Got 'emCheeky Diablo 4 in-game store bug causes player to buy Vessel of Hated thinking they'd get a free extra skin, only for it to fix itself afterwardsDiablo 4 managed to sell one player on the Vessel of Hatred expansion... by convincing them they're getting a free skin bundle.Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment. News by Sherif Saed Contributing Editor Published on Feb. 3, 2025 Of all the work Blizzard has been doing over the past several months to change Diablo 4s fortunes, sell players on the dramatically different game that exists today, and perhaps convince some of buying the Vessel of Hated expansion, this particular tactic has to be the most underhanded.Its very likely not intentional, but its a little amusing all the same.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Diablo 4 has an in-game cash shop that sells skin bundles, mounts, mount skins and more for - frankly - far too much money. But the more of those bundles you see at $20, the more the game effectively establishes the value of what it's selling. Which means, when you see them on sale - or, better yet, free - you know youre getting a good deal.In a very roundabout way, this is what happened to Reddit user Kilyrka, who went to check the Diablo 4 in-game store, and the Mothers Memory Prestige set for the Spiritborn class caught their eye. Prestige is the highest tier of these bundles, and this one was priced at 2,600 Platinum or about $22.That 2,600 was stricken through, however, and it was instead discounted to -1. Now, right there is when Kilyrka shouldve known that it was a bug and moved on. Instead, they had to overthink it, and assume that it was Blizzards way of pushing them to buy the Vessel of Hatred expansion, seeing as thats the only way they could use this shiny set, because its locked to the Spiritborn class, accessible only by buying VoH. Yeah... too good to be true. | Image credit: Kilyrka, Blizzard EntertainmentI (a dumb idiot) figured this was Blizzard's cheeky way of securing a sale. Buy Vessel of Hatred and we'll toss in this skin for only 1 silver! (I realize now that it's actually advertised as '-1' silver), they wrote.So thats what they did! Unfortunately, after buying Vessel of Hatred, the price of the Mothers Memory Prestige set jumped back to its actual value - though with a 40% off discount. This is what everyone else will see when they view the store, which is a strong indication that the whole -1 Platinum thing was a bug.Felt pretty scammed, I can't lie, they added.This story does have a happy ending, however, because they cancelled their order and were given a refund. Blizzard customer support has been alerted of the issue, too. Its only a shame that Kilyrka wont get to enjoy Vessel of Hatred, or the skin bundle for that matter.

Mega news for the eleventh major entry.Back in 2022, Capcom announced the blue bomber's latest outing Mega Man 11 had become the best-selling entry in the series' history.Capcom has now delivered an update on this a few years later - with the news sales have jumped from 1.60 million units to surpass the two million sales milestone. Once again, this puts it ahead of the Mega Man 2 lifetime sales (1.51M) as well as the Mega Man Legacy Collection which has sold 1.60 million units.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Asya Bradley, a former fintech founder and investor, has joined payments giant Stripe as its new head of Startup & Venture Capital Partnerships.Bradley announced the news on February 2 in a post on LinkedIn, though her bio shows that she joined Stripe back in November.Neither Stripe nor Bradley were immediately available for comment.Ending in February 2019, Bradley spent three years as the chief revenue office of Synapse, a fintech company that went under in 2024, leaving thousands of its customers surprised and stranded.She next served as the VP of revenue at a startup called Sila for five months, became a venture partner with igniteXL Ventures for one year, and, per her LinkedIn, co-founded Kinly, a financial services startup that catered to Black Americans. Kinly was sold in 2023 to Greenwood, itself a digital banking platform for Black and Latino individuals and businesses. Kinly formerly called First Boulevard, as well as Tenth had raised a total of about $20 million in funding from investors such as Gabrielle Union, Marshawn Lynch, Kevin Durant, Forerunner Ventures, Point72 Ventures, Barclays, Anthemis Group.Bradley is also a limited partner in venture funds, including Cowboy Ventures and Ganas Ventures, and sits on the investment committee of the Cap Table Coalition, a group trying to pull in investors that have been historically left out of the investing process. Richie Serna, whose day job is CEO at payments startup (and Stripe competitor) Finix, helped build CTC.Stripe operates a startup partner program in which it says it works with venture capital firms and startup accelerators to bring exclusive Stripe benefits to portfolio companies. In recent years, it has acquired a number of startups. Most recently, it announced it was in talks to acquire stablecoin platform Bridge for a whopping $1 billion. Last July, 15th totalover its lifetime when itpicked up 13-person Lemon Squeezy, a merchant of record that calculated and paid global sales tax for digital products, handling legal processing and fees in every country.Want more fintech news in your inbox? Sign up for TechCrunch Fintechhere.Want to reach out with a tip? Email me atmaryann@techcrunch.comor send me a message on Signal at 408.204.3036. You can also send a note to the whole TechCrunch crew attips@techcrunch.com. For more secure communications,click here to contact us, which includes SecureDrop and links to encrypted messaging apps.

Its never been easier to create and publish art than it is now, and if you believe the companies building tech around AI, the production process is going to get even more efficient. Thats especially the case with video production, with companies of all sizes using large language models to build tools that let you whip up decent-quality videos and animation with a few prompts and actions.Popular tools in this space include Googles Veo 2, OpenAIs Sora, Runway, Luma AI, and Shanghai-based Hailuo. Now, a South Korean startup called Cinamon is ramping up efforts to claim a part of this burgeoning market it recently raised an $8.5 million Series B round to continue building its animated video generation platform CINEV, slated to be launched in beta in the first half of 2025. Altos Ventures, an existing backer, as well as Saehan Venture Capital invested in this round.Cinamons pitch is that its platform provides a video generator that can let you build 3D environments, direct scenes and actions, place characters, edit camera angles, and more all with text prompts and sliders. According to its CEO Doosun Hong, the companys approach fundamentally differs from existing AI video generators, which create videos by generating pixels using text, images, and videos as reference materials. In contrast, CINEV combines a 3D asset library, AI motion generation, and a filmmaking-focused large language model to first construct 3D scenes complete with characters and elements, and then lets you edit them using its suite of video production and editing tools.Some of the video generation and editing tools in CINEV. Image Credits: CinamonImage Credits:CinamonOur approach enables easier direction and editing without consistency/physics issues, making it particularly suitable for longer-form content like films and dramas, Hong said. We envision CINEV to be complementary to existing AI video tools, potentially enabling new workflows where CINEVs output could serve as high-quality reference material for other AI video platforms.Cinamon started life in 2019 as Cinamon Games, a subsidiary of content production firm Vonvon. Cinamon initially set up a JV with NAVER WEBTOON, a Korean digital storytelling platform, to create Maybe, an interactive storytelling app. Facing growing data privacy concerns, Vonvon merged with Cinamon Games later in 2019 to focus solely on storytelling in the social content space. While its competitors like Crazy Maple Studio started offering animated interactive story apps, fiction apps, storytelling apps, and short-form videos, Cinamon instead chose to focus on creating 3D animation tools that could speed up and scale animation production for content creators and studios. Even though it cost more investment than tools for 2D content, they saw greater scalability potential.In 2022, the startup began building its 3D animation platform, and later integrated AI features to enhance production efficiency. In September that year, South Korean gaming company Krafton, Naver Z (a unit of Korean internet giant Naver), and SNOW, (a camera app run by Naver), invested $10 million in Cinamons Series A.Going forward, Cinamon plans to use its investors IPs and 3D assets to bolster its offering. Krafton has substantial intellectual property and 3D assets used in its Battleground games, while Naver Z operates the Zepeto metaverse platform. Cinamon says CINEV can help extend these IPs beyond gaming by enabling content creators to use these IPs, and potentially drive user acquisition for Krafton and Naver Z. Cinamon also entered Nvidias startup accelerator, Inception, last August.Our potential users include comic, manga, webtoon artists, web novel writers, game developers, video creators, and traditional animators looking for easier workflows, Hong said. In 2025, we plan to focus on customers [ranging] from individual creators to content IP companies looking for easier, faster, cheaper ways to create Anime, VTuber, and cinematic video game content.Cinamon plans to use the new capital for hiring more AI engineers and for R&D. The startup has a team of 60 staff with expertise in 3D graphics, AI, gaming, and content production. This Series B brings its total capital raised so far to $18.5 million (25 billion KRW).

The Yard VFX has joined the UK Screen Alliance, the trade association which represents the UK's Visual Effects, TV & Film Studios, Post-Production, and Animation sectors.Joining UK Screen Alliance underscores our strategy to align with partners that are genuinely advocating for the betterment of the UKs VFX industry and its entire ecosystem, said Laurens Ehrmann, founder and senior VFX supervisor at The Yard. Their advocacy and recent successes, particularly in securing a more attractive incentive structure, are perfectly aligned with our vision to expand in markets rich with talent and opportunity. We are looking forward to collaborating with other members to advance the screen sector.The new uplift to the VFX incentive and the excellent skills base in the UK, makes it an attractive place for international companies to invest, with all the right conditions for growth, said Neil Hatton, CEO of UK Screen Alliance. We look forward to The Yard participating in our meetings and events, bringing their own unique perspective and expertise.As a member, The Yard will have the opportunity to engage in shaping policy discussions, network with industry leaders, and access resources and training. The studio has crafted VFX for major international productions, including The Rings of Power Season 2, Halo Season 2, John Wick: Chapter 4, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.We are eager to apply our experience in building a vibrant, collaborative, and inclusive environment where ambitious projects and exceptional talent can thrive, added Ehrmann.Source: The Yard VFX Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologistL'Wrenbrings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.

How can a film simultaneously emerge as the Oscar frontrunner while sparking pointed discussions about architectural history, technology, and cultural insensitivity? This is precisely what The Brutalist has triggered lately. The 3 -hour cinematic epic from director Brady Corbet and starring Adrien Brody has thrilled audiences and is increasingly racking up the hatred within the architecture media while dipping into some unexpected zeitgeist controversies along the way. On January 5, the Golden Globe awards for best film, director, and actor all went to The Brutalist. Its production company A24, began the larger rollout of the film January 24 after a limited release to garner awards interest. The consensus, among film critics, at least, was that the film amounted to a masterpiece, according to sources including The Arizona Republic, Rolling Stone, and #movietok. (It certainly did better than Francis Ford Coppolas Megalopolis.) ANs own review called it an alluring bricolage of 20th-century, avant-garde architects and architecture.Public interest in Brutalist architecture has surged in the days and weeks after the Golden Globes victories, earning a 100 score on Google Trends (it usually rates a tepid 16 out of 100) right after the ceremony and hovering in the 80s since. In other words: The architecture world must surely be thrilled that a movie was making people interested in a historical yet still-meaningful topic within their industry, right? Wrong.Though the film has Las Vegas oddsmakers convinced it will win on Hollywoods biggest night (Sunday, March 2), it has become a lightning rod for the architectural community and beyond, and how a torrent of subjects directly and indirectly related to The Brutalist sent the seemingly beneficent headwinds into a swirl. The Brutalists AI BrouhahaIn mid-January, the films Oscar-nominated editor, Dvid Jancs, in an interview with the video technology publication Red Shark News about why The Brutalist was filmed using the 1960s-era format VistaVision, revealed that Corbet used generative AI to fine-tuned Brodys and costar Felicity Joness accents during the few scenes featuring Hungarian dialogue. (Most of the film features the actors speaking English with Hungarian accents.)When settling in America, Tth is forced to be away from his wife Erzsbet. (Lol Crawley)Jancs also suggested in the interview that the film features renderings of blueprints and completed buildings by architect Lszl Tth, played by Brody, which were partially generated by AI.The outcry forced Corbet to go on an unofficial press tour defending the use of AI in The Brutalist. He issued a statement to the press defending his work with Respeecher, a Ukrainian company specializing in AI voice cloning and spun the story as a feel-good way to honor Hungarian heritage. It was very important to Adrien, Felicity and myself to honour the nation of Hungary by making all of their off-screen Hungarian dialogue absolutely perfect, the director told GQ. Adrien and Felicity had to learn how to speak Hungarian in order for this to work. This technology only allowed us to make dialogue edits so that neither their American or English accents would come through.Corbet went on to deny that Tths buildings and blueprints were AI-generated, saying in a statement that all images were hand drawn by artists. To clarify, in the memorial video featured in the background of a shot, our editorial team created pictures intentionally designed to look like poor digital renderings circa 1980. Brutalism or BustEven before the AI controversy surfaced, architecture critics had begun picking apart The Brutalist for all sorts of transgressions. Foremost was that the story of Tth, a Jewish Hungarian immigrant who arrived in Pennsylvania after World War II, played out like a biopic of famed Bauhaus furniture designer-turned-architect Marcel Breuer, a Hungarian-German Jewish immigrant who came to the United States before the war.As the Oscar buzz mounts, the discussions have become more granular. Writing in The Washington Post, art and architecture critic Philip Kennicott said, Corbets depiction of architecture as a profession is painfully dated, based on a handful of 20th century messianic figures who sought not just to make buildings, but to remake the world. The film, in other words, represents a basic misunderstanding of Brutalist architecture, according to Kennicott. He wrote, For better and worse and often unfairly, architects like Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, Breuer and Mies van der Rohe (and before them all, Frank Lloyd Wright) inspired the caricatures that still haunt the profession today, especially the idea that the general public is simply not sophisticated enough to understand the beauty of a style that often feels inhuman, austere and aesthetically uncharitable.The film plays out like a biopic of famed Bauhaus furniture designer-turned-architect Marcel Breuer. (Lol Crawley)Thats not the least of its flaws, as the podcast Architecture Writers Anonymous tells it. The three co-hostsCarolina A. Miranda, Mark Lamster, and recent AN Best of Design Awards juror Alexandra Langeissue blunt assessments in the recent episode Why the Brutalist is a Terrible Movie. In the podcasts intro, asked to sum up their feelings about the film, Lamster, architecture critic for Dallas Morning News, said: If the Piano and The Fountainhead had sex, this would be the child. Lange offered: Jewish architect comes to America, encounters capitalism in the form of men in large, double-breasted suits. Miranda dismissed the film as Oscar bait that isnt really about architecture.Architecture Imitates Life?Against the backdrop of The Brutalists rise from cinematic curiosity to Best Picture contender, President Donald J. Trump was inaugurated for his second term, while the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect. In other words, sociopolitical events with connections to the films themes were playing out in real time.This in turn has led to a new wave of criticism for the film. On Substack, New Yorkbased writer and editor Whitney Mallett targeted The Brutalist for its Zionist overtones. Like the architecture critics, Mallett is not pleased with Tths Pinterest understanding of Brutalism, but she is more concerned with bigger crises: Its like, for the past ten years, theres been this fervent reappraisal of Brutalism, Mallett wrote, and now that raw concrete is on everyones moodboards, here comes this big Hollywood epic that co-opts its historical significance premiering at the precise moment when Zionist ideology is fueling a murderous campaign against the people of Gaza. (Its worth pointing out that The Brutalist is not technically a big Hollywood epic, as it reportedly was made on a $10 million budget, a shoestring sum by Hollywood standards.)Meanwhile, as President Trump swept back into office with a flurry of pronouncements, including a rehash of his first administrations admonishment to focus on beautiful federal civic architecture, some onlookers saw it as a rebuke to late modernism and Brutalism, styles that were often used for federal buildings in the capitol, including some by Breuer. Coincidentally, on January 22, Washington, D.C.s National Building Museum extended its Capital Brutalism show through June 30; it was scheduled to conclude February 17.(Lol Crawley)Why are Brutalist aesthetics so captivating today? Disillusionment with the contemporary cant-do American city, where great public-works projects seem a thing of the past, has fostered a rose-tinted view of the old megaprojects, wagered AN contributor Daniel Brook in The Nation. In other words, the style, however misguided, reminds us of an era when U.S. governments still Did Big Things. Whats Next for The Brutalist?Despite the controversies and critiques, The Brutalist continues its march toward the Oscars, where it is nominated in ten categories, including best film, best director, best actor in a leading role, best supporting actor (Guy Pearce, as an industrialist and Tths patron), best supporting actress (Jones), best screenplay, best score, best cinematography, film editing, and production design.This weekend, The Brutalist was named film of the year at the London Critics Circle Film Awards. It is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with a critics consensus of 93% positive reviews, while 80% of the general audience likes it.Guy Pearce earned a nomination for best supporting actor role, playing Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr., a wealthy industrialist. (Lol Crawley)Its box office take continues to rise, with over $18 million internationally including over $12 million domestically only two weeks after its wide release date.Still, while The Brutalist is tracking as the most successful film Hollywood has made about architecture in a long time, its unlikely to earn the type of affection afforded Field of Dreams among baseball cognoscenti, for example.Writing in The Guardian, architecture critic Oliver Wainwright listed his complaints with the film and with Corbet in particular, concluding (spoiler alert!): The architecture world awaits with bated breath the directors five-hour marathons, The Postmodernist, The Deconstructivist, and The Parametricist each to be shot with period-appropriate equipment and based on a brief skim through a coffee-table book.Even with its passing scenes that depict difficult client relations, material selections, and construction-site politics, The Brutalist falls short for many expert architectural observers. What might a blockbuster that more faithfully honors the working tribulations of architects look like? Were still waiting to find out.

A 3D-printed structure made of mud, a pavilion that draws on the midcentury design found in Palm Springs, and installations that ruminate on light and water are among the 11 installations planned to be on view at Desert X this year. In its fifth iteration, Desert X will again present a range of site-specific installations in the Coachella Valley that concentrate on themes related to nature, land, the desert landscape, migration, and identity. Participating artists in the 2025 edition hail from across the globe and include Sanford Biggers, Ronald Rael, Jose Dvila, Agnes Denes, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Raphael Hefti, Kimsooja, Kapwani Kiwanga, Sarah Meyohas, Alison Saar, and Muhannad Shono.Curated by the place it temporarily inhabits, Desert X reveals the landscape of the Coachella Valley as a canvas of real and imagined histories, narrating tales of displacement, sovereignty, and adaptation superimposed over visible testaments of time, said co-curator Kaitlin Garcia-Maestas. Garcia-Maestas is working on the annual exhibition alongside artistic director Neville Wakefield.Eleven installations will be located in various locations across the Coachella Valley from March 8 to May 11. (Lance Gerber/Courtesy Desert X)Desert X 2025 will be on view from March 8 to May 11 at sites across the Coachella Valley. Each of the participating artists responded to a prompt seeking alternative ways of looking at a world increasingly encircled by the effects of our human presence. The artistic contributions range from immersive installations to stand-along structures to design objects. Below is list of the 2025 participants with a brief description of their yet-to-be installed work.Sanford BiggersArtist Sanford Biggers considered his studies with Buddhism and his preference for clouds in his Desert X installation. His piece, titled Unsui (Mirror), will be composed of two glimmering sequin sculptures.Agnes DenesArtist and philosopher Agnes Denes will deliver a pyramid structure enlivened by plants to ruminate on themes related to nature and human life.Jose DvilaStone from a quarry south of the U.S.Mexico border makes a historical and contemporary statement in Jose Dvilas installation. The work will comprise of marble blocks and recalls Robert Smithsons concept of site/nonsite dialectics. Cannupa Hanska LugerA multimedia work by Cannupa Hanska Luger considers how Indigenous communities engage with technology by combining ceramics with sound and video elements.Raphael HeftiRaphael Hefti plays with light and space in his contribution Five things you cant wear on TV, a woven piece that is designed to move in the windy landscape.KimsoojaKimsoojas installation connects with the desert environs, while also referencing the artistss Korean ancestry. The work is a spiraling glass structure made up of translucent panels that shimmer with the full spectrum of rainbow colors. Kapwani KiwangaThe midcentury designs found in Palm Springs, California, were a jumping point for Kapwani Kiwangas Plotting Rest. The work also considers histories from the Underground Railroad and migrations, more broadly.Sarah MeyohasThe refraction of light is also a primary concern in Sarah Meyohass immersive installation, Truth Arrives in Slanted Beams. Visitors will be encouraged to project sunlight onto a ribbon-like structure spread on the desert ground to reveal myriad visual illusions, including patterns reminiscent of water.Desert X 2025 asked artists to consider human effect on nature. (Lance Gerber/Courtesy Desert X)Ronald RaelRonald Rael uses 3D printing and robotic programming to revive ancient building practices that use mud and earth as a material. The technique offers a much-welcomed solution in the times of climate crisis. Last week, his work with Virginia San Fratello as Emerging Objects was recognized with a 2025 National Design Award from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.Alison SaarFor Desert X, Alison Saar again refines her craft to use salvaged materials and objects. Soul Service Station looks to gas stations across the American West for its inspiration.Muhannad ShonoUsing fabric and sand, Muhannad Shonos What Remains ruminates on themes of identity and land. His works constant motion seeks to reveal that places are not stagnant.

close Dangers of Deepseek data on US security 'The Big Weekend Show' co-hosts discuss the impact of new artificial intelligence apps on national security and jobs. Its AI this and AI that everywhere you turn. ChatGPT and DeepSeek are dominating headlines, Google slaps AI results at the top of every search, and there are smarter options in the apps and services you use every day.Freebie alert:Im giving away my latest ebook, "50 Smart Ways to Use AI" (a $9.95 value). Hope it helps you!I hear from folks all the time on my national radio show who have no idea where to start. Thats why you have me. AI isnt going away, so lets dive into a few things you need to know and prompts to get you started.5-MINUTE CLEANUP FOR YOUR PHONE AND COMPUTERFirst, get to know the tools of the tradeThere are so many options. I recommend you start with one of the big names. Theyre easy to use, intuitive and have free options. Ive been most impressed with:ChatGPT: Its my go-to. Type in what you need and it can help you generate ideas, break down tasks, clean up your writing, fix your spreadsheets whatever.Use it on the web or download it foriPhone orAndroid. Youll need to create an account. The free tier works for most people.Perplexity: Its built for research and learning, and its my go-to for questions like "How do black holes work?" or "Explain the Ninth Amendment."DeepSeek:A newcomer out of China with a model that outperforms OpenAIs ChatGPT, Metas Llama and Google Gemini. If youre going to use it, make sure youre doing sothe secure, private way. Steps at the bottom.Another AI tool worth checking out isGoogle NotebookLM. Upload audio, notes, documents or any other files, then you can search them, find citations (from your own docs) or even produce a snazzy podcast based on your files.A listener, Bob, told me after he heard about it on my radio show, he used NotebookLM to create training modules for his employees. Needless to say, AI is here to stay and it's everywhere. Here's how to make the most of it. (Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)How to get the best results out of AI chatbotsIn reality, using AI is as simple as using Google. Still, it doesn't hurt to know a few things about how it works. Youll spend less time feeling like youre fighting the algorithms and get results you want more reliably."Priming" is the insider term for telling a chatbot exactly what you want from it. With ChatGPT or any other, the more constraints you give, the better your answer. You might say, "Limit your response to 250 words," "Give me the list in bullet points" or "Format the results as a table."Remember, AI cant read your mind. Chatbots feed us the answers they think we want based on our prompts, how theyre trained and what they know about us. Heres an easy way to give direction: Use "do" and "dont" in your prompts.Say youre cooking for friends, and some have allergies. Say, "Create a recipe for six people. Do include protein, fruits, vegetables and carbs. Dont include dairy products, shellfish or nuts."AI ISNT GOING ANYWHERE: PROMPTS TO MAKE LIFE EASIER10 AI prompts to try"How can I make this better?"Then, add in anything youve written. This prompt works wonders for polishing your work and pointing out improvements."Youre an English professor. Find any typos or grammatical errors in my blog post." Change up the persona youre asking it to assume and the specific instructions based on what you need. You can use this formula for just about anything. Try, "Youre a life coach. Help me create a plan to achieve my goal of meditating every day for a month.""Explain this like Im 10." AI is surprisingly good at making complex topics simple to understand. Use it for anything from a science lesson to finances."Remember that "InChatGPT, go to Settings> Personalization and toggle on Memory. The same thing is available on Google Gemini for Advanced (paid) subscribers. Tell it something like, "Remember, Im a tea drinker, not a coffee drinker," and itll save that info."Analyze this information. Explain any trends or insights you find." Plug in a list of numbers or any other data. Uploading a picture works, too."What is missing?" This works for everything from your vacation packing list to an important work report. The more information you provide on what should be included, the better the answer youll get back."Who are their competitors?Youre researching a new service for your business and dont know who to compare it to, or maybe youre looking for new sales prospects. Take the list with a grain of salt; some results could be outdated."Give me five creative ideas for" Stuck in a rut? Ask for new ideas for birthday gifts, business names or dinner recipes."Summarize this in three sentences."Try it for breaking down long articles, contracts or reports into takeaways. You can also ask for bullet points if your brain processes info better that way."Explain both sides of this argument." This works for politics, trends, personal dilemmas or anything else you can throw at a chatbot.Want more? Get"50 Smart Ways to Use AI" free right now. AI is a great way to brainstorm, expedite work, and even help you learn new things however, it doesn't come without flaws. (Fabian Sommer/picture alliance via Getty Images)Think of AI as your first step, not your lastAI is a fantastic tool to help you brainstorm, speed up your work and even teach you new things but its not perfect. It doesnt think for itself; it just predicts the next best response based on the data its been trained on.AI tools can make mistakes, provide outdated information or totally miss the mark. Always double-check anything important, especially when it comes to work, finances or legal matters.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPGet tech-smarter on your scheduleAward-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech.National radio:Airing on 500+ stations across the US -Find yours or get the free podcast.Daily newsletter:Join 650,000 people who read the Current (free!)Watch: OnKims YouTube channelPodcast: "Kim Komando Today" - Listen wherever you get podcastsCopyright 2025, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Nationwide Building Society said it wants to add cyber security training to its programme, which has fast-tracked more than 300 graduates in nine years.Working with cyber training specialist Capslock, Nationwide said that through the cyber security-focused training, it wants to expand the number of UK cyber experts, increase the teams diversity and create a cyber-first culture.Capslock will help Nationwide onboard, train and allocate those trained into the cyber security function. The training organisations founder and CEO, Andrea Cullen, said the programme helped cyber security professionals understand their adversaries. To combat threat actors, you must be able to think like one, she said. Thats why the UKs cyber resilience relies heavily on diversity of experience, background and thinking.Cullen said learners dont need to have a technical background. They can be graduates and career-changers with a passion for cyber and valuable transferable skills from other life experiences, she said.Participants will undergo 16 weeks training towards becoming Certified Cyber Security Practitioners with Ce-CSP certifications.One banking IT specialist who has worked in cyber security at large banks echoed Cullens comments on the importance of understanding cyber criminals. Its two sides of the same coin, which is why quite a lot of former hackers have ended up working in cyber security, they said. They know the tricks. You do need to think like the cyber criminals, because they are always trying to find the weakest link.They said the challenge facing banks was immense, and that they were in a never-ending battle with cyber criminals. Being a cyber security chief at a bank is a thankless task, they said. I dont recall ever having particular trouble recruiting cyber security experts, but thats partly because we probably underestimated how many we needed.According to Nationwide, the course simulates the real cyber security workplace, and encourages a team and problem-based approach.David Boda, chief security and resilience officer at Nationwide, which has about 18,000 staff over 16 million customers, said the programme will help the UK cyber security sector as well as the building societys own security.Theres always something new to learn when you work in cyber, but this makes staying ahead of the threat landscape challenging, he said. You need different perspectives if you want to succeed. We feel that companies like Nationwide have a responsibility to help develop the UKs cyber security skillset. Thats why weve partnered with Capslock to bring more diversity not just into the company, but into the UK cyber industry as a whole.Demand for cyber security skills is going unfulfilled. Just last week, the National Audit Office revealed that the biggest risk to making the UK government resilient to cyber attack was a deep skills gap. It said a third of cyber security roles in government were vacant or filled by temporary and more expensive staff in 2023-24, while more than half of cyber roles in several departments were vacant, and 70% of specialist security architects were on temporary contracts.Capslock said that since it launched in 2021, over 1,000 people have been trained, graduated and started cyber security jobs.Chris Skinner, CEO ofThe Finanser, said people with cyber security skills in the finance sector were valuable to wider business sectors. Where else would you look for cyber security expertise than in the industry that gets the most hacks and attacks? he said.Read more about Nationwide IT

ZDNET's key takeaways Prices for the 2024 Microsoft Surface Laptop start at $882It's a well-designed Copilot+ PC with a light, stylish form factor, and a marathon battery life.It might be lacking in port selection for some users, and an OLED option would have made it a little more premium. more buying choices What's the deal?Microsoft's Surface Laptop has kept its late 2024 discounts on Amazon. The model housing a Snapdragon X Elite chipset and 32GB of RAM is still retailing for $1,600, a $500 drop off its original price. If you want something cheaper, the Snapdragon X Plus tablet is going for $882.It's been a big year for Microsoft. All eyes have been on Windows with the release of the new CopilotAI feature, followed by a new line of laptops running on Snapdragon's ARM-compatible chip architecture and a barrage of new, hyped-up AI features. Naturally, some were welcomed, while others did not go as planned (and continue to pose questions). Also: I gave away my Kindle and iPad within hours of using this tabletAt the center of all this are Microsoft's two flagship devices, both of which are innovative and fun to use: the Microsoft Surface Laptop, and the Surface Pro, a tablet/laptop hybrid. ZDNET's Kerry Wan went hands-on with the Surface Laptop earlier this summer, but I wanted to take a closer look at this laptop after the dust had settled on the first round of Copilot+ PCs. details View at Amazon The first thing I noticed about the Surface Laptop is its sleek, lightweight design, which would be exceedingly reminiscent of a MacBook if not for the cool blue color. There's something very neutral -- non-descript, even -- about the Surface Laptop, even while retaining a unique silhouette. Minimal? Doesn't sound particularly Microsoft, does it? And yet, here we are.Available in a 13.8- and 15-inch form factor, the Surface's aluminum body comes in a few unique colorways. It sports a bright, 120Hz HDR touchscreen display, basic port selection, and, most importantly, the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor.Also: The best 15-inch laptops you can buy: Expert testedThe display looks great, although an OLED would have really been the cherry on top for this flagship device. I understand Microsoft's design choice here, though: make a good-looking HDR display with a fast refresh rate that looks an OLED but requires half the power. It makes sense.Regarding the processor, we've discussed the pros and cons of ARM architecture in Windows all year, and the bottom line remains: it's still in its early stages, so there is a potential for compatibility hiccups with certain apps, games, and accessories.Windows (mostly) does a good job of emulating programs via Prism, but issues can arise. I can say, however, that lots of progress has been made in the few months since the Snapdragon laptops have been on the market, particularly with creativity apps.Also: How to upgrade your 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 in 2025Earlier this summer, I remember struggling through Adobe Premiere on some of the brand-new Copilot+ PCs, but only a few months later, things seem to be more optimized. Running through some video editing software in Adobe and DaVinci Resolve on the Surface wasn't 100% flawless, but it was smooth enough to be considered ready to go for creators. In fact, it performed a little better on this machine for me than on other, higher-priced models. Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETThe Snapdragon X Elite on the Surface feels well-optimized. In our benchmarking of the device, we got numbers comparable to other Copilot+ PCs around the same price point, namely the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x and the Dell XPS 13.This chip is what powers this laptop's snappy performance and impressive battery life, and also what sets it apart from previous versions in the Surface line (which had rather mixed reviews), and other Copilot+ PCs.This is a laptop that feels fast and light and multitasks with ease across the Windows ecosystem. Web browsing with dozens of tabs, while connected to an external monitor feels responsive and smooth, a must for me to be considered a main driver.Also: How to clear the cache on your Windows 11 PC (and why it makes such a big difference)The touchpad is efficient, if on the sensitive side, but well-placed. The port selection is average, with two USB-Cs, a USB-A, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Unfortunately, Microsoft chose to keep its proprietary charging port instead of a standard USB-C, which would have given the laptop even more utility.The keyboard is very satisfying to type on, with well-textured and responsive keys that match the device's color scheme. If there's any laptop where the Windows Copilot key would make sense, it'd be on this laptop. The Snapdragon X Elite's integrated NPU allows for seamless interaction with the on-device AI that powers features accessible via the Copilot key, your voice, and the taskbar. Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETI have been integrating Copilot into my workflow as I learn more about how to use it effectively, and on a device like the Surface, it feels handy and efficient. I've been using it to summarize the latest emails from specific contacts, and it's particularly practical because of its speed and accuracy in this task.The Surface's battery life has been fantastic, too. I get over 15 hours of use from a single charge, and it has yet to fully deplete to zero by the time I call a benchmarking test. The combination of smart design with meaningful trade-offs is what gives this laptop its marathon battery life, and opens it up for a variety of use cases from a creator or productivity perspective. Basically, this is a laptop you can work remotely with for the whole day without a charger.ZDNET's buying adviceI mentioned this before, but the direction that Microsoft took with this laptop is, well, rather uncharacteristic. The Microsoft Surface Laptop is light, airy, and brings some fun to the Copilot+ line. I would have loved to see this laptop with an OLED display, but the one we get instead is still quite nice, especially with this fantastic battery life.The Surface Laptop is a flagship mid-range device that's well-rounded enough to take on a variety of roles. Despite a few trade-offs, it's everything it should be for the price.Featured reviews