Marvel RivalsNetEaseWhile we still dont have a precise release date, Marvel Rivals season 1 will arrive next week, and previews begin tomorrow with the first official trailer. However, we have some new leaks previewing whats going to be shown off, not just in the trailer, but more general information about the season.From the so-far reliable Marvel Rivals leaker X0XLEAK, we have information on which heroes are getting buffed and nerfed, and how the upcoming quartet of heroes are being doled out. We have:Hela NerfHawkeye NerfStorm BuffWolverine BuffCloak and Dagger BuffCaptain America Movement BuffVenom Movement BuffMarvel RivalsNetEaseNo specifics on these past this basic information about who is getting a pass. In addition to that, theres word that there will be two heroes that arrive at launch, and two that arrive mid-season, which should be around a month and a half from now. No information about which two are paired between Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, The Invisible Woman and Human Torch. Thing is believed to be a Vanguard, Torch a Duelist, Invisible Woman a Strategist. There is some debate about whether Mr. Fantastic will be a Vanguard or Strategist, but the general consensus is the game currently need more Strategists, so two would be welcome.In addition, the season is called Eternal Night as the story (story) is about the Fantastic Four defending New York (which is the new map coming) against Dracula. This seems like it should be a lead-in for the leaked Blade, but it seems like he will probably not arrive until next season rather than a full five characters arriving for season 1 here. Players also believe Ultron is supposed to be coming soon, but we just dont know any confirmed timing on either and again, both seem unlikely for season 1 at this point.MORE FOR YOUThere are additional leaks about the exact timing of trailers, featurettes on heroes, blog posts detailing the nerfs and buffs, but Im not sure those times are accurate, so Im going to wait for something more official on that front. The only thing we know for absolute certain is that Rivals will show off the season 1 trailer tomorrow, Monday, January 6 at 8 AM PST, 11 AM EST. That may not have any details about the above yet minus the overall story and in-action look at the Fantastic Four, but more information should be out soon including the season launch day and time.Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

The Future of Work We Predicted for 2025gettyBack in 2011, we envisioned a bold new world of work for 2025.The vision was ambitious: physical offices would become obsolete, hierarchies would give way to dynamic networks, and borderless talent would fuel innovation.Now, 2025 has arrived. Did reality live up to the promiseor did the future take a different path?This question was at the heart of a future of work project at Intel in 2011: What will it feel like to work in 2025? At the time, work revolved around physical offices, clear hierarchies, and an ownership-based approach to managing talent. Smartphones, wireless connectivity, and cloud computing were beginning to hint at new possibilities, but their transformative impact was far from realized.Now, 2025 is here, offering a moment to reflect on the Future of Work we predicted and where it stands today. Some elements of the 2025 vision have come to life, while others remain works in progress or distant aspirations. Heres how the workplace has evolved across the three pillars of Everywhere, Everything, Everyone and what is still Future in Progress.MORE FOR YOUEverywhere is the New LocationIn 2011, the workplace was still synonymous with physical offices. Most employees commuted to wired office spaces equipped with desktops, landlines, and meeting rooms. Telecommuting was emerging but not widely trusted, and while smartphones, wireless networks, and cloud platforms had started to decouple work from specific locations, these tools were not yet utilized to their full potential. For most, work was a place you went.The Future of Work vision for 2025 foresaw a world where physical offices would no longer be central. Offices were expected to evolve into hubs for collaboration rather than daily destinations. Advances in immersive technologies like virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) were predicted to enable seamless remote collaboration, recreating the experience of being in the same room. Autonomous vehicles and smart transportation systems were expected to alleviate commuting challenges, making location less relevant.Today, the workplace has indeed become more untethered. The pandemic accelerated the shift to hybrid work, with employees working part-time or fully remotely in ways once considered unfeasible. Offices have been reimagined as spaces for connection and creativity, while cloud-based platforms like Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom have become indispensable. However, immersive VR/AR technologies remain niche, and autonomous transportation systems are still far from transforming commutes.The trends toward untethering work are clear, but the pace of adoption for immersive collaboration tools and smart transportation systems remains slower than anticipated. While these shifts are still on track, they require further technological development and cultural integration to become mainstream.Everything is the New WorkIn 2011, work was structured around fixed roles, rigid hierarchies, and clearly defined job titles. Success was measured by climbing the corporate ladder, and the gig economy was in its infancy. Freelancers were outliers, and organizational systems prioritized stability and predictability. Work was defined by tasks and roles rather than outcomes or adaptability.The vision for 2025 imagined a radical shift. Work would become more dynamic, with project-based networks replacing hierarchies. The gig economy and freelancing were seen as major disruptors, creating a vast and flexible talent pool. Smart systems and artificial intelligence (AI) were forecasted to automate routine tasks, enabling humans to focus on creativity, strategy, and purpose-driven work.Today, elements of this vision are evident. The gig economy has grown significantly, empowering individuals to work independently on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. Self-employment and portfolio careers are increasingly common as professionals blend freelancing, entrepreneurial ventures, and part-time roles. Some organizations are experimenting with flatter structures, forming cross-functional teams around projects rather than rigid departments.Yet traditional models persist. Full-time employment remains the dominant structure, and hierarchies continue to offer stability and control. AI has made strides in automating repetitive tasks but is only beginning to show its potential as a creative collaborator. The evolution toward fluid and dynamic work structures is progressing, though unevenly. Dynamic team models and AI partnerships are gaining momentum, but they have not yet fundamentally disrupted traditional work models.Everyone is the New TalentIn 2011, the workforce was defined by ownership models. Companies built full-time teams, often sourced locally, and focused on developing and retaining talent within the organization. Workers were viewed as assets to manage rather than partners to collaborate with, as reflected in terms like workers, human resources, and human capital.The vision for 2025 imagined a workforce untethered from traditional employment relationships. Companies would collaborate with freelancers, contractors, and gig workers, sourcing talent dynamically through global platforms. The workforce was expected to span five generations, with older workers remaining active into their 70s and 80s.Today, these shifts are evident in the rise of alternative work arrangements and the rise of independents and multi-role professionals. Many companies now rely on freelancers and gig workers for specialized projects, while global talent marketplaces have broken geographic barriers, enabling access to skills worldwide. Workers increasingly blend roles, often switching between organizations or pursuing entrepreneurial ventures alongside traditional employment.However, this transformation remains incomplete. Full-time employment still dominates, and regulatory and cultural constraints limit the seamless integration of global talent. Retirement norms and societal expectations have also slowed the inclusion of older workers in the mainstream workforce. While the trends toward more fluid and collaborative talent models are advancing, the vision of fully borderless and multigenerational talent ecosystems remains a longer-term aspiration.The Journey from 2011 to 2025and BeyondMuch of what was envisioned in 2011 for 2025 has materialized: hybrid work is now a standard practice, the gig economy is thriving, and AI is reshaping how tasks are approached. Yet some aspirationslike immersive virtual collaboration, seamless global talent ecosystems, and the full inclusion of older workersremain on the horizon, evolving more slowly than anticipated.The workplace of tomorrow will continue to evolve along the principles of Everywhere, Everything, Everyoneblurring work-life boundaries, redefining roles and hierarchies, and expanding the global reach of talent. Understanding this journey helps illuminate not only where weve been but also what is possible.Perhaps its time to embrace that we dont have the future of work fully figured out and ask anew: What will it feel like to work in 2040?

Through the looking glass: Artificial intelligence has demonstrated remarkable capabilities, but could it replicate an entire personality after just a two-hour interview? According to researchers, the answer is yes. Yet, such advancements raise serious ethical questions and concerns about potential misuse. Researchers from Google and Stanford University have demonstrated that just a two-hour conversation with an AI model can create a strikingly accurate replica of an individual's personality. Published on November 15 in the preprint database arXiv, the study introduces "simulation agents" AI models designed to mimic human behavior with remarkable precision.Led by Joon Sung Park, a doctoral student in computer science at Stanford, the research involved in-depth interviews with 1,052 participants. These interviews covered personal stories, values, and opinions on societal issues, forming the dataset for training the generative AI models. The participant pool was intentionally diverse in age, gender, race, region, education, and political ideology, ensuring a wide representation of human experiences.To assess accuracy, participants completed two rounds of personality tests, social surveys, and logic games, repeating the process after a two-week gap. The AI replicas then took the same tests, mirroring their human counterparts' responses with an astonishing 85 percent accuracy."If you can have a bunch of small 'yous' running around and actually making the decisions that you would have made - that, I think, is ultimately the future," Park told MIT Technology Review.The researchers envision these AI models revolutionizing research by simulating human behavior in controlled environments. Applications could range from evaluating public health policies to gauging responses to societal events or product launches. Such simulations, they argue, offer a way to test interventions and theories without the ethical and logistical complexities of using human participants.However, these findings should be approached with a healthy dose of skepticism. While the AI clones excelled in replicating responses to personality surveys and social attitudes, they were notably less accurate in predicting behaviors during interactive economic decision-making games. This discrepancy underscores AI's ongoing challenges with tasks that require understanding complex social dynamics and contextual nuances.The evaluation methods used to test the AI agents' accuracy were also relatively rudimentary. Tools like the General Social Survey and assessments of the Big Five personality traits, while standard in social science research, may not fully capture the intricate layers of human personality and behavior. // Related StoriesEthical concerns further complicate the technology's implications. In an era where AI and "deepfake" technologies are already being used for manipulation and deception, the introduction of highly personalized AI replicas raises alarm. Such tools could potentially be weaponized, amplifying risks to privacy and trust.Despite these reservations, the study introduces compelling possibilities for future research, notes John Horton, an associate professor at MIT Sloan School of Management. "This paper is showing how you can do a kind of hybrid: use real humans to generate personas which can then be used programmatically/in-simulation in ways you could not with real humans," he said.The efficiency of the interview process in capturing individual nuances is particularly striking. Park emphasized the depth of insight a two-hour conversation can provide, drawing from his experience with podcast interviews. "Imagine somebody just had cancer but was finally cured last year. That's very unique information about you that says a lot about how you might behave and think about things," he said.This innovation has piqued the interest of companies already developing digital twin technology. Hassaan Raza, CEO of Tavus a company specializing in creating AI replicas from customer data expressed enthusiasm for this streamlined approach. "How about you just talk to an AI interviewer for 30 minutes today, 30 minutes tomorrow? And then we use that to construct this digital twin of you."

Cutting corners: Floridians are turning to VPNs to bypass blocks brought about by the state's new age verification requirements for accessing online porn. Data from Google Trends shows that searches for "free VPN" have skyrocketed in Florida over the past few days. The law officially went into effect on January 1, making Florida one of 17 states mostly in the South enforcing such regulations. However, many adult sites are either blocking access in the state altogether or simply ignoring the law. In response, users are turning to VPNs to bypass the restrictions while also masking their real IP addresses and locations.The trends don't lie. As reported by Newsweek, VPN queries hit the roof right as the new year rolled in, scoring a perfect 100 on Google's scale on January 2. This was a big jump over the 37 score on December 30. Floridians were also firing off searches for specific VPN brands as well as "internet pornography" and the puzzling "computer virus" during that window.Currently, when Floridians attempt to visit Pornhub, they are no longer greeted with the usual adult content. Instead, they see a PSA from adult star Cherie DeVille explaining the situation.Imagine her disappointment"As you may know, your elected officials in Florida are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website. While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users, and in fact, will put children and your privacy at risk," she says. // Related StoriesUnsurprisingly, Pornhub reports that its traffic from Florida has already plunged by 80% since the law took effect. However, there's a good chance that many users are simply switching to VPNs or turning to other platforms.For now, Pornhub has voluntarily blocked itself across nearly all states with these age verification laws. Louisiana is an exception though and the site is still allowing access there through its "LA Wallet" digital ID system.While the regulation may sound promising in theory, civil liberty groups warn of serious privacy risks, especially considering the role of data brokers. Just last year, a Florida-based firm leaked 2.9 billion records, including names and Social Security numbers, in a massive data breach.That hasn't stopped Georgia, though, which is set to set to become the 18th state mandating age checks for porn sites starting in July. Child safety advocates are hopeful more states will follow suit.

United Airlines has today announced that it is speeding up the deployment of Starlink satellite infrastructure to offer in-flight Wi-Fi convenience. The company says testing will begin in February, and the first commercial flight with Starlink internet facility will roll off the tarmac this Spring.The United Embraer E-175 will be the first aircraft to get the perk, and it will be followed by the entire two-cabin regional fleet of aircraft by the end of 2025. The first commercial flyer with Starlink connectivity will also take off before the ongoing year comes to an end.Recommended VideosAccess will be given, free of charge, to all MileagePlus loyalty customers. We have a lot planned for our MileagePlus members this year and adding Starlink to as many planes as we can as quickly as we can is at the center of it all, MileagePlus chief, Richard Nunn, was quoted as saying.Please enable Javascript to view this contentThe carrier has plans to add Starlink infrastructure to its entire fleet. Once the plans materialize, United will become the first major US carrier to embrace Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi convenience.RelatedUnited, however, wont be the first airline to land Starlink Aviation services. Hawaiian Airlines started offering free Starlink-assisted Wi-Fi on its Airbus fleet starting September last year. The entirety of the A330 fleet, operating across Asia, Oceania, and the US, now offers free Starlink access.Starlink Aero Terminal. SpaceXA month later, Qatar Airways also launched its Boeing 777 flight with Starlink access and would extend it across its entire fleet without any added cost to customers. AirBaltic, too, has confirmed plans to equip its fleet with Starlink gear.SpaceX-owned Starlink has also inked deals with a handful of overseas carriers to offer fast, low-latency in-flight Wi-Fi services. The Musk-backed company had initially aimed to deliver speeds of up to 350 Mbps on planes armed with its Aero Terminal kit.At the moment, SpaceXs Starlink for Aviation arm promises downlink and uplink speeds of up to 220 Mbps and 25 Mbps, respectively, per terminal. That kind of bandwidth is not only good for basic communication, but also for calling, video watching, and online gaming.In addition to commercial airlines, Starlink is eying deals with private charter services as well as the government for special missions. Starlink, in partnership with T-Mobile, will also start testing its direct-to-cell service for phone satellite connectivity in the coming months.Editors Recommendations

I recently got the Capital One Venture X card, which comes with a hefty annual fee.It has great travel benefits, but I've had mixed experiences with my complimentary Priority Pass.I haven't been able to use many airport lounges with it, but it and the card are still a good value.After years of seeing Capital One's catchy "What's in your wallet?" commercials, I finally looked into its credit cards.As a frequent flyer, I found its Venture X card to be the most appealing option due to its variety of travel perks, but I hesitated to apply for it because of its fairly high annual fee of $395.I finally gave it a shot when I realized it comes with a complimentary Priority Pass membership, which usually costs a few hundred dollars.At the time of writing, I've had this card for just over a month and have used it for two vacations, with more scheduled in the weeks to come.Here are my initial reactions to the benefits particularly the Priority Pass membership, which felt so desirable it convinced me to get the card in the first place.The Capital One Venture X card won me over with its cash-back and travel perks I spend a lot of time in airports waiting to board my plane. Amanda Adler By signing up for the Capital One Venture X card, I immediately got a lot of perks, including a $300 annual travel credit and a $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit.These benefits alone help defray the $395 annual fee, and the card also comes with:10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel2X miles on all other purchasesI also got an initial bonus of 75,000 miles after I spent $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of owning the card.For my family, the card's biggest draw is the aforementioned complimentary Priority Pass membership, which provides unlimited access for me and two guests to select airport lounges worldwide.My family of three spends a lot of time in airports, and waiting in a lounge is far more appealing than vying for crowded seating close to the gate.The Priority Pass membership gets me access to many lounges, but there are limitations Many airline-specific lounges, such as the Delta Sky Club, don't accept Priority Pass cards for entry. Amanda Adler Once I got my Priority Pass membership, I used its easy-to-navigate app to see which lounges I could access.I was delighted to find my pass got me into lounges in all three terminals at my home airport, Orlando International Airport (MCO). However, I learned most airline-specific lounges, such as the Delta Sky Club, don't accept Priority Pass.I was also surprised by the lack of Priority Pass lounge options in some larger cities with major international travel hubs I found no lounge options when I had layovers at Salt Lake City International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.Los Angeles International Airport doesn't have lounges guests can access with Priority Pass, either. During a long layover in Salt Lake City, I discovered no lounges here would accept my Priority Pass membership. Amanda Adler I also realized that even if lounges are available, they may not be close enough to my flight to be worth visiting.For example, while I was flying out of Montral, the only lounge I could use was in a terminal quite far from the one my plane was departing from.Still, over 1,700 lounges around the globe do accept Priority Pass. I'm hopeful I'll be able to take advantage of my membership as I visit more airports.Despite its drawbacks, Priority Pass is still a good solution for my lounge-loving familyOn my recent trips, I've struggled to find available lounges outside of my home airport. However, I still think Priority Pass is great for my family.Having access to airport lounges in Orlando, our home base, is a great perk on its own, as I've previously paid as much as $50 per person per visit for this benefit. Now, we all get into the lounge for free.I enjoy having comfortable seating, ample charge ports, and a quiet place to relax before boarding a plane. My son loves stocking up on the complimentary lounge snacks, which saves me from having to buy him pricey and generally mediocre airport food.Knowing there's a comfy airport lounge waiting for me at MCO the next time I travel helps make my journey feel almost as fun as the destination.Plus, with my Capital One Venture X card, I also earn travel rewards for every dollar I spend. Although I've only had my card for a few weeks, I've already racked up miles I can redeem for future flights.

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us and terms apply to offers listed (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate products and services to help you make smart decisions with your money.For Love & Money is a column from Business Insider answering your relationship and money questions.This week, a reader is tired of their wife upheaving their lifestyle.Our columnist says actively participating in her goals is the first step toward compromise.Got a question for our columnist? Write to For Love & Money using this Google form.Dear For Love & Money,My wife has a habit of making sweeping declarations about how we'll change everything we've been doing and reinvent our lives to be better, healthier, happier people.Every few months, we start eating clean, buying nothing, waking up early, going on evening walks, or doing a new workout routine. Each time, the phase lasts for a week at the longest, but one or two days is the norm.As you might've guessed, New Year's is her Super Bowl. This year, once again, we're doing it all differently, especially the spending. She's put together an unrealistic budget and a chore chart and tossed everything in the pantry.I like our life, though, and playing this game where I participate in her phases is beginning to wear thin. It's not the goals that bother me; I like to save money and could lose a few pounds, but I'm sick of the constant resolutions to "fix "our lives.Why can't she just be happy? How can I show her I want the same things as her but don't see our lives as broken?Sincerely,Contented Compare Today's Banking OffersDear Contented,I love that you chose to sign your letter "Contented" because that word highlights the key difference between you and your wife's worldviews. For people like you, the higher virtue is finding joy and meaning in what you already have. Self-love, gratitude, and recognizing the little miracles in life make the ordinary extraordinary.For others, like your wife, the higher virtue is relentless idealism: work ethic, striving, and recognizing individual responsibility and agency in a broken world.We all need a bit of both, and I'm sure the true virtue is found somewhere between the two a middle ground your marriage of contentment and growth-orientation is perfectly suited to achieve. Finding this balance, however, is the tricky part.I've often heard people like your wife call themselves "self-development addicts," and it's a fitting name. These self-development addicts tend to be dreamers, and it's the pot of gold they imagine at the end of the rainbow that gets them out of bed every morning. The image of themselves rocking toned abs, headlining a conference about how to get debt-free and build wealth, and finally becoming good enough to feel that emotion that comes naturally to people like you: content.As you seek a compromise that both of you can live with, remember that this hunger for growth is essential to who your wife is. Like you, I tend to fall on the contented side of the dichotomy. So, I recognize that beyond the hassle these constant phases create, they can also feel like implicit criticism.I see this pain in your final question: How can I show her our lives aren't broken? If your spouse is looking at your shared life and saying, "We must improve this," it can feel like they are saying, "You're not good enough."You must unlearn the belief that you're the problem your spouse is trying to solve. Even when you're being swept up in the latest resolution, even when her enthusiasm for change extends to your habits, remember that your wife is simply a dreamer, and it's the hope for the future, not her hatred of the present, that drives her.Honoring your wife's dreams is an excellent path toward a reasonable compromise. I keep using the word "compromise," which may seem strange because right now, your wife seems to have things all her way. After all, up to this point, you've supported your wife by going along with whatever kick she's on, but you can better support her in a couple of ways.One, get invested and stay invested. If your wife wants to save money or pay off debt, take the initiative to find a good savings account option and budgeting app. Update your tracking devices, and help her develop a reward system. A lot of your issues with your wife's phases seem to be the whiplash of it going all-in on day one and pretending nothing happened by day four.You probably feel a lot of relief when you see your wife's enthusiasm for her New Year's resolution waning. Meanwhile, she is likely feeling like a failure and already plotting the next life upheaval that will fix everything once and for all. And so it goes. Your best bet for stopping the cycle is to help her achieve her goals and keep both of you on track rather than staying quiet and hoping she'll forget.Second, you can support your wife by being honest about your feelings and outlining what you need her to compromise. A goal you can work toward together might be instituting a daily gratitude practice. List five things you love about your lives to one another every night before bed, or keep a catalog of things you're thankful for on the fridge.Practicing gratitude together will help you feel appreciated despite your wife's posture toward growth and improvement, and will also remind her that happiness isn't a destination she has to climb the mountains of life to reach. It's something she can carry with her on her journey.As for your wife's part of the compromise, this depends on your needs. What do you want to stop? What is your threshold for work and revision? If it's the cycle that bothers you, agree to her plans on the condition that this is the last time you rearrange this area of your life. Or, if it's the extremity of the budgets and diets wearing on you, tell your wife you need her to downscale her plans to something that feels more sustainable.Finally, remember that you may not like or believe in every new scheme your wife devises, and sometimes, you can and should opt out. Sometimes, compromise means one person training for a marathon while the other cheers for them at the finish line.Rooting for you,For Love & MoneyLooking for advice on how your savings, debt, or another financial challenge is affecting your relationships? Write to For Love & Money using this Google form.Don't know where to start? Consider a financial advisor.Finding a financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to three fiduciary financial advisors who serve your area in minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAssetSmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. Start your search now.

If you've wanted more Gundam outside the gunpla models, Bandai hopes the Gundam Assemble tabletop game will spark your interests.

Research shows that A.D. 536 was not the worst year to be alive.

Honda's new facility could drive breakthroughs in solid-state batteries for electric cars, ultimately leading to batteries with more than double the range of existing EVs.