All images Jennifer Esseiva, shared with permissionFrom Dazzling Lights to Bursting Geysers, Jennifer Esseiva Captures Icelands Diverse SceneryJanuary 24, 2025NaturePhotographyJackie AndresNicknamed The Land of Fire and Ice, Iceland is home to an exceptionally diverse array of landscapes teeming with topographical gems and majestic skies. For these reasons, its no surprise the destination is considered a haven for photographers all over the world. After dreaming of visiting the scenic country for years, 2024 finally presented an opportunity for Swiss photographerJennifer Esseiva (previously).Esseiva devoted a 10-day trip across southern Iceland entirely to the regions vast surroundings, from the black sand beaches, towering glaciers, and impressive waterfalls to the moss-covered formations and striking displays of the Northern Lights.Where many prefer to travel in sunshine, Im more interested in clouds and rain, she says. Ive always found that photographing landscapes in different weather conditions gives them another dimension, a unique grandeur.The photographer is planning a forthcoming trip in March, this time to Finnish Lapland. Keep an eye on her Instagram for more, and check out her website for past projects and prints for purchase. Next article

Using artificial intelligence (AI) for marking and lesson planning will give teachers more time with students, according to the UKs education secretary, Bridget Phillipson.Labelling the combination of technology and education a hugely exciting relationship, she told the Bett Show the current government plans to use AI to save teachers time, to ensure children get the best education possible, and to grow the connection between students and teachers. I will take up this great new technological era to modernise our education system, to back our teachers and to deliver for our children across the country, said Phillipson.The developments come in light of the governments plan for change which outlined the goal of ensuring that by 2028, 75% of five-year-olds will be of a good developmental level when they start school as well as its AI opportunities action plan, in which the government outlined its plan to use AI to revolutionise public services.Technology has always been a part of the governments plans for the future, and with a large number of companies and individuals already using technologies such as generative AI (GenAI) in their daily lives, its important the government gets its application in the public sector right.Phillipson claimed two-thirds of those using GenAI in education say its having a positive impact, and though she acknowledged tech adoption will pose a challenge as well as a benefit, she pointed out there is no choice but to adapt and change. The world of even five years ago is gone forever already a lost, obsolete age, she said.A fund of 1m has been issued to 16 developers to implement technology to help teachers with marking and personalised student feedback, which alongside the department for educations existing Oak National Academys lesson-planning tool will help reduce teacher workload.She claimed the goal is to use AI to reduce work or help unlock the recruitment and retention crisis that we face, so that once again teaching can be a profession that sparks joy, not burnout.In the interest of helping schools invest in the right technology, the department has also appointed the Chartered College of Teaching leader of developing the Edtech Evidence Board to assess what tech is already working for schools, and the recently launched Plan Technology for Your School service is designed to help schools understand what technology to buy and how to implement it.For children with special educational needs, Phillipson said edtech can be fundamental for learning, and announced that sessions for the use of assistive technology in classrooms will become a mandatory part of teacher training in 2025.Leaders have told us that the effective use of this type of technology can have a huge impact not just on academic results, but on childrens confidence in the classroom team, she said.In many cases, a lack of inclusive culture in the technology sector prevents those from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds from choosing these careers, and according to data collected about student absences, school is no different.Read more about tech skillsOver 30 projects in England and Northern Ireland will receive a share of a 1.9m fund designed to enhance cyber security skills and protect small businesses.Research by IDC and Expereo found UK CIOs are struggling to implement and maintain AI plans because of a lack of skills.Secondary schools now have access to data on student absences through the View Your Education data tool to help them understand how to tackle days missed, with Phillipson claiming some children dont attend because of a crisis of belonging. Her hope is more children will start to feel they belong in school, which will in turn increase attendance.The initiatives Phillipson highlighted, both present and future, are designed to allow teachers more time with students, and to grow the bond between teacher and pupil.It goes right back to our earliest days as humans, she said. Everything in education that has come since, everything thats delivered to the children it is sought to support, that deeply special relationship between the teacher and the taught.[Teachers] shape values, they build belonging, and thats why edtech is so exciting and so powerful, said Phillipson. Because it will help deliver a new era of learning and revitalise that bond between teacher and pupil.But there is industry concern that teachers will need extended help and education to effectively use these tools with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, citing its own research whereby 19% of teachers have no interest in using AI now or in the future.Julia Adamson, managing director for Education and Public Benefit at BCS, said: Teachers see the opportunity AI presents to transform their work and the lives of their students, from saving time on lesson plans, to personalising learning for each young person.But they need better training and guidance to grow in confidence with AI, to make sure it is used fairly and reduces disadvantage in the education system.

In a global study of the goals, priorities and strategies of chief information security officers (CISOs), security analytics and observability supplier Splunk and economic advisory firm Oxford Economics found that 82% of CISOs now report directly to CEOs, a dramatic increase from 47% in 2023.The CISO report 2025 also revealed that 83% of CISOs participate in board meetings somewhat often or most of the time. However, only 29% of CISOs said their board includes at least one member with cyber security expertise.The global study was conducted in June and July 2024 with Oxford Economics. It surveyed 600 respondents, 500 of them CISOs, CSOs, or equivalent security leaders, and 100 board members.Respondents were drawn from 10 countries: Australia, France, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, and the US. They represented 16 industries, including agriculture, financial services, government, healthcare, manufacturing and retail.Oxford Economics also interviewed eight CISOs and board members.Despite finding increased CISO participation at the highest leadership level of companies and other organisations, the research also discovered that gaps still exist between CISOs and boards.The largest gaps included innovating with emerging technologies (52% of CISOs make it a priority, versus 33% for board members), upskilling or reskilling security employees (51% for CISOs, 27% for boards), and contributing to revenue growth initiatives (36% for CISOs, 24% for boards).Only 15% of CISOs ranked compliance status as a top performance metric a significant difference with boards, at 45%. Some 21% of CISOs said they had been pressured not to report a compliance issue, and 59% said they would become a whistleblower if their organisation was flouting compliance requirements.Only 29% of CISOs said they receive the proper budget for cyber security initiatives and achieving their security goals, compared with 41% of board members who think cyber security budgets are just fine.Some 64% of CISOs said the current threat and regulatory environment makes them concerned theyre falling short, 18% said they had been unable to support a business initiative because of budget cuts in the prior 12 months, and 64% said lack of support had led to cyber attacks. Half of the CISOs also said cost-saving initiatives had reduced the arsenal of security tools at their disposal, led to hiring freezes (40%), and reduced or got rid of security training (36%).Almost all (94%) CISOs reported being victims of a disruptive cyber attack, with 55% experiencing them at least a couple of times and another 27% experiencing them many times.This nuanced picture, suggesting an enduring disconnect between cyber security professionals and boards, despite some progress, is borne out by ongoing research into the life and times of cyber security professionals that Informa TechTargets Enterprise Strategy Group publishes, in association with the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA). As the role of the CISO grows more complex and critical to organisations, CISOs must be able to balance security needs with business goals and culture, and articulate the value of security investments Shefali Mookencherry, University of Illinois ChicagoIn the most recent, and seventh iteration of this research, Jon Oltsik, analyst emeritus, and Bill Lundell, senior director of syndicated research, said: Cyber security professionals look to their CISOs to champion their cause with executives and in the boardroom. While this is happening, 24% of respondents believe CISOs arent participating enough with corporate leaders. The dangerous threat landscape and new regulations will likely amplify CISO voices in the near future. Meanwhile, cyber security professionals stress that CISOs need strong communication and leadership skills most, reflecting the business nature of the job.That report found that nearly two-thirds of respondents said their CISO regularly interacts with the board of directors, but just more than half said this level of interaction was adequate.In the Splunk report, 53% of CISOs said their responsibilities and job expectations have become more difficult since they took the job.When asked what skills CISOs should develop, the biggest gaps were:Business acumen (55% for boards, 40% for CISOs).Emotional intelligence (45% for boards, 35% for CISOs).Communication (52% for boards, 47% for CISOs).Regulation and compliance knowledge (44% for boards, 57% for CISOs).Splunks own CISO, Michael Fanning, said in connection with the report: As cyber security becomes increasingly central to driving business success, CISOs and their boards have more opportunities to close gaps, gain greater alignment and better understand each other to drive digital resilience.For CISOs, that means understanding the business beyond their IT environments and finding new ways to convey the ROI [return on investment] of security initiatives to their boards. For board members, it means committing to a security-first culture and consulting the CISO as a primary stakeholder in decisions that impact enterprise risk and governance. Bringing these groups together requires educating boards on the details of cyber security, and for CISOs to understand the language and needs of the business while also making security a business enabler.Shefali Mookencherry, chief information security and privacy officer at the University of Illinois Chicago, added: Leading and managing the cyber security and privacy programmes at a higher education institution requires strong collaboration and communication with everyone from board members to privacy leaders, staff, faculty and students to ensure security is integrated into all aspects of the organisation.As the role of the CISO grows more complex and critical to organisations, CISOs must be able to balance security needs with business goals and culture, and articulate the value of security investments. By establishing strong relationships across various departments and stakeholders, CISOs can provide guidance and leadership to propel cyber security and privacy programmes.The study found board members with a CISO background report having stronger relationships with security teams and feel more confident about the organisations security posture.Board respondents themselves reported excellent or very good working relationships between CISOs and boards in setting and aligning strategic cyber security goals 80% for boards with a CISO member, versus 27% for boards without a CISO member. Boards with CISOs emerged as boasting better communication about project progress and hitting goals 60% for boards with a CISO member, versus 16% for boards without a CISO member.CISOs with good board relationships are also more likely to be given the go-ahead for generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) use cases, such as creating threat detection rules (43% versus 31% of other CISOs), analysing data sources (45% versus 28% of other CISOs), incident response and forensic investigations (42% versus 29% of other CISOs), and proactive threat hunting (46% versus 28% of other CISOs).Read more about CISOs and leadershipIT leaders hiring CISOs aplenty, but dont fully understand the role.CISO Success Stories: How security leaders are tackling evolving cyber threats.Ideal CISO reporting structure is to high-level business leaders.

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American PrimevalNetflixThere are obvious dethronings that happen every so often in the Netflix top 10 list, and this time around, it was easy to see this one coming. After two weeks of mostly being on top of Netflixs Top 10 list, The Night Agent has returned for its second season and immediately planted itself at #1 on the chart.This is the furthest thing from a surprise given that The Night Agent season 1 is the seventh most popular English language series in Netflix history, despite being less high profile than many others. Id probably classify it as a sleeper hit, but it may be breaking out of that categorization at this point as it did end up putting up huge numbers, not just good ones.Netflix knows this, which is why season 3 of The Night Agent was greenlit a month before season 2 even aired here. Given that was the case, hopefully it means that the gap between seasons could be shortened, as the wait between season 1 and season 2 was 22 months, nearly two years. Not all that unusual for Netflix but I think people are certainly getting sick of these kinds of waits.Top 10NetflixThe rest of the list is full of old and new programming. XO Kitty season 2, a former #1, is down to #4 and it has not been renewed yet. I would not be shocked if it was, however, as its a cheap series, performs well and is a part of Netflixs To All the Boys I Loved Before cinematic universe which yes, is a thing.MORE FOR YOUHitting the list at #3 is a new reality show, WAGs to Riches, which stands for Wives and Girlfriends, and it follows the significant others of Miami celebrities who are now trying to turn into celebs themselves via a Netflix reality show. Being the third most-watched series in America right now puts them on that path, certainly. All eight episodes are already out, which is sometimes not the case with Netflix reality shows, but this one isnt a competition or dating experiment. Well, not in the traditional sense anyway.Squid Game is at #5 and well see if its still putting up viewership speed records soon. Younger is doing great at #6 still and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is staying on the list at #8, a great performance. Bringing up the rear at #10 is Missing You, the new Harlan Coben series when those usually do really well on Netflix. This one? Not quite as good, it seems. Well see how all this develops and just how long The Night Agent is going to stay on top.Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

For organizations considering the adoption of scalable AI for demand forecasting, its essential to approach implementation strategically.

Home Elon Musk and Sam Altman Battle on X over Trumps Data Center Project Stargate News Elon Musk and Sam Altman Battle on X over Trumps Data Center Project Stargate4 min read Published: January 24, 2025 Key TakeawaysElon Musk questioned the financial capacity of Stargate backers, including SoftBank, sparking a public spat with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.The $500 billion AI infrastructure project Stargate is aimed at advancing physical and virtual AI capabilities, with $100 billion already invested.Musks xAI competes with OpenAI and Stargate, with ongoing legal disputes over OpenAIs shift from its non-profit roots.Just hours after Trump announced Stargate in tandem with the top members of OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, Elon Musk took to Twitter to question the legitimacy of the value of the investment that the investors had pledged.Stargate is a $500 billion AI infrastructure project thats expected to take the physical and virtual AI infrastructure to the next level. Companies have already invested $100 billion to get the project started.Musk Claims the Backers Dont Have the Money RequiredSoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority, said Elon Musk on X shortly after the largest-ever investment in AI was announced. This led to a thread of sarcastic Xeets (we cant call them tweets anymore, can we?) between Elon Musk and the CEO of Open AI, Sam Altman.In response to Musks comments, the CEO of OpenAI, who was present at the White House alongside Donald Trump on the day of the Stargate launch, said, Wrong, as you surely know. Want to come visit the first site already underway?The said site is a data center under construction in Abilene, Texas. [Stargate] is great for the country. I realize what is great for the country isnt always whats optimal for your companies, but in your new role I hope youll mostly put [America] first, Altman wrote, after dismissing Musks tweet.Altman later added a sweet note saying that he genuinely admires Musks accomplishments and is of the opinion that hes the most inspiring entrepreneur. I dont think [Musk is] a nice person or treating us fairly, but you have to respect the guy, and he pushes all of us to be more ambitious. Sam AltmanTrump stepped in and shrugged off the comments of his prominent ally, Elon by saying the criticism was not an indictment of the deals viability but a clear case of bad blood with one of the members of this deal ( which evidently, is Altman).He further clarified to the reporters, I dont know if they do [have the funds], but you know, theyre putting up the money the governments not putting up anything, theyre putting up money. Theyre very rich people, so I hope they do.The Actual Context Behind This FiascoThis controversy starts to make a little more sense when we take into account that Musks company, xAI, is not just a competitor of Stargate but also in a lawsuit with OpenAI alleging that the latter had betrayed its founding aim as a non-profit research lab.Elons xAI is currently building its own big data center in Memphis, Tennessee, and he continues to escalate the dispute by adding claims and asking for a court order to prevent OpenAI from converting into a for-profit business.In the past, Musk has openly said that he feels his company faces unfair competition from OpenAI, seeing as the latter has access to a larger pool of computing resources. Consequently, xAI is also looking for infrastructure to develop its AI systems.The Ground RealityAs for the actual truth, a source familiar with Stargate said that the assertion isnt true, as Softbank has $24.3 billion of cash on its balance sheets per its latest earnings and is comfortable taking debt to fund the project.Additionally, Oracle has $11 billion in cash on its balance sheet, MGX has $100 billion in capital commitments, and OpenAI recently announced it has more than $10 billion from its recent round of venture capital funding.Add Techreport to Your Google News Feed Get the latest updates, trends, and insights delivered straight to your fingertips. Subscribe now! Subscribe now Vlad is Tech Report's Executive Editor. With over a decade of experience in tech content, he's passionate about computer hardware, an advocate of online privacy, and strongly believes in the open-source, scarce-money nature of cryptocurrency.When hes not working, hes traveling with his partner and their cat, learning Python, or reading good books. He never owned a PC he did not build. View all articles by Vlad Melnic Our editorial processThe Tech Reporteditorial policyis centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written byreal authors.More from News View all News TikTok Makes a Comeback After Trump Assumes Office Alpa SomaiyaJanuary 22, 2025 View all

Facepalm: Italy's Piracy Shield anti-piracy system has become a subject of intense debate and scrutiny since its launch in early 2024. Designed to combat live sports piracy by rapidly blocking piracy-related domain names and IP addresses, the system is being criticized for its broad powers and unintended consequences. While Piracy Shield has successfully blocked numerous pirate sources, it has also been plagued by incidents of overblocking. Reports indicate that legitimate services such as Google Drive and Cloudflare have been inadvertently blocked, causing disruptions for Italian internet users. These incidents have raised concerns about the system's accuracy and its potential impact on lawful online activities.The tech industry has recently voiced its apprehensions about Piracy Shield. The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), representing major tech companies like Amazon, Cloudflare, and Google, expressed serious concerns in a letter to the EU Commission. While acknowledging the system's intent to protect intellectual property rights, the CCIA argues that the DNS and IP-level blocking measures employed by Piracy Shield are overly broad and potentially harmful.One of the most significant incidents occurred on October 20, 2024, when Google Drive was mistakenly blocked by Piracy Shield. This error resulted in a three-hour blackout for all Italian users, with lingering effects for a substantial portion of users even after 12 hours.The CCIA has also raised concerns about the lack of transparency and adequate safeguards in Piracy Shield's implementation. The fact that the system was developed by a company affiliated with soccer league Serie A, one of the few rightsholders currently authorized to use it, has led to questions about potential conflicts of interest.In addition to blocking concerns, recent amendments to Italian copyright law have introduced new reporting obligations for intermediary providers. These changes, which include potential criminal penalties for non-compliance, have been criticized for potentially conflicting with EU law and creating a chilling effect on online expression and innovation. // Related StoriesThe tech industry is calling for significant reforms to Piracy Shield, including more robust verification protocols, enhanced transparency, and improved redress mechanisms for affected users. The CCIA has gone so far as to urge the EU Commission to engage with the Italian government to halt the anti-piracy measures pending a thorough review of their legality under EU law.As Piracy Shield approaches its first anniversary, its effectiveness in reducing illegal sports streaming remains debatable. While some data suggests a potential decrease in pirate traffic, conclusive evidence of its impact on new subscriber uptake and customer retention for legal services is still lacking.

The big picture: Sony, LG, Panasonic, and retailers in general have been gradually withdrawing from the Blu-ray business for years as consumers increasingly favor streaming and other forms of digital distribution. However, some market indicators suggest that demand for physical media hasn't completely evaporated, with many consumers harboring concerns over quality and ownership. Sony recently announced plans to end Blu-ray media production in February, delivering yet another heavy blow to the future of physical media. The company will also cease manufacturing recording MiniDiscs, MD data, and MiniDV cassettes.This news follows Sony's decision last year to stop producing writable 25GB BD-REs, 50GB BD-RE DLs, 100GB BD-RE XLs, and 128GB BD-R XLs for consumers. In this week's brief announcement, Sony confirmed that "Blu-ray media production" will halt, though the exact formats affected were not specified.Manufacturers have been steadily exiting the Blu-ray market for years, as physical media sales continue to decline in favor of digital distribution. Panasonic, for example, stopped producing Blu-rays in 2023, citing weakening demand amid the growing popularity of streaming. Similarly, Best Buy discontinued sales of Blu-rays, Ultra-HD Blu-rays, and DVDs later that year.Sony has also acknowledged that the Blu-ray storage market never lived up to expectations. When the company announced the end of BD-R production last year, LG followed suit by exiting the Blu-ray player market a few months later. Currently, Sony and Panasonic are the last remaining major manufacturers of Blu-ray drives.It remains unclear how Sony's decision to end Blu-ray production will affect the distribution of physical games for its PlayStation consoles. The recently launched PlayStation 5 Pro does not include an optical drive by default, but demand for one was so strong that Sony's optional $80 Blu-ray drive attachment sold out quickly after the PS5 Pro's launch last fall. // Related StoriesThe retreat from Blu-ray manufacturing also carries significant implications for the home video market. While streaming dominates the landscape, many consumers continue to prefer physical discs for various reasons.Although the quality of 4K streaming is likely good enough for most viewers, Ultra-HD Blu-rays offer substantially higher bitrates. Furthermore, retaining a physical disc signifies true ownership of media, as content is never permanently available on streaming services.For now, major Hollywood films still receive physical home video releases. Meanwhile, consumer demand for discs has spurred a wave of Ultra-HD Blu-ray remasters of classic films from distributors like the Criterion Collection and others.

Its a brand new generation of Nvidias best graphics cards, but it still feels like dj vu. The RTX 5090 comes with a recommended list price (MSRP) of $2,000 and its set to hit the market on January 30, but some scalpers are already selling the card on eBay. Were no strangers to scalper prices, what with the GPU shortage weve all witnessed during the RTX 30-series, but the RTX 5090 is truly hitting new heights here, with some models priced at a whopping $7,000.As spotted by VideoCardz, some people have already gotten their hands on the RTX 5090, and they took to eBay to sell those cards at a premium. Many sellers dont actually have inventory right now, which is not surprising, given that the card isnt available yet; only reviewers got their GPUs early. Some listings say that the cards wont ship until February 5, which is a week after the release date, at which point it makes little sense to already buy an RTX 5090 at such a huge markup.Recommended VideosAnd when I say huge, I meanhuge. Scalper prices are never fun, but these cards are being sold for up to $7,000. Those offers dont have any bids wonder why but there are some listings ranging from $2,750 to $3,950 which have up to 30 bids each. This means that people are out there, buying these cards at nearly half the price, from sources that are often pretty dubious.The listing I shared above, which is currently at $3,950 and has a shocking 10 bids, was posted by a person who claims to be an employee of a certain technology retailer. They claim that they have a few guaranteed slots for the RTX 5090, which means that theyll be able to snag them early. The store expects to receive a shipment of RTX 5090s around January 30, and the seller warns that therell be a minimum waiting period of ten days between the retailer getting the cards and the buyer receiving their GPU.Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming Whats worse, this $4,000 GPU comes with no refunds or returns. The seller notes: Any potential faults with the product cannot be attributed to me, the seller. Any lack of functionality is considered a manufacturer defect, and as the seller, we cannot be attributed to fault. By purchasing this item, you agree to these terms. We do not provide refunds or accept returns.Needless to say, we dont recommend buying the RTX 5090 at scalper prices. It does seem like the RTX 50-series might have limited availability at first, which means that these cards will be sold in this manner, but its almost always better to wait it out even if it takes a few months.Editors Recommendations