Genoese architecture studio Caarpa has restored the Church of Nostra Signora della Costa in Levanto, Italy, installing a mezzanine to complement the original ornamentation.With a history predating its 14th-century consecration, the historic building was transformed by Caarpa into a versatile space for conferences, seminars and events.Caarpa has restored the Church of Nostra Signora della Costa in LevantoThe building's evolution had seen various owners and expansions that drastically altered the interior by interventions such as lowering the floor, selling off marble cladding and adding a plain concrete slab to divide the space.By the mid-20th century, the church had fallen into disrepair due to rapid urban development and neglect.The church was converted into a space for conferences, seminars and eventsCaarpa's renovation of the Church of Nostra Signora della Costa introduced a contemporary steel structure known as the cantoria, the Italian term for a choir gallery, creating a private mezzanine that overlooks the main hall.Positioned near the entrance of the church, its linear design contrasts the ornate frescoes and stucco decorations. The two curved "capitals" that support the structure are a subtle nod to classical architecture.The studio installed a powder blue steel structure known as the cantoriaCrafted from micro-perforated metal panels, the cantoria's staircase spirals up to the mezzanine, allowing visitors a close-up look at the preserved 18th-century details and the view from a large trefoil window.The structure was finished in a powder blue to match the church's existing walls.Read: Studio Acht adds "strict yet delicate" additions to historic Czech provostry"We tried to balance the client's request to add space without compromising the beautiful spatiality of the building," Caarpa told Dezeen."The idea was to create a 'cantoria' that would not only increase the usable surface area with a more private space but also introduce new views and perspectives of the ancient building."A spiral staircase leads to the mezzanineIn the presbytery and apse, the studio restored the frescoes and stuccoes and cleaned them of patina, while deliberately exposing traces of the church's 20th-century history.The restored ornamentation complements the raw pastel shades and missing plaster on the walls, which have been left visible to highlight the building's more recent struggles.A large trefoil window on the mezzanine offers views of Levanto village"In this part of the building we wanted to leave the story of the 20th-century events exposed," the studio explained."We consolidated the pastel shades, the covered traces and the missing plasters as an informal expression of recent history. We wanted to create a contrast between the two parts of the church to describe its entire history."The stripped altars were treated with lime putty to reveal their original form while the flooring was replaced with slate tiles arranged linearly with borders every three rows.The frescoes and stuccoes were restored while parts of the walls were left exposedFounded in Genoa in 2017, Caarpa is an architecture studio whose works explore the relationship between architecture and landscape in a historical context.Other recent projects involving renovations of historic church buildings include the addition of modern interventions to a provostry in Prague and the conversion of a church in Transylvania into a guesthouse.The photography is by Anna Positano | Studio Campo.The post Caarpa transforms Italian church into event venue with mezzanine addition appeared first on Dezeen.

This craft-cutting machine is my new go-to for card art, HVT and more.

If you've moved your system to an external drive, Apple Intelligence normally won't work, but there's a workaround. Here's how to enable it.Enable Apple Intelligence when starting up from an external drive.In our previous article we showed you how to enable Apple Intelligence and the ChatGPT extension on your Mac. But if you want to start up your Mac from an external drive and use Apple Intelligence, you'll be blocked.While you can still use Siri while booted into an external drive, Apple Intelligence will be disabled. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

As with the PS3, Sony will begin gradually phasing out PS4 games from its PlayStation Plus service. It confirmed that said titles will only occasionally appear in its monthly line-up and Game Catalog starting from January 2026.This is due to many players currently playing on PS5 and having shifted towards redeeming and accessing PS5 titles from the Monthly Games and Game Catalog. However, games that are playable on PS4 and PS5 will still be included. Any monthly PS4 titles that subscribers have redeemed will also remain in their libraries.Game Catalog, offered with Extra and Premium, is a different story. PS4 titles will remain playable until the monthly refresh, which could result in their departure. It will likely depend on the newer titles added to the Catalog each month. Either way, the consistency of PS4-only releases will be slowing down.Head here for more details on February 2025s offerings, including Payday 3 and High on Life. You can also check out this months titles, which are available until February 4th.

The next wave of titles coming to PlayStation Plus Essential has been revealed. Starting February 4th, subscribers can play Payday 3, High on Life and Pac-Man World Re-Pac.Payday 3 is playable only on PS5 and offers co-op heist-focused shooting. While it had an awful launch, Overkill Software has since released numerous updates, quality-of-life changes and content. Granted, its still not at the level of Payday 2, but it could satisfy longtime fans who want to try something new.High on Life and Pac-Man World Re-Pac are playable on PS4 and PS5. The former is a first-person shooter from Squanch Games with Rick and Morty-esque humor as players battle an alien cartel to save humanity. The latter is a remake of 2004s Pac-Man World, a 3D platformer unlike its arcade brethren (though the original classic is unlockable).All three titles will be available until March 3rd. Check out this months offerings here, including Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

Significant progress has been made in short-form instrumental compositions in AI and music generation. However, creating full songs with lyrics, vocals, and instrumental accompaniment is still challenging for existing models. Generating a full-length song from lyrics poses several challenges. The music is long, requiring AI models to maintain consistency and coherence over several minutes. The music incorporates intricate harmonic structures, instrumentation, and rhythmic patterns rather than speech or sound effects. AI-generated lyrics often suffer from incoherence when merged with musical elements, and paired lyrics-audio datasets are scarce for effectively training AI models.This is where YuE, an open-source foundation model family by the Multimodal Art Projection team, emerges, rivaling Suno AI in song generation. These models are designed to create full-length songs lasting several minutes, from lyrics with capabilities to vary background music, genre, and lyrics. The model family comes with different variants with parameters up to 7 billion. Some of the models of the YuE series on Hugging Face include:YuE employs advanced techniques to tackle the challenges of full-length song generation, leveraging the LLaMA family of language models for an enhanced lyrics-to-song generation process. A core advancement is its dual-token technique, which enables synchronized vocal and instrumental modeling without modifying the fundamental LLaMA architecture. This ensures that the vocal and instrumental elements are harmonious throughout the generated song. Also, YuE incorporates a powerful audio tokenizer, which reduces training costs and accelerates convergence. This ensures that the generated audio maintains musical integrity while optimizing computational efficiency.Another unique technique used in YuE is Lyrics-Chain-of-Thoughts (Lyrics-CoT), which allows the model to generate lyrics progressively in a structured manner, ensuring that the lyrical content remains consistent and meaningful throughout the song. YuE also follows a structured three-stage training scheme, which enhances scalability, musicality, and lyric control. This structured training ensures that the model can generate songs of varying lengths and complexities, improves the natural feel of the generated music, and enhances the alignment between the generated lyrics and the overall song structure.YuE stands out from prior AI-based music generation models because it can generate full-length songs incorporating vocal melodies and instrumental accompaniment. Unlike existing models that struggle with long-form compositions, YuE maintains musical coherence throughout an entire song. The generated vocals follow natural singing patterns and tonal shifts, engaging the music. At the same time, the instrumental elements are carefully aligned with the vocal track, producing a natural and balanced song. The model family also supports multiple musical genres and languages.When it comes to using it, YuE models are designed to run on high-performance GPUs for seamless full-song generation. At least 80GB GPU memory (e.g., NVIDIA A100) is recommended for best results. Depending on the GPU used, a 30-second segment typically takes 150-360 seconds. Users can leverage the Hugging Face Transformers library to generate music using YuE. The model also supports Music In-Context Learning (ICL), allowing users to provide a reference song so the AI can generate new music similarly.YuE is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 License. It encourages artists and content creators to sample, modify, and incorporate its outputs into their works while crediting the model as YuE by HKUST/M-A-P. YuE opens the door to numerous applications in AI-generated music. It can assist musicians and composers in generating song ideas and full-length compositions, create soundtracks for films, video games, and virtual content, generate customized songs based on user-provided lyrics or themes, and aid music education by demonstrating AI-generated compositions across various styles and languages.In conclusion, YuE represents a breakthrough in AI-powered music generation, addressing the long-standing challenges of lyrics-to-song conversion. With its advanced techniques, scalable architecture, and open-source approach, YuE is set to redefine the landscape of AI-driven music production. As further enhancements and community contributions emerge, YuE has the potential to become the leading foundation model for full-song generation.Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our70k+ ML SubReddit.(Promoted) Sana HassanSana Hassan, a consulting intern at Marktechpost and dual-degree student at IIT Madras, is passionate about applying technology and AI to address real-world challenges. With a keen interest in solving practical problems, he brings a fresh perspective to the intersection of AI and real-life solutions.Sana Hassanhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/sana-hassan/TensorLLM: Enhancing Reasoning and Efficiency in Large Language Models through Multi-Head Attention Compression and TensorisationSana Hassanhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/sana-hassan/A Comprehensive Guide to Concepts in Fine-Tuning of Large Language Models (LLMs)Sana Hassanhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/sana-hassan/Microsoft AI Introduces CoRAG (Chain-of-Retrieval Augmented Generation): An AI Framework for Iterative Retrieval and Reasoning in Knowledge-Intensive TasksSana Hassanhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/sana-hassan/Leveraging Hallucinations in Large Language Models to Enhance Drug Discovery [Recommended] Join Our Telegram Channel

LatestMachine LearningEvent-Driven Prediction: Expanding Mamba State Space Models for Conditional Forecasting 0 like January 30, 2025Share this postAuthor(s): Shenggang Li Originally published on Towards AI. A Novel Approach Combining Markov Decision Theory and Neural State Space Models for Stock Price PredictionThis member-only story is on us. Upgrade to access all of Medium.Photo by Ella Jardim on UnsplashImagine youre trying to predict stock prices, but instead of just guessing whether the price will go up or down tomorrow, youre asking a smarter question: What happens if tomorrows price crosses a certain threshold? For instance, if a stock price drops below a key support level, whats likely to happen in the following days? This kind of conditional forecasting is not only more insightful but also mirrors real-world decisions made in financial markets.The problem is that traditional time series models arent built for these what if scenarios. Thats where Markov Decision Theory meets neural state space models like Mamba to create something new. By extending the classic state space framework, we can bake future conditions like tomorrows price event directly into the prediction process. Think of it as giving the model a crystal ball, allowing it to consider not just the past but also what might happen next.In this new approach, we explore how adding event-driven dynamics to Mamba state space models unlocks exciting possibilities for forecasting. We connect these ideas to Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) to show why theyre so Read the full blog for free on Medium.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post

John Edwards, Technology Journalist & AuthorJanuary 30, 20255 Min ReadBartlomiej Wroblewski via Alamy Stock PhotoA growing number of security experts are warning that quantum computing might soon devastate existing cryptographic systems, leading to a security crisis that could devastate businesses and governments worldwide.Researchers and other security experts are drawing a direct parallel between the pending quantum security danger and the notorious Y2K threat, only on a much larger scale. In essence, the current basic and widely-used encryption mechanisms, such as factorization-based cryptography, are highly vulnerable to quantum computings processing power.AvalancheThe major security issue is the ability of quantum computers to rapidly break cryptographic algorithms, which are used in multiple security architectures and products, says Doug Saylors, partner and cybersecurity lead, with global technology research and advisory firm ISG. He notes in an email interview that modern cryptography is easily broken by quantum computing. As a result, file encryption becomes completely worthless. "Imagine every private conversation, every strategic plan, every forecast or product under development, all out in the open for public consumption, from competitors to suppliers to partners," Saylors states. The reputation damage alone, he believes, "could be bankruptcy-inducing."Related:Cryptographers have demonstrated that quantum computers can break asymmetric encryption algorithms, such as RSA and ECC, which are widely used for secure communication and digital signatures, says Archana Ramamoorthy, senior director, regulated and trusted cloud, at Google Cloud. This vulnerability can enable attacks, such as 'store now, decrypt later'. "As a result, the longevity of hardware firmware signatures generated by similar asymmetric encryption algorithms is also threatened," she warns in an online interview. "In contrast, symmetric cryptography appears less vulnerable to quantum attacks."Everybody KnowsQuantum security's biggest challenge is identifying the exact date on which a solution will be needed, says Tom Patterson, quantum security global lead at business advisory firm Accenture, in an email interview. "Unlike Y2K, when we knew exactly when it would happen, but we didnt know what would happen, with QDAY we know exactly what will happen and what to do about it, but we're not sure if it's needed in a day or a decade." The challenge for IT and security leaders today, he adds, "is where to slot quantum security into their five-year plan, and how best to get started today."Responding to the threat quantum computing poses to current asymmetric algorithms, leading organizations, including the U.S. National Institute for Science and Technologies (NIST), are now working with researchers worldwide to create and test cryptographic algorithms that are resistant to the power of quantum computers. "The aim is to standardize these quantum-resistant algorithms and complete a thorough crypto analysis," Ramamoorthy says.Related:According to Ramamoorthy, NIST has already endorsed three quantum-safe algorithms, based on extensive research and analysis by the global cryptographic community: FIPS 203, FIPS 204 and FIPS 205. "These algorithms address key exchange for secure communications and digital hashes used in various cryptographic operations," she says, adding that NIST is also considering additional algorithms to further bolster the security of digital certificates. "This ongoing work is crucial to safeguarding the privacy and security of our digital lives and ensuring that our communications remain confidential and protected."The FutureThe solution side of quantum security is advancing even faster than quantum computers themselves, Patterson observes. "We now have the first of many new NIST encryption standards that aren't susceptible to a quantum computing decryption attack, which is great progress and great news." He adds that "crypto agility, a data encryption practice used to ensure a rapid response to a cryptographic threat, is gaining traction, helping enterprises to actively manage new NIST standards as they appear.Related:There are also advances being made in using quantum information science itself to defend against quantum computing attacks. With new research, development, and early deployments of quantum key distribution (QKD), a secure communication method that implements a cryptographic protocol incorporating components of quantum mechanics which, when perfected, will provide a way to exchange keys anywhere without fear of compromise, the future looks far from hopeless.Closing TimeQuantum security is a good-news story in that there are already solutions to mitigate the critical new risk, Patterson says. He believes that upgrading old and vulnerable encryption methods early will help enterprises save time and money while lowering current and future risks. "While there's a cost to do the upgrade, running on the latest secure encryption is no more expensive than running old vulnerable encryption, so it's good from a budgeting perspective as well."The light at the end of the tunnel is the fact that quantum computing can be used to defend against quantum attacks, and researchers are already beginning to catalog presumed attack vectors and design countermeasures, Saylors says. "We're still three to five years out from the potential for an attack, but quantum-based countermeasures could prevent the attack from spreading to other organizations."About the AuthorJohn EdwardsTechnology Journalist & AuthorJohn Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications, including Computerworld, CFO Magazine, IBM Data Management Magazine, RFID Journal, and Electronic Design. He has also written columns for The Economist's Business Intelligence Unit and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Communications Direct. John has authored several books on business technology topics. His work began appearing online as early as 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he wrote daily news and feature articles for both the CompuServe and Prodigy online services. His "Behind the Screens" commentaries made him the world's first known professional blogger.See more from John EdwardsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports

Winter temperatures have dropped across the country, and the extreme cold has been pushing up monthly energy bills.In December, 40% of the monthly inflation increase was attributed to a rise in overall energy costs. An exclusive CNET survey found that most households expect to pay $688 on energy bills over the course of the winter months (December through February), with households in the northeast expecting to pay an average of $804 for the season. That's not surprising to Wael Kanj, a senior research associate for Rewiring America. Kanj has been paying close attention to household energy costs, and he's noticed a 30% increase over the past four years. As energy costs rise, six in 10 (62%) of US adults expect their winter energy bill will put a squeeze on their finances. Currently, 11% of US adults (which breaks down to approximately 28 million Americans) are already behind on their energy bills, according to the survey. "Winter energy costs could be a burden for households, especially depending on where they live," Kanj said. If you're struggling to afford your energy bill, there are steps you can take to lower your costs without sacrificing your comfort. "Heating and cooling make up by far the biggest source of energy use in our homes, meaning the best way to save money is to reduce how much energy you use to warm your home." Jon Reed, a CNET senior editor and energy expert Here's a breakdown on how much people expect to pay this winter, expert cost-saving solutions and resources to get help if you're struggling to pay high energy bills. Average winter energy bill costs Last summer, the US Energy Information Administration found that US adults paid an average of $135 per month among the top 10 states with the highest electricity bills. Winter energy costs are driving up monthly bills even more. Depending on where you live, costs could exceed this amount. Residents in the northeast expect to pay close to $288 on average. Those living in the southern part of the US anticipate the lowest energy bills, at nearly $220 per month. How this winter's energy bills are affecting US adults' finances Approximately 62% of US adults expect this winter's energy bills to strain their finances. Here's a breakdown of how they plan to afford their energy bills: What's driving up energy bills? Several factors can impact your winter energy bill, including the makeup of your home, the type of fuel you use and how much you pay for it. Kanj said the bulk of your energy bill isn't from running your appliances or lights -- it's how much it's going to cost to heat your home. It's also how you're heating your home -- such as the appliances and fuel you're using. Your area's climate can also impact your thermostat temperature and how often you run your furnace. Even though the weather is out of your control, there are steps you can take to lower your energy costs. How US adults plan to stay warm and reduce energy costs Most of the energy-saving efforts below can help lower your bill, but only to a certain extent depending on your home's appliances and weatherization. There's also a chance that you'll need to make other long-term efforts to lower your bill. Here's a breakdown of how US adults are staying warm while hoping to keep their energy costs down. Some of these measures can help you lower your energy bill, while others aren't as effective, Kanj said. For example, using a smart thermostat and lowering your home's temperature while you're away can conserve energy and save your money. However, Reed said that you may still save significantly on your energy bill if you're able to run a lower temperature in the winter, even for a few hours a day while you're at work. "In the winter, the best way to keep your heating bill down is to keep your thermostat at 70 degrees or lower," Reed said. You shouldn't lower your thermostat to an uncomfortable or unsafe point, however, warned Kanj. "There's a limit to how low you should set your thermostat in the winter. You want to make sure your home is still warm enough that your water pipes won't freeze, creating a huge headache and costly repairs, or that you'll be too cold for comfort," Reed said. "Most thermostats won't go much lower than 60. Keep in mind that no amount of energy savings is worth sacrificing your health, comfort or safety." Space heaters are typically heated with electric resistance, and can heat a small space -- like one room in your home without driving up your energy bill. "If you only need to keep part of your home warmer at one time, consider using a space heater while keeping your main thermostat setting lower," Reed said. Space heaters are a great way to warm one part of your home, as long as you use them safely. However, if you use multiple space heaters, you could end up increasing your electric bill, Kanj said. Read more: We Did the Math and Found Money Savings With a Space HeaterOutside of lowering your thermostat and using a space heater, Kanj recommends insulating and weatherizing your home to keep heat inside and prevent cold air from leaking in to make the biggest impact on your energy bill. Check how well-sealed your doors and windows are to prevent heat from seeping out. And make sure your attic, basement and walls. Long-term energy-saving steps you can take There may not seem like much you can do to drastically lower energy costs right now, but there are some steps you can take to help you save money in the future. Long-term energy-saving steps you can take There may not seem like much you can do to drastically lower energy costs right now, but there are some steps you can take to help you save money in the future.Upgrade your home appliances: If your appliances aren't energy efficient, maybe it's time for an upgrade. If you're unsure if your appliance is efficient, look for the Energy Star label. These products meet government-standard efficiency requirements and could save money on your bill.Consider a heat pump: If your furnace is nearing the end of its lifespan, Kanj recommends installing a heat pump as your heating and cooling system. A heat pump uses air and water to control your home's temperature, and the savings can add up to $1,000 annually, Kanj said.Get a home energy audit: You can schedule a home energy audit with your utility provider. An assessor will examine your home room-by-room and review past energy bills to identify energy-saving upgrades. Energy audits can cost a few hundred dollars, but the costs can be claimed as a tax credit.Look into community solar programs:You may have access to solar energy without installing panels on your roof. Some areas have a nearby solar power farm. You'll pay a portion of the electricity to use it, but you can save money on your monthly bill. Some energy efficiency recommendations may seem costly, but Kanj noted that there are credits and state-level rebates to reduce upfront costs on some energy-efficient appliances. The Weatherization Assistance Program uses funding from the Department of Energy to cover energy-efficient repairs and upgrades. Rewiring America can create a personalized electrification plan to show you your estimated savings by switching to energy-saving appliances. What to do if you can't afford to pay your energy bill If you can't afford to pay your energy bill, there are programs available to help. First, Kanj recommends checking to see if your utility provider offers a utility assistance program. For example, South Carolina residents who have Duke Energy may qualify for help from the Share the Light Fund to cover reconnection fees, deposits and energy bills. Your utility provider may also have payment plans and assistance depending on your eligibility. Some energy providers also offer due date extensions, payment installment plans, and service moratoriums to prevent disconnection during the colder months. For example, Duke Energy's Electric Service Moratorium may keep service from being disconnected between Dec. 1 and March 31 for 30 days -- with an extension every 30 days -- if you meet certain criteria. Other federal utility assistance programs can help, including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which offers assistance covering energy bills, weatherization, and energy-related repairs and crises. Eligibility depends on the state, income and household size. MethodologyAll figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov. Total sample size was 2,531 adults, of whom 1,777 pay their home energy bills. Fieldwork was undertaken between Jan. 7-9, 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18 and older).

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