Ashley Abramson first came across Sophie Cress in a cold pitch to her work email. Cress was asking to be an expert source for any stories Abramson was working on as a freelance reporter. Ive got over 8 years of experience and qualifications in Psychology and Couples & Family Therapy, and Im enthusiastic about exploring potential collaborations, especially in the areas of love, relationships, or LGBTQIA+ topics, Cress wrote.She provided a list of links to articles where shed supposedly been featured as an expert. Her email address, linked to a website reviewing sex toys, caught Abramsons attention. Then, when Abramson insisted that she could only conduct interviews over phone or video call, Cress ghosted.In a recent investigation for Allure, Abramson dug deeper into Cress background and alleged qualifications. Turns out, she doesnt actually exist, and was created by the Latvia-based owner of sex toy review site Sexual Alpha to boost traffic and improve the sites search rankings.Dainis Graveris, the owner of Sexual Alpha, did not respond to Abramsons requests for comment but Abramson decided to investigate further. She started by searching for evidence of a Sophie Cress or similar names licensed in North Carolina or holding the degrees and certifications Cress claimed. She found none. Abramson also discovered that Cress headshot was a stock image, and the woman pictured was not called Sophie Cress.Most journalists contacted by Cress simply took her at face value, allowing her operators to dupe outlets from the Metro to the Daily Mail. As Abramson writes, of course, anyone could always claim to be anyone and AI programs make it easy to generate a chunk of text that seems, at least at first skim, like it was written by an expert in any field you can think of.This is a classic case of what is commonly known as internet slop: scammy, AI-generated content thats becoming increasingly widespread online and beyond. Some studies have even found that people rated AI-generated content more favorably than that created by humans (or at least cant tell the difference).This rising tide of slop only serves to clog the internet, which is already drowning in misinformation, further. While this is unlikely to be some sort of election-altering Russian disinformation campaign, Abramson concludes, I wouldnt say its a sign of a particularly bright future.

Space engineers now know how to make oxygen on the moon, and theyre working on perfecting the science so that astronauts can live off the lunar base more easily.Lunar soil, or regolith, is filled with valuable materials, such as oxygen, as well as metals including iron, titanium, and lithium. And a team at Sierra Space, a private aerospace and space technologies company, is working on extracting it. Doing so, it says, will help astronauts on the moon to breathe and can provide fuel for future missionsan important step for sustaining life on the moon or other planets.Weve tested everything we can on Earth now, Brant White, a program manager at Sierra Space, told the BBC. The next step is going to the moon.Over the summer, the team tested the technology during an experiment at NASAs Johnson Space Center. The process involves a box-like machine that can take in soil (or, when on the moon, regolith) and turn it into a thick, sticky substance. Heating a layer of the substance to over 3,002 degrees Fahrenheit (1,650 degrees Celsius) and adding reactants, allows oxygen-containing molecules to be released.In September, Sierra Space announced it had successfully completed the testing in a press release. The Apollo program took us to the moon to study and learn. Artemis is taking us back to the moon, this time to stay, Tom Vice, CEO of Sierra Space, said at the time.Vice continued, Our company is focused on building the infrastructure necessary to enable continuous human presence on the lunar surface. This sustainable future begins with developing the core technology and systems that create oxygen in that environment, using local natural resources.The team also says they can extract metals from the moons core that will help with building structures on the moon. While bringing oxygen and other materials from Earth is possible, White says thats extraordinarily costly, and therefore the innovation is a meaningful one. It could save billions of dollars from mission costs, White said.While scientists seem to have perfected the technology on Earth, bringing it to the moon will bring about certain challenges due to the lack of gravity. Paul Burke, a space physicist and aerospace engineer at Johns Hopkins University, who published a paper on the topic last year, told the BBC that the process of extraction, which involves bubbles of oxygen forming in the scorching hot regolith, will be different in a different atmosphere.It is the consistency of, say, honey, he explained. It is very, very viscous. Those bubbles arent going to rise as fastand may actually be delayed from detaching from the electrodes. However, Sierra Space says their technology was designed with low gravity in mind.Other scientists are hard at work on how to extract oxygen and other materials from the moon, too, like Palak Patel, a PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is training to become an astronaut herself. Patel came up with her own experimental molten regolith electrolysis system that does the same thing. She told the BBC it also addresses the gravity issue by using a sonicator, which uses sound waves to ensure the bubbles wont get stuck. Were really looking at it from the standpoint of, Lets try to minimize the number of resupply missions,' she said.

Japanese multinational Korg is known for its musical instruments and recording equipment. It is now testing new waters with a collective of turntables that you and I can shy from, but musicians and creators would find difficult to neglect. Not necessarily noteworthy for their appearance, which is reminiscent of Vestaxs Handy Trax portable turntables, the new turntables from Korg are meant to simplify scratching for DJs, while the companys Nutube vacuum tube integration in a separate model will give audiophiles a reason to tune in.Korg announced the release of its three new portable turntables: Handytraxx Play for DJs, the premium Handytraxx Tube for awesome sound quality, and the flagship Handytraxx 1bit for digitalizing vinyl at the NAMM Show 2025. The global music and entertainment event was lit up by tunes from Korgs turntables designed to give users the freedom to play or scratch records anywhere. Lets delve a little deeper into what that is!Designer: KorgThe Handytraxx Play is the entry-level turntable developed especially for DJs in the collection collaboration with Toshihide Nakama: former Vestax President and co-creator of the Handy Trax. Nakama passed away during the development of the Play in 2023, but the OG design ethics remain the basis of this model filled with Korgs audio tech and incredible digital processing. The portable player runs on an AC adapter or six AA batteries, offering DJs the flexibility to take their music anywhere.This is made possible with a built-in looper for live looping; low-pass and high-pass filters for a smooth transition; EQ filter with a low isolator; custom-designed tonearm to minimum needle skipping; and belt-driven motor for rotation correct, which together ensure, a casual player can play records on the go or a hardcore DJ can conduct reliable performance during events demanding scratch play. Korg has built-in Handytraxx Play with a 2.5W speaker so you can have nonstop parties even if external speakers are not connected.The concept of record players is reviving in the surmounting consumption of audio on smartphones through earbuds; the $800 Handytraxx Tube steps up to embrace the trend and give serious music aficionados a reason to rethink their choice. Designed to bring enthusiasts closer to the timeless allure of analog records, the Handytraxx Tube with its portable battery-operated design, built-in stereo speakers, and Korgs Nutube vacuum tube-powered phono amp offers unmatched warm sound.The flagship model in the Handytraxx series from Korg is the Handytraxx 1bit which offers vinyl recording capability in amazing 5.6 MHz, 1-bit (DSD) format. This best-captured vinyl essence is delivered in 5.6 million samples per second, which is way above other competing formats, so the sound quality is unmatched. Whether youre planning on digitalizing your vinyl collection for better, or want a turntable for casual playback, the 1bit is right there for an asking price of $1200. Korg hasnt made an official date when these turntables will be released. But going by the anticipation, we are guessing summer release.The post Korg rolls out a trio of turntables musicians and creators will find hard to neglect first appeared on Yanko Design.

The AirPods Max launched in 2020 5 years ago, and the only update weve seen in that time is a color-refresh and a shift to USB-C. Now sure, headphones arent the kind of devices that need replacing every 2-3 years the way you would with smartphones, but I really think its time for a Gen2 AirPods Max because Apples come a long way since 2020.In the past few years, Apple has made a push for the metaverse (or spatial computing as they say) but more notably, the company has also launched its own AI service, dubbed Apple Intelligence. Apple Intelligence lets you achieve a variety of tasks, outpacing Siri by large magnitudes in its ability to search for information, generate content, and even set up commands/tasks/schedules. Its the kind of AI that the AirPods Max would benefit massively from which is why Felix Schwamkrug decided to build it into his version of the Apple AirPods Max 2.Designer: Felix SchwamkrugThe second iteration of the AirPods Max retains the same pebble-inspired can design, with a minimalist overall appearance. There are a few notable changes, though. For starters, the headphones sport the Apple logo on the earpieces, something Apple wouldnt be caught dead doing. However, personally I think it looks nice. All of Apples flagship devices have the logo the iPhone, MacBook, iMac, Mac Mini, iPad, so why not the AirPods Max. Sure, the smaller AirPods are too tiny to sport the logo, but hell, even the iPod Shuffle had the Apple logo on it, so why not the AirPods Max?Other clear visual changes can be found in the headphones headband which goes from the woven-style build to something more robust, sporting a hard outer plastic shell and a padded inner cushion. The previous AirPods Max were known to be on the heavier side due to their use of metal, so the plastic headband helps cut weight without cutting out on aesthetics.The Gen2 headphones also ditch the rotating crown found on their predecessor for a two-part interface, comprising of a touchpad as well as a button. The touchpad lets you swipe up or down to increase volume or side by side to skip songs. Unlike the crown that can register accidental input, this recessed touchpad offers much more protection against accidentally brushing against a crown and having your music volume bumped up dramatically.Beside the touchpad is the AirPods Max 2s pice de rsistance its Apple Intelligence button. Pressing this will trigger Apples internal AI assistant, allowing you to search for songs, set reminders, or probably even curate playlists based on your mood. Its all pure speculation here, but imagine being able to hit a button on your headphones to set an alarm or a task, or even start a workout without needing to take your phone out of your pocket. Of course, the button serves other purposes too, like answering/rejecting calls or playing/pausing music.The headphones are pretty perfect on the audio front (which is probably why Apple never updated them), although a few incremental upgrades are in order. For starters, many users noticed condensation inside the headphones after a few days of use something Apple never really explained in detail. A few tweaks to the architecture should solve that problem. The headphones retain the 40mm drivers with the neodymium ring magnet motor, although the concept now boasts the use of the new H2 chip, which has its own NPU for handling Apple Intelligence tasks.The AirPods Max 2 is clearly a concept, but it paints a much-needed picture of what version 2.0 of Apples flagship headphones should look like. Felix rendered the headphones in 3 colorways, although I personally could use a few more maybe some reds, greens, and that gorgeous orange colorway that Apple announced last year!The post AirPods Max 2 Headphones Concept shows a Refined Design with an Apple Intelligence Button first appeared on Yanko Design.

Apples newest store in Miami opened this Friday, January 24, in the citys dynamic downtown district.

When Apple released not one but two different versions of its new AirPods 4 in September of 2024 it changed the landscape of the company's lineup. And it might just have been a stroke of genius.The AirPods 4 come in a new, smaller case that you can take anywhere.While the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Max still sit at the very top of Apple's audio accessory pyramid, they're known quantities and simply too expensive for a whole lot of people. The arrival of a new AirPods pairing is undoubtedly the best option for millions of people and the AirPods 4 (ANC) is arguably the best wireless earbuds for most people including me.I've been testing the standard AirPods 4 and upgraded ANC version since not long after they were released and I've used them to listen to music, podcasts, and audiobooks for countless hours during that time. I expected to enjoy the ANC version the most, but what I didn't expect was for them to replace my AirPods Pro 2. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Long-time Apple executive Kim Vorrath has been moved into the Apple Intelligence team following her successes on projects from Apple Vision Pro to the original iPhone.Apple Intelligence and SiriThe claim that Apple is behind on artificial intelligence may never go away, despite the company's long history of working in the field. But a new rejigging of staff on the Apple Intelligence project at least suggests that the company believes it has work to do.Specifically, according to Bloomberg, Kim Vorrath has been appointed Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Next month in Berlin, a must-see exhibition featuring the drawings and watercolors of architectSteven Holl will be held at the Tchoban Foundation's Museum for Architectural Drawing.The exhibition, which begins February 7th, centers Holls 1988 Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek library as a focal point around which curator Kristin Feireiss chose from nearly 50,000 examples of his great oeuvre. Drawings for three of Holls unrealized projectsincluding the Palazzo del Cinema in Venice (1990) and Porta Vittoria in Milan (1986)will provide another special incentive for visitors, along with a sketch for the new Ostrava Concert Hall in that his firm previewed in 2023.

Harvard GSD is getting ready for another semester of exciting guest lectures included in our Get Lectured roundup of events taking place on campus in the new academic term.Starting off the Spring, will be the first Aga Khan Program Lecture from Souleymane Bachir Diagne on February 3. Following that are lectures from Dorte Mandrup (February 13); Deanna Van Buren (March 4); Princess Adedoyin Talabi Faniyi of Osogbo, Nigeria, and Tarna Klitzner for International Womens Day (March 6); Jala Makhzoumi (March 11); and Minsuk Cho (March 13).The semester continues withMaurice Coxs discussion with the former Mayor of ChicagoLori Lightfoot onMarch 25. Following that are lectures from Jorge Otero-Pailos (March 28); An-My L (April 1); Peter Barber (April 3); Kengo Kuma (April 8); David Sheldon-Hicks (April 15); and Ximena Caminos (April 17).NewClass of 2025 Loeb Fellow Tunde Wey will be hosting a special variety show on April 10, and the Spring terms final lecture will be delivered b...

While Dishonored 2 was a critically acclaimed title, according to former designer at Arkane Lyon, Julien Eveill, the studio might not have survived the games lack of commercial success if it werent for the fact that Arkane had good standing when it comes to designing games.In an interview with PCGamer, Eveill spoke about how expensive the game was to make, and the reputation of refined video game releases that the studio had. Interestingly, Eveill also reveals that Dishonored 2 cost more to develop than The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.It was a bit strange and weird, said Eveill. I think when Bethesda was looking at the numbers, they thought, OK, Skyrim sold so much. And it cost less than Dishonored 2 to make. So they were asking questions. From an executive spend standpoint, it makes sense to ask those questions of, Why should we keep going with you? But we knew that we had a kind of seal-of-quality protection, making what would maybe be considered the most refined games of the whole Bethesda catalogue.Eveill went on to reveal that Arkanes reputation for developing refined titles kind of saved the studio. He also spoke about the departure of studio founder Raphael Colantionio, and how studio director Dinga Bakaba was able to take control of the studio. All of these actions ended up contributing to the future success of the studio.While Arkane Lyon hasnt released any single-player titles in quite some time since the release of Deathloop, the next major game by the studio will be Marvels Blade. The game was unveiled back in December 2023 with a trailer. While few details about Marvels Blade have been revealed, we do know that it will feature a third-person camera, which will be a departure for a studio known for making first-person games.Since its originally announcement, art director Sebastien Mitton has posted a few pieces of concept art for the upcoming game. While not indicative of exactly what we can expect from the game, the concept art does indicate that Marvels Blade will take place in Paris.Arkane hasnt yet announced the release date for Marvels Blade yet, but rumours from December 2023 indicate that the studio is internally aiming for a 2027 release. The rumours did indicate that 2027 was the earliest timeframe for release; if more development time is required, the release window could get pushed back further. For context, the last major title by Arkane Lyon, Deathloop, was released back in 2021.Back in May 2024, when Arkane Austin was shuttered due to the poor sales of Redfall, Arkane Lyon director Dinga Bikaba had taken to social media to talk about the closure, and asked executives to not throw us into gold fever gambits, among other things. Bakaba did, however, confirm that Arkane Lyon was safe.For more details on Arkane Lyons previous works, check out our reviews of Deathloop and Dishonored 2, the latter of which has been critically acclaimed since its release thanks to its impressive stealth mechanics and level design.