Joe Gebbia is a cofounder and former chief product officer of Airbnb.On Thursday, Gebbia said he had joined Elon Musk's government efficiency commission, DOGE.Gebbia also sits on Tesla's board.Joe Gebbia, the cofounder and former chief product officer of Airbnb, said on Thursday that he would be a part of Elon Musk's government efficiency commission, DOGE."Excited to share I'm bringing my designer brain and start-up spirit into the government," Gebbia wrote in an X post on Thursday.Gebbia wrote in his post that his first project at DOGE will be to improve the "slow and paper-based retirement process" for federal employees. Musk had previously complained about how retirement applications were being processed manually and using paper records.Musk told reporters at a press conference in the Oval Office on February 11 that he was told that only a maximum of 10,000 federal employees could retire every month because of the manual process."Well, because all the retirement paperwork is manual, on paper. It's manually calculated then written down on a piece of paper, then it goes down a mine," Musk said."Yeah, there's a limestone mine where we store all the retirement paperwork," Musk added.Musk was referring to a converted mine in Boyers, Pennsylvania. The mine was originally owned by US Steel and has been used to store government records since the 1960s.The Office of Personnel Management's then-chief information officer, Guy Cavallo, said in an interview with Federal News Network last year that it would take "many years" to replace the paper-based system with an online platform they were testing."Since leaving my operating role at Airbnb in 2022, I've been looking for the next digital design challenge. And I can think of few more important ones than volunteering to improve the user experience within our government," Gebbia wrote in his X post on Thursday.Gebbia's post came attached with a video from the OPM, which said that the agency had processed an entire retirement application digitally for the first time. Chuck Ezell, the OPM's acting director, said in the video that the application was processed within a week. The process would take 64 days on average if done manually."If anyone else in good standing wants to help design beautiful, user-friendly digital products, reach out," Gebbia added."Thanks!" Musk wrote in response to Gebbia's post.Representatives for DOGE did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.This is the first time Gebbia has confirmed his involvement with DOGE. On February 13, The New York Times reported that Gebbia was set to join DOGE, though Gebbia declined to comment when approached by the Times.It is unclear if Gebbia will be paid for his work at DOGE. Earlier this month, the White House said that Musk is a "special government employee" and isn't paid for his service.Gebbia has a good relationship with Musk and has been a Tesla board member since 2022. In June, Gebbia told Reuters in an interview that Musk had discussed buying a home from his startup, Samara.On January 19, a day before President Donald Trump's inauguration, Gebbia said in an X post that he had voted for Trump even though he had been voting for the Democrats his "whole life." The Democratic Party "aren't the same party they used to be," Gebbia wrote."Like your fashion sense, they've lost their way. Hopefully they'll make an effort to win people like me back," he added.

The US Air Force's director of force design said America can't win through long-range strikes alone.He said the Air Force wants to emphasize more long-range strikes but cannot rely on them too heavily.US air power would need both tempo and mass to win a war, he said.The US Air Force relying on a "massive punch" from afar would be a war-losing mistake, said its general in charge of shaping the service's future capabilities."What we have found, if you go to an all-long-range force, it doesn't win," Maj. Gen. Joseph Kunkel said at a Hudson Institute event on Wednesday.He was answering a question about whether the Air Force will start to heavily or completely emphasize long-range strikes."I mean, it sounds wonderful, doesn't it?" Kunkel said, who also oversees the Air Force's war game simulations. "You sit in Topeka, Kansas. You press a red button. The war gets fought. Nobody gets hurt. It's all done at long-range."But Kunkel said the strategy doesn't work because the Air Force loses tempo when fighting that way."They're absolutely game-changing," he said of striking from long range. "They're going to help us out. They're going to be able to deliver a massive punch to the adversary.""But they're probably not going to do it at the tempo that's required to keep the adversary on its knees all the time," Kunkel continued.He said that to win wars, the Air Force still needs to be able to get close and strike frequently."You need something else. You need something inside. You need something inside that can generate tempo. Tempo and mass," the general said.To that end, Kunkel said the Air Force would transition to include more long-range attack methods but still rely on combined arms a mix of different capabilities.The Air Force has repeatedly signaled that it's trying to bolster its long-range strike capabilities, especially as the Pentagon worries about open conflict with China.In January, for example, then-Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the force might have too few options to attack from afar.The new B-21 Raider Bomber unveiled in 2022 is a central piece of the Air Force's long-range capabilities, and Kendall hinted that it needed more than its planned fleet of 100 aircraft."The Air Force is very heavily dependent on relatively short-range aircraft: fighters. And has a relatively small inventory of longer-range strike platforms: bombers," Kendall said. "I think that balance needs to shift."Still, Kunkel said explicitly on Wednesday that the Air Force wouldn't rely solely on long-range strikes."I will adamantly say we are not transitioning to this all long-range force because, alone, that just doesn't work. We will transition to elements of a long-range force," he said.The two-star general also said that the Air Force needs to start tailoring its capabilities to meet specific threatsand that simplymaking new fighter jets will not win wars for the US."When we do the analysis, what we find is just reinventing the Air Force doesn't win," Kunkel said.The Pentagon's press department did not respond to an additional request for comment for Kunkel sent by Business Insider outside regular business hours.

Is the Switch 2 guaranteed to outsell the PS5? (YouTube)The Friday letters page is not optimistic about new Pokmon games on the Nintendo Switch 2, as one reader hopes for a Half-Life 3 reveal at the April Nintendo Direct.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukTwin rivalsOne thing Ive been thinking about with the Nintendo Switch 2 is how itll do going up against not just the PlayStation 5 but also the other next gen consoles. The Switch came out halfway through the PlayStation 4s life and now the Switch 2 is coming out halfway through the PlayStation 5.At the time it was thought impossible that the Switch could beat PlayStation 4, because of the head start and yet here we are where its sold over 30 million more. The Switch is already well ahead of the PlayStation 5 but does that mean the Switch 2 will beat it as well?I think the Wii U tells us that its not a given but then again the interest at the moment for the Switch 2 is so strong that Nintendo has got to make a really big effort to fail. I wonder how Sony will feel about that and if they think the PlayStation 6 has any chance of breaking the current cycle.LoganUnwanted LegacyI cannot believe what a shambles Warner Bros. seems to be with their games. Theyve just shut down one of their best studios and apparently they wanted to do it to another one as well? WB Games Montral has made some good games, even Gotham Knights was better than a lot of people realise, but now theyre tied to a Game Of Thrones game? One thats going to turn up 15 years too late and I cannot see being anything other than another disaster.The fundamental problem, as far as I can see, is that Warner Bros. just doesnt want to make video games. Not traditional single-player games; it just wants to have its own couple of Fortnites and cant be bothered with anything else that only makes some money, but not all the money.The way they speak it almost seems like they resent Hogwarts Legacy being a success. Like theyd rather itd flopped so they can just give up on the idea of traditional games entirely.AustinDirect speculationI dont believe therell ever be a Half-Life 3 but if it was unveiled during a Nintendo Direct that would be absolutely wild. The fact that theres a non-zero chance of it happening is crazy enough as it is.I do feel theres bound to be some kind of major third party annoucement, probably a couple, at the Direct though. Not only will Nintendo want it to prove the Switch 2 has that kind of support, but the publishers will know that everyone will be watching the Direct.Seems to me a FromSoftware annoucement is very likely, beyond just an Elden Ring port. I also like the idea of a Castlevania reveal or maybe Resident Evil 9? Japanese publishers are especially likely to get on board and while its not healthy to expect too much I cant help myself.CheezoidEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukUnrelated storyIm not very familiar with Silent Hill. My only experience of it are seeing the first film, playing a demo of Silent Hill 4: The Room, which I didnt like, and the criminally unavailable P.T. Demo which I loved.My question is, as its been so long since the original games were released and there must be loads of people who have never played them, then why the hell did they get Bloober Team to make Silent Hill 2? What about Silent Hill 1? Makes no sense to me.Its like watching a TV series or film series and skipping the first one! The remake might be fantastic but whats the backstory? How did all start? It puts me off to an extent that I wont play it. Maybe its just meSteveGC: There is no story connection between Silent Hill 1 and 2, other than theyre nominally set in the same town (whose exact nature is never clearly explained). Since the second entry is by far the most popular it was the obvious place to start. Theres speculation that Bloober Team may remake Silent Hill 1 and/or 3, which do share some characters, but that is not confirmed.Emulator machineVery interested in the piece on the Steam Deck being similar in sales to the N-Gage.Pretty sure I have an N-Gage somewhere from years ago. Sonic and Tony Hawks Pro Skater were pretty good at the time.In terms of handhelds, what is GCs opinion on (typically used for) emulator consoles?If I can name drop, a bit back I bought an Anbernic RG556. It has a 1080p OLED screen, runs Android (so has access to all the streaming services) and cost 140.With Game Pass, it is a pretty awesome portable Xbox.Si ZeroGC: We have very little interest in emulation.Generational declineAm I the only one that thought that Pokmon Legends: Z-A footage looked kind of fake? Either its for the Switch 2, which they didnt say, or its some kind of pre-rendered mock-up running on a PC or something. I have absolutely zero faith that anything made by Game Freak will run like they showed, without tons of glitches and frame rate hiccups. Especially given how little time theyve had since the last game.If it is Switch 2 thats fine, because I did like how the combat seemed to be working and I welcome the attempt to mix things up. Especially if the new mobile game is going to focus on turn-based combat and keep that going.At the end of the day though its still a spin-off and I feel that the mainline games have reached a dead end. Technology has advanced too much for them to cling onto the old-fashioned formula and yet Game Freak dont have the time and expertise to push things forward.Their attempts to have a Zelda style open world have been embarrassing and unless they take five years making the next one, which theyre clearly not going to, I dont see anything changing as much as it needs to.Tim Rogers2D blockbustersThat new Terminator 2 game looks amazing. I am 100% for them running that idea into the ground and doing every 80s and 90s action movie possible in the same style. Aliens, Predator, Jurassic Park, RoboCop you name it, I would happily play it in 2D Contra-o-vision.Theres a reasonable chance of at least one of those things happening too, as this is the same company behind the excellent 3D RoboCop game, so surely the obvious next step is a version of the movie and then Terminator Vs. RoboCop. Let the 90s cheese flow!TacleDay of the PlumberSince it was Pokmon Day on Thursday, and you mentioned all the other pop culture days, I wonder whats going to happen on MAR10 Day? March 10.Nintendo always acknowledge it but dont often make any big annoucement, but I wonder if this year will be different? Its obvious theyve told everyone not to say anything until the Direct in April, considering not even the Pokmon Presents mentioned it, so then again Im not sure.I think a look at the Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel might be an exception though, since thats not connected to the Switch 2. My guess is that its going to introduce Wario and Waluigi, which Im all for, especially if Danny DeVito does the voice. I know the original wasnt a great movie, but I still enjoyed it for the animation and how accurate it was to the games.Its interesting that its very hard to guess when we might see a new 3D Mario game, as while there are a few rumours of a new game we really dont know and Nintendo certainly hasnt given a hint. What they have hinted at though is Mario Kart and Metroid Prime 4, which are the obvious guesses for the launch games.So does that mean 3D Mario will be later this year or next year? Maybe we wont find out until MAR10 Day 2026.BonkInbox also-ransSomebody mentioned F-Zero GX that game is amazing and eyeball-meltingly fast. I have literally just brought a GameCube and a digital AV HDMI adapter just so I can play it on a modern TV. A sequel or even a port to Switch/Switch 2 would be very welcome!StewartI think theyll save Deadpool until people start getting tired of Marvel Rivals. Hes obviously going to be in it but, like the MCU, hell be used to give everything a boost when interest starts to flag.CasperMore TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Readers Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.You can also leave your comments below and dont forget to follow us on Twitter.ArrowMORE: Games Inbox: Will the Fable reboot be on PS5?GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Ninja Five-O not your average bobby on the beat (Konami)One of the most obscure, and valuable, GBA games finally gets a re-release, as what was known in Europe as Ninja Cop becomes available for everyone.Video game rarity in an almost digital-only world is a very different thing to how it was 20 or so years ago. Its currently impossible to play failed live service games like Concord and XDefiant, despite the fact that theyre less than a year old, and yet most games going back to the late 70s are relatively easy to play on one format or another.However, back in the day, many games werent released in Europe at all and if they werent an immediate hit in their country of origin, they were seemingly at risk of disappearing forever. But things change and while weve got a Japanese import of Radiant Silvergun for the Sega Saturn, that we originally paid 150 for, you can currently buy it on Switch or PC for 15.Like most people, Ninja Five-O passed us by when it was originally released on the Game Boy Advance in 2003, but we became aware of it a few years after and managed to pick it up for 60 or so. It would cost a lot more to buy now (increased interest in physical copies has seen most rare games retain their value, regardless of whether theyre available digitally or not) but thankfully its also now available as a digital download for 20.The history of Ninja Five-O is strange and poorly understood. It was released in Europe as Ninja Cop but despite being made by Bomberman creators Hudson Soft, and published by Konami, it was never released in Japan.Nobody seems to know why, as the game gives every impression of being made for a Japanese audience and then translated for the West. But it was such a flop, and released in such small numbers, that it almost immediately became an urban legend, famous for both its quality and its rarity.The game is very obviously inspired by Shinobi and other ninja titles of the 80s and 90s, such as the original 2D Ninja Gaiden titles, but while the basics are very familiar Ninja Five-O has some unique ideas of its own and doesnt feel like a clone.As you might imagine, your police duties do not involve giving out parking tickets or organising speed traps and instead protagonist Joe Osugi, who goes to work dressed as an old school ninja, is out to stop a group of terrorists who have access to magical kabuki style masks. Thats a very roomy aeroplane (Konami)The first mission revolves around foiling a bank raid by killing everyone inside that isnt a hostage. Like Shinobi (whose hero is also called Joe) you have both a sword and infinite shuriken. Non-ninja opponents are generally easy dealt with and in many cases they, or destructible crates, will leave behind extra energy that will power up your shuriken through three levels, culminating in a laser projectile that passes through enemies.Youve also got a special meter which, when full, can set off a smart bomb style magic attack. Thats also very similar to Shinobi but where the two games differ is in how you deal with platforms. Shinobi borrowed liberally from Namcos Rolling Thunder series, where you could leap instantly between platforms and the ground, as long as you were directly below them.In Ninja Five-O its more complicated, as you have a grappling hook that you have to swing around on, Spider-Man style, so that you loop through 180 and onto the platform you want to reach. This requires a lot more skill, which is tested in increasingly more complex levels filled with laser beams and unfeasibly dangerous looking machinery and moving platforms.The games level and enemy design is surprisingly varied, with some neat boss battles, but the game is very unforgiving in terms of difficulty, with shuriken levels hard to maintain and a health bar that can disappear in moments (there is an easy setting, but it only lets you play the first three missions).Whats impressive about this remaster is that a lot of effort has gone into offering a full suite of modern conveniences. So you can now rewind time whenever you want and theres new save and load options, which helps greatly with the demanding difficulty.For a Game Boy Advance game, Ninja Five-O is a real looker, especially as it mustve been quite low budget, but as nice as the animation is all the sprites are quite small and it does not look good when in full screen mode on a modern TV. Shrink the screen size though (we settled on Native 2x) and use the filter and the game still looks surprisingly good and not just a pixellated mess. Although played in portable mode on the Switch is the best overall option.More TrendingOn top of those features youve got both versions of the game Ninja Five-O and Ninja Cop as well as a music player (sadly, the soundtrack is rather unremarkable) and even a little museum of artwork, box art, and scanned-in manuals. All of which is far more than many much higher profile retro releases get.You would think that a modern day re-release of a Game Boy Advance game, which originally ran at a resolution of 240p, would have nothing to offer anyone but hardcore retro aficionados, but that is not the case.Ninja Five-O could have been released new today, as an indie title, and nobody would have any idea it was actually 22 years old. Its a wonderfully crafted portable game that knows what it wants to be and executes on that concept almost perfectly. Ninja Five-O was purposefully old school even when it was originally released but its cheerful simplicity is just as endearing now as it ever was.Ninja Five-O Nintendo Switch review summaryIn Short: A very welcome remaster of one of gamings most carefully hidden secrets, whose charming retro simplicity is as entertaining today as it was 22 years ago on the Game Boy Advance.Pros: Great 2D platform action that has just enough unique ideas to feel distinct. Plenty of level variety in terms of settings and platform design. Surprisingly good graphics and animation.Cons: Even with the rewind feature its a difficult game, while also being quite short. Despite the range of display options, playing it on a TV is a compromise.Score: 8/10Formats: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PCPrice: 19.99Publisher: KonamiDeveloper: Limited Run (original: Hudson Soft)Release Date: 25th February 2025Age Rating: 12 A policemans lot is not a happy one (Konami)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

By Germain Lussier Published February 27, 2025 | Comments (0) | Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and future Star Wars director Shawn Levy. Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney (Getty Images) Kathleen Kennedy isnt retiring from filmmaking. She is, however, looking for potential successors to take over for her at Lucasfilm. That news, and much more, just broke out of an exclusive new interview with the Lucasfilm president. Earlier this week, news leaked that Kennedy might be retiring from Lucasfilm by the end of 2025. Speaking to Deadline, the prolific producer wouldnt put a timeline on it but did confirm they are looking at whats next. I am not retiring, Kennedy said. I will never retire from movies. I will die making movies. That is the first thing thats important to say. I am not retiring. Whats happening at Lucasfilm is I have been talking for quite some time with both [Disneys] Bob [Iger] and Alan [Bergman] about what eventual succession might look like. Weve been talking about [succession], as I said, nonstop for the last couple of years because for obvious reasons, Im not going to be here forever, she continued. George [Lucas] asked me 13 years ago to step in, and now Im looking at whos going to replace me. And as I said, we have a bench of people internally to handle the business, the creative side. The job has grown also since I stepped in. There was no streaming, there werent a lot of the things that were involved in right now going on. So it has grown. Kennedy refused to name any of the names of people who shes looking at but did name names in terms of the future of Star Wars. Of course, we know that The Mandalorian and Grogu is the next film coming, in 2026. Kennedy confirmed that Shawn Levys movie (potentially starring Ryan Gosling. though she didnt mention the star) will follow that. Its a standalone movie set about five or six years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Shes producing both.Kennedy also said that Simon Kinberg has just begun writing films in his trilogy, which she describes as the next iteration, the new saga that moves us into the future. She didnt mention the movie that would feature the return of Daisy Ridley, but did say that James Mangolds film is still in the script stage as is Taika Waititis. I keep waiting for Taika and he is working with another writer now, Kennedy said. Hes so busy. I love him, I think if we ever do get a script from Taika, its going to be fantastic. I already saw a first act that I loved, but tying him down its tricky.So there you have it. The reports earlier this week were not quite 100% accurate but close. And it sounds like we may be hearing more about Shawn Levys film at Star Wars Celebration. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Germain Lussier Published February 26, 2025 By James Whitbrook Published February 26, 2025 By Germain Lussier Published February 25, 2025 By Germain Lussier Published February 25, 2025 By James Whitbrook Published February 24, 2025 By Sabina Graves Published February 24, 2025

The best thing a company can do for its productespecially for its sales numbersis to convince the users that its essential to living. Google is certainly leaning into that narrative with the Pixel Watch 3. This week, Googles third-gen smartwatch received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Loss of Pulse Detection feature, which was announced alongside the smartwatch, though its been dormant pending clearance. Once the feature rolls out later next month, the Pixel Watch 3 can immediately call for help if your pulse goes out. The feature has been available in the E.U. since the smartwatchs debut last fall, but this is the first time its available in the U.S. Loss of Pulse Detection works precisely as advertised: your heart rate goes null, and the Pixel Watch 3 immediately enters emergency mode. It starts a countdown and sounds off an alarm. If you dont respond within seconds, it automatically calls emergency services, provided you set that up beforehand with an Android device. Google says the watch will be able to differentiate between an immediate cardiac event and simply taking off the watch for the day, suggesting that there will be few false positives. Google touts multi-check, an AI-based algorithm that studies the multipath heart-rate sensor for patterns to detect when its genuinely a nuanced situation. The company claims it rigorously tested the algorithm with over hundreds of thousands of hours of data while also cross-referencing it with a diverse range of experts, including cardiologists and high-level emergency medical professionals. I accidentally triggered the Pixel Watchs Fall Detection feature before, though it was on the last generations hardware. It happened when my foot slid down a hill after a poor landing. False positives happen, but thats why theres a few-second countdown and alert so you can call it off when that happens. Regardless, expect Google to market the feature around town, especially since the Apple Watch still cant do this kind of thing.

Just when you thought things cant get bad, this happens.ReadUp: https://help.fxhome.com/hc/en-us/sections/23801837777821-FAQs Get Premium Blender Addons: https://bit.ly/3jbu8s7 Check Out Davinci Resolve: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/event/davinciresolvedownload Chck Out Magix Vegas Pro: https://www.magix.com Learn to Animate in Blender: https://bit.ly/3A1NWac Get Character Creator 4 - https://bit.ly/3b16Wcw Get Iclone 8.5 - https://bit.ly/38QDfbb FiberShop - Realtime Hair Tool: https://tinyurl.com/2hd2t5v Big Ref Database: https://bit.ly/3PLtaQ8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join Weekly Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3lpfvSm Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/asknk Discord: https://discord.gg/G2kmTjUFGm Twitter: https://bit.ly/3a0tADG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blender Premium Tutorials Blender Tutorials #1: https://bit.ly/3nbfTEu Blender Tutorials #2: https://tinyurl.com/yeyrkreh Learn HardSurface In Blender: https://bit.ly/3E5nP2T 3D Cars Building, Rigging & Animation: https://bit.ly/4h5HXEq Cinematic Car Animation Course: https://bit.ly/3ORFccG Alive! - Animation Course: https://bit.ly/3AEFvyA Human - Realistic Portrait Creation: https://bit.ly/2XvMT1j ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------#asknk #free3D #free3Dmodels #free3Dresources #freetextures #freematerials #freefriday #premium #b3d #blender3d #free #addons #blenderaddons #new #3dnews #release #update Thumbnail Art:**Artworks used on thumbnails are to support artists who used the principal or third-party tools discussed within the video.** #SupportsArtist

Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08583-7A TiAl-based shape-memory alloy adhering to the stringent criteria of lightness, functionality and extreme thermal fluctuation resistance is introduced, showing excellent superelasticity with a recoverable strain exceeding 7% and an ultra-wide temperature window from 4.2 K to 400 K.

Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08623-wA rare variant burden analytical framework for Mendelian diseases was developed and applied to data from the 100,000 Genomes Project, identifying 69 probable new diseasegene associations.

Tiny scraps of genetic material from bamboo might influence the genes of pandas, helping them adapt to a mostly bamboo diet.