Knowledge Retrieval systems have been prevalent for decades in many industries, such as healthcare, education, research, finance, etc. Their modern-day usage has integrated large language models(LLMs) that have increased their contextual capabilities, providing accurate and relevant answers to user queries. However, to better rely on these systems in cases of ambiguous queries and the latest information retrieval, which results in factually inaccurate or irrelevant answers, there is a need to integrate dynamic adaptation capabilities and increase the contextual understanding of the LLMs. Researchers from the National Taiwan University and National Chengchi University have introduced a novel methodology that combines retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) with adaptive, context-sensitive mechanisms to enhance the accuracy and reliability of LLMs.Traditional retrieval systems often relied on indexing documents and prioritizing keyword matching. This leads to contextually irrelevant responses as they lack the capability to handle vague inputs. Moreover, failure to adapt to new information may produce incorrect outputs. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) is a more advanced approach combining retrieval and generation capabilities. Although RAG allows real-time information integration, it is unreliable and struggles to maintain factual accuracy due to its dependence on pre-trained knowledge bases. Therefore, we need a new method to seamlessly integrate generation and retrieval processes and adapt dynamically.The proposed method uses a multi-step, dynamic strategy to further improve the combination of RAG and information retrieval. The mechanism of the approach is as follows:Contextual Embedding Techniques: The input queries are converted into vector representations to capture semantic meaning. Such embeddings can understand ambiguous queries better and provide more appropriate information.Adaptive Attention Mechanisms: In order to seamlessly embed real-time information with information retrieval, this method uses an attention mechanism that can dynamically adjust itself to focus on the specific context of the user queries.Dual-Model Framework: It consists of a retrieval model and a generative model. While the former is adept at extracting information from structured and unstructured sources, the latter can assemble this information and provide cohesive responses.Fine-Tuned Training: When employed for a particular industry, the model can be fine-tuned for the specific datasets for an even more contextual understanding.This method was tested on Chinese Wikipedia and Lawbank and achieved significant retrieval precision compared to baseline RAG models. There was a substantial reduction in hallucination errors, producing outputs closely aligned with the retrieved data. Despite its two-stage retrieval, this method maintained a competitive latency suitable for real-time applications in all possible domains. Also, simulated real-world scenarios show increased user satisfaction with more accurate and contextually relevant responses from the system.The RAG-based retrieval system in the proposed methodology is a breakthrough concerning some of the significant deficiencies of traditional RAG systems. It guarantees much better accuracy and reliability across applications through dynamic adaptation of retrieval strategies and better incorporation of knowledge into generative outputs. The scalability and domain adaptability of the methodology makes it a milestone for future improvements in retrieval-augmented AI systems, providing a robust solution for information-intensive tasks in critical industries.Check out the Paper. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our65k+ ML SubReddit.(Promoted) Afeerah Naseem+ postsAfeerah Naseem is a consulting intern at Marktechpost. She is pursuing her B.tech from the Indian Institute of Technology(IIT), Kharagpur. She is passionate about Data Science and fascinated by the role of artificial intelligence in solving real-world problems. She loves discovering new technologies and exploring how they can make everyday tasks easier and more efficient. Meet 'Height':The only autonomous project management tool (Sponsored)

PS5 gamers rejoice, because a popular PS5 exclusive game is on sale today. Stellar Blade is currently discounted at Best Buy for only $39.99 after a hefty 43% price drop. This is $10 lower than the best price I saw during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This discount is exclusively at Best Buy, although other retailers like Amazon may price match later.43% Off Stellar Blade (Save $30)PlayStation 5 ExclusiveStellar BladeStellar Blade, the first stateside non-gacha from Shift Up, is a well-reviewed game that's best known for its challenging soulslike gameplay, outstanding graphics, killer soundtrack... and, of course, its suggestive character design. In our Stellar Blade review, Mitchell Saltzman wrote that "Stellar Blade stands out as a gorgeous and well-crafted action game with very impressive strengths and very clear weaknesses. Both its story and characters lack substance, and some of its RPG elements are poorly implemented, like dull sidequests that very often require you to retrace your steps through previous levels with very little done to make the return trip feel unique or rewarding. But its action picks up most of that slack thanks to the rock solid fundamentals of its Sekiro-inspired combat system, a deep well of hideous monstrosities to sharpen your sword against, and plenty of hidden goodies that do a great job of incentivizing exploration throughout." IGN officially rated Stellar Blade a 7/10, although I personally loved this game and would have given it a higher score. It didn't make it into our list of best PS5 games of 2024, but only because it was too new (had to be out for 6 months or longer).Stellar Blade is a technically demanding game and I run it in "Performance" mode to maintain 60fps. If you own a PlayStation 5 Pro, however, you'll get the best of both worlds and play in "Enhanced" 4K mode and still get great framerates. According to the official PlayStation blog post, With PS5 Pro, players will be able to enjoy Stellar Blade in 4K resolution at 50fps or more, with smoother gameplay, and youll notice an improvement in grain and detail in the game in PSSR upscale mode. Plus, the HFR (high framerate) option is supported, allowing you to enjoy a fluid gaming experience at 80fps (120hz display support required).Why Should You Trust IGN's Deals Team?IGN's deals team has a combined 30+ years of experience finding the best discounts in gaming, tech, and just about every other category. We don't try to trick our readers into buying things they don't need at prices that aren't worth buying something at. Our ultimate goal is to surface the best possible deals from brands we trust and our editorial team has personal experience with. You can check out our deals standards here for more information on our process, or keep up with the latest deals we find on IGN's Deals account on Twitter.Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

The FlashAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but that underwater superhero movie arrived in theaters like a sunken afterthought. Meanwhile The Flash, directed with a lot of pep and energy by filmmaker Andy Muschietti, came roaring out and swinging for the fences.With a galaxy-brained premise that spent close to a decade in production, The Flash saw Ezra Millers super-speedster cause the entire DC universe to implode after he went back in time to prevent the murder of his mom. In the end, a major reason the film finally got off the ground is that the powers-that-be at the time saw The Flash as a fresh start. It would be the movie that allowed Warner Bros. Pictures to fix the real and substantial flaws in the previous DCEU installments by hitting an in-canon reset button that would replace Ben Afflecks Batman with Michael Keaton and introduce Sasha Calle as a an underrated Supergirl. It also would service fans with cameos by Affleck, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Michael Shannon as Kryptons dastardly General Zod, and even Nicolas Cage as a long-haired Superman fighting a giant spider, an easter egg that only the most dedicated Kal-El fans (and/or Kevin Smith diehards) would get.Its safe to say The Flash screenplay attempted to do a lot. Too much. And like the DCEU as a whole, it proved to be in a huge hurry getting nowhere. Even though the then newly installed Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav trumpeted the movie as the best superhero movie Ive ever seen, audiences by and large disagreed. At least those who showed up.After the movie received a mixed 63 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, The Flash opened to a disastrous $55 million in the U.S. and would go on to earn only $271 million globally. Its a bleak figure when compared to the films reported $200 million budget (and the number is probably larger, even before marketing and publicity costs are tallied in). So despite being intended to set up grand new things for the DCEU, The Flash traveled super-fast down a road to nowhere.Looking back on the films reception, director Muschietti has a theory about why it didnt work. Speaking with Radio Tus La Baulera del Coso Variety, Muschietti said, The Flash failed, among all the other reasons, because it wasnt a movie that appealed to all four quadrants. It failed at that. When you spend $200 million making a movie, [Warner Bros.] wants to bring even your grandmother to the theaters. The director went on to add that people generally dont seem to care about the Flash character, especially women.Ive found in private conversations that a lot of people just dont care about the Flash as a character, Muschietti said. Particularly the two female quadrants. All of that is just the wind going against the film Ive learned.Muschietti is not entirely wrong (though close). It is fair to say that while comic book fans might adore DC Comics fastest man alive, he does not enjoy the same widespread popularity of Batman and Superman, or Spider-Man and the X-Men across the street. However, there was also a time not that long ago where the same could be said about Iron Man. Or Captain America. Or the Guardians of the Galaxy and their talking raccoon. Yet all of them became the faces of multi-billion dollar franchises with four-quadrant appeal, and none of those characters had a hit TV series on the female-skewing CW networkSo why didnt the same thing happen for the Flash? While this is ultimately just an educated guess, we have some ideas.A Falling StarIt is difficult to diagnose how much bad PR or social media chatter influences the average moviegoers perception of a superhero movie. As recent history has shown, audiences are only too happy to show up for a new superhero movie starring an actor they have never heard of but then fail to return after that same performer becomes a star. As future Captain America Anthony Mackie succinctly put it, Anthony Mackie isnt a movie star. Falcon is a movie star.Be that as it may, the marketing push of all major Hollywood movies these days still need to pivot around a real face and personality, even if its just the guy who plays Falcon. Or the Flash for that matter. Someone who can do the interview junkets, the late night television rounds, and show up on younger skewing online programs that run the gamut from Celebs Play with Puppies to Hot Ones. It may not make them a star, but it makes them a face that reminds audiences that a big movie is coming, and they should theoretically be excited about it.Yet when it came to The Flash that proved frustratingly impossible. Or at least implausible considering the allegations and legal entanglements the Flash actor Miller found themselves in by 2023. Whether general audiences were fully aware of Millers troubles or struggle with mental health is difficult to say, but the fact of the matter is WB wisely decided The Flashs biggest lead should not promote the film, and its second biggest lead, Michael Keaton, chose not to. Newcomer Sasha Calle gave it an impressive college try, but she played a character audiences were unsure abouta Supergirl from a different universe who may not appear in another DC filmand didnt have the resume of working in previous DC films.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!In other words, Millers absence createda black hole in the marketing campaign around The Flash that nobody was able to fill. That is a pretty major problem right there, but its not the biggestWB Already Signaled This Was the End of the LineIn January 2023, new DC Studios co-head James Gunn boldly announced the first slate of what he dubbed the new DC Universe. There would be a new Superman movie with a new actor and timeline, then tentatively titled Superman: Legacy; there would be TV shows in live-action and animation; there would even be a new Batman unrelated to either Ben Afflecks character in the DCEU or the one played by Robert Pattinson in The Batman; and there would be a new SupergirlSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.When asked whether Calle might play that Supergirl, Gunn at the time was vague and perhaps evasive. It left room for fan speculation, as well as intense skepticism. And that was in regard to The Flashs biggest new addition to the DC Extended Universe. Meanwhile it was already confirmed by then that Henry Cavill was done as Superman, Gal Gadot seemed unlikely to play Wonder Woman again as she seemingly said goodbye to the character on social media, and Affleck had spent the past half-decade with one foot out the door.The entire lineup of the DCEUs once glistening Justice League was going, going, gone, and whatever promises The Flash made about the next era of the onscreen DC universe seemed illusory at best. And so they were. House of the Dragons Milly Alcock is now Supergirl, Gunn and Muschietti are both allegedly creating a new Batman for The Brave and the Bold, and David Corenswets Superman presumably hails from a far sunnier Krypton than the bleak hellscape Michael Shannon represented in The Flash.Like Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Aquaman 2, and the rest of the 2023 DC slate, The Flash arrived two years ago as a lame duck, a new phenomenon in cinema created by the industrial scale at which superhero flicks are now churned out. Admittedly, a movie should be enjoyable unto itself as a complete experience. And whatever else you might think of The Flash, we do concede it is a self-contained story with a beginning, middle, and end. However, it is also a piece of a studios grander marketing strategy, and for the last 20 years Marvel, Disney, and sure enough the DCEU have trained media-savvy fans to anticipate each film as a pseudo-commercial for the next two or three in the pipeline.The brilliance (or cynicism) of Marvels success is that each product acts as a commercial for the next one, and the fans cheer all the louder when they can piece together what the advertisement means like a child deciphering their Little Orphan Annie Decoder Ring. But when you publicly and forcefully announce the next four films will be advertising things that will never comelike Calle as Supergirl or a world where Millers Flash will have a key role opposite George Clooney(?!)it turns into the equivalent of false advertising.And no one wants that. And Then Theres the Rest of the DCEUOf course there is a reason WB brought in James Gunn and Peter Safran to ultimately reboot and remake the DC Universe in their own image: the DCEU brand had become hopelessly toxic even before Gunn publicly pulled the plug.While fandom worlds were rocked about a decade earlier when Zack Snyder announced that Batman would appear in the sequel to Man of Steel, which in turn would lead into Justice League, the castle he promised turned out to be made of sand. Snyders Batman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeBvS from earning $874 million in 2023. Consider instead the massive drop off between that film and the following years Justice League, which despite being the big one opened to about $94 million (down 44 percent from BvS debut) and wound up grossing only $661 million worldwide. Thats a far cry from Avengers billion-dollar expectations.The DCEU had critical and financial successes outside of that trajectory, too. Patty Jenkins Wonder WomanWonder Woman 1984The Suicide SquadBefore The Flash and the other DCEU movies of 2023 were abandoned, the previous three theatrically released DCEU movies (not counting WW84) either underperformed or outright flopped, including 2022s much maligned Black Adam, which was unsuccessfully marketed by its star Dwayne Johnson around the idea that the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is changed.Ultimately, audiences came to the conclusion long before WB that the DCEU brand was unsustainable, and viewed new trailers not with the excitement of the Marvel Studios joint in the 2010s, but with the kind of derision and incredulity that was greeting late-era Fox X-Men movies (think Dark Phoenix and New Mutants). The DCEUs brand perception was in free-fall by the time The Flash came along, and this was not the movie to turn things around.Read more Superhero FatigueStill, at the end of the day, The Flash did not die alone. In fact, 2023 marked not only the end of the DCEU but the first year where Marvel Studios experienced its first unmitigated flop. The Disney studio had seen underperformers before, including the then-recent Eternals (2021). They also experienced another at the beginning of the year when Ant-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaAll that turned out to be small potatoes when compared to The Marvels earning a bleak $206 million worldwide, and less than $85 million in the U.S. For context, the first Captain Marvel grossed nearly double that latter figure in its opening weekend.Audiences increasingly show a higher degree of burnout and weariness when it comes to the superhero genre. But that might just be another way of saying theyre better at parsing out capestuff that is of dubious quality. Now mediocre superhero movies will not become runaway box office hits by virtue of their genre and/or universe. The Flash was just one casualty in a growing battlefields worth of bland, fallen superhero fodder.Luckily, does not mean the genre is dead or the future dimmed. Last years Deadpool & WolverineSuperhero movie fatigue is real. But a movie that delivers whats on the box can still beat it. Unfortunately, The Flash didnt deliver for much of anyone.

Jan 14, 2025Ravie LakshmananCryptocurrency / Online ScamThe Telegram-based online marketplace known as HuiOne Guarantee and its vendors have cumulatively received at least $24 billion in cryptocurrency, dwarfing the now-defunct Hydra to become the largest online illicit marketplace to have ever operated.The figures, released by blockchain analytics firm Elliptic, show that monthly inflows have increased by 51% since July 2024.Huione Guarantee, part of the HuiOne Group of companies, came under spotlight mid-last year when it was exposed as a hub for online fraudsters, advertising money laundering services, stolen data, and even electrified shackles meant for use against people who are trafficked into scam compounds under the pretext of high paying jobs to conduct romance baiting scams. The development led to cryptocurrency company Tether freezing $29.62 million of cryptocurrency connected to the marketplace.Established in 2021 ostensibly to facilitate the sale of cars and real estate, it's said to have strong links with Cambodia's ruling Hun family."The marketplace appears to be a key enabler of transnational organised crime groups that are perpetrating scams against victims around the world," Elliptic said in a new report shared with The Hacker News.Public disclosures about HuiOne Guarantee and HuiOne Pay, another of HuiOne Group's subsidiaries, have since prompted the Chinese-language market to distance itself from its parent, rebranding itself as Haowang Guarantee. It's worth noting that HuiOne Pay was identified as receiving over $150,000 in cryptocurrency from an anonymous wallet used by the North Korean hacking outfit Lazarus between June 2023 and February 2024. The wallet was used to deposit digital assets stolen from three crypto companies in June and July 2023.HuiOne Guarantee, which previously claimed it took no responsibility for the goods and services advertised on the platform, has also stepped in to block certain types of commerce, including those related to human trafficking, firearms, and terrorism.However, Elliptic's analysis shows that the marketplace continues to grow, with cash inflows topping $24 billion. The value of cryptocurrency received by wallets used by HuiOne Guarantee and its vendors surpassed $4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024 alone. In contrast, the Hydra marketplace received approximately $5.2 billion in cryptocurrency during its entire six-year lifespan."In addition, nearly $6 billion in crypto has flowed through a Telegram bot used primarily for online gambling on HuiOne Guarantee," the company said. "Initial analysis of bets placed through the platform indicates that much of this may constitute money laundering."Elliptic's investigation also found that HuiOne Pay is one of the many vendors offering services to launder the proceeds of romance-baiting scams. Another vendor identified by the company claimed to be operating from the Golden Fortune Science and Technology Park in Chrey Thom, Cambodia, a scam compound linked to online scams.In recent months, HuiOne Group has also launched a range of crypto-related products including a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin called USDH, a decentralized crypto exchange that allows users to swap USDH for other cryptocurrencies, and a messaging app named ChatMe for Android and iOS."This appears to be an attempt to reduce the risk of being deplatformed by the likes of Tether or Telegram," Tom Robinson, co-founder and chief scientist at Elliptic, said in a statement.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Time zones: EST (UTC -5), CST (UTC -6), MST (UTC -7), PST (UTC -8), AKST (UTC -9), HST (UTC -10), ART (UTC -3), UTC -4, UTC -4:30, UTC -3, UTC -2, SBT (UTC +11), GMT (UTC +0), CET (UTC +1), EET (UTC +2), MSK (UTC +3), AST (UTC -4), FKST (UTC -3), NST (UTC -3:30)Location: Europe/US/LATAM remote.Form of employment: Contract of employment or B2B contract (self-employed).We are a fast-growing tech company created by experienced international talents. Our product is a top-rated online platform for small and medium businesses to grow sales through outstanding customer service. Our goal is to create a frictionless customer experience for individual users and, at the same time, help entrepreneurs worldwide grow their businesses by giving them access to a top-notch AI-driven tool.Working at Tidio means impacting thousands of companies and millions of their users. But our clients are not the only ones who can grow with us. By joining Tidio, you can grow, too!A few facts about us:Our product is one of the world's leading AI customer service solutions, and our goal is to become no. 1.We are among the Top 50 AI and Customer Service Products in G2s Best Software Awards 2024.We currently rate at 4.7/5 in both Shopify and G2.The new Tidio AI feature (Lyro) answers up to 70% of customers questions in seconds and is available to users even on a free plan. Its a real AI revolution! Every month, our widget is viewed by 350 million unique users, which is 4% of the global population.Currently, we hire over 170 fantastic people.In March 2022 we secured $25 mln in a Series B Investment round (read TechCrunchs article to learn more)In June 2023, our monthly MRR exceeded $1M.We are a fast-growing tech company created by experienced international talents. Our product is a top-rated online platform for small and medium businesses to grow sales through outstanding customer service. Our goal is to create a frictionless customer experience for individual users and, at the same time, help entrepreneurs worldwide grow their businesses by giving them access to a top-notch AI-driven tool.Working at Tidio means impacting thousands of companies and millions of their users. But our clients are not the only ones who can grow with us. By joining Tidio, you can grow, too!As the Customer Success Manager, you will:Build relationships with our top clients.Serve US-based clients with the availability for video calls in the PDT zone (9 AM to 5 PM).Identify client needs and deploy solutions.Conduct video training and showcase new features.Drive adoption of our product and encourage best practices.Identify opportunities for growth.Oversee a large book of business.Influence retention, expansion and churn rate for your clients.Create automation and flows within our success software that supports your efforts.Report on activities and results.Collect strategic feedback and share it internally.Create impactful emails and outreach campaigns for your book of business.You are the perfect fit if you have:Ability to cover PTD zone (9 AM to 5 PM) from Monday to Friday.English proficiency at C2 level or equivalent.At least 2 years of previous professional experience in a SaaS customer success role.Ability to build mutually beneficial relationships.Great understanding of how to use and teach others to use the software.Experience with customer success or sales tools (Gainsight, Totango, ChurnZero, Salesforce, Hubspot).A good understanding of industry-standard KPIs (churn rate, retention rate, net dollar retention).A good understanding of customer experience tools and the industry.We would like to offer you:A chance to work with one of the top products in the customer experience industry.Work with an experienced and international team that continually shares knowledge and is not afraid of testing new solutions.Great development opportunities company-supported courses and conferences.Contract form according to your preferences (B2B or contract of employment).Remote-first work with flexible hours.26 days off guaranteed in a year.Possibility to work 100% remotely or book a Regus coworking space in your city.Individual work tools Macbook Pro, Dell screen, JBL headphones? You can tailor the equipment to your needs.Sport & wellness benefit or its financial equivalent.Mental well-being program individual therapy sessions and resources for employees.Free access to one of the most popular e-book/audiobook services.Regular integration events (company-wide meetings, team events).What happens when you send your CV?Video call with a recruiter about the position and the team.A recruitment assignment.Interview with the Hiring Manager and the recruiter.Offer and fireworks ;)Don't hesitate and apply right away!Diversity StatementOne of Tidios core values is to play fair. Therefore, we treat all candidates equally. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status. This means recruitment and selection of talent to Tidio is only based on individual merit and qualifications directly related to professional competence.

Recalling the enclosed moorland farmsteads of the West Country, this single-storey courtyard house for a farm manager establishes a considered relationship with its surrounding rural landscape.Across the field from the house stands a recently constructed livestock shed, housing the cattle herd associated with the farm managers livelihood. Although, by necessity, the house is close to the neighbouring barn, its domesticity does not intrude into the agricultural setting. Instead, the house nestles into a wooded corner of the field, only a mile from the Atlantic coast. The building is protected from the elements through an introverted courtyard house typology, the two arms of its L-shape plan sheltering a south-facing garden.The protective wings of the house are formed by thick masonry walls, the depth of these a result of the specific construction system employed: monolithic clay blocks used without a cavity or insulation layer. At once load-bearing and insulating, the walls are simply finished with textured lime render to the exterior and lime plaster on the inside. This monolithic base supports a singular, unifying timber roof, legible throughout the interior, and redolent of surrounding older barn structures.Hugh Strange, director, Hugh Strange ArchitectsAdvertisementProject dataStart on site October 2020Completion Gross internal floor area 2Construction cost 400,000Construction cost per m2 2,285Architect Hugh Strange ArchitectsClient PrivateStructural engineer Price & MyersM&E consultant Ritchie + DaffinPrincipal designer Hugh Strange ArchitectsApproved building inspector Cornwall CouncilMain contractor GTL ConstructionTimber frame Timber WorkshopCAD software used VectorworksPredicted design life 100+ yearsEmbodied carbon (structure) 222 kgCO2e/m2Engineers choicesThe house is a modest, simple structure which attempts to reference the familiar clarity of rural building forms. At the same time, it uses modern materials and a level of quality in the resolution of the detailing, in the timber fabrication and in the material choices that elevates it to something special. Basic foundations and ground floor slab support thick terracotta Porotherm block walls to the perimeter. These are the only load-bearing walls and allow full flexibility of the internal layout.The roof is a system of tied rafters where a repetitive element is tied to form an A-frame every fourth rafter. The spread of the typical rafters between the ties is resisted by a flat wall plate timber, sized to span horizontally between the tied rafter feet but also to be large enough to span vertically as the window lintel. Taking this simple roof form around the corner of the 90-degree roof junction, with all the members and details exposed to view, required some careful detailing.Andy Toohey, partner, Price & MyersSpecificationThe preference for UK structural timber in the sizes required led quickly to the decision to use Douglas Fir a strong, durable and versatile timber, available in long lengths and large sections. We made an effort to find a sawmill willing to seek out slower-grown, older trees to ensure higher-quality stock evident in tighter growth rings and a lower knot content. Logs were sourced from both west Scotland and Norfolk.The frame was entirely prefabricated in our Devon workshop, then shipped, and installed on site. While predominately a process of manufacturing components in isolation, the principal truss that forms the corner of the building was framed up in its entirety in the workshop to overcome the more complex roof geometry in this location.AdvertisementThe timber was planed all round, and sanded clean after carpentry, but left unfinished. Canadian Douglas fir plywood doubles as structural sheathing and internal ceiling. Hot-dip galvanised bolts were left visible and unplugged but set into shallow counterbores to ensure some finesse when using these more agricultural-graded fixings. Similarly, galvanised brackets that connect the roof to the Porotherm blockwork appear above the wall plaster as a small reminder of how the house was put together.Alex Thomas, director, Timber WorkshopSelected productsGalvanised steel profiled roofingCladcoCladco Profiles (13/3)Roofcladco.co.ukClay blocksWienerbergerPorotherm, T8 425External Wallswienerberger.co.ukLime render/plasterHeritage Cob & LimeBespokeExternal renderheritagecobandlime.comFloor tilesLiving TerracottaBL012Flooring throughoutlivingterracotta.com

Most Biloxi residents have access to Sparklight cable, but it may not be the best internet provider for every household. Here are CNETs top picks in the region.

Sony announces donation to Los Angeles wildfire relief"The home of our entertainment business for more than 35 years."Image credit: Sony News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Jan. 14, 2025 PlayStation maker Sony is among the companies that have announced donations to help with relief and rebuilding efforts in the wake of Los Angeles' devastating wildfires. A week on, several areas of the city are still burning - and there's now fresh fear of further destruction as forecasters expect "close to hurricane force" winds to spread the fires once again over the coming days (via BBC News). At least 24 people are known to have died, 23 more are missing, and 12,401 structures have been lost.As firefighters continue to tackle the blazes, Sony has announced a $5m donation to support first responders and the community affected by the fires."Los Angeles has been the home of our entertainment businesses for more than 35 years," Sony chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida and Sony president and COO Hiroki Totoki said in a joint statement shared on social media. "We will continue work with our local business leadership to determine how best Sony group can support relief and recovery efforts in the days ahead."Other entertainment companies have also announced donations, including $10m donations each from Amazon, Netflix and NBCUniversal owner Comcast, plus $15m from Warner Bros Discovery. Paramount is chipping in $1m, while Beyonc has said she's donating $2.5m.Away from the disaster's human cost, the early impact of the fires was also seen in a spate of delays to Los Angeles' film and TV industries, including a pause in production of Fallout season two.

QuadrilateralWant to know why The Flash failed? According to its director, it's because it failed to appeal to the, uh, "four quadrants"Only four?Image credit: DC News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Jan. 14, 2025 We all know The Flash wasn't a good movie, but according to its director it didn't do well because "it wasnt a movie that appealed to all four quadrants."It's pretty clear from looking at the original DCU that it was all a panic response to everything Marvel was doing with its cinematic universe. Like, who wanted a Black Adam film? You don't just make things for the sake of having a connected world, and you especially don't listen to The Rock when it comes to making business decisions (we all remember that Henry Caville Superman cameo). The Flash too clearly just existed to build that universe out more than having a good film for Warner Bros, and despite the cost it really should have been written off considering all of Ezra Miller's controversies. But if you ask director Andy Muschietti, the reason it flopped is because it didn't have enough broad appeal.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. "The Flash failed, among all the other reasons, because it wasnt a movie that appealed to all four quadrants. It failed at that," Muschietti said in an interview with Radio Tu where he also spoke about his upcoming Batman movie and Shadow of the Colossus adaptation (thanks, Variety). "When you spend $200 million making a movie, [Warner Bros.] wants to bring even your grandmother to the theaters." The director went on to explain that he found "in private conversations that a lot of people just dont care about the Flash as a character. Particularly the two female quadrants. All of that is just the wind going against the film Ive learned."For some context, that four quadrant thing he's going on about is the very reductive breakdown of demographics into men over and under 25, and women over and under 25. Personally, I'm not confident that even if you did take your grandmother that it would have helped out - the DCU was clearly on its deathbed at that point, so why go see a film that ultimately won't lead anywhere?Either way, Muschietti's fine because he still gets to make movies, who cares why it did bad! That baby rescue scene is a bit ridiculous though.

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube792kNobody expected Nippon Ichi Software to announce a sequel to the 2004 PS2 strategy RPG 'Phantom Brave', but over 20 years later, the company did just that. Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero sets sail on Switch on 30th January, and for those who want to see what it's all about before release, NIS America has announced that a free demo will be available from 17th January (that's this Friday).In its reveal tweet, the company noted that all save data from the demo carries over to the full version, so you can give the trial your all and not worry about having to do it all again. Ahh, bliss.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube792kWatch on YouTube But what's this one all about? The Lost Hero is a sea-faring RPG where you play as Marona, a young girl with the power to contact those beyond the grave OooOOooO. A fleet of ghastly ghost ships is on the prowl, and it's up to you and your spectral pals (and some alive ones you pick up along the way) to stop it.How you do this is through a series of strategic turn-based battles, where you can bind your phantoms to inanimate objects on the playing field and combine them with gadgets to take down foes talk about environmental hazards. It's a strange take on the genre's usual Fire Emblem-style sword-focused affair, but hey, at least it looks cute.Images: NIS AmericaPhantom Brave: The Lost Hero's free demo will arrive on the Switch eShop this Friday before its full release lands later this month. We were lucky enough to go hands-on with it briefly at last year's Tokyo Game Show, and you can find our full thoughts in the round-up below. Fantasian! DQ3! Phantom Brave! Sonic, again!What do you make of this one? Will you try out the demo later this week? Let us know in the comments.[source x.com]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:00 Jim came to Nintendo Life in 2022 and, despite his insistence that The Minish Cap is the best Zelda game and his unwavering love for the Star Wars prequels (yes, really), he has continued to write news and features on the site ever since. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesNintendo and Lego Are Collaborating On A New Game Boy SetNow you're playing with buildable powerSurprise! Another 'Switch 2' Accessory Has Been Revealed"Stay tuned for more"Random: Metroid Prime 4 'OG' Amazon Pre-Orders Are Being CancelledThe game was first announced in 2017126 Games You Should Pick Up In The Nintendo Switch eShop Holiday Sale (Europe)Every game we scored 9/10 or higher