In the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, science has found a way to erase bad memories. The movie ultimately makes the point that our memories form our identities, and as painful as it is to have bad memories, its better to keep them. Whether or not some of us should keep our identities remains unanswered.But for people who have gone through trauma or suffer from issues with mental health, a little bit of memory alteration sounds like it could be a good thing. In a paper published by PNAS, researchers have found a way to help eraseor at least lessenthe sting of bad memories during a multiday procedure.What researchers foundResearchers had 37 participants look at 48 negative images. Each image was paired with a made-up word. Participants were asked to memorize the image and word pairs. During the night, they were monitored and recorded using electroencephalography EEG.On the second day, participants were asked to associate half the words from the night before with positive images. Participants went to bed and the researchers played recordings of half of the made-up words while they slept. On days three and five, the researchers gave participants various assessments to find out what had stuck. They found that participants were more likely to remember positive images for the words that had been associated with both positive and negative images. This suggests that its possible to train ones brain to weaken bad memories by reactivating positive ones.However, one caveat before getting too excited about rewiring your brain: The researchers warned that their study has limitations, and more follow-up is required. Viewing aversive/positive images may not mimic typical trauma experiences, the papers authors warned. Well, damn. Who knew?

Hedge funds have positioned for Donald Trumps U.S. presidency with their highest levels of borrowing since 2010, while betting the dollar would continue to rise, according to bank research and industry data.U.S. stock trading hedge funds kicked off the week with gross leverage levels in their highest range since 2010, a note from Morgan Stanleys prime brokerage seen by Reuters showed. Gross leverage reflects how much a hedge fund has increased its market positioning.European stock traders wagered that European equities would rise, especially in financial, tech and energy companies, said the note.Lower taxes, deregulation and higher tariffs might create tailwinds for some U.S. stocks, but tariffs and added volatility would deter gains more widely, said an investment letter by James Hanbury and Jamie Grimston, portfolio managers of the two funds at Lancaster Investment Management in London overseeing roughly $1.4 billion in assets.This will be going on whilst the U.S. fiscal deficit is at greater than 6% with the economy currently at full employment, said the letter.Higher volatility and lower regulation should be beneficial for Plus500 and IG Group where we have a smaller holding, it added, referring to financial firms in which the hedge fund held long positions.America firstTrump kicked off his White House tenure with several protectionist policies to hoist American economic interests over trade partners.Going into the inauguration, hedge funds dumped emerging markets stocks outside of China in the largest net selling since October, said a separate note from Goldman Sachs on Friday.Hedge funds China trades have fallen to five-year lows, said the note.Hedge funds trading macroeconomic signals, including systematic trend followers, continue to bet on a strong dollar, a separate weekly note from JPMorgan said on Jan. 13.Barclays said in a separate note that CTAs commodity trading adviser funds that trade futures and other derivatives long dollar bets are stretched, especially versus the euro.Looking at markets going forwardwe are strong proponents of the Trump trade in currency markets, strongly long the dollar in the G10, especially against sterling and the euro, said Russel Matthews, a senior portfolio manager in global macro at RBC BlueBay Asset Management, in London.Russel said the investment manager was short the pound against the dollar quite aggressively, given how deeply the UK Labour Partys policies have been picked over and criticised.A short position implies an asset will weaken in value.While RBC BlueBay has taken some if its trade off the table, the firm expects continuing dollar strength to push the euro to $1 or below.We know there will be punitive measures taken against Europewe have yet to see what these will be, but this is coming, said Matthews.Some portfolio managers are looking at the impact a stronger greenback may have on businesses and countries with dollar debt.You may see a strengthening dollar that could lead to problems for many emerging market companies that have debt issued in dollar terms, said Sina Toussi, chief investment officer at special situations hedge fund Two Seas Capital, with $1 billion in assets under management. He added that countries with high external debt in dollars could also struggle.We havent seen any real dislocations yet in the market, but were spending some time trying to anticipate where some of those dislocations can happen.Nell Mackenzie, Reuters

Dezeen Events Guide has launched its guide to Stockholm Design Week 2025, which takes place across the city from 3 to 9 February. The guide features exhibitions, installations, talks and fairs, including the Stockholm Furniture Fair, which takes place at Stockholmsmssan from 4 to 8 February.Use our interactive mapThe 2025 festival guide includes an interactive map, helping you navigate Stockholm during the week-long event.Find out how you can feature in the guide below.You can still feature in the guideDezeen offers standard and enhanced listings as part of its Stockholm guide.Dezeen offers standard and enhanced listings in its Stockholm guide.Standard listings cost 125 and include the event name, date and location details plus a website link. These listings will also feature up to 50 words of text about the event.Enhanced listings cost 175 and include all of the above plus an image at the top of the listing's page and an image in the listing preview on the Dezeen Events Guide homepage. These listings will also feature up to 100 words of text about the event.Featured listings cost 350 and include all elements of an enhanced listing plus a post on Dezeen's Threads channel, inclusion in the featured events carousel on the right hand of the festival guide homepage for up to two weeks and 150 words of text about the event. This text can include commercial information, such as ticket prices and offers and can feature additional links to website pages such as ticket sales, newsletter signups and more.For more information about partnering with us to help amplify your event, contact the team at eventsguide@dezeen.com.About Dezeen Events GuideDezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year.The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks. For more details on inclusion in the Dezeen Events Guide, including in our guide to Stockholm Design Week, email eventsguide@dezeen.com.The illustration is by Rima Sabina Aouf.The post Dezeen Events Guide launches digital guide to Stockholm Design Week 2025 appeared first on Dezeen.

Hunyuan3D 2.0 can even animate 3D assets.

MacworldA new year usually means a reassessment of whats going on in your life. Are you happy with your current job? If not, consider switching to cybersecurity. Its one of the fastest-growing industries, offering plenty of opportunities and competitive salaries for a variety of roles.While you might think you have to return to school to gain cybersecurity expertise, thats not the case. You could sharpen your knowledge with thesecybersecurity training courses, which could make you a more attractive applicant for only$59.99 (reg. $936).Interested in ethical hacking or penetration testing? Those are just two highly lucrative roles you could land by using this bundles courses tolearn how to assess security risks, identify weaknesses in an organizations systems, and simulate cyber attacks to test your organizations security measures.Perhaps joining the field as a network administrator is appealing. These training courses could help you understand common cybersecurity threats and how to mitigate them, as well as show you how to implement protocols to protect sensitive client or patient information.Regardless of your specific interest, this bundle could just help you decide which area of the cybersecurity and IT field interests you.Grab lifetime access tothiscybersecurity and IT skills online learning bundle for $59.99. Supplies are limited, so act while theyre still available.The Complete 2025 Cybersecurity Developer & IT Super Skills BundleOnly $59.99 at MacworldStackSocial prices subject to change.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Originally posted on 16 September 2024. Scroll down for news of the Kiri Engine 3.13 update.Kiri Innovations has updated Kiri Engine, its 3D scanning app for Android and iOS.The 3.10 update, available for both Android and iOS, raises the maximum resolution of textures generated to 8K, and makes it possible to use longer source videos for AI-based scans.The 3.11 update, available for iOS only, introduces a new Area Mode, which combines Lidar and photogrammetry to generate more accurate scans of environments.The 3.12 and 3.13 updates, available for both Android and iOS, improves the apps 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) toolset, available to users with paid Pro subscriptions.A free AI-enhanced 3D scanning app for Android as well as Apple phonesFirst released in 2022, Kiri Engine is a 3D scanning app for Android and iOS devices.It began as a photogrammetry tool, reconstructing 3D models from source photos of real-world objects, and uses AI techniques for object masking and noise removal.Recent updates have added support for Neural Surface Reconstruction, 3D Gaussian Splatting and Lidar scanning on iOS devices.Kiri Engine 3.10 | Android and iOS | 8K textures and longer source videosFor users with Pro subscriptions, Kiri Engine 3.10 makes it possible to create more detailed scans, increasing the maximum resolution of the textures generated from 4K to 8K.The maximum length of a source video for 3DGS and Neural Surface Reconstruction has also been increased, from two minutes to three minutes.Other new Pro features include texture smoothing, intended to reduce spatial variation in the sharpness of textures; and the option to rebake textures after cropping a scan.All users get the option to switch camera lenses when capturing images for photogrammetry scans, making it easier to capture both the overall form of an object and close-up details.Kiri Engine 3.11 | iOS only | New Area Mode for scanning environmentsKiri Engine 3.11 extends the apps Object Capture feature, which makes it possible to process scans locally using Apples Object Capture API.The update introduces support for Object Captures new Area Mode, for capturing entire sections of an environment, rather than isolated objects.Kiri Engines implementation combines Lidar and photogrammetry, reconstructing environments more accurately than the apps existing Lidar-only Scene Scan feature, at the cost of longer processing times.Kiri Engine 3.12 | Android and iOS | Better-quality meshes from 3DGSKiri Engine 3.12 focuses on the apps 3DGS toolset, improving the quality of meshes generated from raw 3DGS point cloud. You can see comparisons to the previous algorithm here.It is also now possible to mask 3DGS scans: for example, to isolate the object being scanned from the background, in the same way as in the apps photogrammetry toolset.Kiri Engine 3.13 | Android and iOS | Optimized 3DGS scansKiri Engine 3.13 also focuses on 3DGS, improving the resolution and color accuracy of scans, and reducing processing times and 3DGS file sizes by approximately 50%.It is also now possible to use video as well as still photos as inputs for all of the apps scanning methods, with the obvious exception of Lidar.Pricing and system requirementsKiri Engine is available for Android 7.0 and iOS/iPadOS 15.0.The app itself is free to download. Free Basic accounts include photogrammetry, Lidar scanning, and Object Capture, and can export three 3D scans from the cloud per week.Pro accounts cost $17.99/month or $79.99/year, and make it possible to export an unlimited number of scans, and unlock advanced features, including the 3DGS toolset.Download Kiri Engine for Android from Google PlayDownload Kiri Engine for iOS from the iOS App StoreHave your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we dont post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025Posted by Jim ThackerRE:Vision Effects launches Twixtor Standalonehtml PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"RE:Vision Effects has released a new standalone edition of Twixtor, its video retiming software for motion graphics and VFX.It has the same core features as the existing plugin editions, including the softwares new machine-learning-trained algorithm, but a much lower price tag.A GPU-accelerated retiming tool integrated with key video editing and compositing appsOne of the original video retiming tools, Twixtor slows down, speeds up or changes the frame rate of video, creating slo-mo shots from standard footage by warping and interpolating frames.The software is GPU-accelerated, hardware-agnostic, and integrates with a wide range of video editing, compositing, motion graphics and rotoscoping tools.New lower-cost Standalone editionTo that, the new Standalone edition lets you retime video without needing a host app.Its pitched at a consumer audience, with the official announcement namechecking videos of first steps, cooking demonstrations, real estate, dance shows, weddings [and] sports triumphs.However, despite its lower price tag under half that of a regular license it has no resolution or duration limit, and uses the new machine-learning-trained algorithm introduced in Twixtor 8.Users with existing Twixtor 8 Pro licenses get the Standalone edition for free.Price, system requirements and release dateTwixtor 8 Standalone is available for Windows 10+ and macOS. It has a standard price of $149.95.Regular licenses of Twixtor cost $329.95 and work with 11 host apps. Pro licenses support a full range of hosts, with node-locked licenses costing $595 and floating licenses costing $892.50.Read more about Twixtor Standalone on the product websiteHave your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we dont post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.Latest NewsNew version of iOS and Android scanning app Kiri EngineKiri Engine 3.13 improves the quality of 3D Gaussian Splatting in the app, sharpening scans and reducing 3DGS file sizes 'approximately 50%'.Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025RE:Vision Effects launches Twixtor StandaloneGPU-accelerated, AI-powered video retiming tool can now be used without a host app, for under half the price of a regular plugin license.Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025See the new features due in Unreal Engine 5.6 and beyondCheck out upcoming features in the game engine, from rendering and simulation to Megaworlds biomes, next-gen terrain and Anim Next.Tuesday, January 21st, 2025Left Angle releases Autograph 2025Big update to the compositing and motion design app adds a DaVinci Resolve Live Link, an After Effects converter - and a new free edition.Tuesday, January 21st, 2025Check out this GPU-accelerated Houdini Skin Slide DeformerDNEG TD Mengya Zhang's OpenCL-based tool generates realistic skin sliding without tissue simulation. Free to try on personal projects.Monday, January 20th, 2025Check out this free 2D Rim Light Tool for NukeCompositing Academy's handy add-on creates fake rim lighting on 2D images for title sequences and motion graphics using only an alpha.Monday, January 20th, 2025More NewsCreate motion graphics in Nuke with the new Screen FX pluginMaster Cinematic Sand & Dust Simulations Using HoudiniGet the new free version of ZibraVDB for Unreal EngineChaos releases V-Ray 7 for Cinema 4DThese simple free tools convert Maya shaders to BlenderGet 75+ free modular shop assets for Unreal EngineAdobe releases Substance 3D Designer 14.1Adobe unveils Live Co-Editing in PhotoshopFree tool: Hair Cinematic Tool for Unreal Engine 5Master World Building using Blender and PhotoshopGet 6 free smoke and fire effects sequences from FX BackPackGet modular Maya character rig builder Mansur-Rig for freeOlder Posts

Jan 22, 2025Ravie LakshmananVulnerability / Enterprise SecurityOracle is urging customers to apply its January 2025 Critical Patch Update (CPU) to address 318 new security vulnerabilities spanning its products and services.The most severe of the flaws is a bug in the Oracle Agile Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Framework (CVE-2025-21556, CVSS score: 9.9) that could allow an attacker to seize control of susceptible instances."Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attackers with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Agile PLM Framework," according to a description of the security hole in the NIST National Vulnerability Database (NVD).It's worth noting that Oracle warned of active exploitation attempts against another flaw in the same product (CVE-2024-21287, CVSS score: 7.5) in November 2024. Both vulnerabilities affect Oracle Agile PLM Framework version 9.3.6."Customers are strongly advised to apply the January 2025 Critical Patch Update for Oracle Agile PLM Framework as it includes patches for [CVE-2024-21287] as well as additional patches," Eric Maurice, vice president of Security Assurance at Oracle, said.Some of the other critical severity flaws, all rated 9.8 on the CVSS score, addressed by Oracle are as follows -CVE-2025-21524 - A vulnerability in the Monitoring and Diagnostics SEC component of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne ToolsCVE-2023-3961 - A vulnerability in the E1 Dev Platform Tech (Samba) component of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne ToolsCVE-2024-23807 - A vulnerability in the Apache Xerces C++ XML parser component of Oracle Agile Engineering Data ManagementCVE-2023-46604 - A vulnerability in the Apache ActiveMQ component of the Oracle Communications Diameter Signaling Router CVE-2024-45492 - A vulnerability in the XML parser (libexpat) component of Oracle Communications Network Analytics Data Director, Financial Services Behavior Detection Platform, Financial Services Trade-Based Anti Money Laundering Enterprise Edition, and HTTP ServerCVE-2024-56337 - A vulnerability in the Apache Tomcat server component of Oracle Communications Policy ManagementCVE-2025-21535 - A vulnerability in the Core component of Oracle WebLogic ServerCVE-2016-1000027 - A vulnerability in the Spring Framework component of Oracle BI Publisher CVE-2023-29824 - A vulnerability in the Analytics Server (SciPy) component of Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise EditionCVE-2025-21535 is also similar to CVE-2020-2883 (CVSS score: 9.8), another critical security vulnerability in Oracle WebLogic Server that could be exploited by an unauthenticated attacker with network access via IIOP or T3.Earlier this month, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added CVE-2020-2883 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, citing evidence of active in-the-wild exploitation.Also addressed by Oracle is CVE-2024-37371 (CVSS score: 9.1), a critical Kerberos 5 flaw affecting its Communications Billing and Revenue Management that could permit an attacker to "cause invalid memory reads by sending message tokens with invalid length fields."Users are advised to apply the necessary patches to keep their systems up-to-date and avoid potential security risks.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Jan 22, 2025Ravie LakshmananBotnet / Network SecurityWeb infrastructure and security company Cloudflare on Tuesday said it detected and blocked a 5.6 Terabit per second (Tbps) distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, the largest ever attack to be reported to date.The UDP protocol-based attack took place on October 29, 2024, targeting one of its customers, an unnamed internet service provider (ISP) from Eastern Asia. The activity originated from a Mirai-variant botnet."The attack lasted only 80 seconds and originated from over 13,000 IoT devices," Cloudflare's Omer Yoachimik and Jorge Pacheco said in a report.That said, the average unique source IP address observed per second was 5,500, with the average contribution of each IP address per second around 1 Gbps.The previous record for the largest volumetric DDoS assault was also reported by Cloudflare in October 2024, which peaked at 3.8 Tbps.Cloudflare also revealed it blocked approximately 21.3 million DDoS attacks in 2024, a 53% increase from 2023, and that the amount of attacks exceeding 1 Tbps grew by 1,885% quarter-over-quarter. In the fourth quarter of 2024 alone, as many as 6.9 million DDoS attacks were mitigated.Some of the other notable statistics observed during Q4 2024 are listed below -Known DDoS botnets accounted for 72.6% of all HTTP DDoS attacksThe top three most common Layer 3/Layer 4 (network layer) attack vectors were SYN floods (38%), DNS flood attacks (16%), and UDP floods (14%)Memcached DDoS attacks, BitTorrent DDoS attacks, and ransom DDos attacks witnessed a 314%, 304%, and 78% QoQ increase, respectivelyAbout 72% of HTTP DDoS attacks and 91% of network layer DDoS attacks end in under ten minutesIndonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ukraine, and Argentina were the largest sources of DDoS attacksChina, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Germany were the most attacked countriesTelecommunications, internet, marketing, information technology, gambling were the most attacked sectorsThe development comes as cybersecurity companies Qualys and Trend Micro revealed that offshoots of the notorious Mirai botnet malware are targeting Internet of Things (IoT) devices by exploiting known security flaws and weak credentials to use them as conduits for DDoS attacks.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE