While your Windows computer should be pretty well locked down with a password or maybe even some kind of biometric protection, its impossible to guarantee that no one else is ever going to get access to it, whether its a thief swiping your unlocked laptop from a coffee shop or one of your kids wanting to play a few games while youre doing something else. Whatever the reason, knowing how to hide files and folders from view can be really useful. These files wont pop up during normal file browsing, and theyll be difficult to find even if someone is specifically looking for them.And youve got a choice of ways to go about it, ranging from features built into File Explorer to third-party options.Using Windows File ExplorerYou can hide files and folders inside File Explorer. Screenshot: MicrosoftBy default, Windows File Explorer hides certain files and folders from view. Typically, these are important system files, which shouldnt be accessed or edited. You can see these files and folders if you want to:From any File Explorer window, click the three dots in the top toolbar.Click Options on the menu that pops up.On the View tab, enable Show hidden files, folders and drives.Click OK to confirm.To hide any of your own files or folders:Right-click on the file or folder.Choose Properties from the context menu.On the General tab, check the Hidden box.Click OK to confirm.As long as File Explorer is configured to not show hidden files and folders, the items youve selected wont be visible. This applies wherever File Explorer is used so in dialogs for opening files inside applications, for example.Its a quick and easy way of protecting files and folders you dont want to be seen, but its hardly the most secure anyone who knows their way around File Explorer will be able to get it to show hidden files again. If you need something more comprehensive, youll have to turn to a third-party tool.Using Folder LockFolder Lock protects selected files and folders with a password. Screenshot: NewSoftwares.netThere are several third-party tools to pick from here, which dont so much hide your files and folders as lock them from view. If someone accesses your Windows system, theyll be able to see that something is hidden, but theyre not going to be able to get at whatever youve locked away.The best option Ive used personally is Folder Lock. Its straightforward and reliable, and while there is a Pro version you can get for $39.95, the free version will be enough for most people. You get 1GB of space inside your locker, and you can keep it synced between two devices.During the setup process, youll be asked where you want to store your locker. Its a good idea to have it buried deep in some subfolders rather than sitting somewhere prominent like the desktop. You also need to specify an email address and password for gaining access to your digital locker.If Folder Lock isnt running, your locker wont be visible in File Explorer. To add files to your locker and see what youve stored in it, launch the app from the Start menu and log in. By default, your locker automatically opens in File Explorer (in settings, you can change it so its sitting on your homescreen instead if you want):Drag files and folders into your locker folder to hide them.Double-click on locked files and folders to open them.To hide everything, click Lock on the Folder Lock panel.Whenever your locker is open, it works like any other folder in Windows. You can delete files, duplicate files, and copy and paste them in the normal way. As soon as you lock it or close Folder Lock, they vanish from view.The program also includes a Secrets section, where you can store passwords, notes, and credit card information, and a Safeguard feature for securely shredding digital files (overwriting them with random data, essentially).Everything is encrypted using AES 256-bit encryption and you can back up your locker to a cloud storage service (such as OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox) for extra peace of mind.See More:

Scrap Raylib Powered Visual Programming Language / News / February 1, 2025 / No Code, Programming LanguageThere is a new Visual Programming language available, Scrap. It is a free and open source (GPL v3 licensed) project that is heavily inspired by the Scratch programming language, which was made using the excellent C/C++ Raylib game framework. The big difference between Scrap and Scratch is a focus on advanced users and performance.Key differences of Scrap from Scratch include:Faster runtime (Still not faster than Turbowarp because Scrap is interpretedfor now)The addition of separate else if, else blocks (C-end blocks as i call them), which eliminates a lot of nested checks with if-else blocks (i.e. more flexible variant of if-else block in Snap!)Variables can have a lifetime, which avoids variable name conflicts and allows to make temporary variablesCustom blocks can return values and can be used as an argument for other blockVarious string manipulation blocks and bitwise operator blocksData type conversion functionsMore strict checks for [[] = []] and [[] != []] blocks. Now they are case sensitive and will check data type for equalityLists are now a data type instead of a different type of variable, this allows nesting lists inside a list (although its not very convenient as of right now)The code runs in a separate thread. This solves some performance issues compared to ScratchModularized interface. Most of the interface can be rearranged or moved to another tabScrap is available on Windows and Linux.Key LinksScrap GitHubScrap DownloadsRaylib FrameworkYou can learn more about Scrap in the video below.

Developing AI agents capable of independent decision-making, especially for multi-step tasks, is a significant challenge. DeepSeekAI, a leader in advancing large language models and reinforcement learning, focuses on enabling AI to process information, predict outcomes, and adjust actions as situations evolve. It underlines the importance of proper reasoning in dynamic settings. The new development from DeepSeekAI captures state-of-the-art methods in reinforcement learning, large language models, and agent-based decision-making to ensure that it stays on top of the current AI research and applications. It deals with many common problems, such as decision-making inconsistencies, long-term planning issues, and the inability to adapt to changing conditions. However, AI can take suboptimal actions or even commit errors without a proper reasoning mechanism.Many AI training methodologies suffer from problems of inconsistent processing, which, in turn, leads to errors on tasks that necessitate multiple decision-making rounds. These approaches do not describe an environment that, through the action of AI, provides a complete understanding of the consequences, due to which results are unanalyzed and obscure. Also, training is implemented in a step-by-step procedure by which there are breaks in learning sequences, and reward functions become unstable, resulting in the lack of suitable long-term policy development. Therefore, decision and problem-solving systems become inefficient and ineffective. The DeepSeekAI solves this dilemma by providing more integrated and well-streamlined training, helping AI make good, consistent, dependable decisions while quickly adapting to new environments.Meet RAGEN, the first reproduction of DeepSeek-R1(-Zero) methods for training agentic models, to address challenges in training AI agents for multi-step reasoning and real-world tasks. DeepSeekAI, known for its advancements in large language models and reinforcement learning, developed DeepSeek-R1 to enhance agentic reasoning through structured training. Unlike other methods that struggle with inconsistent batch processing, limited planning, and unstable rewards, RAGEN streamlines training using a two-phase approach: a rollout phase where environment states and model-generated reasoning tokens are processed together and an update phase where only critical tokens (actions and rewards) contribute to learning, ensuring stable batch rollouts and improving decision-making. The framework efficiently prevents instability from variable sequence lengths by generating reasoning and action tokens during rollout, executing only actions in the environment, and reinforcing strategic planning through reward aggregation in the update phase. Tested on the Sokoban puzzle environment, RAGEN showed that smaller models perform comparably to larger ones and that models without explicit instructions adapt well. RAGEN enhances sequential decision-making by reproducing DeepSeek-R1s training methodology, making it valuable for applications like logistics automation and AI assistants.RAGEN enhances the training of AI agents by eliminating inconsistent decision-making, unstable rewards, and planning limitations. By mimicking DeepSeek-R1s approach, it guarantees stable learning and better adaptability. Tested on the Sokoban puzzle, it showed that smaller models perform well as an efficiency indicator. As a baseline for future research, RAGEN can help refine AI training methods, improve reinforcement learning, and support advancements in general-purpose AI systems.Check out the GitHub Page. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our70k+ ML SubReddit.(Promoted) Divyesh Vitthal JawkhedeDivyesh is a consulting intern at Marktechpost. He is pursuing a BTech in Agricultural and Food Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He is a Data Science and Machine learning enthusiast who wants to integrate these leading technologies into the agricultural domain and solve challenges.Divyesh Vitthal Jawkhedehttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/divyesh-jawkhede/Light3R-SfM: A Scalable and Efficient Feed-Forward Approach to Structure-from-MotionDivyesh Vitthal Jawkhedehttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/divyesh-jawkhede/Quantization Space Utilization Rate (QSUR): A Novel Post-Training Quantization Method Designed to Enhance the Efficiency of Large Language Models (LLMs)Divyesh Vitthal Jawkhedehttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/divyesh-jawkhede/ByteDance Introduces UI-TARS: A Native GUI Agent Model that Integrates Perception, Action, Reasoning, and Memory into a Scalable and Adaptive FrameworkDivyesh Vitthal Jawkhedehttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/divyesh-jawkhede/Alibaba Researchers Propose VideoLLaMA 3: An Advanced Multimodal Foundation Model for Image and Video Understanding [Recommended] Join Our Telegram Channel

A German startup plans to jumpstart European EVs with an AI-powered brain.Sphere Energy built the system to simulate battery behaviour. The company then predicts a power sources lifetime in numerous scenarios, from driving styles to temperatures on the road.According to Sphere, the insights shrink the battery testing cycle by at least a year. Developing a car, meanwhile, could be completed at least twice as quickly.Sphere envisions endless benefits: manufacturers will save millions, car prices will plummet, and innovations will increase at exponential rates.The startups co-founder, Lukas Lutz, said the plans are unprecedented.The of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!Nobody right now not even Tesla can accurately estimate the lifetime of their battery, Lutz told TNW. This is something that will be really groundbreaking.A lifeline for European EVs?Sphere unveiled the project last month at the IBM Research Lab in Switzerland.In a futuristic facility overlooking Lake Zurich, the startup introduced an AI brain called Batty.Batty was initially trained on years of testing data from over 1,000 batteries. Car manufacturers also mix in their own information. The system then simulates a specific batterys life under various conditions.Customers can test the effects of speeding down motorways and crawling around mountains, applying fast and slow chargers, driving in searing summers and freezing winters. Every aspect will impact the batterys degradation.The systems power derives from the transformer architecture the founding stone of todays large language models (LLMs). But Spheres approach doesnt rely solely on text. The startup extends the models scope by integrating time-series data. As a result, the system can simulate a batterys behaviour over years.The approach adds a new twist to the LLM paradigm. While a chatbot predicts the next best word, Batty will predict the next best data point.Car companies have been impressed by the results. According to Sphere, the majority of European manufacturers have already used the tech.Batty could provide a vital boost to the continents EV makers, which are rapidly losing market share to their Chinese rivals.Battery development is a huge pain for them and it shouldnt be, Lutz said. We really want to take away the burden.But batteries are just the start of Spheres ambitions. The company envisions simulating endless energy applications, from electric boats to grid storage.Alongside IBM, the startup is also exploring new levels of simulating batteries.With these foundation AI models, we understand atomic level behaviour intrinsically, Lutz said. But we want to go sub-atomic with quantum. Story by Thomas Macaulay Managing editor Thomas is the managing editor of TNW. He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers. Away from work, he e (show all) Thomas is the managing editor of TNW. He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers. Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse). Get the TNW newsletterGet the most important tech news in your inbox each week.Also tagged with

The rapid spread of artificial intelligence has people wondering: whos most likely to embrace AI in their daily lives? Many assume its the tech-savvy those who understand how AI works who are most eager to adopt it.Surprisingly, our new research (published in the Journal of Marketing) finds the opposite. People with less knowledge about AI are actually more open to using the technology. We call this difference in adoption propensity the lower literacy-higher receptivity link.This link shows up across different groups, settings, and even countries. For instance, our analysis of data from market research company Ipsos spanning 27 countries reveals that people in nations with lower average AI literacy are more receptive towards AI adoption than those in nations with higher literacy.Similarly, our survey of US undergraduate students finds that those with less understanding of AI are more likely to indicate using it for tasks like academic assignments.The reason behind this link lies in how AI now performs tasks we once thought only humans could do. When AI creates a piece of art, writes a heartfelt response or plays a musical instrument, it can feel almost magical like its crossing into human territory.Of course, AI doesnt actually possess human qualities. A chatbot might generate an empathetic response, but it doesnt feel empathy. People with more technical knowledge about AI understand this.They know how algorithms (sets of mathematical rules used by computers to carry out particular tasks), training data (used to improve how an AI system works) and computational models operate. This makes the technology less mysterious.On the other hand, those with less understanding may see AI as magical and awe inspiring. We suggest this sense of magic makes them more open to using AI tools.Our studies show this lower literacy-higher receptivity link is strongest for using AI tools in areas people associate with human traits, like providing emotional support or counselling. When it comes to tasks that dont evoke the same sense of human-like qualities such as analysing test results the pattern flips. People with higher AI literacy are more receptive to these uses because they focus on AIs efficiency, rather than any magical qualities.Its not about capability, fear, or ethicsInterestingly, this link between lower literacy and higher receptivity persists even though people with lower AI literacy are more likely to view AI as less capable, less ethical, and even a bit scary. Their openness to AI seems to stem from their sense of wonder about what it can do, despite these perceived drawbacks.This finding offers new insights into why people respond so differently to emerging technologies. Some studies suggest consumers favour new tech, a phenomenon called algorithm appreciation, while others show scepticism, or algorithm aversion. Our research points to perceptions of AIs magicalness as a key factor shaping these reactions.These insights pose a challenge for policymakers and educators. Efforts to boost AI literacy might unintentionally dampen peoples enthusiasm for using AI by making it seem less magical. This creates a tricky balance between helping people understand AI and keeping them open to its adoption.To make the most of AIs potential, businesses, educators and policymakers need to strike this balance. By understanding how perceptions of magicalness shape peoples openness to AI, we can help develop and deploy new AI-based products and services that take the way people view AI into account, and help them understand the benefits and risks of AI.And ideally, this will happen without causing a loss of the awe that inspires many people to embrace this new technology.Chiara Longoni, Associate Professor, Marketing and Social Science, Bocconi University; Gil Appel, Assistant Professor of Marketing, School of Business, George Washington University, and Stephanie Tully, Associate Professor of Marketing, USC Marshall School of Business, University of Southern CaliforniaThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Story by The Conversation An independent news and commentary website produced by academics and journalists. An independent news and commentary website produced by academics and journalists. Get the TNW newsletterGet the most important tech news in your inbox each week.Also tagged with

I was someone who grew up with a Gameboy Color in my hands. I would play games like Pokemon, Ray-Man, and Super Mario until my fingers cramped. So, last year, when Apple opened the gates and allowed emulator apps like Delta into the App Store, I was all over it. It was awesome playing my old games on my iPhone. Although the app does a great job with haptic feed to mimic physical buttons, there is really nothing like the real thing. So when I saw the GAMEBABY at CES this year, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Be sure to check out our hands-on video review below. It gives you a good idea of how everything works and even demos it live.The GAMEBABY caseSo, what is the Gamebaby? At its core, its actually very simple. Its a regular case for your iPhone that comes in two parts. The top portion houses the camera cutout, and then the bottom portion has all the magic. When you use it as a regular case, its just thata regular case. Multi-colored design (Yellow and beige)Made of plastic materials Gold accented volume rocker, action button, and lock buttonCamera bump lipPill-shaped camera control cut-outHow it worksSo, how does this actually work? The first thing you might notice is that nothing digital is happening. There is no Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or USB-C connectivity, and the case does not need any batteries. So, how is this all going to work? If you look at the inner portion of the bottom of the case, you see a bunch of black pieces of material under each button. This is the same material used in stylus pens for iPhones. The material mimics a finger touch input onto the screen, so each time you press the buttons down, the iPhone will be responsive to it. Delta Emulator & GAMEBABYThe best way to use this is alongsideDelta Emulator. Check out our video here to learn more about Delta. Delta is a free emulator app that emulates a few consoles, most importantly GameBoy Color and Gameboy Advance. One of Deltas features is that it lets you upload custom Gameboy skins, so you can essentially change the layout and look of the buttons. If you try to use Delta emulator and theGAMEBABYwithout the GAMEBABY skin, it will not work.In the packaging, there is a QR code that takes you to the GAMEBABY skin download. Simply download it, open the zip file through the Delta app, and then you will have theGAMEBABYskin. The skin will now match the layout of the physical buttons.Once you are all set up, it is very simple. Slide off the bottom portion of the case, flip it over, and slide it back on. Now, you have a set of physical buttons to use when you are playing your beloved retro games. Since the phone thinks that each button press is your finger, you still get the awesome haptic feedback, which I love. I have used this thoroughly, and from my testing, it has a 99% hit rate. There was only one time where i had to re-press the button because the screen didnt receive the input.One thing to note about this case, though, is that due to button placement and the two-piece nature of the case, there is no Magsafe support. The case is easy to remove and put on again, but with the case on, MagSafe accessories will not work.Final verdict, pricing & availability For someone like me, this is a no-brainer purchase or gift. Whether I use it as my main case or just bring the case in my bag, I will be using it a lot: on the subway, during commutes, on road trips, on airplanes. It can be used anywhere. Since no electronics or an app are needed to use it, they are able to keep the price low, even lower than some normal cases.The GAMEBABY is available for pre-order with an early bird price of $24.99. Final retail pricing will be $39.99 with shipments coming in Q1. Right now it is only avaialble for the iPhone 15 Pro Max and 16 Pro Max. As there is more demand they will be able to support more iPhone models.What do you think of this? Is it a good idea? Would you use it? I can see this being a nice gift for anyone who still enjoys playing retro games.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

The emergence of Chinese AI startup DeeSeek upended Silicon Valley earlier this week, punching a massive $1 trillion hole through the tech industry. The company's highly efficient yet high-performing "reasoning' model, dubbed R1, suggested that Wall Street may be massively overspending on computing power to run its AI systems.Now it's coming out that DeepSeek rattled employees at ChatGPT maker OpenAIso deeply that it'scausing a major rift among the company's staff.As Wired reports, insiders are concerned that OpenAI could soon fall behind DeepSeek, at least in part due to a power struggle between the company's research and product groups.While OpenAI's latest o1 "reasoning" model created by the researchgroup gets the most public attention, "leadership doesnt care about chat," one former employee who worked on chat told Wired.Another former OpenAI researcher added that DeepSeek did "similar" reinforcement learning for its own R1 reasoning model, "but they did it with better data and cleaner stack."Put simply, OpenAI's o1 model remained experimental, allowing DeepSeek to come out ahead."It was like, 'Why are we doing this in the experimental codebase, shouldnt we do this in the main product research codebase?" one employee in the research told Wired. "There was major pushback to that internally."The AI industry's turmoil this week raised plenty of glaring questions: are investors really overpaying companies like OpenAI, which have been hellbent on scaling up their AI models' abilities by spending vast sums of money on power-hungry datacenters?According to the Wall Street Journal, the Sam Altman-led company is now looking to raise yet another $40 billion, a round of funding that could balloon its already colossal valuation to a lofty $340 billion.That's in part an effort to shore up enough cash for Trump's shiny Stargate AI infrastructure deal, which is aiming to raise a whopping $500 billion in just four years.It's an astronomical amount of money to be pouring into unproven tech, and investors were clearly spooked by DeepSeek's groundbreaking advancements.Whether OpenAI can regain the crown and calm investors remains to be seen. The company opened up its next-generation "reasoning" model dubbed o3-mini to all users for free today, a lighter-weight and therefore cheaper-to-run model.It's almost certainly intended as a response to DeepSeek, whose open-source models are also available for free.(OpenAI also has the advantage,by the way,of not being beholden to Chinese censorship or being a perceived risk to national security by the White House.)Now that DeepSeek has thrown the gauntlet, investors are likely to push for greater efficiency. But that doesn't necessarily mean OpenAI is about to downscale its operations any time soon."You do need less compute per unit of intelligence, but people are still going to want more units to scale up even more," independent AI policy researcher and former OpenAI employee Miles Brundage told Wired.Share This Article

Security researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and hardware conglomerate Cisco have found that DeepSeek's flagship R1 reasoning AI model is stunningly vulnerable to jailbreaking.In a blog post published today, first spotted by Wired, the researchers found that DeepSeek "failed to block a single harmful prompt" after being tested against "50 random prompts from the HarmBench dataset," which includes "cybercrime, misinformation, illegal activities, and general harm.""This contrasts starkly with other leading models, which demonstrated at least partial resistance," the blog post reads.It's a particularly noteworthy development considering the sheer amount of chaos DeepSeek has wrought on the AI industry as a whole. The company claims its R1 model can trade blows with competitors including OpenAI's state-of-the-art o1, but at a tiny fraction of the cost, sending shivers down the spines of Wall Street investors.But the company seemingly has done little to guard its AI model against attacks and misuse. In other words, it wouldn't be hard for a bad actor to turn it into a powerful disinformation machine or get it to explain how to create explosives, for instance.The news comes after cloud security research company Wiz came across a massive unsecured database on DeepSeek's servers, which included a trove of unencrypted internal data ranging from "chat history" to "backend data, and sensitive information."DeepSeek is extremely vulnerable to an attack "without any authentication or defense mechanism to the outside world," according to Wiz.The Chinese hedge fund-owned company's AI made headlines for being far cheaper to train and run than its many competitors in the US. But that frugality may come with some significant drawbacks."DeepSeek R1 was purportedly trained with a fraction of the budgets that other frontier model providers spend on developing their models," the Cisco and University of Pennsylvania researchers wrote. "However, it comes at a different cost: safety and security."AI security company Adversa AI similarly found that DeepSeek is astonishingly easy to jailbreak."It starts to become a big deal when you start putting these models into important complex systems and those jailbreaks suddenly result in downstream things that increases liability, increases business risk, increases all kinds of issues for enterprises," Cisco VP of product, AI software and platform DJ Sampath told Wired.However, it's not just DeepSeek's latest AI. Meta's open-source Llama 3.1 model also flunked almost as badly as DeepSeek's R1 in a comparison test, with a 96 percent attack success rate (compared to dismal100 percent for DeepSeek).OpenAI's recently released reasoning model, o1-preview, fared much better, with an attack success rate of just 26 percent.In short, DeepSeek's flaws deserve plenty of scrutiny going forward."DeepSeek is just another example of how every model can be broken its just a matter of how much effort you put in," Adversa AI CEO Alex Polyakov told Wired. "If youre not continuously red-teaming your AI, youre already compromised."Share This Article

Do you know what the No. 1 cause of death is in America? According to the CDC, it's heart disease, which causes more deaths than cancer, accidents and COVID-19. In a 2025 American Heart Association report, the organization reveals that someone dies of cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds. With that in mind, when was the last time you had your heart checked?February is American Heart Month, just in time for Valentine's Day, meaning that it's a great time to schedule your annual physical to get your heart screened by your doctor. Knowing more about your heart can help you make lifestyle adjustments to prevent risk of heart disease, America's silent killer. What is heart disease? Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. Heart disease is a general term used to describe several conditions that affect the heart, including but not limited to arrhythmias, valve disease and congenital heart defects. The most common heart disease is coronary artery disease, which impairs the blood vessels, hinders blood flow to the heart and can increase your risk of a heart attack.Heart disease frequently goes undiagnosed until symptoms of a heart attack or heart failure present themselves. Regular heart disease screenings are essential to help you get ahead of many health scares.What causes heart disease?Heart disease can happen at any age. In the case of congenital heart disease, it can happen at birth. Other times, it develops throughout our lives, like coronary artery disease, slowly progressing as plaque builds up. The cause of heart disease will vary depending on the type of condition. Let's focus on coronary heart disease since it's the most common type people experience.The causes of coronary heart disease are genetics, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking. Essentially, your heart has to work harder because things are standing in the way, putting more strain on the organ than necessary. Your heart can only function for so long under excessive stress.The CDC says that almost half of Americans have at least one risk factor for heart disease. That's why you should get screenings regularly. Now let's dig into when you should.Hint: it's before symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pressure or weakness present themselves.When should you get screened for heart disease?The American Heart Association recommends that routine screenings should start at age 20. That sounds early, but heart disease can affect younger people, too. By starting regular screenings at 20, your doctor can establish a baseline for your body and monitor changes as you age. At this stage, even if you are not considered at high risk (see below), it's important tomonitorblood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose and lifestyle factors through family history, physical exams and blood tests. Routine screenings for those at lower risk should beas follows:Blood pressure: If your blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg, testing should be done every year, or more often if your blood pressure is higher.Cholesterol: Normal-risk adults should have their cholesterol tested every four to six years. Those at higher risk for heart disease and stroke may need testing more often.Blood glucose:This should be done at minimum every three years starting at age 45.Lifestyle factors: With each doctor's visit, factors like physical activity, diet and smoking will be discussed.High-risk factors require more frequent monitoring Su Arslanoglu/Getty ImagesRegular screenings for all patients should begin at age 20 and proceed in intervals. However, if you're at high risk for cardiovascular disease, you're likely to be screened more frequently. Risk factors include high blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking, a family history of heart disease, your age and your lifestyle.If you are more at risk, additional cardiovascular testing may be necessary, especially if you are experiencing symptoms associated with heart disease, such as an irregular heartbeat.Additional tests can include:Electrocardiogram: To measure your heart's rhythm and electrical activity, you may need an EKG or ECG. It's a painless, noninvasive method of monitoring heart function. All it takes is a few sticky electrodes on your chest. Your doctor may require you to wear a portable ECG called a Holter monitor for a few days to get a fuller picture.Echocardiogram: There are times when your doctor may want to look at the structure of your heart. An echocardiogram involves an ultrasound machine to assess how your heart pumps.Stress tests: Cardiac stress tests are basically ECGs with exercise. Your doctor will attach the electrodes to your chest, and you will either walk, run or pedal while your doctor monitors your heart's response. You may also be asked to breathe into a tube for a few minutes.Cardiac computed tomography angiography: This noninvasive test uses X-rays to create a 3D image of your heart. It can help doctors find the presence and percentage of narrowing in the coronary arteries and blood vessels.Peripheral angiography: X-rays and contrast dye help your doctor locate narrowed or blocked areas in arteries supplying blood to the legs and feet or arms and hands.Practical tips to prevent heart disease FG Trade/Getty ImagesHeart disease is serious, but it's also largely preventable and treatable, especially with regular screenings. You have more control over your heart health than you think. Try adding these daily habits to your life to lower your risk of heart disease.Quit smoking: Smoking is one of the main causes of heart disease. Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do to reduce your chances of developing heart disease.Get moving: Exercise is the oldest advicein the books for a reason. To maintain heart health, aim for 150 minutes ofmoderateweekly exercise, which is only 30 minutes daily for five days.Monitor your health at home: There are at-home heart rate, blood pressureandglucose monitors, as well asfitness trackers,that can help you monitor your health between doctor visits.Fine-tune your diet: Eating foods thatnourish your bodyis essential to heart health. As often as you can, avoid foods high in saturated and trans fats. Look for opportunities in your diet to make healthy swaps. Always opt for nutrient-rich meals that include vegetables and whole grains.Too long; didn't read?Don't just take a "good enough" approach to your health. The heart is one of the body's most vital organs, and sometimes it's hard to know when it's sick. That's why heart health screenings start so early. High blood pressure and high cholesterol are some of the most common conditions, and unfortunately, they significantly increase your risk of developing heart disease.Regular screenings and checkups are among the best tools to determine your health and help you make changes that can lower your chances of developing heart disease.

Table of Contents The 2025 Oscars ceremony will take place in about a month, and you can see most of the films up for awards without abandoning your cozy spot on the couch.Emilia Prez-- the most-nominated movie this year -- has 13 nods, and The Brutalist and Wicked aren't far behind with 10 nominations apiece. The list of films vying for best picture includes those three, along with Anora, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, I'm Still Here, Nickel Boys and The Substance.Many award contenders are on streaming services -- just a few remote clicks away if you have a subscription -- and we'll continue to update this roundup as more join that club. This guide includes all the nominees you can watch in the US and where to find them. Don't be discouraged by the length -- you've still got until March 2, the date the Oscars air on ABC and Hulu, to check out films.Note:These descriptions have been pulled straight from official websites for the films and from press websites and occasionally edited for style.On Hulu Searchlight Pictures A Real Pain (2 nominations) Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin star in the dramedy.NominationsBest supporting actorBest original screenplay See at Hulu 20th Century Studios Alien: Romulus (1 nomination) While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.NominationBest visual effects See at Hulu Disney Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (1 nomination) In this entry in the sci-fi franchise, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.NominationBest visual effects See at Hulu On Peacock Peacock Conclave (8 nominations) This thriller follows one of the world's most secretive and ancient events -- selecting the new Pope. Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini are among the cast.NominationsBest pictureBest actorBest supporting actressBest adapted screenplayBest costume designBest original scoreBest film editingBest production design See at Peacock On Disney Plus Disney Inside Out 2 (1 nomination) The sequel returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new emotions.NominationBest animated feature See at Disney Plus This Machine/Disney Plus Elton John: Never Too Late (1 nomination) Elton John takes audiences back in time and recounts the extraordinary highs and heartbreaking lows of his early years and how he overcame adversity, abuse and addiction to become the icon he is today.NominationBest original song See at Disney Plus On Disney Plus and Hulu Disney Sugarcane (1 nomination) This documentary is set amidst a ground-breaking investigation into abuse and death at an Indian residential school.NominationBest documentary feature See at Disney Plus On Paramount Plus Paramount Pictures Gladiator II (1 nomination) In this sequel to 2000's Gladiator, Commodus' nephew Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors, who now lead Rome with an iron fist.NominationBest costume design See at Paramount Plus MTV Documentary Films I Am Ready, Warden (1 nomination) In the days leading up to his execution, Texas death row prisoner John Henry Ramirez seeks redemption from his victim's son.NominationBest documentary short See at Paramount Plus Dogwoof Black Box Diaries (1 nomination) Note: This film isn't available with the $8-per-month Paramount Plus Essential plan. To watch it, you'll need the $13-per-month Paramount Plus with Showtime plan.The documentary follows director and journalist Shiori Ito's courageous investigation of her own sexual assault in an improbable attempt to prosecute her high-profile offender.NominationBest documentary feature See at Paramount Plus On Netflix Shanna Besson/Path Emilia Prez (13 nominations) In this musical, the fearsome cartel leader Emilia enlists Rita, an unappreciated lawyer stuck in a dead-end job, to help fake her death so that Emilia can finally live authentically as her true self. Karla Sofa Gascn, Zoe Saldaa and Selena Gomez star.NominationsBest pictureBest directingBest actressBest supporting actressBest adapted screenplayBest makeup and hairstylingBest original scoreBest cinematographyBest film editingBest international feature filmBest original song (2 nominations)Best sound See at Netflix Netflix Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (1 nomination) In this claymation adventure, Wallace invents a "smart" gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own.NominationBest animated feature See at Netflix Pablo Larran/Netflix Maria (1 nomination) This biopic follows the American-Greek soprano Maria Callas as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye.NominationBest cinematography See at Netflix Laura Radford/Perry Well Films 2/Netflix The Six Triple Eight (1 nomination) This drama is inspired by the first and only Women's Army Corps unit of color to serve overseas in WWII.NominationBest original song See at Netflix Netflix The Only Girl in the Orchestra (1 nomination) This short film is about trailblazing double bassist Orin O'Brien, the first female musician in the New York Philharmonic.NominationBest documentary short See at Netflix On Max A24 A Different Man (1 nomination) Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance.NominationBest makeup and hairstyling See at Max On Max and Netflix Warner Bros. Pictures Dune: Part Two (5 nominations) The follow-up to 2021's Dune: Part Two continues the adaptation of Frank Herbert's acclaimed bestseller.NominationsBest pictureBest cinematographyBest production designBest soundBest visual effects See at Max On AMC Plus Mongrel Media Memoir of a Snail (1 nomination) ThisNominationBest animated feature See at AMC Plus On Mubi Mubi The Substance (5 nominations) This body horror film follows a former A-lister drawn to the opportunity presented by a mysterious new drug. All it takes is one injection and she is reborn -- temporarily -- as a gorgeoustwentysomething. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley star.NominationsBest pictureBest directingBest actressBest original screenplayBest makeup and hairstyling See at Mubi Mubi The Girl with the Needle (1 nomination) Young factory worker Karoline struggles to survive in Copenhagen in the aftermath of World War I. She meets Dagmar, a charismatic woman running an underground adoption agency that helps mothers find foster families for their unwanted children.NominationBest international feature film See at Mubi On Vimeo Seattle International Film Festival A Lien (1 nomination) On the day of their green card interview, a young couple confronts a dangerous immigration process.NominationBest live action short See at Vimeo On YouTube The New Yorker Incident (1 nomination) A collection of surveillance and body-camera footage offers a raw look at the 2018 shooting of Harith Augustus, and at the immediate attempts to shape the story.NominationBest documentary short