Skeleton CrewDisneyDisney has struggled mightily to get any new Star Wars movie projects off the ground with loads cancelled and others in unclear stages of development. The only definitely happening one is The Mandalorian and Grogu, which of course came from the Disney Plus TV series.But if there is one fixture in the Star Wars universe behind the scenes that should be given their own movie, its none other than Bryce Dallas Howard, the actress-director daughter of actor-director Ron Howard who has consistently put out amazing episodes of Star Wars series that shes been given to direct.That was on full display this week with Skeleton Crews Zero Friends Again, where the plot did not move forward much but Howard did brilliant work with the story available and its easily one of the best episodes of the already-good series.She did the fourth episode of The Mandalorian, Sanctuary, where Mando has to defend a village from raiders in an AT-ST, a thrilling entry.In season 3 of The Mandalorian, she directed Guns for Hire, which focused on Bo-Katan challenging Mandalorian privateers for leadership over the group, uniting the groups to try to go and retake Mandalore.She did episode five of The Book of Boba Fett, one of the only good episodes because it moved away from Boba Fett entirely and brought Mando back for a full episode in between his seasons. Its the episode where he gets beskar armor for Grogu and makes a new ship out of an N-1 Starfighter.LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 13: Bryce Dallas Howard attends the premiere of Disney+'s 'The ... [+] Mandalorian' at El Capitan Theatre on November 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)Getty ImagesShe didnt do any episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, Andor or The Acolyte, but the general consensus among fans is that when Bryce Dallas Howard shows up, its going to be a banger.It seems like a far better idea to give Howard her own Star Wars movie, whatever it might be, rather than bringing in more outside directors like James Mangold or Simon Kinberg, both being ported over from X-Men, of all places. Howard knows Star Wars, and deserves a shot at the big time. If not a movie, give her a series all to herself. Maybe she could make something set in the Old or High Republic work for once.MORE FOR YOUWill this happen? Who knows. She may just keep directing periodic TV episodes, but the only Star Wars show that is even returning is Ahsoka, plus Andor wrapping with season 2, which is already done filming. Skeleton Crew seemed like it may have been on deck to become an ongoing series, but budget versus viewership is a real concern.Disney may be risk-averse when it comes to Star Wars these days, hence why the only thing its making is a Mandalorian movie, but Howard does not seem like a risk, and shes earned a bigger project.Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

The convergence of cloud, AI and cybersecurity demands a rethinking of fintech architecture.

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE / APJanuary 3, 2025 7:53 AM ESTApple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the privacy-minded company of deploying its virtual assistant Siri to eavesdrop on people using its iPhone and other trendy devices.The proposed settlement filed Tuesday in an Oakland, California, federal court would resolve a 5-year-old lawsuit revolving around allegations that Apple surreptitiously activated Siri to record conversations through iPhones and other devices equipped with the virtual assistant for more than a decade.The alleged recordings occurred even when people didn't seek to activate the virtual assistant with the trigger words, Hey, Siri." Some of the recorded conversations were then shared with advertisers in an attempt to sell their products to consumers more likely to be interested in the goods and services, the lawsuit asserted.The allegations about a snoopy Siri contradicted Apple's long-running commitment to protect the privacy of its customers a crusade that CEO Tim Cook has often framed as a fight to preserve a fundamental human right.Apple isn't acknowledging any wrongdoing in the settlement, which still must be approved by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. Lawyers in the case have proposed scheduling a Feb. 14 court hearing in Oakland to review the terms.If the settlement is approved, tens of millions of consumers who owned iPhones and other Apple devices from Sept. 17, 2014, through the end of last year could file claims. Each consumer could receive up to $20 per Siri-equipped device covered by the settlement, although the payment could be reduced or increased, depending on the volume of claims. Only 3% to 5% of eligible consumers are expected to file claims, according to estimates in court documents.Eligible consumers will be limited to seeking compensation on a maximum of five devices.The settlement represents a sliver of the $705 billion in profits that Apple has pocketed since September 2014. It's also a fraction of the roughly $1.5 billion that the lawyers representing consumers had estimated Apple could been required to pay if the company had been found of violating wiretapping and other privacy laws had the case gone to a trial.The attorneys who filed the lawsuit may seek up to $29.6 million from the settlement fund to cover their fees and other expenses, according to court documents.

The big picture: Samsung's 2025 monitor lineup includes AI-powered features, record-breaking refresh rates, and the resurgence of 3D technology. The new products make it clear that the future of visual technology is not only about higher resolutions but also about creating more immersive, intelligent, and personalized viewing experiences. As the tech world gears up for CES 2025, Samsung Electronics has announced a lineup of monitors with features that range from glasses-free 3D displays to AI-powered smart monitors.The Odyssey 3D G90XF is a 3D monitor that doesn't require special glasses. Instead, this 27-inch, 4K display utilizes a lenticular lens attached to the front panel, which, combined with eye-tracking and view mapping technology, creates a 3D experience.The Odyssey 3D also boasts AI capabilities that can convert standard 2D content into 3D in real-time. It appears to have overcome one of the hurdles that hindered previous 3D display technologies: the lack of available 3D content. In the past, 3D displays were limited by the scarcity of native 3D material, which restricted their appeal and utility. By enabling the conversion of standard 2D content, the Odyssey 3D expands the pool of available 3D-viewable material, potentially making the technology more attractive to consumers.For gaming enthusiasts, Samsung is introducing two new Odyssey G-series monitors that push the boundaries of refresh rates. The Odyssey OLED G6 is touted as the world's first OLED panel with a staggering 500Hz refresh rate, albeit at a slightly lower 1440p resolution. Its sibling, the Odyssey OLED G8, offers a 27-inch 4K OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate.Both models boast near-instantaneous response times of 0.03ms, support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync-compatible technologies, and HDR 400 True Black certification. // Related StoriesSamsung is also making strides in AI-enhanced displays with the introduction of the Smart Monitor M9. This 32-inch 4K OLED monitor incorporates what the company calls "industry-first" AI features designed to optimize visual experiences across various content types.The M9's AI Picture Optimizer analyzes input signals to determine the type of content being displayed and automatically adjusts settings for optimal viewing. For gamers, it goes a step further by recognizing game genres and fine-tuning picture settings accordingly.Additionally, the 4K AI Upscaling Pro feature uses neural networks to upgrade lower-resolution content to near-4K quality.For professionals and creatives, Samsung has unveiled the ViewFinity S8, a 37-inch 16:9 4K monitor that offers the largest canvas in its class with a screen approximately 34% larger than its predecessor. It boasts 99% sRGB color accuracy and has been certified by TV Rheinland for its ergonomic design.

In a nutshell: Canada is attempting to position itself as a production hub for critical minerals that face supply chain risks. These elements are essential for economic security, attaining net-zero emissions, and maintaining a competitive position in global supply chains. The nation's latest Critical Mineral Strategy Annual Report for 2024 outlines plans to expand domestic mining of more than 30 minerals designated as critical. There's particular emphasis on six of them: lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, copper, and rare earth elements.The impetus is both economic and geopolitical. As US-China tensions escalate, there are growing concerns about overreliance on Chinese suppliers for crucial technology inputs like rare earth magnets. At the same time, the global push for clean energy is supercharging demand for battery metals, solar materials, and other strategic resources that Canada apparently has in abundance. The country needs these resources to hit its net-zero target."It is believed Canada has very large quantities of these materials, even if they have not yet begun processing them in significant quantities," James Edmondson, research director at IDTechEx, told EE Times.Edmondson adds that Nechalacho, a rare earth mining project in the Northwest Territories of Canada, aims to be a globally relevant supplier, targeting annual production of at least 5,000 tons of rare earth oxides by 2025.On the battery front, IDTechEx analysts view Canada as a potential leader in nickel production outside of China and Indonesia. Nickel is a key component of the nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cathodes used in 63% of electric vehicle batteries globally last year.There's no doubt that Canada has substantial mineral resources; however, some industry insiders believe the nation's environmental regulations could hinder the rapid development of new mines, which typically require 10-15 years to get online. They suggest other countries such as the US, China, and Australia may move faster on mineral projects, and that Canada's efforts might already be too late. // Related StoriesThere are also looming technology risks, with the possibility of a game-changing new battery chemistry rendering some of these efforts obsolete.Still, with global rivalry over critical minerals intensifying, most analysts see Canada's strategy as a necessary and overdue move to assert its voice in these strategically vital supply chains.The International Energy Agency predicts that demand for critical minerals could skyrocket over 30-fold by 2040 amid the global energy transition. Lithium demand is expected to see the fastest growth, increasing by more than 40 times by 2040.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Its been a couple of years since Hisense refreshed its Laser TV ultra short throw projector offerings (although last year we did get new UST projectors in the Laser Cinema line). At CES 2025, though, were getting a new model the L9Q.The redesigned optical light engine will allow for a variable focus range of 100- to 150-inches diagonal. Hisense will offer the the L9Q in five packages that will include ALR (Ambient Light Rejecting) screen sizes at 100, 110, 120, 136, and 150 inches. This gives us far more size variety than 2023s L9H, which was only available in 100- and 120-inch packages. Theres potential that the L9Q will also be available without a screen (the L9H can be bought on its own for an MSRP of $3,000), but theres been no announcement from Hisense about that, as of yet.Recommended VideosThe throw ratio from the L9H to the L9Q has also gone down from 0.25:1 to 0.18:1, meaning the L9Q projector will sit closer to the wall. This is good news, considering that a 150-inch image from a 0.25:1 projector would need to be around 2.5 feet from the wall. With a 0.18:1 throw, the L9Q wont extend to far into the room for the larger screen sizes. It has a new motorized focus motor and dedicated picture settings for different screen sizes to ensure a clear image during setup. Furthermore, the L9Q has auto screen alignment to make sure the image is properly squared off on the screen. Wed still recommend taking the time to get your placement right, as the added processing can usually affect input lag and has the potential to introduce artifacts in the image.Please enable Javascript to view this contentHisense has also improved the TriChroma RGB laser light engine with a 33% increase in claimed output, from 3,000 lumens on the L9H to 4,000 lumens with the new L9Q. That is paired with a 3,000:1 native contrast ratio. Projectors will never compete with the light cannons that mini-LED TVs have become, but that lumens bump is a welcome boost to make the Laser TV have more pop in a room where ambient light cant be easily controlled.RelatedWhere UST projectors (those of the triple laser variety, in particular) are ahead of TVs is in their coverage of the BT.2020 color space. The L9Q boasts coverage of 110%, which is pretty impressive. Now, this is more future-proofing than anything else, as the content we all watch is DCI-P3. The conversion over to BT.2020 will happen at some point, but its still a few years away.Hisense will continue to use a built-in Harman Kardon sound system now with a 6.2.2, 116-watt system (up from 40W). Also included is the Google TV OS.Its all wrapped in a new attractive chassis that eschews the curved body of the L9H for a more angular rectangle shape with a sweeping semicircle indentation in the top where the lens is housed. The front looks to be a metal grille with the back portion of the laser TV in black. Hisense was obviously going for a luxurious look, and we think its achieved it.Editors Recommendations

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Table of ContentsTable of ContentsComputingAVMobileSmart homeCarsWith 2024 behind us, all eyes in tech turn to Las Vegas, where tech monoliths and scrappy startups alike are suiting up to give us a glimpse of the future. What tech trends will set the world afire in 2025? While we wont know all the details until we hit the carpets of the Las Vegas Convention Center, our team of reports and editors have had an ear to the ground for months. And we have a pretty good idea whats headed your way.Heres a sneak peek at all the gizmos, vehicles, technologies, and spectacles we expect to light up Las Vegas next week.Recommended VideosJacob Roach / Digital TrendsCES is going to be huge for the PC world. First off, were expecting some long-awaited GPU announcements from Nvidia and AMD, both of which were rumored to have delayed their products from 2024. With Nvidia having reached new heights of success in 2024 in the AI world, PC gamers have been left wondering in both trepidation and wonder what the RTX 50-series GPUs will bring to their systems. Were all hoping to find out during Nvidias keynote presentation at 6:30 p.m. PT on January 6, where all eyes will be on CEO Jensen Huang.RelatedOf course, AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm will all be present as well, fighting for CPU and GPU dominance in laptops in a horse race that has never been so tight. You can expect the various PC makers to show up strong as well, including Lenovo, HP, Razer, MSI, Gigabyte, and many more, all bringing their latest and greatest laptops to the show, hoping to wow the world with cutting-edge designs, next-level technology, and yes, AI galore. Whether its flashy desktop PCs, sleek business laptops, or powerful gaming laptops, the products that launch at CES will set the tone for the rest of the year, giving us a glimpse at whats ahead.Beyond these high-profile launches, Im personally excited for the more experimental side of computing too. Maybe well get more wacky laptops with foldable screens. Or how about some more advanced 3D displays that dont require glasses? Or maybe even a major step forward in XR headsets and VR? You just never know what company will show up taking a leap into the future. Thats exactly what keeps us coming back every year. Luke LarsenHisense Americans and Hisense USA president David Gold at CES 2024. Phil Nickinson / Digital TrendsCES 2025 has its work cut out for it if its to one-up CES 2024s TV exhibition, but we expect some pretty huge announcements literally.CES 2024 teased the biggest and brightest consumer TVs ever to come to market. While previous years have seen plenty of so-called vapor-ware TVs the sort of ambitious prototypes never to appear on store shelves Hisense managed to bring its massively bright and beautiful 110-inch UX TV to market, while, not to be outdone, TCL put a gargantuan 115-inch QM891G into some lucky customers homes. And we got to review both.At CES 2025, we expect to see a similar game of one-upmanship play out between Hisense and TCL, with TVs even larger and brighter than before if only by a few inches and nits. More generally speaking, screen sizes 98 inches and up are bound to be featured prominently, as larger screen sizes surge in sales globally.But TVs wont just get bigger and brighter. At least one major brand will take a stab at innovating mini-LED backlight technology for LCD TVs. OLED TV should see impressive if incremental improvements in brightness and color reproduction. We also expect to see dramatic increases in refresh rates, challenging PC monitors for high-end gaming performance.While larger, brighter, faster TVs will take center stage, dont yet count out projectors. Ultra short throw aka UST projectors will see significant improvements in brightness capabilities and color gamut, bringing large-screen options to folks who could never hope to fit a large-screen TV up their stairwells or through their doorways.As for micro-LED technology, we expect to see plenty on display, both of the conventional and transparent variety, though we remain somewhat cool on whether micro-LED TVs will come down in size and price enough to see their way to electronics retailers.All told it should be an exciting year for TV technology, and we look forward to bringing you up close and personal to all the latest and greatest both from the top brands you know and a few up-and-comers we expect to break into the market this year. Caleb DenisonOnePlus 13 colors in China OnePlusWhile the days of Samsung and Apple launching new phones at CES may be long gone, thats not to say mobile is dead at the tech trade show. It may not be as prevalent as it once was, but theres still plenty of interesting mobile tech to see. You have to look a bit harder than you used to, but thats precisely why were headed to Vegas so we can find CES 2025s coolest mobile tech and share it with you.AI gadgets like the Rabbit R1 and Humane AI Pin were big talking points of CES 2024. Expect more AI gizmos at CES 2025, whether that be AI-equipped smart glasses, smartwatches, or other form factors. There werent many success stories for AI hardware in 2024, but that hasnt stopped new devices from being released, and we should see plenty more at this years CES.Beyond the AI craze, expect new releases from smaller smartphone and wearable brands. TCL is a regular guest at CES and often has new phones and tablets to showcase. Its recently had a large focus on mobile devices with special Nxtpaper screens, and its safe to say well see more of that.On the wearable front, we should see plenty of smart rings from a myriad of brands. Amazfit made waves at CES 2024 with its Helio Ring announcement, as did Movano with its Evie Ring. The smart ring market had a breakout year in 2024, and CES 2025 is the perfect place to see where its headed next in the new year.Finally, while OnePlus isnt part of CES 2025, it is making one of the biggest mobile announcements during the same week. The OnePlus 13 and 13R are both set to be revealed on January 7, and if theyre anything like their predecessors, theyll be two of the years biggest smartphone releases. Joe MaringRoborockThe past 12 months brought us heaps of cool smart home gadgets from the overpowered Roborock Qrevo Curv to the premium Ring Battery Doorbell Pro, the segment made big strides in 2024. Were looking forward to even more innovation at CES 2025, where todays biggest players will show off all the smart home tech we can look forward to in the coming year.Robot vacuums are constantly evolving, and were expecting CES 2025 to be a pivotal moment for the automated assistants. Last years Qrevo Curv was capable of climbing thresholds up to 4cm, and were expecting robot vacuums to become even more athletic in 2025. While its unlikely well get something that can truly climb stairs, itd be great to see movement in that direction. Of course, youll also get the usual assortment of enhanced suction power, better sensors, and quieter base stations. And since brands like Ecovacs, Roborock, and Narwal are always testing out new concepts, dont be surprised if we see some strange new capabilities on the robot vacuums debuted in Las Vegas.CES 2025 could also bring updates for long-awaited home bots like Amazon Astro and Samsung Ballie. Enabots also launched a quirky home bot in 2024, and while it wasnt perfect, it laid the groundwork for what could become a great addition to any household. Home bots are one of the most exciting parts of a smart home, and a look at where theyre heading is bound to be a highlight of this years show.As for what else will be on display? Pretty much everything. Were not quite sure what will steal the spotlight this year, but its always exciting to see what Ring, Nest, LG, and Eufy are cooking up. Along with products arriving later this year, CES is a great place to showcase where were heading so theres a good chance well get sneak peeks at futuristic smart home tech thats just over the horizon. Jon BitnerXpengHeadlines may have fretted over declining EV sales in 2024 and the impact of evaporating EV rebates, but dont expect todays market hiccups to dampen tomorrows dreams. The future is unabashedly electric.Honda will return to CES with a pair of 0 Series EVs similar to the ones it showed off last year, which it has already teased in a photo. One is unmistakably an evolution of the Saloon, an already-iconic design that looks straight out of Cyberpunk 2077. The other has a more SUV-ish stature, which may make it smaller than last years Space Hub Concept. And for the third year in a row, well get another peek at the Afeela, a joint lovechild of Honda and Sony that promises to be a theater on wheels.Speaking of screens, sprawling in-car screens have been a staple of CES for years, and this year the trend continues ever larger. BMW will show off the first-ever BMW Panoramic iDrive display, and Hyundai Mobis (partmaker for its better-known corporate parent) will demonstrate its Full Windshield Holographic Display, which we hope to see in the flesh for ourselves.Not all innovations will come as cars. Suzuki will crash CES for its first time ever, with a slate of autonomous mobility concepts from snow removal drones to delivery vehicles.And since CES wouldnt be complete without something totally wild, roll your eyes skyward for XPengs Land Aircraft Carrier, or LAC. The six-wheeled EV serves as a launch pad for a two-seat EVTOL Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing vehicle which also recharges from the Mothership. Absurd as it may seem, weve already seen several real-life EVTOL demo flights at CES, and XPeng has already flown this thing in China. Nick MokeyEditors Recommendations

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Nvidias RTX 50-series is right around the corner, and now, one of the most prominent GPU leakers just confirmed that we can also look forward to a new version of Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). According to kopite7kimi on X (Twitter), Nvidia will launch DLSS 4 alongside some of its best graphics cards. Still, that just leaves us with even more unanswered questions.The main question that comes to mind is whether DLSS 4 will be an RTX 50-series exclusive or not. DLSS 3, with its impressive frame generation, was only available in the RTX 40-series. Its not out of the realm of possibility that Nvidia might, once again, introduce some kind of a major improvement for DLSS 4 that would be locked to next-gen cards. In fact, with some of the GPUs rumored to deliver minor performance increases, DLSS 4 could be a big deal for Nvidias RTX 50-series marketing.Recommended VideosThe other question is just what DLSS 4 might be able to provide that the previous iterations dont. VideoCardz cites Inno3D, one of Nvidias partners, as it claims that DLSS 4 might change how graphics are processed and displayed. There are also mentions of neural rendering capabilities. Meanwhile, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang spoke about things such as generating entire textures and objects and even characters but its unclear whether thatd be part of DLSS, let alone DLSS 4. The ability to generate and upscale in-game content to that extent would certainly be a selling point for the RTX 50-series.Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming Speaking of selling points, an early leaked listing of the RTX 5080 is how this confirmation came about. Kopite7kimi responded to a post by GawronskiIT on X, which showed the RTX 5080 priced at a whopping 1,699 euros (roughly $1,750). The listing mentions DLSS 4 in the title, to which kopite7kimi confirmed that its coming.RelatedRTX 5080 1699euro Asus price ~1349$ (no vat/tax) pic.twitter.com/ui24JcWqNQ Tomasz Gawroski (@GawroskiT) January 2, 2025Thats a pretty steep price for the RTX 5080, which weve already seen listed at really high prices before. It really is starting to look like the recommended list price (MSRP) for the RTX 5080 might be similar to what the RTX 4080 initially launched at, meaning $1,200 for the Founders Edition card. Meanwhile, Nvidias partners may list overclocked cards at several hundred dollars more, such as the Asus model seen in this screenshot.It wont be long before we know for sure. Stay tuned for our CES 2025 coverage, where we will talk about everything that Nvidia announces on January 6.Editors Recommendations

Bursting with data Fast radio bursts originate near the surface of stars Single burst shows neutron-star-like features, a source close to the star. John Timmer Jan 3, 2025 7:30 am | 4 Artist's conception of a magnetar launching a fast radio burst from its surface, with magnetic field lines shown in green. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Artist's conception of a magnetar launching a fast radio burst from its surface, with magnetic field lines shown in green. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreWhen fast radio bursts (FRBs) were first detected in 2007, they were a complete enigma. As their name implies, these events involve a very brief eruption of radio emissions and then typically silence, though a few objects appear to be capable of sending out multiple bursts. By obtaining enough data from lots of individual bursts, researchers gradually put the focus on magnetars, versions of neutron stars that have intense magnetic fields.But we still don't know whether a magnetar is a requirement for an FRB or if the events can be triggered by less magnetized neutron stars as well. And we have little hint of the mechanism that produces the burst itself. Bursts could potentially be produced by an event in the star's magnetic field itself, or the star could be launching some energetic material that subsequently produces an FRB at some distance from the star.But now, a rare burst has provided indications that FRBs likely originate near the star and that they share a feature with the emissions of pulsars, another subtype of neutron star.A lucky sightingBoth of these conclusions are based on the observation of a single FRB, termed FRB 20221022A, that was detected in October 2022. It was picked up by CHIME (Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment). That observatory was built to look at radio emissions from different sources, but it turned out to be capable of staring at a very broad chunk of the sky and extremely good at identifying FRBs.The event was relatively easy to localize, allowing it to be associated with a specific galaxy that is relatively nearby, at least in cosmological terms (about 200 million light-years away). Its proximity was critical for a couple of reasons. First, it meant that the radio waves that arrived at Earth were intense enough to allow various analyses of the properties of the burst. The second is that the photons of the burst spent relatively little time traveling in the space between galaxies. Instead, most of the influence matter has had on these photons comes from materials inside a galaxyeither the galaxy that hosts the source or within our own Milky Way.One of the two papers published on Wednesday looks at the polarization of the photons in the burst itself, finding that the angle of polarization changes rapidly over the 2.5 milliseconds that FRB 20221022A lasted. The 130-degree rotation that occurred follows an S-shaped pattern, which has already been observed in about half of the pulsars we've observedneutron stars that rotate rapidly and sweep a bright jet across the line of sight with Earth, typically multiple times each second.The implication of this finding is that the source of the FRB is likely to also be on a compact, rapidly rotating object. Or at least this FRB. As of right now, this is the only FRB that we know displays this sort of behavior. While not all pulsars show this pattern of rotation, half of them do, and we've certainly observed enough FRBs we should have picked up others like this if they occurred at an appreciable rate.ScatteredThe second paper performs a far more complicated analysis, searching for indications of interactions between the FRB and the interstellar medium that exists within galaxies. This will have two effects. One, caused by scattering off interstellar material, will spread the burst out over time in a frequency-dependent manner. Scattering can also cause a random brightening/dimming of different areas of the spectrum, called scintillation, and somewhat analogous to the twinkling of stars caused by our atmosphere.In this case, the photons of the FRB have had three encounters with matter that can induce these effects: the sparse intersteller material of the source galaxy, the equally sparse interstellar material in our own Milky Way, and the even more sparse intergalactic material in between the two. Since the source galaxy for FRB 20221022A is relatively close to our own, the intergalactic medium can be ignored, leaving the detection with two major sources of scattering.Comparing models of scattering sources with the data from FRB 20221022A, the researchers do detect two sources of scintillation, and match those to the two galaxies.The scintillation pattern indicates that the interstellar material of the source galaxy is acting a bit like a lens that is resolving the event. And that provides some indication of the distances involved. The researchers find that there are only two realistic options: Either the FRB was launched from relatively close to the source object and the scattering material was within the galaxy, or the FRB was produced at a distance from the source object, and the scattering material is mainly outside the galaxy. Since the latter is less probablethere tends to be far more material inside galaxiesthis suggests that the FROM is the product of events near the source object.This would rule out scenarios where an object ejects material that later produces the FRB by colliding with something else. And it's definitely consistent with the pulsar-like behavior seen in the other paper. And both are consistent with a magnetar's intense magnetic fields being the key to driving these events.Is this typical?While the data regarding FRB 20221022A seem pretty clear, The key question here is whether this particular FRB tells us much about all the other FRBs we've observed, including those from repeating sources. It remains entirely possible that more than one type of event produces something that looks like an FRB, and the details are hard to resolve because we're seeing inconsistent things across different observations. Still, we're definitely seeing progress in extracting more from observations, so it seems a clearer picture of things is inevitable.Nature, 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08184-4, 10.1038/s41586-024-08297-w (About DOIs).John TimmerSenior Science EditorJohn TimmerSenior Science Editor John is Ars Technica's science editor. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. When physically separated from his keyboard, he tends to seek out a bicycle, or a scenic location for communing with his hiking boots. 4 Comments

There are better and worse ways to approach private cloud, which some companies are learning the hard way. While its tempting to repatriate some things from public cloud to private cloud, its better to do it with applied cloud learning versus a traditional infrastructure mindset.Im seeing people increasingly wanting to find additional efficiency on premises. If I was to pick a word for 2025, it would be, optimization. Everyones under a lot of pressure. Theyre trying to bring in new compute capabilities to their data center, including GPUs to support AI and more storage to support the data activities related to AI and [analytics], says Hillery Hunter, CTO and GM of innovation at IBM and an IBM Fellow. [P]rivate cloud is often used as a vehicle to reset the efficiency of an environment.However, the on-premises environment may include many IT silos supporting different lines of business and equipment purchased for specific projects. When theres not a consistent control plane, the aggregate utilization of all the systems is lower than it needs to be because only certain applications or workloads run on configured environments. The goal now is to optimize that for better efficiency."[A] private cloud environment that is virtualized and offers container support can be used as a migration destination, still on premises, but then you have more people sharing a more consistent set of resources, says Hunter. Youre having people develop to a common set of templates in terms of the kind of system configuration. And while it takes work to get to that kind of environment, it can have huge payoffs in terms of the security [because] the configurations are much more consistent, the compliance overheads are lower and the speed to get new capacity added to the environment.Related:Following are some more private cloud trends in 2025.1. Repatriating workloadsA lot of organizations are repatriating workloads to private cloud from public cloud, but Rick Clark, global head of cloud advisory at digital transformation solutions company UST warns they arent giving it much forethought, like they did earlier when migrating to public clouds. As a result, theyre not getting the ROI they hope for.We havent still figured out what is appropriate for workloads. Im seeing companies wanting to move back the percentage of their workload to reduce cost without really understanding what the value is so theyre devaluing what they're doing, says Clark. If theyd given more forethought into what they were taking to the cloud and what to bebringing back, theyd be in a better place. [T]hey don't really understand what theyre moving back and theyre comparing apples and oranges.Related:A key factor is understanding the business value and being able to communicate that in business terms. All too often, organizations are randomly choosing what to put in private cloud as opposed to thinking critically about what workloads are where and why. In the worst cases, the organization has lost the operational skill to manage and operate things in their own data center, but they havent considered this issue.2. Hybrid environments will become even more popularTrevor Horwitz, CISO and founder at cybersecurity, consulting, and compliance services provider TrustNet believes private cloud strategies will evolve as companies seek more control over data security, regulatory compliance, and operational flexibility.I expect to see more organizations embracing hybrid and multi-cloud environments and integrating private clouds with public cloud resources to keep data flexible yet secure, says Horwitz in an email interview This shift is driven by the need for resilience and vendor flexibility, and zero-trust frameworks make this possible by securing data across multiple environments. As the regulatory landscape tightens with laws like GDPR and CCPA, private clouds will become essential for companies handling sensitive data to ensure compliance and control over data sovereignty.Related:3. Real-time monitoring and machine learningRoy Benesh, chief technology officer and co-founder of eSIMple, an eSIM offering, believes private cloud will continue to be in high demand, especially in sectors like healthcare and finance that have stringent data protection regulations.I think businesses will depend more on real-time monitoring and machine learning to strengthen data protection as they use private clouds to satisfy security requirements, says Benesh in an email interview. In my experience, private clouds can have drawbacks, too, such as high upfront expenditures and the requirement for knowledgeable administration. Thiscanbe particularly difficult for smaller businesses to handle.4. AI and automationArtificial intelligence and automation are also set to play a crucial role in private cloud management. They enable businesses to handle growing complexity by automating resource optimization, enhancing threat detection, and managing costs.The ongoing talent shortage in cybersecurity makes [AI and automation] especially valuable. By reducing manual workloads, AI allows companies to do more with fewer resources, says Trevor Horwitz, CISO and founder at cybersecurity, consulting, and compliance services provider. My advice is to prioritize adaptability. Be prepared to shift your strategy as business needs evolve, especially as technology advances. Mastering the private cloud is about building an agile, secure, and sustainable infrastructure, meeting todays demands while preparing for whats next."5. Multilayer cybersecuritySecurity affects all aspects of a cloud journey, including the calculus of when and where to use private cloud environments. One significant challenge is making sure that all layers of the stack have detection and response capability.You have to protect each layer separately -- network, cloud, host, server, and application. They're not "defense in depth. Each component -- NDR, CDR, EDR, SDR, and ADR -- protects against a different set of threats, says Jeff Williams, founder and CTO at runtime application security company Contrast Security. The biggest code-to-cloud technology gap is the lack of application detection and responseand application security monitoring (ASM) to create visibility and protection for their biggest asset -- the application estate. In the last year, this area saw 100% growth in attack traffic, outpacing all other threats.If organizations have visibility into who is attacking their applications, what attack vectors they are using, which systems are being targeted and which attacks are successful, they can prioritize remediation efforts and compensating controls.Take a look at the new EU Product Liability Directive (PLD). It creates no-fault liability for any software defect, including vulnerabilities, just like any other product, says Williams. This means regardless of whether a company follows best practices, does all the right testing, meets compliance requirements, etc., they are completely liable if their users are harmed by a breach, says Williams.6. Data sovereignty and regulatory complianceRising concerns around data sovereignty and regulatory compliance will drive private cloud adoption in specific industries, such as financial services and healthcare, as companies seek more control over their data. Organizations are already diversifying their cloud footprints across different public clouds to optimize costs and increase resiliency.Efficiently operating a complex hybrid cloud environment requires both infrastructure and security teams to have the right set of skills and experience, says Loris Degioanni, founder and CTO at real-time cloud security firm, Sysdig. Enterprises will need to invest in personnel who know how to scale and secure a private cloud, challenges that are often more complicated than in public cloud deployments.Its important to understand when a private cloud is a good choice for deployments and when its not. Organizations should understand which cloud better serves their use cases and emphasize proficiency in shifting workloads between public and private clouds. Private cloud mastery also means gaining the ability to optimize costs and manage cloud infrastructure efficiently.7. VMware exodusRandy Armknecht, global cloud engineering practice lead at business consulting firm Protiviti, expects to see more organizations reevaluate their use of VMware given the 2024 licensing fiascos. The acquisition of VMware is the primary driver.RedHat OpenShift is a common topic of discussion among organizations considering new options, says Armknecht. Now is a great time to refresh the private/hybrid cloud strategy and ensure that the technology, the licensing and the overall alignment to business objectives is clear for all.