Teenage Engineering is a design firm as much as it is a musical instrument company. Its devices rarely look or behave anything like what youd buy from a Korg or a Moog. The best distillation of its identity remains the OP-1, a quirky groovebox that garnered as much attention for its aesthetics as its all-in-one music production features. Effects are accompanied by nonsensical graphics, like a mechanized cow, and it basically forces you to commit to a musical idea by using a virtual tape with intentionally limited editing capabilities. But all of Teenage Engineerings instruments are a bit odd and often polarizing in their own way. The OP-Z is a surprisingly capable sequencer, but its screen-free design and array of icons are bewildering. The Game & Watch-inspired Pocket Operators are extremely simple but are basically disposable toys. And the $1,999 OP-1 Field is its own thing entirely, eschewing MIDI sequencing in favor of live recording. RelatedThe companys latest portable instrument, the $2,299 OP-XY, represents something of a greatest hits tour for Teenage Engineering. Its a sequencer, like the OP-Z, but it also has the performance-forward live effects of the Pocket Operator series. And like the OP-1 Field it resembles, its a synthesizer and sampler (among other things) and comes with an astronomical price tag. The challenge for Teenage Engineering is finding the balance between these things, and the OP-XY largely succeeds. Its blend of portability and musical depth is unmatched. Its powerful enough to be part of a finished song, yet small enough to sketch out demos in a cafe, and approachable enough to just casually jam on the couch. It feels suitably high-end, and most importantly, its a lot of fun. Sure, there are some odd omissions, and the price is patently insane. But for someone looking for the ultimate musical traveling companion, theres a lot to like.8Verge Score$2299The GoodDeep sequencerFun live performance effectsExcellent-sounding presetsExtremely portable and durableMulti-sampling synth engineThe BadOccasionally cumbersome workflowStill some bugs to work outLimited sound design featuresExpensive doesnt even begin to describe itHow we rate and review productsWhile it looks like a dark mode OP-1 synth with a bunch more buttons, the XY is a sequencer at heart, like the OP-Z, and it starts with the same workflow. This means a full-featured four-bar step sequencer rather than the intentionally limited ones you find on the OP-1, which expects you to be working with recorded audio. Where the OP-1s vibe is playful, loose, and focused on audio loops, the OP-XY is buttoned up, on point, and very German. Even with 64 steps, a simple sequencer can get awfully repetitive. Plenty of companies have tried to address this with tools that let you change attributes other than the notes. The OP-XY has automation and parameter locks you can hold a step and turn a knob to max out the reverb for one note or slowly open up the filter while live recording to build energy over the course of a pattern but the OP-Zs (and, by extension, the OP-XYs) innovation is step components. Terrence demonstrates step components on the OP-XY.These are similar to Trig Conditions on an Elektron groovebox in that they can introduce things like probability, ratchets, or complex playback patterns. (Play this note every third time through, for example.) But the XYs step components go well beyond simple playback variability. They can also be used to trigger random explorations of a particular scale, hold a step on one track, or even control how frequently other step components are triggered. (For example, add a pitch bend but only every other through a pattern.) Fortunately, the OP-XYs interface is much clearer and more intuitive than the OP-Zs, which always felt cumbersome to me, despite Teenage Engineerings claims that it was built for live performance. The OP-Zs buttons are minuscule, the encoders for changing parameters are flush with the body (knobs are $19 extra), and you only have LEDs for visual feedback unless you connect to the companion app. The app does make it easier to use, but having to rely on Bluetooth and your iPhone during a live performance isnt ideal. You dont want to have to worry about an app crashing or a flaky wireless connection when playing for a room full of people.The OP-XY feels downright expansive by comparison, with nearly twice as many buttons and an onboard screen. While some of the graphics are more whimsical than useful, they do make the device a lot easier to navigate.Youll still want to keep the manual handy while youre finding your footing with the OP-XY. And honestly, even with the manual, certain things like Step Components arent entirely clear. Part of that is down to easily avoidable inconsistencies sadly, TE doesnt always put quite as much love and care into its manuals as its product design. For example, in the manual, the parameter, component, and trig Step Components say they will play every third, fourth, fifth step, etc., while on the device, it says it will skip every third, fourth, or fifth step. For the record, the manual is right.What, this isnt intuitive? Photo by Terrence OBrien / The VergeStill, while this is a complicated device with a lot of features beyond the simple place note here, I was able to figure out most of the basics through trial and error. Unlike the OP-Z, which almost immediately frustrated me, the OP-XY is actually fun.Each of the XYs eight tracks has its own punch-in effects that you access by holding down the shift button and pressing one of the keys when youre in instrument mode. So if you want just your bassline to briefly jump up an octave, to put a stuttering tremolo on your lead, or give your drums a temporary extra thump from a compressor, this is where you can do that. Theres also a dedicated punch-in effects track when youre in auxiliary mode. That mode splits the keyboard in half; playing the lower octave only affects percussion, and the upper octave only affects melodic instruments.A demonstration of punch-in effects.These effects can get a little repetitive, but they offer a lot more possibilities than your average beat repeat and filter sweep. It makes it pretty easy to fire up a simple loop and start jamming, muting tracks, transposing notes, and adding drum stutters. This level of interactivity and room for improvisation is not something you find in every groovebox. Theres also the Brain, which is a sort of intelligent transposer. This detects the key of a particular track or even your entire song and then allows you to shift it live by playing the keyboard or even sequencing the changes. The Tape looper adds another opportunity for live tweaking. Its similar to the DJFX looper found on the Roland SP-404 but with a little more flexibility. You use the encoders to dial in a desired speed and length of a loop and then trigger it by pressing the keys, which, instead of repeating steps, plays a chunk of the actual audio. While its best at simple beat-repeat style effects, it can be used to do some extremely sloppy pseudo-chopping of your loops.The tape looper.All these performance and sequencing features wouldnt really matter too much if the OP-XY sounded terrible. Thankfully the built-in synth engines are solid. While the range of sounds is relatively limited and sound design features even more so, they cover the basics, and most of the presets are excellent. It focuses largely on the sort of classic sounds youd find in 70s Krautrock like Kraftwerk or 80s electro. Just dont expect to sit down and meticulously create your dream bass patch. This is more of a pick a preset and tweak it kind of machine, like Abletons recent Move groovebox.If theres a sound you want but you cant find among the presets or re-create with the eight onboard synth engines, theres always the sampler. You can sample from the 1/8-inch line-in jack, over USB-C, or using the surprisingly excellent built-in microphone. The OP-XYs ports include USB-C, line-in, MIDI out and in, and a combo output jack. Photo by Terrence OBrien / The VergeWhat sets the OP-XY apart from most other instruments (save modern MPCs and the 1010music Nanobox Tangerine) is that, in addition to a basic sampler, there is a multisampling engine. This allows you to place different samples across the keyboard, rather than just speeding up or slowing down a single note, for much more natural-sounding patches. You can have a maximum of 24 samples here, so you could theoretically record every note across two octaves, or stick to three or four notes per octave and still get pretty convincing-sounding re-creations. I recorded my kids toy piano using the onboard mic, and the results were excellent. Unfortunately, theres no way to do proper sample chopping on the current firmware. And somewhat surprisingly, there is no DJ-style filter that lets you lowpass or highpass your entire track for buildups and breakdowns. There is a three-band EQ that can get close, but its not quite as smooth.Honestly, the encoders arent great for live tweaking anyway. Trying to change the speed or length of the Tape on the fly can be frustrating. Often, it would respond slower than I wanted, and then Id compensate by turning it faster, only to overshoot my target. Another slightly annoying limitation of the OP-XY when it comes to live performance is that the launching of patterns isnt quantized. If you change from pattern one to pattern four on your drums, it happens immediately. That might be what you want in some situations, but its more likely in a live setting that youd want to queue up the next pattern then switch to the punch-in effects to smooth the transition. Hopefully these are things Teenage Engineering will add in future firmware updates if its serious about the OP-XY as a performance tool. Right now, though, the company seems focused on squashing bugs. Thats definitely a good thing since there are quite a few. The company has already issued four firmware updates and fixed some issues, including a serious one that caused a crash during boot-up. Buttons. Photo by Terrence OBrien / The VergeAside from a handful of bugs and a few odd omissions, like sample chopping and a DJ-style filter, its hard to complain about the OP-XY too much except for the price. You could build a pretty well-equipped home studio for the $2,299 that Teenage Engineering is asking. If you can deal with the cramped and limited UI or dont mind having to rely on your phones screen, the OP-Z will get you many of the same sequencing features for a quarter of the price. You could use the leftover money to buy a few other instruments to control with the OP-Z, like a Roland P-6, which is an affordable and excellent sampler that also happens to be a surprisingly decent granular synth and effects processor. (Youll need the $69 oplab module or $149 line module to connect it to the OP-Z.) And youd still have enough money to get a nice audio interface or field recorder. And if portability isnt a factor at all, you could get both a Digitakt II and a Digitone II, plus a budget audio interface, which might be all the music gear youd need for life.But as great as those setups might be, they lack the all-in-one simplicity and seductive design of the OP-XY. The quality of its sounds, the power of its sequencer, and its live performance features are impressive. Even more so when you realize theyre crammed inside something that easily fits in all but the smallest of bags (and might even tuck neatly inside the largest of cargo pockets). It can seem easy to hate on Teenage Engineering at times. Many of its products are expensive sometimes it even seems like theyre actively trolling people. (See the $1,599 folding table or $79 tape dispenser.) The focus on design and irreverence can lead to odd interface choices that might frustrate some, too. But theres a reason the company has legions of fans. Using a well-designed gadget is enjoyable. People splurge for luxury items all the time, and thats what the OP-XY is: a luxury item. If money is no object and you like pretty music toys, then go for it: the OP-XY is great and great fun.Photography by Terrence OBrien. Videos by Owen Grove.See More:

Sony has said the 24-hour outage that knocked out PlayStation Network over the weekend was due to an operational issue.In a tweet confirming the recovery of its network services, Sony apologized for the downtime and thanked the PlayStation community for its patience. As a make-good, its giving all PlayStation Plus members an additional five days of service.However, some PlayStation customers are demanding more information on the cause of the downtime beyond the vague operational issue, and have pointed to the high-profile PSN data breach of 2011 that saw personal details from approximately 77 million accounts compromised.The PSN hack of 2011 is still fresh in the memory of some gamers. Photo by Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Getty Images.Given what happened in 2011 we need to know if we need to call our banks for new credit cards and need identity protection services, one social media user said in response to Sonys statement.Sweet, but can you also tell us what happened and how youll be working to avoid it in the future? another asked.Your lack of transparency is disturbing, said another.Some are also calling on Sony to outline the measures its taking to prevent similar operational issues from knocking out PSN in the future.PSN going offline not only affected online gaming but single-player games that require either authentication with a server or a constant internet connection. Embattled U.S. retailer GameStop tweeted a joke at Sonys expense while PSN was offline, saying bet yall want physical copies now. But this joke was met with ridicule across social media, as users pointed out the declining shop chains penchant for selling products other than video games these days.Some third-party publishers whose games were affected have announced extensions to in-game events or limited-time modes. Capcom just announced an extension to the next Monster Hunter Wilds beta test after last weekends was cut short by the PSN issue. EA was forced to extend FC 25's most hardcore multiplayer event, too.Sony is yet to expand on the PSN downtime beyond two single tweets: one to acknoledge PSN was offline, another to say it was back up with the vague explanation and compensation. Clearly, some customers want further communication from the company.Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Capcom has extended the Monster Hunter Wilds beta after the PlayStation Network outage rendered the previous test unplayable for 24 hours.PSN went down at around 3pm PT on Friday, February 7, and didnt return until around 24 hours later. All Sony has said on the matter by way of explanation is that its network services suffered an operational issue. In response, Sony gave all PlayStation Plus members an additional five days of service.Of course, during the downtime PlayStation gamers were unable to play their games online, and even single-player games that required authentication with a server or a constant internet connection ran into trouble.Monster Hunter Wilds second, hugely popular beta, was one of the affected games, with its weekend session that was meant to run from Thursday, February 6 to Sunday, February 9 cut short. Now, developer Capcom has issued a response to confirm a 24-hour extension to the next session. This means it will start this Thursday, February 13, and end on Monday, February 17, rather than the previously planned Sunday, February 16.The new period is as follows:Feb. 13, 7pm PT / Feb. 14, 3am GMT Feb. 17, 6:59 pm PT / Feb. 18, 2:59 am GMTDuring the extended period, players will still be eligible to receive the participation bonuses available in the full version of the game, Capcom added.Despite the downtime last week, beta players were able to get to grip with Monster Hunter Wilds' big challenge, a fearsome new foe called Arkveld.Monster Hunter Wilds launches proper on February 28, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. You can read more about Capcom's latest hunting expedition in our IGN First coverage, including our Monster Hunter Wilds Final Preview here.Check out our guide to the Monster Hunter Wilds Beta, including info on how to play multiplayer with friends, all the Monster Hunter Wilds weapon types, and the confirmed monsters you could encounter.Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

This article contains details from Marvel comics that may be spoilers for Thunderbolts*.There have already been a lot of questions surrounding Marvels latest team movie Thunderbolts*. Are these guys the new Avengers? Whats with the asterisks? Who is Bob? The latest trailer for Thunderbolts* resolves one of the big questions, even if the answer isnt obvious. Throughout the trailer, we see a dark caped figure flying in the sky, zapping people and leaving behind shadowy dust. That is the Void, arch-enemy to the Sentry a.k.a. Bob. Also, the Void is the Sentry a.k.a. Bob. Theyre the same person.Created by Paul Jenkins, Jae Lee, and Rick Veitch, the Sentry, the Void, and Bob all debuted in the Sentry miniseries Marvel published in 2000. The series followed a troubled man named Robert Reynolds who has a premonition about the return of the Void, and seeks the help of Marvels heroes to find the Sentry, the one person who can stop the villain. However, no one remembers the Sentry, no one except the Hulk, who has fond memories of the Golden Man.Robert slowly discovers that the Sentry was a Superman-like figure whose presence changed things for the better for Marvels heroes. Presented in an art style that mirrored Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, complete with Stan Lee style captions, the issues showed Sentry helping Peter Parker win a Pulitzer and get respect as a photographer, and helping the Hulk channel his anger and use his strength to help others. When the Marvel Universe forgot the Sentry, the heroes became the tragic figures we know now: the monstrous Thing, the rampaging Hulk, the hard-luck Spider-Man, the feared and hated X-Men.Why did everyone forget the Sentry? Because the Sentry had an evil second personality, the Void. For everything good that the Sentry accomplishes, the Void does something evil, creating a balance of suffering. So while Marvels heroes benefited from the Sentrys actions, others suffered. Therefore, they and Robert decided to sacrifice their better lives by wiping everyones memories, not unlike what Doctor Strange does with Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Everyone forgets that the Sentry or the Void existed, including Robert, who lives a normal life as Bob.Thunderbolts* appears to take a slightly different approach to the same material. As seen in earlier trailers, the team finds Bob (Lewis Pullman) in a cage in a warehouse, a scared and confused man who doesnt understand why hes there. This suggests that instead of putting Robert back out into the world with his mind erased, SHIELD and/or the U.S. Government hid him in a facility. When the Thunderbolts break Bob out, they also inadvertently unleash the Void.Or is it inadvertent? Is Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) using the Void to manufacture an Avengers level threat for her Thunderbolts to solve, thus positioning them as the new Dark Avengers?I guess well have to wait until Thunderbolts* hits theaters to get all our questions answered.Thunderbolts* arrives in theaters on May 2, 2025.

In today's world of wearable technology and cell phone addictions, it's essential that the space we wind down in offers something soothing, serene, and even somewhat escapist. Our advice to achieving that? Bring in dark green. Crowned one of 2025's biggest color trends, dark green is predicted to be the 'it' color of the year. And while it may be having a moment, its timeless elegance is sure to show staying power long beyond the trend forecasters are barking up another tree. A bedroom with notes of greenwhether it's a serene forest green, a posh emerald jewel tone, or something more muddy and indefinableis a cocooning retreat that calls to your inner nature-lover. But don't think you have to own 200 different bedroom plants to qualify for such a color (though we're impressed if you do). A green bedroom can be chic, sophisticated, and elegant. Just ask Augusta Hoffman, who's go-to palette is a tonal range of subdued greens, creams, and ochers. "I do love green," she says. "I think of it almost as a neutral.Ready to transform your sleep space? Below, we've culled the ELLE DECOR archives for our favorite dark green bedrooms. Finally, you have incentive to put away that phone and catch some blessed zzzz's. 1Sage-Gray BedroomSimon WatsonLeave it to Veere Grenney to make the most of this muted, gray-green color. In this stately London townhouse, the designer brought in contrasting red, floral textiles for a look that's as soothing as it is playful. 2Soft Green Limewash William Jess LairdWe love a limewash, and this green version, which Bauwerk Color describes as "perfect moody khaki," transformed the bedroom (and beyond) of this California home, designed by Studio Muka. The texture of the treatment adds a softness to the olive tone. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below3Inside-Outside GreenJennifer HughesThe foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains offer a respite that few would want to leave. Except, that is, when the indoors are equally verdant. In the bedroom of landscape architect Thomas Woltz's Victorian home, elegant, vintage-inspired furnishings get a lovely green backdrop befitting of its surroundings.4Ethereal Green BedroomTimothy KayeThe charming bedroom of this edgy Victorian house is brought to life by an ethereal dark green hue, which adds a refreshing and calming touch to the space. Minimalist furnishings keep the design simple yet sophisticated. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below5Smoky Green BedroomCourtesy Farrow & BallIf you need further proof that green is the new black, look no further than our favorite paint company: Farrow & Ball announced that it's adding 12 new paint colors to its paletteand it's a green party. We're especially obsessed with Douter, a smoky grey-green tone that was inspired by the soot and tarnished brass of a traditional candle snuffer. BRB, we're redoing our bedroom again. 6Farrow & BallCourtesy Farrow & BallAnother fine green that Farrow & Ball recently released is this sultry hue, which they dubbed Reduced Green. The green pigment in this dark neutral is undefinable in all the right wayssome see brown, while others see green. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below7Green Wallpaper Stacy Zarin GoldbergThe primary bedroom in a historic Washington, D.C. home features a floral wallpaper by William Morris that is everything. It flaunts many variations of green that mimic the outside world. The gold accents add a refined touch. 8Green Bedroom OasisMichael MundyWe're angling for an invite to this Beverly Hills home, which designer Michael S. Smith doused in a lovely deep green and created a total bedding oasis that ensconces the lucky guest sleeping here. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below9Green Patterns Frank FrancesPatterns for days in this charming bedroom in Vermont. Leave it to designer Sheila Bridges to infuse a space with warmth and characterin superfluous amounts of dark green. The wallpaper's darker green pattern is infused with a brighter, botanical green headboard. We're in heaven! 10Old World Green RoomFrank FrancesIn a Vermont home, of course, one can't settle for just one green room. Here, Bridges opted for a less pattern in the form of Farrow & Ball's Green Blue. When set against a walnut and iron four-poster-bed and a contemporary watercolor (by Katie DeGroot), it's the kind of room you look forward to at the end of every day. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below11Go GreenTim LenzNot ready to commit to a green room? In this Soho loft, an olive green bed is the star of the show against a bright white backdrop. It's dreamy, it's earthy, and it's colorful all at the same time. 12Nap-friendly Guest BedroomWilliam Jess LairdThis bucolic cottage in Amagansett, New York was designed with one thing in mind: naps. We want a place where we can nap anywhere, the husband told designer Melissa Lee. Mission accomplished in this guest bedroom, which features a soft wallpaper paletteMiddlemore in sage by William Morristhat plays well with the pale sage wainscoting. We're convinced a nap is in order! Advertisement - Continue Reading Below13Jubilant Green BedroomDouglas FriedmanGreen doesn't have to always induce instant drowsiness. Take this flamboyant Miami beach house, for instance, which features a guest bedroom of green with pops of ruby red. Dreamy, in every sense of the word.14Jewel-Toned BedroomCerruti & DraimeWe're loving this jewel-toned take on green, which gives this Parisian loft an elegant aesthetic. The wall is sheathed in a CMO Paris raffia that contrasts against the teal lacquer. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below15Forest Green BedroomHaris KenjarWaking up in this Seattle-area home might be something akin to awaking on a forest flooralbeit much more comfortable. This wallcovering, a rich green by sloan Miyasato, is cocooning, textured, and all one ever needs to escape to when you're done doomscrolling on your phone. 16Green AccentsTim LenzAnother chic touch involves trim. In this Upper East Side apartment, designer Augusta Hoffman gave this cream-colored bedroom a pop of saturated sage green trim. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below17Playful Green BedroomWilliam WaldronLeave it to Gil Schafer and Miles Redd to approach green with a no-holds-barred approach. In this classic-yet-colorful Hudson Valley country house, the duo gave this bedroom a soothing green backdrop in a canopy of silk. 18Double-Bed BedroomAmy NeunsingerNearly every room in this Colorado house is green-themed. But this bedroom is one of our favorite vignettes. This room is unusually big, so we placed the two king-size beds across from each other, explains ELLE DECOR A-List designer Mark D. Sikes. The headboards are upholstered in a coordinating green Pierre Freys Toiles de Tours fabric.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below19Botanical Green BedroomChris MottaliniWhen the Gucci wallpaper is flaunting green botanicals, a green bed is the perfect foil. As seen in the bedroom of this cozy Manhattan apartment, green can be equally chic and sexy.20Earth-Toned BedroomJumping Rocks//Getty ImagesThis green bedroom exudes tranquility and connection with nature, complete with wood accents and a nightstand plant. It's simply dripping in cozy ambiance. Rachel SilvaAssociate Digital EditorRachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publications feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.

Apple TV+ has been reworking its film strategy and shifting away from theatrical releases and huge budgets. But theres at least one upcoming movie the companys still going all-out with: this summers Brad Pitt-starring F1. Heres the adrenaline-pumping teaser that aired during the Super Bowl.F1 movie is Apples biggest theatrical swing to dateEven as Apple TV+ has achieved growing success with its slate of TV shows, 2024 wasnt a great year for Apples film division.Argylle and Fly Me to the Moon both received wide theatrical pushes, but were big disappointments at the box office.This led Apple to cancel its planned theatrical launch for Wolfs and pivot to an Apple TV+ debut insteadupsetting the creative team in the process. By all appearances though, the movie was a hit on streaming.Behind closed doors, reportedly Apple has decided to take a page from Netflixs playbook and double down on straight-to-streaming films. This means only making one or two big-budget theatrical projects per year.This year, F1 is that project. Its Apples first real attempt at a summer blockbuster. Starring Brad Pitt and helmed by director Joseph Kosinski, of Top Gun: Maverick fame, the film will get a huge theatrical release when it arrives June 27.So its only fitting that Apple provided a sneak peek at the Super Bowl. Heres the new teaser trailer.Following its theatrical debut this summer, Apple is expected to bring F1 to Apple TV+ later in the year, either this fall or near the holidays.Are you interested in the F1 movie? What do you think of the Super Bowl spot? Let us know in the comments.Best iPhone accessoriesAdd 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

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Researchers at the University of Oxford say they've achieved quantum teleportation stitching together separate quantum computers to run an algorithm collaboratively, across a distance, in a "breakthrough" they say could lead to powerful quantum supercomputers.The scientists linked two quantum processors that were six and a half feet apart using a "photonic network interface," as detailed in a paper published last week in the journal Nature.The team, led by Oxford University Physics graduate student Dougal Main, hopes the achievement will lay the groundwork for a "quantum internet" of distributed ultra-secure processors.It's not technically the first time scientists have demonstrated quantum teleportation. Previous research has shown that the states of quantum bits known as qubits the equivalent of a conventional computer's bits,except they can be superimposed and entangled can be transferred across physically separated systems."In our study, we use quantum teleportation tocreate interactions between these distant systems," said Main in a statement. "By carefully tailoring these interactions, we can perform logical quantum gates the fundamental operations of quantum computing between qubits housed in separate quantum computers.""This breakthrough enables us to effectively 'wire together' distinct quantum processors into a single, fully connected quantum computer," he explained, essentially the equivalent of linking traditional computers to create a supercomputer.Main and his team are hopeful that by using light to transmit data instead of electrical signals, they can overcome engineering obstacles involved in creating large quantum computers. Broadly speaking, the more qubits a quantum computer has, the more difficult it is to keep them in a stable state and reduce external noise."By interconnecting the modules using photonic links, the system gains valuable flexibility, allowing modules to be upgraded or swapped out without disrupting the entire architecture," Main explained."Our experiment demonstrates that network-distributed quantum information processing is feasible with current technology," principal investigator and Oxford physics professor David Lucas added.But before quantum computers, let alone quantum supercomputers, can become a commonly used piece of equipment, researchers still have formidable hurdles to overcome."Scaling up quantum computers remains a formidable technical challenge that will likely require new physics insights as well as intensive engineering effort over the coming years," Lucas explained.Beyond the technical limitations of building bigger quantum computers, scientists are still struggling to turn them into actually useful tools that solve functional calculations.Nonetheless, researchers are hopeful that quantum computing systems could one day run calculations in just hours that today's supercomputers would take years to solve.More on quantum mechanics: Physicists Find That the Universe Could "Collapse Like a House of Cards"Share This Article

One of the 1990s' brightest tech stars may be headed to prison amid a shocking fall from grace that includes everything from alleged anti-gravity tech to elder abuse allegations to claims of a massive Ponzi scheme.AsBloomberg reports, tech pioneer Joseph Firmage is being sued by people who invested in his anti-gravity quest, which coasted for way too long as his wealth and success dwindled in the face of the former digital guru's obsession with UFOs and aliens.In the 90s, Firmage was living the dream after becoming an executive at Novell, the company credited with making local area networks (LANs) scalable, at the tender age of 23. After leaving to found the digital design company USWeb, Firmage was named one of Forbes' "Masters of the New Universe" toward the end of the decade but his success was squandered after he claimed he'd been visited by an alien being who revealed that computer chips came from extraterrestrial technology.Yes, you read that right. By 1998, just a few years into his tenure as USWeb's CEO, Firmage was asked to resign and at that point,the "Fox Mulder of Silicon Valley" had little stopping him from taking his outrageous contentions even further.With his mainstream reputation and career summarily squashed by his intergalactic claims, the still-young tech master began the new millennium surrounded by a new crowd: true believers and other hangers-on who were drawn to his alien attestations and bold vision for a future with clean and limitless energy and an anti-gravity propulsion system, as Bloomberg recounts.In the ensuing decades, Firmage the great-grandson of a Mormon apostle and the son of a well-connected military man faded away from the national imagination even while getting more and more people to fund his science fiction dreams. Deploying his family's powerful background, the disgraced tech icon promised folks like Brandy Vega, the owner of a Salt Lake City production studio, that major military investments in his antigravity device were imminent.Over the years, as Vega toldBloomberg, the woman and her husband gave the charismatic computer con nearly $100,000, sometimes in installments as small as $200 that he needed for various doodads and repairs. When the couple became concerned that they were being bilked, Firmage would send one of his bigger investors who Bloomberg did not, unfortunately, name to smooth out their anxieties.By 2023, investors like the Vegas began asking for their money back. Firmage, who was also mounting an unlikely presidential bid, promised in a group text thread from July of that year that "Payments and Grants outbound expected to commence this evening." In the end, no such reimbursements materialized and some of those investors have now filed suit against Firmage, alleging that he conned them out of tons of money.Not long after that exchange, Firmage was remanded to jail in Salt Lake County after being arrested for elder abuse amid allegations of financially and physically cutting off an 80-year-old woman he was living with and who had been his late father's romantic partner from her family and basic necessities like food and water.By the time Bloomberg got hold of him in October 2024, Firmage had been in that same county jailhouse for nearly a year, with courts saying that if he was released, he'd likely take up the abuse again.When the outlet spoke to him, the former web wizard seemed much worse for the wear even by his previously kooky standards. He insisted that he could not "admit to a financial crime, because I didnt commit one" and that he was in jail because he had been apologies in advance "gang-raped by an AI-equipped Jamaican financial crime syndicate."Between the civil suit by the jilted investors and the criminal elder abuse trial, which has not yet commenced, Firmage may owe millions and be behind bars for a long while. If his alien consiglieres are real, now would be a great time for them to contact him.Share This Article

Captain America 4might introduce the Sentinel of Liberty to a brave new world, but theCaptain Americacharacter has been around the Marvel Cinematic Universe in one form or another for over a dozen years. The character is the focal point of not only his own film franchise, but theAvengers movies and the TV seriesThe Falcon and the Winter Soldieras well.If you missed any of these movies or shows, or you just want a refresher beforeCaptain America: Brave New World, our latest Marvel video is here to help. Well catch you up on the life and times of Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, the Red Skull, and many more Marvel characters. How did Steve Rogers go from a scrawny weakling from Brooklyn to the ultimate Marvel hero? And how did Sam Wilson become the Falcon and then the new Cap? Find out in our video below:READ MORE: The Worst Marvel Comics EverIf you liked that video on the entire Captain America franchise up to Brave New World, check out more of our videos below, including one on the hidden Watcher cameo in TheFantastic Four: First Stepstrailer and what it means for the future of the MCU, onebreaking down all the Marvel Easter eggs in the new The Fantastic Four: First Steps teaser, and one on all of the clues that Doctor Doom was the secret Big Bad in the Marvel Cinematic Universe all along. Plus, theres tons more videos over atScreenCrushs YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to catch all our future episodes.Captain America: Brave New World is scheduled to open in theaters this Friday.Sign up for Disney+ here.Get our free mobile appEvery Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie, Ranked From Worst to BestIt started with Iron Man and its continued and expanded ever since. Its the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with 34 movies and counting. But whats the best and the worst? We ranked them all.