Researchers at Osaka University in Suita, Japan, have devised a novel way to improve the performance of electronic devices. The study, published in ACS Applied Electronic Materials, involved laying down a metamaterial called vanadium dioxide (VO) on top of a traditional substrate like silicon.This material is interesting because it can dynamically change between a conductor and an insulator. When VO heats up, tiny metal-like areas form and expand within the compound. By controlling the heat, these metal regions act as "living" adjustable electrodes. The researchers tested this property by creating a terahertz photodetector containing VO. Lead author Ai Osaka explained it to Tech Xplore."A precise processing method was used to fabricate a high-quality VO layer on a silicon substrate. The size of the metallic domains in the VO layer, tens of times larger than what has been conventionally achieved, was controlled through temperature regulation, which in turn modulated the response of the silicon substrate to terahertz light."Another property of this material is its ability to amplify electrical currents through the "avalanche effect." When the VO focuses the electrical field into the tiny gaps between the metal regions, it triggers a chain reaction of electron movement, which creates a substantial signal boost. Even the weak terahertz pulses become greatly amplified, making the photodetector highly sensitive."Heating the photodetector to 56C led to strong signal enhancement," said co-author Azusa Hattori.A diode containing a 'living' electrode with a dynamic structure, which can be controlled with sub-micrometer precision through temperature regulation, was fabricated on a silicon substrate. The diode demonstrated enhanced performance as a terahertz light detector.Beyond improving terahertz detection, the researchers believe manufacturers could integrate VO-based devices into existing semiconductor technologies with minimal modification. Theoretically, devices could use precise temperature control to dynamically trigger the phase transition in VO to manipulate electronic signals. The technology could benefit platforms where adaptable circuit components are needed, such as reconfigurable computing or advanced imaging systems.The ability to fine-tune the material's electrical properties makes it an attractive candidate for next-generation wireless communication systems. The terahertz range lies between microwave and infrared radiation, which telecoms are already exploring for ultra-fast data transmission. Devices that efficiently detect and modulate terahertz signals could prove crucial in developing future 6G networks. // Related StoriesAdditionally, the researchers found that this novel structure has some natural built-in electrical tuning abilities (capacitance and inductance). This material could usher in new electronic devices that dynamically adjust their behavior, including improved sensors, high-speed communications, and next-gen computing.By leveraging the unique phase-transition properties of VO, scientists are paving the way for innovative electronic components that could revolutionize multiple industries. The study highlights the potential of combining metamaterials with traditional semiconductors to unlock new functionalities that were previously difficult to achieve.Image credit: Ai I. Osaka

Editor's take: Generative AI models are powerful tools that can be exploited by scammers, criminals, and those looking to fabricate an entire writing career. These models can, in theory, generate an endless stream of seemingly coherent text, and they have already been used to flood platforms that provide digital services to public libraries. The internet is becoming a wasteland, devoid of human interaction, as bots consume global bandwidth with malicious and worthless traffic. According to those in the ebook lending industry, AI-generated text has already become a major issue for publicly funded libraries. Low-quality "books" are flooding the market, overwhelming both automated filters and human reviewers with an almost impossible challenge.A recent report by 404 Media highlights that the problem primarily affects OverDrive and Hoopla, the two leading companies that public libraries rely on for ebook management and lending. OverDrive allows libraries to curate their collections, selecting which books to offer, while Hoopla provides unrestricted access to its entire catalog. Although Hoopla-powered libraries can cap book prices, they have no control over which titles become available to their users.The core issue with Hoopla's model is the rising presence of fake content referred to in the publishing industry as "vendor slurry." Even before generative AI became widespread, publishers and libraries were already struggling against an influx of low-quality, often self-published ebooks. For years, individuals have churned out "summaries" of popular books with little to no original content. Now, with tools like ChatGPT, the mass production of meaningless, automated content has reached an entirely new level.Luca Bartlomiejczyk, a librarian at Edith Wheeler Memorial Library in Monroe, Connecticut, stated that the "gargantuan" number of books available on Hoopla is largely composed of low-quality material with little to no appeal for human readers. "If you're going to say, 'we have 15,000 ebooks on our platform,' and 5,000 of those are low quality, AI generated or stuff that's just put on there without any kind of like oversight or selection criteria being followed, what are you actually offering to us?" Bartlomiejczyk asked.A growing number of publishers and so-called "authors" specialize in the vendor slurry business. One example is IRB Media, which has hundreds of books on Hoopla all AI-generated summaries of pre-existing titles. As Bartlomiejczyk explained, a customer searching for a specific book could easily end up with an AI-generated summary instead. Lending such worthless content costs libraries money while delivering a disappointing, AI-powered reading experience. // Related StoriesTwo years ago, Library Futures and the Library Freedom Project urged Hoopla and OverDrive to address the issue of low-quality books, particularly those denying the Holocaust or promoting hate against minorities. Hoopla removed the offending titles, explaining that both human and algorithmic reviewers had failed to prevent them from entering its catalog.Now, librarians like Bartlomiejczyk are calling for greater accountability from digital lending platforms, as AI-driven content degradation is a problem unlikely to disappear anytime soon. No one is advocating for an outright ban on AI-generated books, but such content should be clearly labeled in catalogs so readers know exactly what they are downloading to their e-readers

Table of ContentsTable of Contents75-inch Hisense U7N $900$1,500 40% offKlipsch Flexus Core 200 $349 $499 30% offBeats Pill (waterproof outdoor speakers) $100 $150 33% offCosori Turboblaze 6 Qt. Air Fryer 9-in-1 $90 $12025% offNinja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker $270 $370 27% offThe Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, at 17-2 and 17-3 respectively, face off at Super Bowl LIX this Sunday, and these Super Bowl deals will get you ready for the game. Whether youre concerned about what to watch the game on, how to hear it, food, or pregame entertainment, these five deals will get you ready. Most of these Super Bowl deals come from Amazon, so if you want to take advantage of quick shipping on the cheap, be sure to check if you can get an Amazon Prime free trial many of these deals need faster-than-default shipping to get to your home on time. May the best team win!$1,500 40% offZeke Jones / Digital TrendsWe consider the Hisense U7N to be the best TV for the Super Bowl for most people, as its not absurdly expensive, yet also not a lower quality budget pick a Goldilocks TV, you could say. Its bright, people look great on the screen as you can see above, and the 144Hz refresh rate with motion rate 480 make for accurate sports viewing. Our Hisense U7N review notes that its also a great TV for gaming on if youre looking to compete yourself. This TVs downside is that it isnt superb for off-angle viewing, making it best for intimate gatherings of your closest pals on the couch and not a block party. From the button below, you can also find the 55-inch version of this TV on sale for just $498, or even the 85-inch version for a mere $1,299, a truly economical TV for all.$499 30% offSimon Cohen / Digital TrendsOur sound experts have recently updated our listing of the best soundbars for 2025, and this humble soundbar makes a great deal if youre buying other things and dont want to break the bank. Its just the bar (though you can bundle it with a cube subwoofer) so it wont take up a lot of walking and mingling space from your guests. Our Klipsch Flexus Core 200 review also highlights how simple the setup is: connect the included HDMI cable to your TV, plug the soundbar in, and turn it on! Youll want to use your quick Prime shipping to get this one on time. Alternatively, our very top soundbar (which comes with a subwoofer and other speakers), the and comes a bit faster even without expedited shipping, but its still $1,497 after the deal and quite a bit more complex to set up.Related$150 33% offSimon Cohen / Digital TrendsIf youre cooking outdoors, some people need to go out to smoke during the game, or there is any other outdoor component at all to your game day, outdoor-suitable Bluetooth speakers can go a long way. The Beats Pill is made to withstand dust and water at an IP67 level, has a no-hassle 24 hour battery life, and can even be used as a power bank for your or your guests phones in a pinch. Take one for just $100 (and get a color of your choice), sync it to play the games audio or the words of your favorite sportscaster, toss it outside for the day and you wont be sorry. Be sure to use your Prime Member shipping to get this little piece of fun on time.$12025% offCOSORIJust about anyone can cook a great meal in an air fryer and, lets face it, the Super Bowl is a great time for crunchy fried foods. As a result, people turn to air fryer deals to get them through the event. Cosoris Turboblaze 6-quart air fryer is Amazons top air fryer, and it just so happens to be on sale for the Super Bowl. It has nine cooking styles and five fan speeds, and everyone from the air fryer neophyte to the technical expert will be able to figure out how to use it within minutes. This is the snack mans tool of choice for a great Super Bowl. Use your Prime Membership to get this $90 cooking option on time.$370 27% offNinjaAn air fryer is great and all, but if you want to pull out the big guns, pull out the big guns nobody is stopping you. One of our favorite grill deals so far this year is this offering from Ninja. It has a smart thermometer, ample grilling space, and the ability to do some meat smoking while youre at it, all for just $270 while this deal is on. Get that Prime Member shipping to get it on time.Editors Recommendations

In the realm of smartphones, Apples ecosystem is deemed to be the safer one. Independent analysis by security experts has also proved that point repeatedly over the years. But Apples guardrails are not impenetrable. On the contrary, it seems bad actors have managed yet another worrying breakthrough.As per an analysis by Kaspersky, malware with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities has been spotted on the App Store for the first time. Instead of stealing files stored on a phone, the malware scanned screenshots stored locally, analyzed the text content, and relayed the necessary information to servers.Recommended VideosThe malware-seeding operation, codenamed SparkCat, targeted apps seeded from official repositories Googles Play Store and Apples App Store and third-party sources. The infected apps amassed roughly a quarter million downloads across both platforms.Interestingly, the malware piggybacked atop Googles ML Kit library, a toolkit that lets developers deploy machine learning capabilities for quick and offline data processing in apps. This ML Kit system is what ultimately allowed the Google OCR model to scan photos stored on an iPhone and recognize the text containing sensitive information.Please enable Javascript to view this contentBut it seems the malware was not just capable of stealing crypto-related recovery codes. It must be noted that the malware is flexible enough to steal not just these phrases but also other sensitive data from the gallery, such as messages or passwords that might have been captured in screenshots, says Kasperskys report.Among the targeted iPhone apps was ComeCome, which appears to be a Chinese food delivery app on the surface, but came loaded with a screenshot-reading malware. This is the first known case of an app infected with OCR spyware being found in Apples official app marketplace, notes Kasperskys analysis.It is, however, unclear whether the developers of these problematic apps were engaged in embedding the malware, or if it was a supply chain attack. Irrespective of the origin, the whole pipeline was quite inconspicuous as the apps seemed legitimate and catered to tasks such as messaging, AI learning, or food delivery. Notably, the cross-platform malware was also capable of obfuscating its presence, which made it harder to detect.The primary objective of this campaign was extracting crypto wallet recovery phrases, which can allow a bad actor to take over a persons crypto wallet and get away with their assets. The target zones appear to be Europe and Asia, but some of the hotlisted apps appear to be operating in Africa and other regions, as well.Editors Recommendations

Loyalty apps offer perks to participating diners and often take some of the sting out of the bill. But which one is right for you?

PogChamp Chat, are you ready to go to space with NASA? "Twitch is one of the many digital platforms we use to reach new audiences." Eric Berger Feb 5, 2025 4:47 pm | 2 The landing of NASA's Perseverance on Mars was live-streamed at Piccadilly Circus on February 18, 2021 in London, England. Credit: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images The landing of NASA's Perseverance on Mars was live-streamed at Piccadilly Circus on February 18, 2021 in London, England. Credit: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThe US space agency said Wednesday it will host a live Twitch stream from the International Space Station on February 12.NASA, which has 1.3 million followers on the live-streaming video service, has previously broadcast events on its Twitch channel. However, this will be the first time the agency has created an event specifically for Twitch.During the live event, beginning at 11:45 am ET (16:45 UTC), viewers will hear from NASA astronaut Don Pettit, who is currently on board the space station, as well as Matt Dominick, who recently returned to Earth after the agencys Crew-8 mission. Viewers will have the opportunity to ask questions about living in space.Twitch is owned by Amazon, and it has become especially popular in the online gaming community for the ability to stream video games and chat with viewers.Meeting people where they are"We spoke with digital creators at TwitchCon about their desire for streams designed with their communities in mind, and we listened," said Brittany Brown, director of the Office of Communications Digital and Technology Division. "In addition to our spacewalks, launches, and landings, we'll host more Twitch-exclusive streams like this one. Twitch is one of the many digital platforms we use to reach new audiences and get them excited about all things space."NASA has traditionally sought to reach audiences on new platforms. The space agency launched its television service, NASA TV, in 1980, and it was eventually broadcast via satellite and over the Internet. Last summer, the space agency phased out NASA TV in favor of a digital-only streaming service, NASA+, which is available via mobile apps and streaming services.The agency has also been an early adopter of social media networks, with large followings on Facebook, Instagram, X, and others.It remains to be seen how the space agency's media outreach strategy will evolve under the Trump administration. The space agency employs hundreds of public affairs professionals to create and implement its media and social media strategies. It's possible that NASA might, like the National Transportation Safety Board, lean more heavily into X, which is owned by Donald Trump confidant Elon Musk. So far the agency has made no significant changes.Eric BergerSenior Space EditorEric BergerSenior Space Editor Eric Berger is the senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering everything from astronomy to private space to NASA policy, and author of two books: Liftoff, about the rise of SpaceX; and Reentry, on the development of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon. A certified meteorologist, Eric lives in Houston. 2 Comments

nvidia could clearly use some competition AMD promises mainstream 4K gaming with next-gen GPUs as current-gen GPU sales tank 9070-series Radeon GPUs were announced at CES, with plans to launch in March. Andrew Cunningham Feb 5, 2025 4:28 pm | 28 AMD's RDNA 4 launch will begin with the 9070 XT and 9070, which are both being positioned as upper-midrange GPUs like the RTX 4070 series. Credit: AMD AMD's RDNA 4 launch will begin with the 9070 XT and 9070, which are both being positioned as upper-midrange GPUs like the RTX 4070 series. Credit: AMD Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreAMD announced its fourth-quarter earnings yesterday, and the numbers were mostly rosy: $7.7 billion in revenue and a 51 percent profit margin, compared to $6.2 billion and 47 percent a year ago. The biggest winner was the data center division, which made $3.9 billion thanks to Epyc server processors and Instinct AI accelerators, and Ryzen CPUs are also selling well, helping the company's client segment earn $2.3 billion.But if you were looking for a dark spot, you'd find it in the company's gaming division, which earned a relatively small $563 million, down 59 percent from a year ago. AMD's Lisa Su blamed this on both dedicated graphics card sales and sales from the company's "semi-custom" chips (that is, the ones created specifically for game consoles like the Xbox and PlayStation).Other data sources suggest that the response from GPU buyers to AMD's Radeon RX 7000 series, launched between late 2022 and early 2024, has been lackluster. The Steam Hardware Survey, a noisy but broadly useful barometer for GPU market share, shows no RX 7000-series models in the top 50; only two of the GPUs (the 7900 XTX and 7700 XT) are used in enough gaming PCs to be mentioned on the list at all, with the others all getting lumped into the "other" category. Jon Peddie Research recently estimated that AMD was selling roughly one dedicated GPU for every seven or eight sold by Nvidia.But hope springs eternal. Su confirmed on AMD's earnings call that the new Radeon RX 9000-series cards, announced at CES last month, would be launching in early March. The Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT are both aimed toward the middle of the graphics card market, and Su said that both would bring "high-quality gaming to mainstream players."An opportunity, maybe"Mainstream" could mean a lot of things. AMD's CES slide deck positioned the 9070 series alongside Nvidia's RTX 4070 Ti ($799) and 4070 Super ($599) and its own RTX 7900 XT, 7900 GRE, and 7800 XT (between $500 and $730 as of this writing), a pretty wide price spread that is still more expensive than an entire high-end console. The GPUs could still rely heavily on upscaling algorithms like AMD's Fidelity Super Resolution (FSR) to hit playable frame rates at those resolutions, rather than targeting native 4K.But the promise at least implies that AMD is confident in the value that the RX 9000-series cards are going to provide. And Nvidia's next-generation lineup suggests that AMD has its best opportunity in years to grab some attention and some market share with a fast, reasonably priced GPU.Aside from the powerful GeForce RTX 5090, none of the 50-series graphics cards that Nvidia has announced so far look like massive upgrades over the 40-series. That's especially true for the $549 GeForce RTX 5070, which comes with significantly fewer CUDA cores than last year's RTX 4070 Super. AMD has lofty but vague promises about the benefits of its RDNA 4 GPU architecture. Credit: AMD The RX 7000 series usually came in a bit cheaper than comparable Nvidia cards, but never by enough to decisively offset Nvidia-exclusive advantages like DLSS upscaling, better power efficiency, and superior performance in games with heavy ray-tracing effects. It seems as though AMD's efforts kept some of Nvidia's price increases under controlthe 4060 was a shade cheaper than the 3060, and the mid-generation refreshes of the 4070 and 4080 cards all improved their value quite a bit. But it was (apparently) never enough to make the 7000 series actually appealing to GPU buyers.The right cards at the right prices could help the Radeon RX 9000-series cards succeed where the 7000-series fell short. Of the few details we currently have about the 9070 and 9070 XT, they all seem designed to address the 7000 series' biggest deficits: A new 4 nm TSMC manufacturing process should improve power efficiency; ML-powered upscaling for AMD's Fidelity Super Resolution (FSR) 4 could help close the quality gap between FSR and DLSS; and the cards will have next-generation ray-tracing accelerators that could help with the 6000- and 7000-series cards' weak ray-tracing performance.Of course, it's also possible that the real 9070 cards aren't as good as they look on paper. Either way, we'll know more in a month or so.Andrew CunninghamSenior Technology ReporterAndrew CunninghamSenior Technology Reporter Andrew is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, with a focus on consumer tech including computer hardware and in-depth reviews of operating systems like Windows and macOS. Andrew lives in Philadelphia and co-hosts a weekly book podcast called Overdue. 28 Comments

Leader and TechnologyThe Chinese firm threatens the dominance of Silicon Valleys AI elite, and its innovations show the technology could be more affordable and less costly to the environment 5 February 2025 Josef Kubes/AlamyIn poker, the value of the cards in your hand is often less important than what your competitors think you might hold. You dont need a royal flush as long as you can convince others you have one.Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, knows this well, having played poker extensively during his student days. Following the astronomical success of its generative artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT, the company has convinced many backers that it holds all the aces, telling the world that scale is the key to progress and that betting on this will reap big rewards.On 21 January, Altman announced Stargate, a $500-billion plan to build vast data centres for future AI models. As he said in an interview in 2023: Its totally hopeless to compete with us.AdvertisementBut Chinese AI company DeepSeek now looks to have called his bluff. It sent shock waves through Silicon Valley over the past two weeks with the release of AI models that are apparently as capable as OpenAIs best, but at a fraction of the cost and computational power (see Does DeepSeek show a way to slash the energy demands of AI?). This young upstart, with less than a tenth as many employees as OpenAI, has punctured the idea that US companies hold some secret recipe for building AI or that they need such enormous resources to do so.DeepSeek has punctured the idea that US companies hold a secret recipe for building AIFor those concerned about the accumulation of power in Silicon Valley, the arrival of competition is welcome, but DeepSeeks model brings concerns of its own. For one thing, its answers stick closely to the Chinese governments party line, and it even censors itself in real time. Security researchers have also warned that it lacks robust guardrails against inappropriate use.Nevertheless, its arrival on the scene suggests there are huge innovations in generative AI yet to come. Plus, cheaper models that require less computational power should open the door to entirely new applications for the technology, which may also make it affordable to more people and less damaging to the planet. With more players around the table, the stakes couldnt be higher.Topics:

Detailed citations with source links for Jane Muschenetzs poetry:100% MomCDC, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/womens-health.htm, https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/pregnancy-related-deaths/index.html; Common Wealth Fund, https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2022/us-maternal-mortality-crisis-continues-worsen-international-comparison; The Worlds Women 2020 Trends and Statistics, United Nations https://www.un.org/en/desa/worlds-women-2020; Oxfam International Inequality Reports: 2020, 2021; Hard Work Is Not Enough: Women in Low-Paid Jobs, National Womens Law Center, July 2023, https://nwlc.org/resource/when-hard-work-is-not-enough-women-in-low-paid-jobs/Point BlankComprehensive Gun Violence-Related Deaths includes all incidents of firearm mortality, accidental and intentional, per 100K population for high income global economies with populations over 10 million. Source: Institute for Health Metrics Evaluation, United Nations https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/insights-blog/acting-data/gun-violence-united-states-outlier; Data Sources: CDC; M. McGough, K. Amin, N. Panchal, C. Cox, Child and Teen Firearm Mortality in the US and Peer Countries, KFF.org, July 2023; https://www.kff.org/mental-health/issue-brief/child-and-teen-firearm-mortality-in-the-u-s-and-peer-countries/

Google revised a local market Super Bowl ad after Gemini showed an incorrect cheese statistic.The ad initially included a stat that Gouda made up 50 to 60% of global cheese consumption.Google has faced past criticism for inaccuracies generated by its AI.Google tweaked one of its Super Bowl ads posted on YouTube after the AI featured in it displayed an inaccurate cheese statistic.The original video showing off Google's Gemini offerings in Workspace was posted five days ago and showed the AI generating a response for a small-business owner in Wisconsin. In the response, Gemini claims Gouda accounts for "50 to 60% of the world's cheese consumption."The edited ad now shows a Gemini response that says Gouda "is one of the most popular cheeses in the world."A Google spokesperson told Business Insider that it consulted with the business owner from the ad about how he would handle the situation "after the question came up about the Gouda stat.""Following his suggestion to have Gemini rewrite the product description without the stat, we updated the UI to reflect what the business would do," the spokesperson said.A report about cheese market share published by global management consulting firm IMARC Group said that cheddar cheese "accounts for the majority of the market at around 32.4%." Gouda was not included in the report's top five by market share.Andrew Novakovic, the UV Baker professor of agricultural economics emeritus at Cornell University, told The Verge that Gouda "is almost assuredly not the most widely consumed" cheese globally.Jerry Dischler, president of Cloud applications at Google Cloud, replied to one user's post that called the stat "unequivocally false." Dischler said that Gemini's response was "not a hallucination" and that it was "grounded in the web.""In this case, multiple sites across the web include the 50-60% stat," Dischler said. "Gouda news: many love this cheese! Bada news: not everyone thinks it's as grate."The incident highlights that in addition to industry-wide risks of hallucination, AI products that are trained on or pull information from the web aren't necessarily providing fact-checked responses. The Gouda stat, for example, does exist on a website called Cheese.com.It's not the first time Google has displayed incorrect information in a video promoting its AI. Last spring, the tech giant released a promo video in which Gemini provided a list of solutions to a photographer dealing with camera issues. One of the suggested solutions would have destroyed the photographer's photos.Similarly, in 2023, a Google demo video showing off its Bard chatbot incorrectly stated the James Webb Space Telescope was the first to photograph an exoplanet. It was actually taken by a telescope operated by the European Southern Observatory, according to NASA.The tech giant also made headlines due to inaccuracies generated by its AI Overviews feature, which appears at the top of some search queries. Last year, it caused an online stir when it said to put glue in pizza sauce to prevent the cheese from falling off.Google's Super Bowl ad is a good reminder of evergreen advice that applies to anyone using AI tools: Just because an AI says something confidently, it doesn't mean that it's true.