, I can't see myself returning to a full headset option on my PS5 for the foreseeable future. The compact SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds offer great audio quality, the convenience of being able to go anywhere, and noise cancelling for those clutch moments.Article continues belowReview unit provided by the manufacturer.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.RECOMMENDED

House U / Shinta Hamada ArchitectsSave this picture!Architects: Shinta Hamada ArchitectsAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:116 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2020 PhotographsPhotographs:Ken'ichi SuzukiManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Hitachi Air Conditioning, Daiko, Hafele, Sanwa, TotoMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The site is located in a suburban agricultural area, with rice fields on the east side, a shrine surrounded by forests on the south side, a residential area on the west side, and fields on the north side.Save this picture!Feeing such natural environments every day, three families (eight members) with different hobbies and lifestyles live under one large roof in this house. Therefore, we designed a simple architecture that can flexibly respond to future changes in the family and easily change the floor plan.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!First, we planned a compact square building in the center of the long and narrow site. Then planned two gardens, a private garden on the north side and an open garden that can also be used as a parking space on the south side. As the main composition of the building, we distributed four cores consisting of kitchen, bathroom, toilet and entrance, and set up four private rooms of the same size between these cores.Save this picture!And the central space where all the rooms are related was made into a common space. And we designed a large roof to block the strong sunlight and rain and wind peculiar to this area, and provided a large opening in a part of the roof to guide natural light to the central space with no windows.Save this picture!Each private room are located at the four corners of the building, so the landscapes you can see are different. And by designing a deep under-roof space made of the same material as the interior, we created a space that feels wider than the real area. On the other hand, when you open the door, you can always connect to the central common space, and you can feel the connection of your family wherever you are.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officeMaterialWoodMaterials and TagsPublished on December 31, 2024Cite: "House U / Shinta Hamada Architects" 31 Dec 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/954929/house-u-shinta-hamada-architects&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save?U / Shinta Hamada ArchitectsYou've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Project Files: https://www.patreon.com/posts/118988323 .Here is a preview of menu system and the Maps and Mini map system updated into unreal engine 5.5. Menu system will have following features. - main menu- game menu (new game, continue)- gameplay options - display options - audio options - video options - graphics options - basic hud- pause menu - Language optionsFeatures of Mini-Map - Shows the layout of the surrounding area.- Shows an icon represents the player in the middle. - Changes the orientation and updated in real-time as the player moves around.- Shows icons for enemies and other characters in the level.- All the icons that represent dynamic entities such as characters are updated in real time. - Shows icons for waypoints, checkpoints, custom markers and other points of interest in the map.- Icons that are out of the mini-map range hovers in the edge of the mini-map.- Can be adapted to a map of any size. - Icon sizes and image can be customized per object.- Can easily make any actor appear in maps by adding a map-icon actor component.- Support custom waypoints.Features of Main Map- Shows an icon that represent the player character's location and the facing direction. - Shows icons for enemy characters positions and facing directions. - Shows icons for waypoints, checkpoints, custom markers and other points of interest in the map.- Supports zoom in and zoom out. - All the icons of dynamic entities are updated. - Icon sizes and image can be customized per object.- Can easily make any actor appear in maps by adding a map-icon actor component.- Can be adapted to a map of any scale. - Allows fast travel option.- Support custom waypoints . Menu System: https://youtu.be/CmYyFsNmwRM Map and Minimap: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNTm9yU0zou6xdEqL2QSSfanaZ3KA_vU7 // ! https://www.patreon.com/codelikeme Patrons will have access to project files of all the stuff I do in the channel and other extra benefitsJoin this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClb6Jh9EBV7a_Nm52Ipll_Q/join Like my facebook page for more content : https://www.facebook.com/gamedevelopersclub/ Follow me on twitter : https://twitter.com/CodeLikeMe2 Follow me on reddit : https://www.reddit.com/user/codelikeme #CodeLikeMe #unrealengine #ue4 #indiegamedev

Nature, Published online: 19 December 2024; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08525-3Signatures of ambient pressure superconductivity in thin film La3Ni2O7

Nature, Published online: 19 December 2024; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04169-5Three researchers talk about life in companies and the key to unlocking opportunities.

Nature, Published online: 18 December 2024; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04125-3A rare isotope, thorium-229, exhibits a unique low-energy nuclear transition that could form the basis of a precise nuclear clock. Observation of this transition in vapour-deposited thin films, which require only minuscule amounts of 229Th, opens up a possible route to the widespread use of portable nuclear clocks.