Asaff Zamir, VP of Global Customer Success, Solution Architecture, and Business Operations at AI2January 14, 20254 Min ReadBrain light via Alamy StockWorkplace efficiency is a significant challenge in todays fast-paced business environment. With new technologies entering our workplaces daily, employees spend more time upskilling and adapting to new tools than ever before.While these innovations are intended to enhance productivity and efficiency, employees often report the opposite experience. Upwork Study (July 2023) reveals that while 96% of C-suite leaders expect AI to boost worker productivity, 77% of employees report that AI has increased their workload instead. This disconnect suggests a gap between the potential of AI technologies and their current implementation in workplaces.In a survey I conducted earlier this year within a professional community of 5,000 customer success and other go-to-market functions, several clear challenges emerged -- challenges that are echoed in multiple research studies and provide a deeper overlook on these gaps.Adoption of AI Workflows in Enterprise EnvironmentsI believe there are two distinct phases that illustrate the progression of AI adoption in enterprise workflows, starting with the implementation of large language models (LLMs) for specific, high-impact use cases with a clear return on investment (ROI), followed by the adoption of intelligent, proactive personal assistants that will revolutionize the way employees engage with their work.Related:Phase 1: Adoption of LLMs with/without retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) for a specific use case with a clear and easy to achieve ROI.The technology is already here. The primary challenge is not the technology itself but identifying use cases that generate significant value relatively easily, while addressing concerns over data privacy, data structuring, and availability.Hence, use cases like auto-text generation or personalized and grounded chat solutions through LLMs, enhanced by RAG, have an increasing demand and far less resistance from the employees in specific industries where there is a significant amount of time invested on research, and in environments that require a large amount of manual repetitive tasks.Here are a few use cases we have already experienced, and I believe will spearhead this phase:Boosting customer service. Banks, for example, have relied on chatbots for 24/7 customer support, but generic chatbots struggle to provide the personalized and specific answers customers expect. As a result, banks spend too much time on inquiries and too little on customer engagement and experience. By integrating LLMs with a RAG engine, banks can offer personalized, grounded and real-time assistance.Related:According to a study by Salesforce, customer expectations for personalization have increased, with 81% of customers now expecting more personalized experiences than in the past.While implementing a chat + RAG solution with a leading bank, they report a 40% reduction in support tickets post-implementation, unlocking human agents' time for strategic, proactive conversations. This is a win-win for both customer satisfaction and employee fulfillment.Empowering research/medical oriented workflows. We learned that doctors, for example, in several healthcare institutions, often search manually for medical research documentation and guidelines, a tedious and time-consuming process.Oncologists face significant time burdens when searching for and managing medical literature, including time spent navigating electronic health records and managing documentation, rather than engaging directly in patient care.In a field where time equals life, inefficiencies can have serious consequences. By providing a chatbot + RAG system that enables doctors to easily interact with medical guidelines and literature, they can receive accurate answers in real-time, eliminating the need to navigate through multiple articles.Related:Enhancing e-commerce efficiency. The e-commerce sector has seen phenomenal growth in recent years, but many sellers struggle with providing high-quality product information. Incomplete descriptions, missing specifications, and poor-quality images often result in customer dissatisfaction, increased returns, and eroded trust. A Syndigo (2024) report highlighted that 65% of product returns are due to incomplete or inaccurate product descriptions.Additionally, 83% of global respondents stated they would abandon a website if they couldn't find sufficient product information, with 73% of shoppers thinking less of a brand if they find inconsistent or incorrect product details. These issues not only hurt sales but damage brand trust and lead to higher return rates.LLM-powered product description generation can automate the creation of detailed, engaging, and accurate product descriptions, enabling sellers to offer a richer shopping experience at scale.Phase 2: We will witness the rise of personal genius assistants that go beyond expertise in a specific use case and seamlessly integrate into workplace ecosystems. These assistants will not only automate repetitive tasks or answer simple questions, but also proactively suggest relevant context and resources before important milestones. Instead of merely responding to prompts, these assistants will anticipate needs, provide actionable insights, and help employees stay one step ahead.Imagine an assistant that can research complex questions, providing fast, curated information and recommendations. This will allow employees to focus on higher-order, creative tasks while feeling more fulfilled at work. The assistant will act as an intelligent collaborator, enhancing productivity and fostering a sense of accomplishment among employees.The journey toward fulfilling employees real potential lies in leveraging AI to work for us, not the other way around. By adopting technologies like LLMs with RAG and developing personal genius assistants, enterprises can transform workflows, enhance productivity, and, most importantly, allow employees to focus on meaningful, value-generating tasks.About the AuthorAsaff ZamirVP of Global Customer Success, Solution Architecture, and Business Operations at AI2Asaff Zamir is VP of Global Customer Success, Solution Architecture, and Business at AI21. A recognized thought leader in customer success and operations, he was named one of the Top 100 Customer Success Strategists from 2020 to 2023. Eight years ago, Asaff founded the Israel CS community and continues to contribute to its growth. He is also a guest lecturer at several academic institutions and developed Israels first-ever customer success academic course as part of MTA (The Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo) MBA program, which launched in 2022.Previously, Asaff served as COO at Zencity and, before that, he built and led customer success teams at Siemplify (acquired by Google) and Mobilogy (Cellebrite).See more from Asaff ZamirNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports

MIT Technology Reviews Whats Next series looks across industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future. You can read the rest of themhere. While nuclear reactors have been generating power around the world for over 70 years, the current moment is one of potentially radical transformation for the technology. As electricity demand rises around the world for everything from electric vehicles to data centers, theres renewed interest in building new nuclear capacity, as well as extending the lifetime of existing plants and even reopening facilities that have been shut down. Efforts are also growing to rethink reactor designs, and 2025 marks a major test for so-called advanced reactors as they begin to move from ideas on paper into the construction phase. Thats significant because nuclear power promises a steady source of electricity as climate change pushes global temperatures to new heights and energy demand surges around the world. Heres what to expect next for the industry. A global patchwork The past two years have seen a new commitment to nuclear power around the globe, including an agreement at the UN climate talks that 31 countries pledged to triple global nuclear energy capacity by 2050. However, the prospects for the nuclear industry differ depending on where you look. The US is currently home to the highest number of operational nuclear reactors in the world. If its specific capacity were to triple, that would mean adding a somewhat staggering 200 gigawatts of new nuclear energy capacity to the current total of roughly 100 gigawatts. And thats in addition to replacing any expected retirements from a relatively old fleet. But the country has come to something of a stall. A new reactor at the Vogtle plant in Georgia came online last year (following significant delays and cost overruns), but there are no major conventional reactors under construction or in review by regulators in the US now. This year also brings an uncertain atmosphere for nuclear power in the US as the incoming Trump administration takes office. While the technology tends to have wide political support, its possible that policies like tariffs could affect the industry by increasing the cost of building materials like steel, says Jessica Lovering, cofounder at the Good Energy Collective, a policy research organization that advocates for the use of nuclear energy. Globally, most reactors under construction or in planning phases are in Asia, and growth in China is particularly impressive. The countrys first nuclear power plant connected to the grid in 1991, and in just a few decades it has built the third-largest fleet in the world, after only France and the US. China has four large reactors likely to come online this year, and another handful are scheduled for commissioning in 2026. This year will see both Bangladesh and Turkey start up their first nuclear reactors. Egypt also has its first nuclear plant under construction, though its not expected to undergo commissioning for several years. Advancing along Commercial nuclear reactors on the grid today, and most of those currently under construction, generally follow a similar blueprint: The fuel that powers the reactor is low-enriched uranium, and water is used as a coolant to control the temperature inside. But newer, advanced reactors are inching closer to commercial use. A wide range of these so-called Generation IV reactors are in development around the world, all deviating from the current blueprint in one way or another in an attempt to improve safety, efficiency, or both. Some use molten salt or a metal like lead as a coolant, while others use a more enriched version of uranium as a fuel. Often, theres a mix-and-match approach with variations on the fuel type and cooling methods. The next couple of years will be crucial for advanced nuclear technology as proposals and designs move toward the building process. Were watching paper reactors turn into real reactors, says Patrick White, research director at the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, a nonprofit think tank. Much of the funding and industrial activity in advanced reactors is centered in the US, where several companies are close to demonstrating their technology. Kairos Power is building reactors cooled by molten salt, specifically a fluorine-containing material called Flibe. The company received a construction permit from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its first demonstration reactor in late 2023, and a second permit for another plant in late 2024. Construction will take place on both facilities over the next few years, and the plan is to complete the first demonstration facility in 2027. TerraPower is another US-based company working on Gen IV reactors, though the design for its Natrium reactor uses liquid sodium as a coolant. The company is taking a slightly different approach to construction, too: by separating the nuclear and non-nuclear portions of the facility, it was able to break ground on part of its site in June of 2024. Its still waiting for construction approval from the NRC to begin work on the nuclear side, which the company expects to do by 2026. A US Department of Defense project could be the first in-progress Gen IV reactor to generate electricity, though itll be at a very small scale. Project Pele is a transportable microreactor being manufactured by BWXT Advanced Technologies. Assembly is set to begin early this year, with transportation to the final site at Idaho National Lab expected in 2026. Advanced reactors certainly arent limited to the US. Even as China is quickly building conventional reactors, the country is starting to make waves in a range of advanced technologies as well. Much of the focus is on high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, says Lorenzo Vergari, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. These reactors use helium gas as a coolant and reach temperatures over 1,500 C, much higher than other designs. Chinas first commercial demonstration reactor of this type came online in late 2023, and a handful of larger reactors that employ the technology are currently in planning phases or under construction. Squeezing capacity It will take years, or even decades, for even the farthest-along advanced reactor projects to truly pay off with large amounts of electricity on the grid. So amid growing global electricity demand around the world, theres renewed interest in getting as much power out of existing nuclear plants as possible. One trend thats taken off in countries with relatively old nuclear fleets is license extension. While many plants built in the 20th century were originally licensed to run for 40 years, theres no reason many of them cant run for longer if theyre properly maintained and some equipment is replaced. Regulators in the US have granted 20-year extensions to much of the fleet, bringing the expected lifetime of many to 60 years. A handful of reactors have seen their licenses extended even beyond that, to 80 years. Countries including France and Spain have also recently extended licenses of operating reactors beyond their 40-year initial lifetimes. Such extensions are likely to continue, and the next few years could see more reactors in the US relicensed for up to 80-year lifetimes. In addition, theres interest in reopening shuttered plants, particularly those that have shut down recently for economic reasons. Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan is the target of one such effort, and the project secured a $1.52 billion loan from the US Department of Energy to help with the costs of reviving it. Holtec, the plants owner and operator, is aiming to have the facility back online in 2025. However, the NRC has reported possible damage to some of the equipment at the plant, specifically the steam generators. Depending on the extent of the repairs needed, the additional cost could potentially make reopening uneconomical, White says. A reactor at the former Three Mile Island Nuclear Facility is another target. The sites owner says the reactor could be running again by 2028, though battles over connecting the plant to the grid could play out in the coming year or so. Finally, the owners of the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa are reportedly considering reopening the nuclear plant, which shut down in 2020. Big Techs big appetite One of the factors driving the rising appetite for nuclear power is the stunning growth of AI, which relies on data centers requiring a huge amount of energy. Last year brought new interest from tech giants looking to nuclear as a potential solution to the AI power crunch. Microsoft had a major hand in plans to reopen the reactor at Three Mile Islandthe company signed a deal in 2024 to purchase power from the facility if its able to reopen. And thats just the beginning. Google signed a deal with Kairos Power in October 2024 that would see the startup build up to 500 megawatts worth of power plants by 2035, with Google purchasing the energy. Amazon went one step further than these deals, investing directly in X-energy, a company building small modular reactors. The money will directly fund the development, licensing, and construction of a project in Washington. Funding from big tech companies could be a major help in keeping existing reactors running and getting advanced projects off the ground, but many of these commitments so far are vague, says Good Energy Collectives Lovering. Major milestones to watch for include big financial commitments, contracts signed, and applications submitted to regulators, she says. Nuclear had an incredible 2024, probably the most exciting year for nuclear in many decades, says Staffan Qvist, a nuclear engineer and CEO of Quantified Carbon, an international consultancy focused on decarbonizing energy and industry. Deploying it at the scale required will be a big challenge, but interest is ratcheting up. As he puts it, Theres a big world out there hungry for power.

Visit Bayfield, Wisconsin, for hiking and relaxation.Apostle Islands National Seashore is stunning. Emily Hart My favorite thing to do in the Midwest is visit Bayfield, Wisconsin, which is often considered the smallest city in the state. Located on Lake Superior, Bayfield has a quaint downtown for shopping, plenty of local restaurants, and fantastic outdoor recreation opportunities.The city is also the gateway to Apostle Islands National Seashore, which offers lots of opportunities for hiking and sea kayaking. I recommend taking a ferry to Madeline Island and Big Bay State Park. Spend a weekend in downtown Chicago.When visiting Chicago, I always stop by Millennium Park. Chansak Joe/Shutterstock Despite being a major city, Chicago doesn't always get enough credit. However, it's one of my favorite spots for a weekend getaway.When visiting The Windy City, I always make sure to visit Millennium Park where the iconic Cloud Gate (aka "The Bean") is located before exploring the nearby Art Institute of Chicago.I always recommend attending an improv-comedy show at The Second City, which has been a launchpad for "Saturday Night Live" cast members like Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, and John Belushi.Whether you're into deep-dish pizza or love exploring neighborhoods like Wicker Park and Hyde Park, Chicago has something for everyone. Drive North Shore Scenic Drive from Duluth to Grand Portage in Minnesota.Gooseberry Falls State Park is a beautiful stop along the North Shore Scenic Drive. Emily Hart In my opinion, Minnesota is one of the most beautiful states in the country. It's also home to one of my favorite drives the North Shore Scenic Drive.The 154-mile drive along Highway 61 starts in Duluth and makes its way along the rugged Lake Superior shoreline, offering breathtaking views, opportunities to stop in charming small towns, and access to some of Minnesota's most iconic outdoor destinations.My favorite spots to stop are Gooseberry Falls State Park, Split Rock Lighthouse, and Tettegouche State Park. Hike at Starved Rock State Park in Illinois.Starved Rock State Park is home to waterfalls, canyons, and hiking trails. SHippensteel/Shutterstock Although Illinois isn't necessarily known for its canyons, waterfalls, or hiking trails, there are many spots to find all three my favorite being Starved Rock State Park.The popular park is just around 100 miles southwest of Chicago, making for an easy day trip or weekend getaway from the city.With 13 miles of trails, 18 canyons, and beautiful seasonal waterfalls, visiting Starved Rock feels like stepping into a different state. Visit Cahokia Mounds, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Illinois.When visiting Cahokia Mounds, I recommend climbing Monks Mound. Sailingstone Travel/Shutterstock Cahokia Mounds, a UNESCO World Heritage site just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, is an essential stop for anyone fascinated by history, archaeology, or Indigenous culture.This Illinois state-historic site preserves the remnants of the largest pre-Columbian site north of Mexico. At its height around AD 1100, Cahokia was a thriving metropolis and is believed to have had a population of nearly 20,000 people.A visit isn't complete without climbing Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthen structure in North America, built by the Indigenous people who once lived here. Make it to the top for sweeping views of the surrounding landscape, dotted with 70 preserved mounds. Hike at Badlands National Park in South Dakota.Badlands National Park is a great place for a scenic drive or hike. SL-Photography/Shutterstock South Dakota probably isn't the first state that comes to mind when considering the Midwest. However, this sparsely populated state on the region's westernmost edge is packed with natural beauty.One of my favorite stops in the state is Badlands National Park, a rugged and awe-inspiring landscape with dramatic scenery of eroded buttes, pinnacles, spires, sprawling grasslands, abundant wildlife, and fossils.Take a scenic drive or hike through the otherworldly landscape that feels far away from the Midwest.

The Supreme Court announced on Friday that it will hear Becerra v. Braidwood Management, the latest in a long line of lawsuits seeking to undermine the Affordable Care Act, the landmark health reform law that President Barack Obama signed in 2010.Unlike some previous anti-Obamacare lawsuits, Braidwood Management is not an existential threat to the entire law. Should the Supreme Court buy the plaintiffs arguments in this case, however, that would give health insurers more leeway to refuse to cover certain treatments. Such a decision would also give employers more ability to offer health plans that deny coverage for those treatments.Theres also a decent chance that the Court will reject this challenge, despite its 6-3 Republican supermajority. The Justice Department makes strong arguments in favor of maintaining the status quo. The appeals court, which heard this case, is often reversed by the Supreme Court. And the Braidwood Management plaintiffs have struggled to persuade even sympathetic judges with some of their arguments.While Braidwood Management began as a sweeping challenge to three bodies within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which can require health insurers to cover various treatments, the scope of this lawsuit has shrunk as it has advanced through the courts.The plaintiffs, who object to HHSs decision to require insurers to cover an anti-HIV medication, raised a broad range of legal challenges to these three bodies. At the trial level, their case was also assigned to Judge Reed OConnor, a former Republican Capitol Hill staffer best known for his failed attempt to repeal the entire Affordable Care Act in 2018. After OConnor handed these plaintiffs a partial victory, his decision was appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the most right-wing appeals court in the federal system.And yet, despite the fact that this case has largely been heard by very sympathetic judges, those judges have only accepted some of the Braidwood Management plaintiffs arguments.Originally, the case targeted three different bodies. The US Preventive Services Task Force (PSTF) the fate of which is now before the Supreme Court has fairly broad authority to require insurers to cover preventative health treatments such as cancer screenings.Two other bodies, meanwhile, decide which vaccines insurers must cover, and which womens health and pediatric treatments must be covered. OConnor, however, did not strike down these two other bodies. And the Fifth Circuit largely dodged the question of what should happen to these bodies until a future date. That means that, at least for now, only the fate of the PSTF is before the Supreme Court.RelatedThe Trumpiest court in AmericaAll of that said, the stakes in this case remain quite high. As the Justice Department said in its petition asking the justices to hear this case, the PSTF currently requires insurers to cover more than 50 preventive services, including screenings to detect lung, cervical, and colorectal cancer; screenings to detect diabetes; statin medications to reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes; medications to prevent HIV; physical therapy for older adults to prevent falls; and eye ointment for newborns to prevent blindness-causing infections.If the PSTF falls, insurers will be able to deny coverage for these treatments. And employers will potentially be able to offer health plans that dont cover them.So what is the specific legal issue before the Court in Braidwood Management?OConnor and the Fifth Circuit ruled that the PSTF violates an obscure provision of the Constitution dealing with how top government officials are hired.The Constitution requires certain high-ranking federal officials, known as officers of the United States, to be appointed to their jobs using certain procedures. Though the Constitution does not define the term officers of the United States, the Supreme Court has said that most officials who exercise significant authority pursuant to the laws qualify as officers.There are also two types of these officers. Principal officers include top-level officials such as Cabinet secretaries who typically answer directly to the president. These officers must be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate before they can take up their duties. Meanwhile, inferior officers may be appointed by the president alone, by a court, or by heads of departments.The Constitution also does not define who is a principal, as opposed to an inferior, officer. But the Supreme Court said in Edmond v. United States (1997) that the term inferior officer connotes a relationship with some higher ranking officer or officers below the President, as whether one is an inferior officer depends on whether he has a superior.Accordingly, principal officers (the ones who must be confirmed by the Senate) are generally understood to be department leaders and other very high-ranking officials who answer directly to the president. Inferior officers, by contrast, are officers of the United States who are responsible to a principal officer.Members of the PSTF are not Senate-confirmed officials they are typically appointed by the head of an agency within HHS, who acts pursuant to the authority of the HHS secretary and thus could not qualify as principal officers. And even the Fifth Circuit conceded that the HHS Secretary may remove members of the Task Force at will, so they sure look like they are inferior officers, because they can be fired by the HHS secretary (a principal officer) if the HHS secretary disapproves of their performance or disagrees with their decisions.Nevertheless, the Fifth Circuit concluded that members of the PSTF are not ultimately responsible to the secretary (and thus they must be Senate-confirmed), in large part because the Fifth Circuit believed that no statute actually gives the secretary the direct authority to override one of the PSTFs decisions. Instead, if the secretary disagreed with a decision by the PSTF, the secretary would have to either threaten to fire PSTF members unless they reverse course, or actually fire them and replace them with people who will implement the secretarys preferred policy.This isnt an especially persuasive argument most people would rightfully think of someone as their boss if that individual had the power to hire and fire them. And its not even clear that the secretary doesnt have the lawful authority to override the PSTF without firing any of its members.As the Justice Department notes in its petition to the justices, the PSTF is part of the federal Public Health Service, which, by law, shall be administered by the Assistant Secretary for Health under the supervision and direction of the Secretary. Federal law also gives the secretary the power to exercise all functions of the Public Health Service including, potentially, overruling PSTF decisions.The Justice Department, in other words, has strong legal arguments against the two lower courts positions in this case. Whether that will be enough to persuade a GOP-controlled Court, however, remains to be seen.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

Sentiment is changing for Call of Duty Black Ops 6 after players were left disappointed with the latest patch notes, with some going as far as claiming Activision 'doesn't care'Tech10:48, 14 Jan 2025Warzone is one of the most popular battle royales around(Image: Activision)Call of Duty Black Ops 6 was a huge success when it launched last year, and things seemed to be going so well as Warzone transitioned into another new era.While players were still complaining about cheaters, it felt like the arrival of Season 1 has players jumping in all over again. Sadly, though, it seems sentiment is changing yet again, with Call of Duty's community less than impressed with the latest patch notes.Arriving as the first update in 10 days, fans were hoping for anticheat updates, but instead got just five bullet points covering bug fixes and a little more.It's not that the patch is necessarily bad, it's more that there's just not a lot to it. Here are the notes in full:Fixed an issue where loading screens were causing instances of freezing or crashing.Fixed an issue with bullet trajectory on the AMR Mod 4.Fixed an issue in Resurgence where a player dying out of bounds would lose functionality of their field upgrades and killstreaks.Fixed an issue where models werent visible for ammo boxes, self revives, and throwing knives.Fixed an issue where players would not have a death icon when dying to Red Light Green Light.Content cannot be displayed without consentAs longtime Call of Duty news account CharlieIntel told its 4.8 million followers on X (formerly Twitter) "yes, this is it"."Only patch notes I wanna see is no more hackers," one commenter replied, while another said "Crashed more times today than every day since launch. Sick update."Others took aim at the game's monetisation, which has been a contentious topic in the community which threatened to boil over with the Squid Games event pass."Meanwhile the store probably got 10 new skins at $30 a pop because that's what the players want apparently according to business."Some were more positive, with one player pleased with the crash fixes at least."The crashing issue is fixed! It might not seem like a big update but holy s*** this is huge," they cheered.Given we're still at the start of the year, there's every chance the Activision team is returning and preparing a colossal patch here's hoping.With Season 2 expected at the end of the month, and a Verdansk return reportedly coming in Season 3, there's still plenty to be excited about with Warzone.Article continues belowFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.RECOMMENDED

If Segas open to making an Eternal Champions movie, then an Ecco revival isnt too farfetched (Sega)As theories swirl on what the upcoming Xbox showcases mystery reveal is, Sega is found to have filed new trademarks for one of its dormant IPs.Between the likes of Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, and Shinobi, Sega is going all in on reviving several of its classic IPs. Not just through games, but movies as well.It hasnt provided an update on any of those projects since their reveals, but it has continued to announce new ones with a Virtua Fighter revival debuting at The Game Awards 2024.Now, therere rumblings of Sega plotting another retro revival, thanks to newly discovered trademarks the company filed for Ecco The Dolphin.What is Ecco The Dolphin?Published by Sega and developed by the now defunct Hungarian studio Appaloosa Interactive, Ecco The Dolphin was a series of action adventure games than ran from 1992 to 2000, where you explored the ocean as the titular dolphin.Rather than a cute and cartoony mascot character, Ecco was depicted as a realistic looking dolphin, albeit one with stars on his head. Also, the series plots were bizarre, involving time travel and thwarting an alien invasion.The original 2D game for the Mega Drive did well enough to spawn a couple of sequels and eventually a 3D reboot for the Dreamcast in 2001, but the series has been dead in the water ever since.In 2016, according to a GamesBeat report, Ecco creator Ed Annunziata filed a lawsuit against Sega in an effort to reclaim control of the IP. While the two parties did reach a settlement, they didnt comment on how things were resolved, though it was speculated that it could still allow for a revival of the series.In a 2019 interview with Nintendo Life, Annunziata even suggested he wanted to make a new Ecco after his attempt at crowdfunding a spiritual successor, titled The Big Blue, failed: I still very strongly believe in the story and the mechanics but it really cant be a spiritual successor to Ecco, it has to be Ecco! One thing I can say is in the future, people are playing this game. I never give up!As spotted by Gematsu, Sega filed trademarks for Ecco and Ecco The Dolphin in Japan on December 27, 2024, which only went public on January 13. So perhaps Annunziata and Sega have reached an agreement for the former to make The Big Blue, but as an official Ecco title.Given the timing, there are suspicions that this will be the surprise reveal at the Xbox Developer Direct showcase happening next week. As a reminder, all Microsoft has said about this mystery game is that viewers will visit a surprise location to see another studios brand-new game.Since then, noted Xbox insider Jez Corden claimed in a Windows Central report that the game in question is a new entry in a legendary Japanese IP which has decades of history, and should make a lot of fans happy.More TrendingEcco The Dolphin would technically fit that description, since it is something of a cult classic and, while its been dormant for years, it continues to influence other works, like 2019s Jupiter And Mars.Cordens description, though, could just as easily apply to several other Japanese franchises that are far more recognisable.Other suggestions floating about range from Final Fantasy (specifically the long rumoured Final Fantasy 9 remake) and Persona 6 to Dino Crisis and Resident Evil 9, the latter of which is certainly due for a proper announcement beyond that brief tease last summer.Theres also been talk of a new 3D Ninja Gaiden game recently, after a 2D spin-off was announced last year, and the 2004 reboot was one of the few Japanese-made exclusives on Xbox at the time. Resident Evil Village was almost four years ago (Capcom)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Community Hall / graalSave this picture! Maxime VerretCommunity CenterBeynes, FranceArchitects: graalAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:400 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2023 PhotographsPhotographs:Maxime Verret Structures: Atelier MasseAcousticians: SLAMMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Spread out over a vast area along the Mauldre valley, Beynes is composed of an old town, home to the majority of services and institutions, and adjoined by three residential hamlets, a military camp and a national forest. At the junction of these four inhabited neighbourhoods, and away from any urban development, the new community hall asserts itself prominently in this hilly agricultural landscape punctuated by suburban housing. The challenge in designing this building is to fit in both, a domestic and a rural scale, while at the same time offering a central facility with which all residents can identify, thereby reinforcing their sense of belonging to this dispersed territory. Located alongside the departmental road serving the valley, the building overlooks an agricultural wasteland created by the same road, the railway line below and an old local road, to which the building must logically connect to. A hybrid is formed from an iconic "roadside" architecture and a regionalist reimagination of the agricultural barn, the hall emerges from the ground as a softly materialized mineral volume, covered by a two-faceted, slender gable roof that cuts into the landscape.Save this picture!The building is composed of three architectural elements whose roles and identification are made clear by the change of materiality. The mass-colored concrete base anchors the architectural object in its site. Going beyond the simple function of a wall and protective volume, the plinth expands like an attic, extending into a terrace that allows the inhabitation of the slope and the distant landscape. The wooden roof framework sits on the top of this plinth, outlining the object and its attachment to the sky. This additional layer is made legible by the clear division between the concrete of the base and the airier exterior treatment of wood cladding, which highlights the building's mediating role. Lastly, the metal roof unfolds in two independent sections, completing the building by amplifying its interaction with the landscape through the projection of the overhanging roof outside the close volume. Its slope, lightness and its materiality make it a decisive element in the dialogue between the landscape, the pavilions facing it and the program. The twofold context of the community hall means that its composition can be approached in two stages: first, by presenting elements that can be immediately grasped on the scale of the landscape, and then by drawing attention to the details of the texture and assembly of complementary materials. The volume has a rectangular floor plan and remains fundamentally elementary. The south faade folds slightly to create a large volume that can be separated into two rooms. This folding allows views to be directed towards the entrance and exit of the town. As an element of territorial identity, this festive barn invokes both, urban and landscape dimensions.Save this picture!The building is defined by a technical layer to the north, which organizes two distinct entrances that visually cross the building. The equipment was designed to offer adaptable spaces through the integration of a mobile wall forming a large 230 m2 room or two smaller ones. The folding of the faade also makes it easier to integrate the movable wall and to distinguish two volumes within the single space of the large auditorium, which then form acoustic alcoves. The internal materials are intended to be as simple and rustic as the exterior. The interior vertical walls are treated in two ways to emphasize the horizontal nature of the landscape, to control the acoustics and to make the base and cover legible from the inside. The mass-stained concrete base is revealed on the inside between the wall separating the technical areas and the hall, while the internally insulated peripheral walls are clad with perforated wood panels. The facility is designed around three basic bioclimatic principles: the installation of an efficient canadian well to cool or heat incoming air, the management of thermal inertia through the mass of the concrete and roof overhangs to protect against direct sunlight in summer. Sharply defined by the surrounding infrastructure, the site's layout was designed to acknowledge its topographical and hydrological characteristics. To minimize the damage to local flora and fauna, while reducing the economic impact of the development, the simple widening of the local road allowed the building's base to be installed, along with a linear parking area planted with trees, without creating large pockets, in keeping with the valley's landscape.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Beynes, FranceLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officegraalOfficePublished on January 14, 2025Cite: "Community Hall / graal" 14 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025487/community-hall-graal&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! 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Nature, Published online: 14 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04187-3Research and teaching pressures can exacerbate anxiety and depression, causing many young scientists to consider quitting, a survey finds.

A new way of measuring structures deep inside Earth has highlighted numerous previously unknown blobs within our planet's mantle. These anomalies are surprisingly similar to sunken chunks of Earth's crust but appear in seemingly impossible places.