Sidera Headquarters | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiIn Forl, a city in the Italian province of Emilia-Romagna, the newly completed Sidera Headquarters exemplifies neuroarchitectures transformative power. Designed to foster creativity and well-being, the project redefines traditional office spaces by prioritizing the needs of its users and the environment.Sidera Headquarters Technical InformationArchitects1-12: Tisselli Studio ArchitettiLocation: Forl, Northern ItalyArea: 10,000 m2 | 107,600 Sq. Ft.Completion Year: 2023Photographs: Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiThe final shape of the building is the result of a creative process that absorbs the rationality and pragmatism of the company, translating its identity characteristics transparency, flexibility, innovation, and comfort into architecture. Tisselli Studio ArchitectsSidera Headquarters PhotographsAerial View | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiNight View | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiFacade | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiRoof Aerial View | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiRooftop | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiStairs | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiMeeting Room | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiAerial View | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiAuditorium | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiArchitectural Language: Translating Identity into DesignLocated at the edge of Forl, in an industrial area bordering the ancient Roman centurion, the Sidera Headquarters emerges in a landscape dominated by monotonous prefab warehouses. CIA Conad, Italys largest mass-market retailer, envisioned this project as an example of innovation, reflecting their values of transparency, flexibility, and comfort while addressing the lack of architectural identity in the area.At its core, Sideras design reflects the rationality and pragmatism that define CIA Conads corporate identity. The buildings clean lines, expansive use of glass, and open layouts serve as physical manifestations of the companys values. The architectural form adapts to a strict programmatic requirement to avoid open-plan offices, ensure exclusive workspaces for one or two individuals, and allocate a single level for each department.The building spans 100 meters in length and rises to 33 meters, supported by a 3-meter elevated base. Its external surfaces are composed of just three materials: natural aluminum, black-pigmented concrete, and glass. The vertical aluminum finsstretching six kilometersplay with natural light, creating shifting perceptions of opacity and transparency throughout the day. This dynamic facade complements the fifth facadethe pitched roofwhose six inclined planes and large skylights establish a dialogue with the Apennine mountain range.Spatial Experience: The Impact of NeuroarchitectureThe interiors of Sidera are a seamless extension of the architectural envelope, integrating neuroarchitectural principles to create an ideal workspace. The focus is on fostering well-being through a controlled interplay of light, air, sound, and views. The extensive use of glass regulates natural light, flooding workspaces while maintaining visual connections to the verdant surroundings. Circadian lighting systems align with the natural 24-hour cycle, and advanced ventilation technologies ensure clean, healthy air in an area known for high pollution levels.Acoustic insulation is meticulously engineered to enhance concentration, and every internal level offers views of the surrounding greenery, creating a biophilic connection that reduces stress. Inside, custom-designed wooden, aluminum, and concrete furnishings maintain the materials natural tones, reflecting the organizations sobriety and pragmatism.The dramatic central staircaseswith hypertrophic, sinuous linesserve as a visual and spatial centerpiece, connecting the buildings levels. These spaces act as hubs of interaction, encouraging social connections and a sense of community among employees. The interplay of compression and release in spacesangled walls, inclined surfaces, and varied ceiling heightsadds a layer of complexity and curiosity, fueling creativity and collaboration.Sidera Headquarters Regional SignificanceSideras commitment to sustainability is evident in its design and operational strategies. Surrounded by 300 trees and 22,000 plants, the headquarters reclaims an uninspiring industrial context by integrating nature into its fabric. This lush green belt serves as both a visual and functional buffer, enhancing the microclimate while reducing the buildings environmental impact.Powered by a photovoltaic system, the headquarters significantly reduces its carbon footprint. The pitched roofs vernacular designuncommon in industrial areasoffers a reinterpretation of regional architectural elements, reinforcing a sense of place. By addressing the lack of architectural identity in its surroundings, Sidera sets a precedent for transforming underwhelming urban zones into dynamic, human-centered environments.Sidera Headquarters PlansSketch | Tisselli Studio ArchitettiSite Plan | Tisselli Studio ArchitettiGround Level | Tisselli Studio ArchitettiFloor Plan | Tisselli Studio ArchitettiOffices Floor Plan | Tisselli Studio ArchitettiSidera Headquarters Image GalleryAbout Tisselli Studio ArchitettiNotes & Additional CreditsArchitectural Planning: Tisselli Studio ArchitettiStructural Planning: AEI Progetti, Gabriele CasadioMechanical Systems: Idrotermica CoopElectrical Systems: SBE S.r.l.Building Automation: Casadei & Pellizzaro S.r.l.Landscape Planning: PaisaAnti-Intrusion System: Elettronica Cortesi S.r.l.Acoustics: Andrea FarnetaniClient: CIA Conad (Italys largest mass-market retailer)Building Height: 33 metersBuilding Length: 100 metersRoof Design: Pitched roof with six inclined planes and three large skylights

This yearAN Interiorpublished two print issues, iterated and shared new graphic designs, won a gold medal in the Trade/Brand/Educational/Institutional category from theSociety of Publication Designers, hosted an issue launch with Studio Loutsis, released its annualTop 50list of architects and designers, and by the end of the year, will publish 181 stories online. Its been a busy and big yearand 2025, the year that will mark the 10th anniversary ofAN Interior,promises to be even better. But before toasting to a new year, lets look back at the projects and principles that inspired 2024 and uphold the standard for 2025. Here areANs favorite interiors covered this year, either online or in-print, that innovated on materials, delivered a unique design vision, and made us consider how spaces are shaped by politics and policyand what architects can do to help aid what falls between the cracks.Delicate proportions engage the sparse spaces by Anya Moryoussef Architect (Doublespace Photography)Anya Moryoussef Architect retools a cottage for independently aging in place on a budgetThe demands of the real estate market can often chafe against the creative goals of architects, especially when it comes to smaller firms. In Toronto, this is keenly felt, where the marketability of designing homes for the nuclear family dominates residential projects, generating more of the same high-rises and single-family homes. Ester Bruzkus Architekten designs a Berlin office space (Courtesy Noshe)Ester Bruzkus Architekten unites acoustical efficiency and a calm interior for Relaxounds officeFor a company that designs for relaxation, the workplace needs to reflect this ethos and feel like a natural extension of the office culture. Relaxound designs small musical boxesinspired by birdhousesthat introduce the relaxing effects of audio therapy. So when the company tapped Ester Bruzkus Architekten (EBA) to design their new Berlin office space, the designers knew they wanted to invoke the same values of calm and collective community.Read more of our favorite interiors projects from 2024 on aninteriormag.com.

close Windows Defender Security Center scam: How to protect your computer from fake pop-ups Tech expert Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson says a tech support scam used a fake Windows Defender pop-up, tricking the victim to call and download software. In an email we received from Janet D., she shared her recent unsettling experience. Heres what she described:"I received a pop-up that froze my computer and read, Access to this system is blocked for security reasons from Windows Defender Security Center. It came with an audio message and siren."Janet did what many might do in such a panic-inducing situation: She called the number displayed on her screen. She was instructed to press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, unfreezing her computer, but the instructions didnt stop there. The scammer directed her to download software from UltraViewer.net, a legitimate remote access tool often exploited by bad actors. Heres what you should know if you ever encounter a similar scam. Windows Defender pop-up scam (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)3 red flags to recognize a tech support scam1) Unsolicited pop-ups claiming to be from Microsoft or other security services:Janets story highlights a common scam tactic, which is fake alerts masquerading as official warnings. Microsoft and other legitimate companies do not issue pop-ups with support numbers or direct you to download remote access software.2) Urgent audio and visual cues: Scammers create a sense of urgency with sirens, flashing messages and warnings of dire consequences to push victims into immediate action without thinking critically.3) Requests to install remote access software: Scammers often use tools like UltraViewer, TeamViewer or AnyDesk to gain access to victims systems. While these tools are legitimate for remote tech support, downloading them at the request of an unknown party is a red flag. Windows Defender pop-up scam (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Steps to take if you encounter a scam like thisIf you come across a scam, it's important to act quickly and take the following steps to protect yourself and your information.Dont engageIf you receive a suspicious pop-up, do not call the number provided or follow any on-screen instructions. Look up any suspicious phone numbers or messages independently. Use Ctrl + Alt + Del to open the Task Manager and close the browser or application displaying the message.Assess potential damageScammers thrive on urgency. Take a moment to assess the situation calmly. Janet asked if the scammers could have taken any information. Heres what to do.First, look for any unfamiliar software installed after the incident and uninstall it.Visit your email, banking and other important accounts to check for unauthorized sign-ins or transactions.Use strong antivirus software to conduct a comprehensive scan. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.Secure your systemIf you installed UltraViewer or similar tools, uninstall them immediately.Update passwords for critical accounts, prioritizing your email and banking logins. Consider using apassword manager to generate and store complex passwords. Enable two-factor authentication, as this adds a layer of security even if someone obtains your login credentials.Seek professional helpIf you suspect that your computer is still compromised, it might be best to consult with a professional to ensure your system is secure. You may want to reach out toMicrosoft Support for additional guidance and to report the incident to help prevent others from falling victim. Windows Defender pop-up scam (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Why Janet didnt receive a warning from her antivirus softwareJanet also mentioned that her antivirus software didnt flag the scam. Unfortunately, many of these scams rely on social engineering rather than malware to bypass antivirus detection. They exploit human psychology, not just technical vulnerabilities. However, running regular scans can still help detect hidden threats.What do I do if I provided personal information to a scammer?First, don't be the slightest bit embarrassed, as it could have happened to genuinely anyone. And the worst thing you can do is stay silent. You can help prevent this from happening to others.Stop all communication: Cease all contact with the scammer immediately. Do not engage further or respond to any messages or calls from them.Report the scam: Report the incident to your local law enforcement agency or the cybercrime unit in your country. Provide them with all the information you have about the scammer and the communication you had with them.Notify your bank and credit card companies: If you shared any financial information, contact your bank and credit card companies right away. Inform them about the potential scam and ask for advice on how to secure your accounts.Monitor your accounts: Keep a close eye on your bank accounts, credit cards and other financial accounts for any suspicious activity. Report any unauthorized transactions immediately.Inform credit bureaus: Consider contacting credit reporting agencies to put a fraud alert on your credit report. This can help prevent the scammer from opening new accounts in your name.Be cautious about future communications: Be vigilant regarding any future communications from unknown sources. Scammers may try to target you again using different tactics.Use identity theft protection: If a scammer gets a hold of your personal information, you may consider a service that will walk you through every step of the reporting and recovery process. One of the best things you can do to protect yourself from this type of fraud is to subscribe to an identity theft service. One of the best parts of using an identity theft protection service is that it can include identity theft insurance of up to$1 million to cover losses and legal fees and a white-glove fraud resolution team where a U.S.-based case managerhelps you recover any losses.Read more of my review of the best identity theft protection services here.Kurt's key takeawaysJanets experience is a reminder that even the most vigilant among us can fall prey to clever scams designed to exploit fear and urgency. By recognizing red flags like unsolicited pop-ups, high-pressure tactics and requests for remote access, you can protect yourself and your personal information. If you ever encounter a situation like Janets, remember to stay calm, verify the legitimacy of any alerts and take the necessary steps to secure your system. Scammers rely on quick reactions, so slow down, stay in control and dont let them manipulate your next move.Have you seen any new scams lately that others should know about? Let us know by writing us atCyberguy.com/Contact.For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to cover.Follow Kurt on his social channels:Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com.All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurts free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

By now, you've probably heard that Google plans to migrate Chromebooks to Android, but I believe there's a much better option that's already proven itself.

ZDNETIncreasingly, we hear about AI agents being the new "digital workers" -- a concept that arose before agentic orgenerative AIhit the mainstream in areas such asrobotic process automation. Digital workers are designed to serve the discipline and obedience, but just like human workers, they, too, have their quirks.Also:15 ways AI saved me time at work in 2024 - and how I plan to use it in 2025The movement toward a digital workforce has been taking big leaps lately, marked recently by Salesforce's unveiling of Agentforce 2.0, a digital labor platform for enterprises. The platform enables "a limitless workforce through AI agents for any department, assembled using a new library of pre-built skills, and that can take action across any system or workflow." The platform also takes steps well beyond RPA, featuring "enhanced reasoning and data retrieval to deliver precise answers and orchestrate actions in response to complex, multi-step questions," according to a statement from Salesforce. The agents even interact in Slack.Augmenting teams with digital laborMajor organizations are leveraging the platform to augment their teams with digital labor, the vendor added.Talent is scarce and expensive to train, so organizations are turning to AI to help with customer interactions and deal with workflow backlogs, but can no longer afford "inadequate solutions that provide generic responses," Salesforce stated. "Existing solutions such as copilots struggle to provide accurate, trusted responses to complex requests -- such as personalized guidance on a job application. They cannot take action on their own -- like nurturing a lead with product recommendations."Autonomous digital workers can now perform such work at many levels, industry leaders agree. "The convergence of skilled innovators, rapidly-deployable cloud tools, customer awareness and executive support has created an ideal environment for agentic AI to thrive in 2025," Chris Bennett, director of AI transparency and education at Motorola Solutions, told ZDNET.For example, Motorola Solutions has begun leveraging agentic AI "to improve public safety and enterprise security, with applications that analyze and surface data in real-time to provide crucial, immediate support to first responders and security personnel," Bennett stated. "AI agents never get bored, tired, or distracted, automating repetitive tasks and freeing responders for critical responsibilities and community engagement. AI agents can accelerate tasks like reviewing historical video footage, helping investigators quickly find missing persons through natural language search."This works via AI agents intuiting processes to "create a series of steps, or a recipe to solve a problem," said Viswesh Ananthakrishnan, co-founder and vice president of Aurascape. They can also "take actions to execute these steps and even collaborate with other agents to do so. When combined together, this data gives the agents a view of how the enterprise functions."The AI agents then "develop and execute complex processes, like viewing demand forecasts and taking proactive action to generate and submit order forms for more inventory before supplies run low," he continued. "This type of automation saves workers significant time and frees them up from repetitive tasks."AI agents need to be thoughtfully managedAt the same time, AI agents need to be thoughtfully managed, just as is the case with human work, and there's work to be done before an agentic AI-driven workforce can truly assume a broad range of tasks. "While the promise of agentic AI is evident, we are several years away from widespread agentic AI adoption at the enterprise level," said Scott Beechuk, partner with Norwest Venture Partners. "Agents must be trustworthy given their potential role in automating mission-critical business processes."The traceability of AI agents' actions is one issue. "Many tools have a hard time explaining how they arrived at their responses from users' sensitive data and models struggle to generalize beyond what they have learned," said Ananthakrishnan.Unpredictability is a related challenge, as LLMs "operate like black boxes," said Beechuk. "It's hard for users and engineers to know if the AI has successfully completed its task and if it did so correctly." In addition, he cautions that there is still unreliability in AI agents. "In systems where AI creates its own steps to complete tasks, made-up details can lead to more errors as the task progresses, ultimately making the outputs unreliable."Also:Why ethics is becoming AI's biggest challengeHuman workers also are capable of collaborating easily and on a regular basis. For AI workers, it's a different story. "Because agents will interact with multiple systems and data stores, achieving comprehensive visibility is no easy task," said Ananthakrishnan. It's important to have visibility to capture each action an agent takes. "This means deep visibility into activity on endpoint devices and the ability to process data in a vast variety of formats." Then, it's important to be able to "quickly combine this context from endpoints with network-level traffic to determine the data informing the agent's actions," as well as "recognize the type of AI agent interfacing with your data, whether it's a trusted entity, or a brand-new agent."The AI systems engineerThis may boost an emerging human-centered role -- the AI systems engineer. "This new quality assurance and oversight role will become essential to enterprises as they manage and continuously optimize AI agents," Beechuk said.In multi-agent environments, "AI agents will be interacting and evolving constantly, consuming a steady diet of new data to perform their individual jobs," he explained. "When one of them gets bad data -- intentionally or unintentionally -- and changes its behavior, it can start performing its job incorrectly or with less precision, even if it was doing it perfectly well just one day before. An error in one agent can then have a cascading effect that degrades the whole system. Enterprises will hire as many AI systems engineers as it takes to keep that from happening."Companies and tech teams may be "well-positioned to support agentic AI, but we still need time and experience to strike the right balance between agentic and human workflows," Bennett advised. "Our advice is to view AI as an augmentation to human experts, not a replacement."Artificial Intelligence

Destiny 2BungieThe state of Destiny 2 at the moment is still in flux, but it has its devotees, and chief among them is one of its biggest content creators, the PvP-focused GernaderJake. Every weekend its available, rain or shine, Jake is playing Trials of Osiris, going flawless himself, or mostly, carrying others to flawless to earn some of the best rewards in the game when they reach the Lighthouse.Its the most competitive mode Destiny 2 has (there was even a spin-off Trials game planned at one point at Bungie), and there is no more determined player than Jake. Now, hes hit 5,000 Flawless runs with 4,000 carries among them, with no one else even really close to those stats.I chatted with Jake about this milestone, how he got here, and where he hopes Destiny goes from here as one of its biggest streamers.GernaderJakeTwitchWhat do you enjoy about carrying people to the Lighthouse? Whats the best part for you?Honestly, I enjoy a lot about the process of carrying people to the Lighthouse. I enjoy the challenge. I enjoy the clear and obvious goal that my chat can follow and that I can feel motivated by. I enjoy the feeling that comes with the success of a flawless run! But more than anything else, I enjoy "the moment." Getting to play with so many different people from the community, some of which saved up channel points for years to get their opportunity, and then to have that "moment" where we reach the Lighthouse together... it's often euphoric for them. Getting to witness it, and be a part of it, is so special and has never gotten old.How much of an issue has stream sniping been during this process? Or cheating?Almost like metas come and go in Destiny 2 PvP, the popularity of stream sniping does the same. It's hard to guess why that's the case. Throughout the last five years, there have been many times where stream sniping doesn't even seem to exist. I'm able to simply queue a game and experience matchmaking like anyone else.MORE FOR YOUHowever, at times, it's been so bad it's practically unplayable. The era of the flawless pool, which spanned a full year and a half, comes to mind. Back then, stream sniping was so horrifically bad I had to run stacked (playing with two other very good players) all of Sunday and Monday (when the flawless pool went live) and hide my screen the entire time I wasn't in a game. If I didn't hide my screen, teams of players with stats so inflated it wouldn't be possible without the assistance of cheats, would intentionally queue against me and my squad to ruin our flawless run and put a huge damper on our moods. The flawless pool was not very populated, and you matched based off of the number of wins you had on your card, so it was really easy for teams to intentionally match us. Even while hiding our screen, it was impossible to avoid these teams. I have never been closer to giving up the flawless grind than those days.What was the best era of Trials, and what was the worst?The best era of Trials was August of 2021 after Bungie brought us a huge Trials revamp. For the first time, players could queue into Trials solo, and could get loot even without winning a game. The playerbase was thriving as a result, and the community seemed to rally around how fun the playlist was. Seeing practically everyone in the Destiny directory playing Trials, having laughs, and not caring about the win or the loss was so fun.The worst era of Trials was just before that. Summer of 2021. Rounds were two minutes long, there were no zones, and three-peaking and chaos reach were in their prime. For those who don't know what three-peaking is, it's where you emote or equip a sword to go into a third person view. In this view, you can stand behind cover while still observing the surroundings behind it. The result was two-minute stand offs, where whichever team that decided to push put themselves at a huge disadvantage. To make matters worse, Chaos Reach super on Warlock plus Geomag exotic boots were at their prime. The meta was putting on Geomags, 100 intellect, and a sword, and then standing against a wall with a sword out trying to get as many supers as you possibly could. Long, boring, and incredibly frustrating games were the result.GernaderJakeMalthaalDo you think Destiny PvP can stay healthy from here and survive these recently record low playercounts?Somehow someway, even with the player count being as low as it is, Trials seems to be doing alright. The narrative is that Trials is awful, unplayable, etc. As someone who has played through every meta and every content drought, I can tell you that this is far from the worst it has felt. So, to answer your question, yes. PvP can survive these low player counts. I believe a Trials revamp in episode 3 and DLCs twice a year can keep it alive. Will it ever be as popular as it once was? No. But it can still survive and be enjoyable for all players.Do you have another goal after this, or are you just going to keep carrying indefinitely?4000 flawless carries, 5000 flawless runs. This has been my goal for a very long time. Now that I've hit those goals, I'm going to enjoy a break from gaming and streaming until Episode 3 in February. Episode 3 brings a Trials revamp, and March brings a new adventure for my wife and I, when we will move for a year or more to France to explore and live our lives a bit. Realistically, my next goal is to put my life ahead of streaming for the first time in a decade. Say yes to more opportunities, be willing to miss more Trials streams. I do see myself wanting to continue Trials carries indefinitely though. Less of them, less ridiculously scheduled dedication to them, but still doing them.Where do you hope Destiny as a franchise goes in the future?Dude, one day I want to see a Destiny 3 so badly. The Destiny community is special. We are a dedicated group of frickin' awesome people. A Destiny 3 done well would bring so many of us back to where we once were. While it may be many years away, I remain hopeful that we will happen eventually.Is there one particular carry story that stands out as being memorable?I have too many memories and moments. 2000+ carries in Destiny 1 and 4000 in Destiny 2 has my mind scrambling to think of the number 1 moment. If I had to choose, it would be the time I carried a disabled viewer to the Lighthouse earlier this year. The journey was difficult. My carry partner and I had to lock in and clutch up time after time after time. After the run, his partner reached out to me explaining their dire living situation, and how meaningful and special that Lighthouse experience was for him. The message hit home, and I asked if I could share it with my community, to which they said yes. After sharing it, a flood of people showed up in the comments begging for an opportunity to donate to this family and help them get some of the gaming resources they so desperately needed. They created a Go Fund Me, and within minutes the community donated over $1500, securing them a new functioning console, headset, and many other resources needed to help this disabled gamer enjoy his gaming sessions more thoroughly. Knowing how much that Lighthouse run meant, and then seeing the community rain support on his setup upgrade, felt very empowering. I will always remember that carry.Thanks to Jake for chatting. Enjoy the break, youve earned it.

By combining cutting-edge AI with physical functionality, they are set to transform productivity and reshape collaboration in diverse sectors.

GTA 6RockstarWell, I wasnt expecting to wake up to GTA 6 news, but this is a rather odd story that fans are eating up voraciously.Whats happened is that a higher quality version of the original GTA 6 trailer has been found on Chinas Bili Bili social media site. The best way to watch it is to actually download an MP4 of it from Google Drive, but I aint linking to that, you can find it pretty easy on Twitter right now.The idea here is that this is a version where you can see more detail than the English version that Rockstar originally uploaded due to less compression and honestly, who knows what other possible boosts, but it is crisp, thats for sure.This has led news-starved GTA fans hunting down for the minor quality details between the versions, and its speculated this is running on a PS5. Rockstar has already confirmed that nothing here is a cutscene, and all running in-engine.Yes, the quality upgrades are minor, but you can see them on closer inspection, and people are in fact sifting through every single little frame of this in order to see the differences.MORE FOR YOUSupposedly fans are looking for new clues that you can now see in the trailer, but I dont think theres actually anything to be found there. All were seeing are things like sharper dollar bills on the ground or Lucia with fine arm hair and some actual acne you can see more clearly now (please, no discourse on this, I beg you). I think theres more than enough detail to prove that bikini girl in the trailer is definitely not Lucia, a theory that never seems to die.Again, this is notanything too crazy. But looking at the original source download yeah, it looks incredible. Not that the YouTube original upload was bad, but this does feel like a bit of an upgrade even if hunting through the finer details does come off a bit silly.As ever, we have literally no idea when we will be getting more official GTA 6 content. Rockstar has relentlessly maintained that it will hit its fall 2025 release window, though that has not exactly been the case with its other enormous games, which usually suffer some sort of delay. Despite what they say, Im still assuming its going to be pushed to 2026. If so, we wont hear about that for a while, and we have absolutely no idea when a new trailer or further info will drop, so this is what we get for now.Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

A robot appears on stage as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivers a keynote address during the Nvidia GTC Artificial Intelligence Conference at SAP Center on March 18, 2024 in San Jose, California. Justin SullivanGetty ImagesBy Andrew R. ChowDecember 30, 2024 7:00 AM ESTIn 2024, both cutting-edge technology and the companies controlling it grew increasingly powerful, provoking euphoric wonderment and existential dread. Companies like Nvidia and Alphabet soared in value, fueled by expectations that artificial intelligence (AI) will become a cornerstone of modern life. While those grand visions are still far into the future, tech undeniably shaped markets, warfare, elections, climate, and daily life this year.Perhaps technologys biggest impact this year was on the global economy. The so-called Magnificent Seventhe stocks of Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Teslathrived in large part because of the AI boom, propelling the S&P 500 to new highs. Nvidia, which designs the computer chips powering many AI systems, led the way, with its stock nearly tripling in price. These profits spurred an arms race in AI infrastructure, with companies constructing enormous factories and data centerswhich in turn drew criticism from environmentalists about their energy consumption. Some market watchers also expressed concern about the increasing dependence of the global economy on a handful of companies, and the potential impacts if they prove unable to fulfill their massive promises. But as of early December, the value of these companies showed no sign of letting up. Though not with the explosive novelty of ChatGPTs 2023 breakthrough, generative AI systems advanced over the past 12 months: Googles DeepMind achieved silver-medal results at a prestigious math competition; Googles NotebookLM impressed users with its ability to turn written notes into succinct podcasts; ChatGPT passed a Stanford-administered Turing test; Apple integrated new artificial intelligence tools into its newest iPhone. Beyond personal devices, AI played a pivotal role in forecasting hurricanes and powering growing fleets of driverless cars across China and San Francisco. A more dangerous side of AI, however, also came into view. AI tools, created by companies like Palantir and Clearview, proved central to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza in their ability to identify foreign troops and targets to bomb. AI was integrated into drones, surveillance systems, and cybersecurity. Generative AI also infiltrated 2024s many elections. SouthAsian candidates flooded social media with AI-generated content. Russian state actors used deepfaked text, images, audio, and video to spread disinformation in the U.S. and amplify fears around immigration. After President-elect Donald Trump reposted an AI-generated image of Taylor Swift endorsing him on the campaign trail, the pop star responded with an Instagram post about her fears around AI and an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris instead. Read More: How Tech Giants Turned Ukraine Into an AI War LabSwifts fears were shared by many of her young fans, who are coming of age in a generation that seems to be bearing the brunt of technologys harms. This year, hand-wringing about the impact of social media on mental health came to a head with Jonathan Haidts bestseller The Anxious Generation, which drew a direct link between smartphones and a rise in teen depression. (Some scientists have disputed this correlation.) Social media platforms scrambled to address the issue with their own fixes: Instagram, for instance, set new guardrails for teen users. But many parents, lawmakers, and regulators argued that these platforms werent doing enough on their own to protect children, and took action. New Mexicos attorney general sued Snap Inc., accusing Snapchat of facilitating child sexual exploitation through its algorithm. Dozens of states moved forward with a lawsuit against Meta, accusing it of inducing young children and teenagers into addictive social media use. In July, the U.S.Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which puts the onus on social media companies to prevent harm. Most tech companies are fighting the bill, which has yet to pass the House.The potential harms around generative AI and children are mostly still unknown. But in February, a teenager died by suicide after becoming obsessed with a Character.AI chatbot modeled after Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen. (The company called the situation "tragic" and told the New York Times that it was adding safety features.) Regulators were also wary of the centralization that comes with tech, arguing that its concentration can lead to health crises, rampant misinformation, and vulnerable points of global failure. They point to the Crowdstrike outagewhich grounded airplanes and shut down banks across the worldand the Ticketmaster breach, in which the data of over 500 million users was compromised. President Joe Biden signed a bill requiring its Chinese owner to sell TikTok or be banned in the U.S. French authorities arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, accusing him of refusing to cooperate in their efforts to stop the spread of child porn, drugs, and money laundering on the platform. Antitrust actions also increased worldwide. In the U.S., Biden officials embarked on several aggressive lawsuits to break up Googles and Apples empires. A U.K. watchdog accused Google of wielding anticompetitive practices to dominate the online ad market. India also proposed an antitrust law, drawing fierce rebukes from tech lobbyists. But the tech industry may face less pressure next year, thanks in part to the effort of the worlds richest man: Elon Musk, whose net worth ballooned by more than $100 billion over the past year. Musk weathered many battles on many frontiers. Tesla failed to deliver its long-awaited self-driving cars, agitating investors. X was briefly banned in Brazil after a judge accused the platform of allowing disinformation to flourish. In the U.S., watchdogs accused Musk of facilitating hate speech and disinformation on X, and of blatantly using a major public platform to put his finger on the scale for his preferred candidate, Donald Trump. Musks companies face at least 20 investigations, from all corners of government. But Musk scored victories by launching and catching a SpaceX rocket and implanting the first Neuralink chip into a paralyzed patients brain. And in the November election, his alliance with Trump paid off. Musk is now a prominent figure in Trumps transition team, and tipped to head up a new government agency that aims to slash government spending by $2 trillion. And while the owner of Tesla must navigate Trumps stated opposition to EVs, he is positioned to use his new perch to influence the future of AI. While Musk warns the public about AIs existential risk, he is also racing to build a more powerful chatbot than ChatGPT, which was built by his rival Sam Altman. Altmans OpenAI endured many criticisms over safety this year but nevertheless raised a massive $6.6 billion in October. Is the growing power of tech titans like Musk and Altman good for the world? In 2024, they spent much of their time furiously building while criticizing regulators for standing in their way. Their creations, as well as those of other tech gurus, provided plenty of evidence both of the good that can arise from their projects, and the overwhelming risks and harms.More Must-Reads from TIMEDonald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the YearWhy We Chose Trump as Person of the YearIs Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024The 20 Best Christmas TV EpisodesColumn: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try HopeThe Future of Climate Action Is Trade PolicyMerle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby DecisionContact us at letters@time.com

Rumor mill: Intel and AMD both launched their flagship 800-series motherboards earlier this year, but many consumers are still waiting for them to announce more affordable options. The latest leaks suggest that the wait may be over soon, with both companies tipped to release their respective budget-focused 800-series boards by mid-January. According to a tipster on Chinese forum Board Channels, Intel and AMD will reveal their mid-range and entry-level 800-series motherboards at CES 2025. The official announcements from both companies are expected on January 7, but Intel will reportedly allow customers to pre-order the boards on January 6. The actual launch is slated to happen the following week.Intel's B860 and H810 motherboards are rumored to go on sale January 13, while AMD's B850 and B840 boards will hit store shelves on January 15. The report adds that motherboard manufacturers like Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte have already prepared multiple new models to enable people to upgrade to the latest platforms without burning a hole in their pockets.It is worth noting that AMD already offers multiple affordable AM5 motherboards featuring the X670 and B650 chipsets. All of them support the latest technologies, including DDR5 memory and PCIe Gen5 interface. Intel, on the other hand, does not have any budget LGA 1851 boards on the market, so the upcoming products will be a welcome addition to its portfolio.January will be a busy month for Intel and AMD, with a slew of product launches in the pipeline from both companies. The former is tipped to launch its Arc B570 graphics card on January 16 following the stellar success of the Arc B580, which we called the best value graphics card in the market right now.As for AMD, the company is expected to launch its RDNA 4 graphics cards next month, starting with the flagship Radeon RX 9070 XT. According to a recent leak, the RDNA 4 desktop lineup will include the RX 9070, 9060, 9050, and 9040, alongside the flagship 9070 XT, while the laptop range will feature the 9070M XT, 9070M, and 9070S. In addition to the new cards, Team Red is also expected to announce the Ryzen 9 9000X3D at CES 2025. // Related Stories