Alex SmithBBC News17 February 2025The Trump administration has begun firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, according to the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union, weeks after a fatal mid-air plane collision in Washington DC.Several hundreds of the agency's probationary workers - who have generally been in their positions for less than a year - received the news via email late on Friday night, a statement from PASS's head, Alex Spero said.It is a part of a cost-cutting drive, driven by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), that aims to drastically cut the federal workforce.Spero called the firings "shameful" and said they "will increase the workload and place new responsibilities on a workforce that is already stretched thin".The BBC has contacted the FAA and department of transport for comment.According to Spero's statement, workers affected include systems specialists, safety inspectors, maintenance mechanics and administrative staff, among others.Criticising the move, Spero said the FAA is "already challenged by understaffing", and that the decision to cut staff was "unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month", including the crash near Washington DC's Ronald Reagan airport, in which 67 people were killed.Jason King, who is among those laid off, said he was worried about how the move would impact on aviation safety.He told WUSA9, an affiliate of the BBC's US partner CBS, firing people directly involved with air safety is "concerning for public safety in our national airspace."Mr King, whose work at the FAA involved directly addressing safety concerns, said the move "threatens public trust and increases the likelihood of future accidents"."Aviation safety should never be treated as a budget item that can just be completely cut," he added.On Monday, a team from Elon Musk's SpaceX was set to visit the FAA to suggest improvements to the US's air traffic control system, following the Washington DC plane collision in January.Though the National Transport Safety Board has not yet determined the cause of the collision, staffing levels in air traffic control at the airport, were reportedly below normal levels on the evening of the crash.Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said the SpaceX team's visit to the FAA would give them a "first-hand look at the current system", and would allow them to figure out how they make "a new, world-class air traffic control system that will be the envy of the world."He added that he plans to visit the FAA Academy - which provides training for the organisation's workforce - later this week, to learn more about staff member's education "and how we can ensure that only the very best guide our aircraft".President Donald Trump caused controversy last month when he suggested diversity programmes supported by his predecessors had lowered hiring standards that could have affected the Washington DC plane crash.The Trump administration has ordered government agencies to fire nearly all of their probationary employees, who have not yet earned job protection. It is a move that could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of people.Among those losing their jobs in Friday's cuts were half of the Centers of Disease Control's so-called "disease detectives", multiple health officials told CBS.The researchers - officially officers serving in a two-year programme in the organisation's Epidemic Intelligence Service - are often deployed on the front lines of major disease outbreaks.Many members of the scheme have gone on to rise in the agency's ranks.President Trump has also asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fire the head of an independent ethics agency that protects whistleblower federal employees.Hampton Dellinger, the head of the US Office of Special Counsel, sued the Trump administration after being fired last month.It is thought to be the first case related to Trump's series of executive actions to reach the country's highest court.Since taking office, the president has cut more than a dozen inspectors general at various federal agencies.Related topicsMore on this story1 day ago2 hours ago4 days ago

Naz-me-eemElder Scrolls 6 mentioned: Bethesda's offering a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to lend your face to an NPC that might have funny things done with their corpseYou'll be "leaving your mark on the legendary franchise" as a character who'll probably live at the mercy of some non-Dragonborn's terrifying whims.Image credit: Bethesda News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Feb. 18, 2025 Boo! The Elder Scrolls 6 has been mentioned by Bethesda for the first time in a good while. It's not really an update on how things are going with the game we've all been waiting for since that E3 shot of a landscape, though.Instead, Bethesda's revealed it's offering something cool. The chance for one person the chance to win the opportunity to create a character that'll appear in the game, by donating some cash to charity. Yep, this could be the only time you've ever got a shot at being some Nazeem-esque NPC who'll have a non-zero chance of not ending up dead because Tamriel's latest most powerful person got a bit bored when visiting your town.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. "We're offering one lucky winner the chance to create an NPC for The Elder Scrolls VI to benefit Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic, Bethesda wrote in a tweet announcing the silent auction, adding that the "winning bid will go directly to Make-A-Wish so they can keep granting wishes"."This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity allows you to immortalize yourself in one of the most highly anticipated video games of all time, The Elder Scrolls VI," the auction's description says, "With this exclusive experience, you'll work with the developers to create a custom character that will appear in the game, leaving your mark on the legendary franchise." To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Cool, and for a good cause too. Anyway, apropos of nothing, do you have an amount of cash above $11,050 you'd be willing to lend me? I'm good for it. What do you mean, why do I need it. Can't you just trust me on this one?Ok, that looks to be the kind of sum you'll need to bit to currently be in with a chance of winning the auction. It'll probably keep going up from here, though, because that's how auctions work. Come on, this is my one chance to spend disposable income I definitely don't have on something that's both for charity and could result in the TES 6 NPC everyone develops the kind of terrifying love/hate relationship we all have with the likes of Nazeem and Heimskr with bearing a resemblance to me.Look, I've got a mug that I'm sure you'd love to shout - or whatever the TES 6 equivalent is - off of a cliff alongside a bunch of random vegetables following some cheeky console commanding.Ok, suit yourself. I'm sure the person who ends up getting this opportunity will make a better NPC than me anyway. My pathfinding's notoriously janky and I don't know if I could look good strutting about a zombie in a loincloth, becaise I've been hastily ressurected by a mugger who was only interested in my silly hat and tunic combo.

Things HappenThe Caped Crusader himself finally knows what The Batman Part 2 is actually about, as Robert Pattinson shares he's "very excited" by what Matt Reeves is cooking up"Matt is a very careful writer."Image credit: Warner Bros. Discovery News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Feb. 18, 2025 After a couple of delays, the man behind the cowl Robert Pattinson finally now apparently knows what The Batman: Part 2 will even be about.Back in December last year, The Batman: Part 2 received another delay, once again pushing the film by an entire year all the way to October 1, 2027. The film was originally expected to be released this year, but because director Matt Reeves isn't quite ready with the script, we've seen such a drastic delay. Last month Reeves shared his hopes that the sequel will be something people will be surprised by, confirming that production is expected to take place this year, but didn't share any kind of story details. After all this time, though, there's now at least one important person who knows what the film will be about: Batman himself, Robert Pattinson.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Speaking to ExtraTV at the premiere of Mickey 17, Pattinson was asked what he's looking forward to getting involved with in the sequel, where he explained (while laughing), "I mean there's a lot; I know what it's about now. Matt is a very careful writer, and I finally now know what it's about and it's very cool. I'm very excited." That careful comment (also said while laughing) seems like Reeves might have been hesitant to share story details with even Pattinson, but it's good to know the film's leading man can actually start to mentally prepare for whatever is coming next. To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Back in January, there were some questions around whether or not we might see Pattinson as the DCU's main Batman alongside his Elseworlds role in Reeves' Epic Crime Saga, though that was quickly shutdown by Batman: The Brave and the Bold director Andy Muschietti, so you shouldn't expect to see the former vampire in the main DCU canon any time soon.

See ya, savings!Nintendo has announced that its Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers saving service will not extend to Switch 2 exclusives (thanks, VGC).The vouchers initially cropped up in 2019 as a way to make a small saving on first-party Switch titles. Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can buy a voucher for 84/$100 and use it to redeem two Switch big hitters (Breath of the Wild, Paper Mario, Pokmon Scarlet & Violet etc.) that would normally come in at a higher combined price.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Generative AI is getting better at interpreting dense texts, and this progress has proven to be a boon for startups attacking one of the most complex sets of texts there is: the law. It makes sense then that weve been seeing a new burst of activity in the legal tech space off the back of advancements in AI in the last year or so.Legal tech startup Eudia bagged $105 million only last week; London-based Genie AI raised 16 million last year; U.S.-based Harvey landed a $300 million round led by Sequoia; and Lawhive raised $40 million to go after main street U.S. lawyers. The latest addition to that list is Luminance, which is billing itself legal-grade AI.Claiming to be capable of highly accurate interrogation of legal issues and contracts, Luminance has raised $75 million in a Series C funding round led by Point72 Private Investments. The round is notable because its one of the largest capital raises by a pure-play legal AI company in the U.K. and Europe. The company says it has raised over $115 million in the last 12 months, and $165 million in total.Luminance was originally developed by Cambridge-based academics Adam Guthrie (founder and chief technical architect) and Dr. Graham Sills (founder and director of AI). It was seed-funded by the late Dr. Mike Lynch, founder of Autonomy, who died in a tragic accident last year.Luminance uses what it calls a Panel of Judges AI system to automate and augment a business approach to contracts including generation, negotiation and post-execution analysis. The startup uses a proprietary large language model (LLM) to power its main product, Lumi Go, which lets customers send draft agreements to a counterparty and have the AI auto-negotiate on their behalf.Rather than using a GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), Luminance uses what it describes as an LPT (Legal Pre-trained Transformer) thats trained on over 150 million verified legal documents. Many of these documents are not publicly available, which, the company says, makes its platform relatively defensible. Other legal tech startups tend to build on existing general-purpose LLMs.Its a domain-specialized AI that is built with lawyers in mind [] They need to understand that the outputs have been validated and can be trusted, and thats exactly what our specialized AI can achieve, said Eleanor Lightbody, the startups CEO who took over from the founders after its Series A round.Lightbody explained that the platform was built with the understanding that each model is good at different things. What you want is to have a mixed model approach, where the models can check each others homework, and you can get the most accurate and the most transparent answers, she said.She claimed this approach sets Luminance apart from its competition as its clients can use its platform across the entire contract life cycle.Luminance currently has more than 700 clients across over 70 countries and includes names like AMD, Hitachi, LG Chem, SiriusXM, Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini. Its headcount has tripled in North America after it opened three offices in San Francisco, Dallas and Toronto, and expanded its U.S. headquarters in New York.The Series C also saw participation from Forestay Capital, RPS Ventures, and Schroders Capital, as well as existing investors March Capital, National Grid Partners, and Slaughter and May.

Level Zero Health, a female-founded medical device startup thats aiming to break new ground by developing a device for continuous hormone monitoring, has closed an oversubscribed $6.9 million pre-seed funding round despite being only a little over a year old. The startup wants to do away with the need for invasive blood draws and support research which could lead to new treatments for conditions linked to hormone imbalances or even new healthcare innovations, such as individual dosing for hormone-based contraception.One of our investors told us there are companies who build fundamental technologies and there are companies who build wrappers around that technology; you guys are creating new technology here, says co-founder and CEO Ula Rustamova, discussing the companys development since we last check in with them last fall when they presented on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt as part of the Startup Battlefield competition.The goal is to create a whole new market out of this, right? The same way CGMs [continuous glucose monitors] did. They literally, out of nothing, created a multi-billion dollar market, she goes on. This is, by definition, a whole new product category of its own that hopefully will inspire people to use the device and the data to create a lot of companies on top of that and have a ripple effect in the next few decades.Step by stepBuilding a whole new product category of any stripe can take time. Factor in this being a hardware startup, and a medical device to boot, its clear Level Zero Health isnt going to be able to serve up a paradigm shift in how hormones are monitored overnight. This is why the team is also working on a stepping stone single-use product (pictured above in prototype form), which they hope to get cleared for prescription use next year to support intermittent hormone testing associated with medical use cases such as fertility (IVF) and low testosterone (TRT). The current prototype wearable contains tiny needles that allow it to take samples just under the skin to detect trace amounts of hormones.This is a step towards the hormone monitoring wearable they ultimately hope to bring to market tentatively slated for 2028 thats able to pull a continuous measure of things like progesterone, estrogen and testosterone from the wearers interstitial fluid. (That is fluid that fills the spaces around cells, acting as an intermediary between blood plasma and cells hence why biochemical compounds in the blood can also be detected in interstitial fluid.)A continuous hormone monitoring device or, rather, the data it picks up could play a transformative role in boosting scientific understanding of the roles hormones play in human biology much like CGMs have transformed diabetes management (and more besides). But Level Zero Health is also building a business initially a B2B business, aiming to sell technology into healthcare provider networks so the founders are working on twin product development tracks to shorten time-to-market and bridge the gap between the big bang mission and whats currently possible. We think that we have this source of truth that we can tap into which is interstitial fluid, Rustamova tells TechCrunch. And we think that theres an immediate, shorter term product here that we should launch first.The idea is that continuous [hormone monitoring] is the holy grail that is the future because it makes sense, in a way because its again frictionless, you can put it on, and you can sort of get really consistent measurements. But also we understand that, today, we need to enter the market in a way where we would not try to change the protocol and not have a seven-year research question of lets try and interpret this data so our first device is actually similar to finger stick devices, but its also a patch.The prototype wearable is able to take measurements throughout the day when worn extracting a series of data points with the goal of delivering value immediately for use-cases such as IVF, where a woman might otherwise need to have multiple blood draws to monitor hormone levels. Rustamova says the team hopes to have concluded clinical trials and secured clearance for this single-use intermittent monitoring patch next year with eyes on obtaining approval both from the U.S. regulator, the FDA, and a CE marking to allow them to sell into European healthcare markets (she says theyre not sure which may come first). Hopefully, this year we want to show some level of correlation [between levels of hormones the wearable patch can detect and levels detected via a blood draw] thats the promise I want to deliver with the pre-seed money, she adds.CTO and co-founder,Irene Jia, tells us the teams goal is to be able to demonstrate a 90%+ correlation with what their patch can pick up compared to measuring hormone levels via a blood draw.Risk vs. rewardAlthough later on when were discussing the delay between blood-based readings and detection via interstitial fluid Rustamova chimes in to underscore the difference in medical risk between CGMs and hormone monitoring. She points out that the risk for someone with diabetes (i.e., if blood glucose readings are delayed or off) is likely to be extremely high, whereas hormone monitoring is typically not that high stakes.For glucose, you have potential lethal consequences of giving a wrong reading or having that delay [but when it comes to hormone monitoring] the risk of having a slight deviation or sort of correlation not being as tight, she tells us. Obviously, were going to try and correlate as much as possible but theres this very different risk profile here. She also noted that the first CGMs to market had a lower correlation with blood readings than these devices now do.The suggestion is the teams goal is to keep raising the bar on accuracy. Which perhaps hints at the reason investors have been keen to pile into this medtech startups early round with the potential rewards vs. risks being skewed in a positive direction.The other doubtless helpful factor here is that Level Zero Health isnt solely focused on womens health issues; monitoring male hormones is a core piece of the initial business plan. (And it remains the case that most tech investors are still men placing bets on solving problems that speak to their interests.)Level Zero Healths pre-seed funding round was led by European VC,redalpine. HAX (SOSV), Entrepreneur First (EF), and industry experts also contributed to the round with SOSV having previously accepted the startup onto its deeptech/hardware HAX accelerator program, and Rustamova also being an EF alum.Commenting in a statement, Philip Kneis, investor at redalpine and a Level Zero Health board member, said: We did it for blood pressure and will do it again for hormones. Continuous hormone measurement is one of the holy grails of diagnostics, and as fundamental science transitions to engineering, we couldnt be more excited to back Level Zero Health in their mission to transform hormone tracking with their novel biosensor paving the way for a new era of personalized health management.Level Zero Health is working on a potentially life-changing device for hormone healthTopics

British engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce has partnered with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to recycle fighter jet components into 3D printed engine parts.The collaboration, which features expertise from Additive Manufacturing Solutions Ltd., is converting old Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado fighter jet parts into metal powder feedstock. This has been used to 3D print components for the Orpheus jet engine concept, which supports the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program.Part of Rolls-Royces defense division, Orpheus seeks to accelerate engine design and production using advanced manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing. According to Neil Mantle, the companys Director of Manufacturing, additive manufacturing previously reduced development times by 50%, with engines going from concept to testing in 18 months.Rolls-Royce believes its latest 3D printing initiative, called Tornado 2 Tempest, has the potential to support the Tempest fighter jet. Developed through Britain, Italy, and Japans Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the sixth-generation aircraft has already leveraged additive manufacturing. Last year, BAE Systems, the British aerospace firm leading the project, used metal 3D printing to produce primary structural components for the Tempests demonstrator. This follows BAEs 2020 statement that it planned to 3D print 30% of the Tempests parts.The Tornado 2 Tempest project exemplifies the forward-thinking sustainability principles embedded in the FCAS Sustainability Strategy and MOD Defence Support Strategy, commented Andrew Eady, Rolls-Royces VP of FCAS Sustainability.At Rolls-Royce, we continue to be leaders in circular economy practices and innovative digital enablers to support our steps to be a lower carbon and digitally enabled business, Eady added. He called Tornado 2 Tempest a bold, exciting and innovative project and a demonstration of how excellent collaboration between the MOD, industry and SME can deliver sustainable and technologically advanced solutions.RAF Tornado Fighter Jet. Photo via the RAF.3D printing recycled fighter jet partsThe Tornado fighter jet retired from RAF operations in 2019. When decommissioning, replacing, and scrapping old equipment, the MOD risks losing strategic metals. Many of its surplus assets and broken components feature valuable materials like high-quality steel, aluminum, and titanium.The Tornado 2 Tempest project aimed to explore whether surplus Tornado components could be converted into metal powder for 3D printing, creating a circular supply chain. As part of this effort, titanium Tornado partssuch as jet engine compressor blades from a low-pressure air compressorwere collected, cleaned, and atomized into metal feedstock.Rolls-Royce and AMS then used this powder to 3D print a nose cone and compressor blades, which were installed on the Orpheus test engine. After installation, the engine was tested under operational conditions to validate the safety, performance, and feasibility of 3D printed components for future military aircraft engines. The team also developed a Digital Product Passport to track material provenance and lifecycle data. According to Rolls-Royce, this could help make more informed material allocation decisions and safeguard against counterfeit materials.AMS stated it is honored to contribute its expertise in additive manufacturing to this collaborative effort, reinforcing its commitment to advancing sustainable and efficient solutions within the aerospace and defense sectors. Rob Higham, the companys Founder, added, This project turned our proposed solutions into a reality, and we have been very humbled and grateful to the MOD and Rolls-Royce, for allowing us to showcase our capability to deliver game-changing circular economy processes and parts in Defence.Rolls-Royce, AMS, and the MOD led the initiative alongside Defence Equipment and Supports (DE&S) Defence Recycling & Disposals Team (DRDT). The project was funded by the UK Strategic Commands Defence Support Organisation in support of its Circular Economics for Defence Concept Note. Over 80 people participated, including DRDTs commercial graduates and Rolls-Royce graduate apprentices.Rolls-Royces Orpheus engine. Photo via Rolls-Royce.Additive manufacturing to secure defense supply chainsShipping insecurities and geopolitical challenges are increasingly threatening global supply chains. This has led many countries, including the UK, to ramp up their sovereign military manufacturing capabilities with 3D printing. Earlier this year, armored vehicle manufacturer Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) announced it had attracted over 56 million in investment to accelerate defense manufacturing at its Hadley Castle Works Factory in Telford. The company, a joint venture between the UKs BAE Systems and Dsseldorf-based Rheinmetall, is leveraging additive manufacturing to produce the next-generation Challenger 3 main battle tank and Boxer armored personnel carrier on British soil.Maria Eagle, Minister for Defence Procurement, recently visited the Telford site as part of the UK Governments new Defense Industrial Strategy. This initiative seeks to ensure the countrys defense sector is innovative, resilient, and competitive. During the visit, Eagle stated that Telford is at the heart of UK defence, with the new Government strategy designed to drive economic growth, boost British jobs, and strengthen national security.A 950 million Challenger 3 contract has already created 300 jobs across RBSLs facilities in Telford, Dorset, Bristol, and Newcastle. This was followed by a 5 billion investment to equip UK forces with 148 Challenger 3 tanks and 623 Boxer vehicles by 2030.Elsewhere, the UK, Australian, and US governments agreed to accelerate hypersonic technology under a new AUKUS Hypersonic Flight Test and Experimentation (HyFliTE) Project. Initially signed in 2021, the trilateral partnership is pursuing a new level of collaboration to unlock faster development, testing, and evaluation of hypersonic vehicles to bolster their sovereign aerospace and defense capabilities. This could include long-range strike missiles launched from land, sea, or air.According to the MOD, the new project seeks to bolster battle-winning capabilities, enhance domestic security, and defend against international threats. Existing research will be incorporated into the new initiative, reportedly allowing the partners to develop at a pace that no one nation could do alone. While the role of additive manufacturing has not been disclosed, the US is investing heavily in 3D printed missiles. For instance, the Department of Defense awarded rocket engine manufacturer Ursa Major with $12.5 million to develop 3D printed solid rocket motors in the US. It has also previously funded aerospace firm Aerojet Rocketdynes efforts to 3D print a prototype hypersonic propulsion system.Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards?Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.You can also follow us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.Featured image shows an RAF Tornado Fighter Jet. Photo via the RAF.

Hey lovely VFX Artists!As everyone else we love VFX tips&tricks, so we thought that we could also share some with the community <3For the first one we got something Unity related:1 - Renaming Custom Vertex StreamsCustom Vertex Streams are probably the biggest trouble people have with shuriken, so heres a little tip to make it easier!Did you know you can rename the fields in Custom Data? Simply just click on themHopefully, that helps you understand how to work with them And heres a little explanation of how Custom Vertex Streams work, made by the wonderful Kjell Bunjes.

Recommended Published February 18, 2025 6:00am EST close 'CyberGuy': Electric SUV is the ultimate lifeline for search and rescue missions Tech expert Kurt Knutsson talks about the Genesis GV60 MIV, an electric rescue EV with snow tracks for extreme missions. Genesis has once again pushed the boundaries of automotive design with its latest concept vehicle, the GV60 Mountain Intervention Vehicle (MIV). Unveiled at the World Economic Forum 2025 in Davos, Switzerland, this innovative creation showcases Genesis' commitment to combining luxury, technology and functionality in extreme environments. GV60 Mountain Intervention Vehicle (Genesis) (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Reimagining rescue operationsTheGV60 MIV Concept represents a purpose-built electric vehicle designed specifically for rescue operations in challenging terrains and harsh weather conditions. Drawing inspiration from small unit support vehicles, the concept transforms the luxurious Genesis GV60 compact SUV into a sophisticated and capable rescue machine. GV60 Mountain Intervention Vehicle (Genesis) (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Extraordinary technical capabilitiesThe most remarkable feature of the GV60 MIV is its revolutionary snow tracks, which replace traditional wheels and enable seamless movement across treacherous winter landscapes. Large carbon fiber fender flares provide critical protection for both the vehicle and surrounding personnel, while vibrant orange accents dramatically enhance visibility in challenging environments. GV60 Mountain Intervention Vehicle (Genesis) (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Advanced rescue technologiesThe vehicle's interior is meticulously designed with specialized sports seats, comprehensive medical supplies and sophisticated emergency communication systems. A dedicated Garmin GPS device ensures precise navigation even in areas without cellular connectivity, demonstrating the concept's commitment to mission-critical functionality. GV60 Mountain Intervention Vehicle (Genesis) (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Electric performance meets rescue efficiencyThe electric drivetrain offers multiple strategic advantages for rescue operations, including near-silent operation, reduced environmental impact and a powerful vehicle-to-load system that can power critical external equipment. The concept delivers an impressive 429 horsepower with an estimated range of 294 miles, proving that electric vehicles can perform exceptionally in demanding scenarios. GV60 Mountain Intervention Vehicle (Genesis) (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Visionary design philosophyWhile the GV60 MIV Concept will not enter mass production, it represents a bold statement about the potential of electric vehicles in specialized applications. Genesis demonstrates how advanced automotive technology can be reimagined to serve critical human needs in the most challenging environments. GV60 Mountain Intervention Vehicle (Genesis) (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Kurt's key takeawaysGenesis has truly outdone themselves with this mountain rescue concept. It's like they've created a superhero vehicle that combines luxury, technology and life-saving potential into one extraordinary package. While we might not see these snow-track-equipped rescuers on real-life missions any time soon, if ever, the GV60 MIV Concept certainly sparks the imagination about the future of specialized electric vehicles.If you could adapt any existing vehicle for a specific rescue mission, which would you choose and why? Let us know by writing us atCyberguy.com/Contact.For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading toCyberguy.com/Newsletter.Follow Kurt on his social channels:Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com.All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurts free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

aapsky - stock.adobe.comNewsMetas planned subsea cable will exceed circumference of Earth and support AI innovationMetas planned 50,000 km subsea cable will be the worlds longest and connect the five major continents ByKarl Flinders,Chief reporter and senior editor EMEAPublished: 18 Feb 2025 11:45 Meta has announced its plan for a subsea cable that will span the globe, connecting emerging economies such as India, South Africa and Brazil to the US.Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApps parent company announced what is known as Project Waterworth in a blog post.The social media giants vice-president of network engineering, Gaya Nagarajan, and Alex-Handrah Aim, its global head of network investments, said the 50,000 km cable will be the worlds longest, and use the highest-capacity technology available.Regions of rapid economic growth will be connected directly to the US through the cable, which the Meta executives said will enable greater economic cooperation, facilitate digital inclusion and open opportunities for technological development in these regions.Meta said it has already developedover 20subsea cables. With Project Waterworth, we continue to advance engineering design to maintain cable resilience, enabling us to build the longest 24 fibre pair cable project in the world and enhance overall speed of deployment, wrote the Meta executives.The multibillion-dollar investment, which will see cables laid at depths of 7,000 meters, will take years to complete, but promises increased access to high-speed connectivity, which it said could, for example, support artificial intelligence (AI) innovation across the world.AI is revolutionising every aspect of our lives, from how we interact with each other to how we think about infrastructure and Meta is at the forefront of building these innovative technologies, the company said. As AI continues to transform industries and societies around the world, its clear that capacity, resilience and global reach are more important than ever to support leading infrastructure.Read more about subsea cablesVodacom lands 2Africa subsea cable in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: What is described as transformative subsea cable lands at the Vodacom facility in Gqeberha at South Africas Eastern Cape toprovide a gateway to direct international connectivity for faster, more reliable communications.RETN unveils new low latency London to Paris connectivity: International network services provider uses CrossChannel subsea cable to launch new low latency network route between London and Paris with a length of 550km.Grace Hopper subsea cable lands in UK: First private subsea cable to the UK funded by Google intended to improve diversity and resilience of the network, underpinning consumer and enterprise products, increasing capacity and powering services.Batelco claims Bahrain first with 400Ginternational capacity: Optical network technology supplier inks deal with leading telco provider in Bahrain to deliver 400G capacity high-speed connectivity as part of an initiative to upgrade internet service in the country.The blog post added: With Project Waterworth, we can help ensure that the benefits of AI and other emerging technologies are available to everyone, regardless of where they live or work.While subsea cables promise to enable global connectivity, there are concerns over how these costly and critical infrastructures can be protected from attacks from hostile states.MPs and peers recently launched an inquiry into the UKs ability to protect undersea internet cables that link the country with the rest of the world. This followed heightened threats of sabotage.The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, which scrutinises government decision-making on national security, aims to assess the UKs readiness for potential attacks on critical undersea communication cables.The inquiry followed astatement by defence secretary John Healey, warning that Russian president Vladimir Putin is targeting the UKs undersea oil, gas, electricity and internet cables after a Russian spy ship entered British waters.According to the parliamentary committee, 99% of the UKs data passes through undersea internet cables.As the geopolitical environment worsens, foreign states are seeking asymmetric ways to hold us at risk, said committee chairman Matt Western. Our internet cable network looks like an increasingly vulnerable soft underbelly. There is no need for panic we have a good degree of resilience, and awareness of the challenge is growing. But we must be clear-eyed about the risks and consequences: an attack of this nature would hit us hard.The global internet, which is critical for international communications and commerce, relies on a network of 500 cables that carry 95% of internet traffic. The cables are often in remote places, making them difficult and expensive to monitor.In The Current Issue:AI Action Summit: Global leaders decry AI red tapeNavigating the practicalities of AI regulation and legislationDownload Current Issue