Two sharply different visions of AI were platformed on stage at the Mobile World Congress trade show on Monday. The true believers case for the technologys potential to merge with and transform human life for the better was offered up by futurist and singularity priest Ray Kurzweil, who also has a research role at Google.Beaming in via videoconference in a white shirt paired with vividly painted braces, Kurzweil suggested AI will supercharge humanity bringing, if not quite immortality, a major extension in humanitys longevity and capabilities as a result of AI-fuelled advances in areas like healthcare.AI is, he suggested, already powering huge gains for those paying attention and is going to transform everything all at once, raining benefits down on humanity across countless other domains, such as unlocking the plentiful power of solar energy.Thanks to AI-optimised designs and new components, renewable energy technology is on track to dominate within a decade, he predicted.The AI-adjacent doomsaying arrived in person, and with plainer speech: author, academic and tech investor Scott Galloway used his on-stage fireside chat to warn that rage-fuelling algorithms are destroying an entire generation of (mostly) young men.Left to run by their negligent owners, the algorithms figured out that the ultimate branding tool is rage, he argued painting a picture of ad-funded, AI-fuelled platforms profiting from a polarised nation where neighbors in the U.S. are increasingly not talking to each other.Weve never been stronger and yet we hate each other, hesaid, crediting AI-driven information-sorting with amping up isolation and anti-social attitudes, especially among young men, as well as contributing to a national loneliness crisis.Going further, Galloway railed against a billionaire class of tech CEOs for failing to call out democratic abuses by the current U.S. government where X owner Elon Musk is presiding over a Department of Government Efficiency thats busy slashing federal programs while the Trump administration quietly pushes tax cuts that he said will exclusively benefit the wealthiest in society, including himself.This domino of cowardice among super wealthy its just so disappointing and un-American, railed Galloway, tossing in several unvarnished insults (f*** you!) directed at tech CEOs including OpenAIs Sam Altman, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Apples Tim Cook for bending the knee to Trump rather than speaking up in defence of the democratic system that enabled them to build their own tech empires.

For the fifth consecutive year, tennis participation in the U.S. increased. Last year saw a 1.9 ... [+] million or over eight percent increase from the estimated 23.8 million Americans who played tennis at some point in 2023 to bring the number of people who raised a racket in 2024 up to an all-time high of 25.7 million. (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty ImagesThe year that the COVID-19 pandemic began and the four years since have been what you might call a high five for tennis in the U.S. Since those social distancing days started in 2020 and eventually segued into the everyone-can-touch-each-other-again days, the sport has been on a remarkable upswing in this country. The USTA just announced that for the fifth consecutive year tennis participation bounced even higher. Yep, apparently last year saw a 1.9 million or over eight percent increase from the estimated 23.8 million Americans who played tennis at some point in 2023 to bring the number of people who raised a racket in 2024 up to an all-time high of 25.7 million.That would mean that last year around one in 12 people in the U.S. participated in what the 2024 U.S. Open dubbed the Worlds Healthiest Sport. This increase has courted a new challenge, though: more tennis courts and facilities are needed to handle this continuing growth. But the USTA seems to be on the ball with that challenge, also just announcing a new $10 million investment into further growing such infrastructure.We are incredibly excited about the trajectory of the participation over five consecutive years, remarked Lew Sherr, the USTAs chief executive officer and executive director. Last year was hugely exciting not just because of the 1.9 million increase.These tennis participation numbers came from extrapolating the findings of two ongoing research studies. One of them, the Physical Activity Council (PAC) Study on Sports and Physical Activity, has been following the sports, recreational and fitness activities of a nationally representative panel of over a million Americans. The other, the PLAY Study (formerly known as the Participation and Engagement Study), each year has been surveying around 18,000 individuals who are 6 years of age and older.Younger Folks Are Driving Increases In Tennis ParticipationOne thing you could say about these gains in tennis participation is that the youth will be served or perhaps the youth be serving. Nearly two-thirds of the growth last year came from players under 35 years of age. In fact, 45 percent of the new players in 2024 were under 25 years of age.This is an important distinction because people tend to learn physical activity habits when they are younger. Although there are Johnny-or Joannie-come-latelies to sports, those who are physically active in their younger years are more likely to stay physically active throughout their lives. Plus, the earlier you begin participating in a sport, the longer you can reap the physical activity benefits from it.Will increased participation in tennis then help serve as a counter to the physical inactivity epidemic thats been gripping the U.S. for decades? The Healthy People 2020 report indicated that around 36 percent of adults in the U.S. were not engaging in any leisure-time physical activity. Data from the American Heart Association has shown that only about a quarter of high school students in America achieve at least the recommended hour a day of physical activity. And declining youth sports participation in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic has been a significant contributor to all of this, as I have described previously in Forbes.Well, playing tennis certainly can qualify as vigorous physical activity. Typically, youve got to move all of your limbs while playing. And unless youve got an Andy Roddick-esque serve coupled with an Iga witek-esque return of serve, youll have to move a fair amount around the court.Moreover, Brian Vahaly, Chairman and President of the USTA Board of Directors, pointed to not only the physical health benefits but also the mental health benefits of playing tennis: Tennis is an exceptional sport for health and for the mind. You learn failure and victory and what it takes to handle pressure as a player with no one else to blame." Vahaly should know oh a least a little about such benefits as he was a three-time All American as a tennis player at the University of Virginia and played on the mens pro tour for seven years, having reached a world ranking of 64.Brian Vahaly (R), seen here shakes hands with Andy Roddick (L) after a match in 2002, is now the ... [+] Chairman and President of the USTA Board of Directors. Vahaly said, Tennis is an exceptional sport for health and for the mind. You learn failure and victory and what it takes to handle pressure as a player with no one else to blame." (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)Getty ImagesNew Players Are Sticking With TennisOf course, just because someone plays a sport once doesnt mean that the person will stick with it. For example, you may happen to participate in a cheese rolling competition one time out of curiosity. But that doesnt mean that youll make it a regular dairy thing. So, one the keys is determining whether the observed increases in tennis participation will indeed be maintained as net gains over time.Well, the 2024 numbers suggest that new players have been sticking with tennis. There was a five percent jump in retention rates from what was seen in 2023. That pushed retention rates to a five-year high. At the same time, the rate of people dropping the sport was the lowest that its been in the last five years. This is further evidence that playing tennis wasnt simply a pandemic fad like hoarding toilet paper.Theres no question that the pandemic was a huge boom, explained Sherr. Were well past that. What is happening now is Americans is prioritizing health and wellness, and tennis is the worlds healthiest sport. Tennis earned the Worlds Healthiest Sport moniker after a study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings found showed those who regularly played tennis lived 9.7 years longer than those who didnt regularly play sports and this extended life expectancy exceeded that of other sports.Of note, the number of Core players bounced up to an all-time high of 13 million, representing a 13 percent increase from 2023. This comprised half of all tennis participants in 2024. Core players are those who have played tennis at least 10 times over a 12 month period.Tennis Participation Continues To Grow More DiverseThen, theres the whole looking like America thing. The U.S. is a diverse country, spanning a wide range of different races, ethnic, socioeconomic statuses, ages and other backgrounds. In the past, tennis somehow got the reputation in the U.S. of being a more upper class homogeneous sport.But the 2024 numbers showed that such a stereotype is being put away like a Serena Williams volley. From 2023 to 2024, there was a 26 percent growth in Black/African American participation, translating to 662,000 more players, and a 15.4 percent growth in Hispanic participation, translating to 4.54 million more players. The youth werent the only serving too. Last year saw a 17 percent surge in senior players to bring their total to 302K.Increased Tennis Participation Means More Tennis Courts And Facilities NeededAs mentioned earlier, in order to keep courting more players, the U.S. will need to have more tennis courts and facilities available. Many communities still lack tennis courts. Plus, one could say that the court situation is in a bit of a pickle. A number of locations have found it more economical in the short term to convert their tennis courts into pickleball courts, since you can fit up to four pickleball courts on one tennis court.And just because a community has tennis courts doesnt mean that they are in playable condition. The court surface has to be in good shape. The location has to be safe as well. After all, people cant really use a court when they have to worry about lions, bears and other threats running around.Therefore, USTA has announced that it will commit another $10 million in grants to help build and refurbish courts around the U.S. as well as extend the hours which courts can be used. Of course, tennis courts dont grow and maintain themselves. So, part of the TVS thing is to provide expertise and training in tennis court and facility design, management and upkeep. This new $10 million will a four-fold increase in the USTAs investment into their existing Tennis Venue Services (TVS) grant program. This program has already awarded over $19 million in grants since 2005 to bolster local tennis courts and infrastructure.For example, last year the USTA launched the U.S. Open Legacy Initiative as part of the TVS grant program in honor Coco Gauff capturing the 2023 US Open womens singles title. Gauff first tried the sport at public tennis facility. Therefore, for this initiative, the USTA pledged $3 million towards refurbishing public courts throughout different parts of the U.S.We are focused on improving player retention, Sherr emphasized. That comes from players having better experiences such as access to good facilities and coaches.Vahaly reiterated this point: This 4x investment into facilities can help continue the momentum. The infrastructure needs to be there. He added, Tennis doesnt have to be a high income sport. It can be a safe affordable option that is local.Time will tell if 2025 becomes a high six for tennis in the U.S. The increase in tennis participation has continued to be one of the feel good stories to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic. And if it can serve as a physical activity option for more people, it could end up making more Americans feel good.

Looking for help with today's NYT Mini Crossword puzzle? Here are some hints and answers for the ... [+] puzzle.Credit: NYTIn case you missed Mondays NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, you can find the answers here:The NYT Mini is a smaller, quicker, more digestible, bite-sized version of the larger and more challenging NYT Crossword, and unlike its larger sibling, its free-to-play without a subscription to The New York Times. You can play it on the web or the app, though youll need the app to tackle the archive.Spoilers ahead!ACROSS1- Secretly includes on an email chain BCCS5- Everything good? YOUOK6- Big name in nondairy milk OATLY7- Food, informally GRUB8- Game in which you might have to find "something blue" ISPYDOWN1- Pigs with tusks BOARS2- Slice or dice CUTUP3- Cheese mixed with Monterey Jack in an orange-and-white speckled block COLBY4- What the lens of a telescope faces SKY5- Teacher of meditative poses YOGIToday's MiniScreenshot: Erik KainTodays Mini was a bit of a mixed bag. Some I got right away like BOARS and BCCS and GRUB. Others were trickier, like OATLY and CUTUP. I also got distracted in the middle of this and that really set me back. I took 2:13 on todays crossword.How did you do? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.If you also play Wordle, I write guides about that as well. You can find those and all my TV guides, reviews and much more here on my blog. Thanks for reading!

Nvidias vendor partners are intent on keeping the prices of its 50-series graphics cards high.Recent reports observed the vendor, MSI quietly bumping the prices of the recently announced RTX 5070 Ti GPU, to costs beyond its sanctioned MSRP, with some models reaching and surpassing $1,000. While sources noted third-party retailers can dictate the prices of components on their catalogs, complaints have seemingly prompted a swift response from the vendor. Since the early reports, MSI has updated its pricing of the RTX 5070 Ti 16G Vanguard SoC to $920. This is still much higher than the $749 MSRP Nvidia announced at launch; however, it should hopefully quell some gripes pundits shared about the development.Recommended VideosNvidias 50-series graphics cards have been plagued with issues surrounding various launches and availability, but the biggest issue yet has been the prices attached to various GPUs. The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti has been on sale for approximately two weeks, having launched on February 20.Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming With high-end GPUs in the 50-series, such as the RTX 5080 and the RTX 5090, already feeling the brunt of delays and low availability, many were likely looking at the RTX 5070 Ti as a cheaper mid-range option. To see price hikes this early in the launch cycle might be concerning for consumers who were looking to shop around.Notably, MSI placed its price inflation on its custom retailer-exclusive branding, which may have various tweaks from the vanilla chip, such as higher clock speed. The vendor is offering this version of the GPU at the standard price. It is also marketing several special edition versions of the RTX 5070 Ti and prices well above the MSRP. These include the RTX 5070 Ti 16G Shadow 3X at $820 and the RTX 5070 Ti 16G Vanguard SoC, formerly at $1,000.Wccftech noted that the price of the RTX 5080 Founders Edition was the same as the price-inflated custom RTX 5070 Ti from MSI, while the latter GPU is less powerful, giving it a lower value differential. This is likely what caused alarm to enthusiasts.Meanwhile, the RTX 5070 Ti isnt the only Nvidia graphics card seeing price increases amid high demand and limited availability. The RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 have been available since January and have similarly been difficult for consumers to access, likely due to scalpers inflating the market.Nvidia announced the RTX 5080 at $1,000 and the RTX 5090 at $2,000 respectively; however, MSI is offering the RTX 5080 Ventus 3X for $1140 on the low end and the RTX 5080 Suprim Liqud SoC for $1500 on the high-end. Similarly, the vendor is offering the RTX 5090 Ventus 3X for $2400 on the low end and the RTX 5090 Suprim Liqud SoC for $2800 on the high end.Editors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsGoing far beyond SiriFile analysis is a cakewalkQuick access is not a problemThe Gemini gemsThe AI frenzy has gripped every smartphone maker in 2025. Unfortunately, not all of it has been as revolutionary as on-stage presentations would have you believe. A few, however, have done a fantastic job with executing practical AI features.Google is one of those names, and it continues to do so even on iPhones at the cost of making Siri look like an outdated relic. The latest build of Googles Gemini app for iPhones puts the AI chatbot everywhere on Apples smartphones, from the lock screen to the share sheet.Recommended VideosThats a deep integration, even though Apple would likely never let me replace Siri with Googles alternative on my iPhone 16 Pro. At the moment, the status of Siri is so bad that its promised AI overhaul might take until 2027 to arrive. In the meanwhile, it has to rely on an awkward offload system with ChatGPT when it cant handle a complex query.RelatedEnter Google Geminis latest avatar on the iPhone. Months after making its way to iPhones, and fully replacing the Google Assistant, Gemini has finally attained a form where I wont need to look elsewhere. For example, I can now directly upload files or links from the Lock Screen, or share material from within any app straight into GeminiNadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsFor me, or any person with a smartphone in their hands, convenience is what matters the most when it comes to getting tasks done using an AI tool. With the latest app update, I can access Gemini from the Lock Screen, and in a total of six formats through dedicated widgets.I can trigger the text chat, launch the Gemini audio mode for mundane tasks such as setting reminders, or pull up the fantastic Gemini Live mode for a free-flowing conversation. These widgets work better than Siri for two reasons.First, if I ask Siri something like tell me about the light speed paradox, the assistant wont be able to answer it, because thats beyond its capabilities. For such queries, it will ask me whether ChatGPT can take over. Thats a needless friction.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsMoreover, Siri will only ask me that question if Ive enabled the ChatGPT integration from within the settings app. Thats another layer of friction. Furthermore, I have to enable two separate toggles in the Apple Intelligence dashboard to enable this Siri-to-ChatGPT answer flow.Assuming I have the ChatGPT tools ready to go, theres another fundamental hassle. The answer I get is an extremely condensed version fitted into a small dropdown box.I cant see any of the sources where the information was pulled from, either. If I seek a more detailed answer, I will have to launch the ChatGPT app.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsWith Gemini, the flow is quite easy. I can tap either the chat, or voice mode widget on the lock screen and narrate my question. Once there, I directly land in the Gemini app, where the answer is already being compiled and read out to me (if I picked voice instead of text chat).In the Gemini mobile app, I can find a far more detailed breakdown of my answer, with clean headings and easy-to-comprehend bullet points. While that is already a fulfilling experience of interacting with a chatbot, the Gemini app offers a bunch of useful controls, as well.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsWith a single tap, I can find related queries that other internet users pushed on Google Search, export the long answer as a Doc file, create a shareable link, put it in Gmail draft, and modify the answer in five separate ways.I like my answers concise, so I often pick that option. As a journalist, research and fact-checking is the most important part of my job. Getting my answers from the Siri-ChatGPT nexus wont offer me that facility.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsBut if I launch Gemini from the Lock Screen, a single tap is all I need to check the source of the information offered by the chatbot and land directly on a Google Search result interface.Geminis file analysis capabilities are a life-saver, and if you rely on Googles Files app, it will kick into action automatically. While using Siri, I kept running into software walls, when all I needed with an AI assistant was to make things as simple as possible.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsFor example, lets say I want the AI to break down the core findings of a 50-page research paper. Siri cant do that. And even with its ChatGPT integration enabled, when you launch the assistant, there is no option to upload a file of any kind.All you get is a text box or a mic for voice chat. To get the task done, I have to install the ChatGPT app and launch it every time I need its multimodal capabilities to lend a hand.With Gemini, I simply tap a button on the Lock Screen and land straight in the file picker window. Once the file uploads, I can type my query and have the AI explain or find things for me. If I need to make sense of an image or screenshot, theres a dedicated Gemini Image Lock Screen widget available for me.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsFinally, we have the dedicated camera view for Gemini, as well. Just like Visual Intelligence, all I need to do is tap on the Lock Screen widget and land in the camera preview. A shutter click later, Gemini is ready to process and answer queries based on what the camera captured.On the iPhone, Visual Intelligence can be launched with a long-press of the new Camera Control button. On older iPhones, I need to customize the Action Button to launch it, or tap on the Visual Intelligence icon after pulling down the Control Center.Once again, Gemini offers more versatility than Siri or Apple Intelligence. In the Control Center, there are a total of six Gemini shortcuts, the same pool you get for the Lock Screen widgets. I love this flexibility, because if I cant squeeze all the Gemini widgets on the Lock Screen, I can simply put the rest in the Control Center.I recently had a discussion with Digital Trends vertan and Apple expert, Jesse Hollington, about the possibility of Gemini replacing Siri. He mentioned that its a pipedream because Apple would never sideline one of its own products, even if its worse. In a nutshell, Gemini will never become the default AI assistant on an iPhone.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsThankfully, Apples own design choices will let you trigger Gemini with the same kind of ease as Siri. A long press on the power button brings up the Siri interface. But thanks to Apples recent hardware updates, you can skip the power button route and customize the Action Button to launch Gemini.Thankfully, its a fairly straightforward process. Simply launch the Action Button page in the Settings app, swipe left till you find the Shortcuts menu, and select Gemini from the app list.What I like the most is that I have a choice to launch Gemini in text, or voice mode. Or simply skip to the uber-chatty Gemini Live mode for an eerily human-like conversation in the AI voice of my choice.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsWith Siri, a long-press on the power button summons the voice interaction mode. To open Siri in text mode, you need to long-press on the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen. Its funny that you get a more cohesive and consistent experience with Gemini on an iPhone, than Siri itself.Of course, talking with a chatbot is more convenient and immersive than typing away a long query. For such conversations, Gemini is noticeably better, especially with the Gemini Live mode, compared to Siri.Moreover, even for non-paying users, Gemini is now able to save details from previous conversations and recall them contextually in the future. This capability makes chatbot conversations a lot more natural. Think of it like an artificial memory for an artificial brain.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsSiri doesnt offer that convenience, and it might take a while before that happens. As per Bloomberg, that status quo wont change until 2026, and might even stretch into 2027, before the generative AI overhaul for Siri arrives.The biggest advantage of Siri is that it is integrated with iOS at an OS-level. Yet, nothing too ambitious or fruitful has come out of that deep integration. Siri cant interact with third-party apps, yet. It is still heavily reliant on ChatGPT for everything that one expects from a digital assistant in the generative AI era.GoogleOn the other hand, we have Gemini, which can already interact with Googles suite of apps, and even third-party options such as Spotify. At the heart of this system is extensions, and its only going to expand in the near future.For anyone who works across Google tools such as Docs and Maps, Gemini offers a seamless ticket. The ChatGPT app is not exactly a slouch, as it offers its own set of benefits, but none that go far and beyond what Gemini can accomplish.With a ChatGPT Plus subscription that costs $20 per month, you get higher file upload limits, advanced voice mode, access to latest AI models, Deep Research, and the ability to create custom GPT agents. Gemini offers all those facilities, and then some more, for the same price.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsIf you get a Gemini Advanced subscription via the Google One AI Premium plan, you get access to a handful of extra perks such as 2TB of cloud storage, the latest Gemini 2.0 series models, NotebookLM Plus access, and a rewarding integration across all Google products.Deep Research, in particular, is my favourite. With a single click, I can export the entire research material into a Doc file, and turn it into an immersive podcast using Notebook LM without ever leaving the Google ecosystem.The sum total of the arguments here is that Gemini not only offers better value over Siri, both quantitative and qualitative, but also ease of access.For a tool developed with the sole intent of making our lives easier, its a fundamental win. Its just a shame that a Google tool is doing it better on iPhones than Apples once-pioneering AI assistant.Editors Recommendations

2025-03-04T04:12:53Z Read in app "I was expecting him probably to win," Pfizer's CEO Albert Bourla said of President Donald Trump's election victory. Leigh Vogel via Getty Images; Carl Court via Getty Images This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Pfizer's CEO said he may move manufacturing back to the US in response to Donald Trump's tariffs.Albert Bourla said he was not surprised by Trump's victory in November.Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China.Albert Bourla, Pfizer's CEO, said on Monday that the company may move overseas drug manufacturing back to the US if President Donald Trump's tariffs affect it.Bourla was speaking at TD Cowen's annual healthcare conference when he was asked about the impact Trump's tariffs could have on Pfizer's operations.While most of Pfizer's generic drugs are produced overseas, Bourla said the company has a large manufacturing network in the US."We have 13 manufacturing sites in the US right now, up and running," Bourla said, adding that some facilities are "mega, mega sites.""So we have all the capabilities here, and the manufacturing sites are operating in good capacity right now. It's not that they are not, but if something happens, we will try to mitigate by transferring from manufacturing sites outside, to manufacturing sites here, the things that can be transferred quickly," Bourla continued.Bourla also said at the conference that he was not surprised by Trump's victory in November."I was expecting him probably to win. It was very big win," Bourla said, adding that there will be "risks and opportunities" with the new administration."But the important thing is, what are you doing about it? And what are you doing about it, is you try to influence the environment. From our perspective, the whole pharma industry and us as Pfizer, try to stay as close to the administration," Bourla added.On Monday, Trump said the White House would proceed with its plansto impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada starting Tuesday. The tariffs were originally meant to take effect in early February but were delayed after both countries promised to strengthen their border security.The Trump administration imposed a 10% tariff on China last month and said it would levy an additional 10% tariff starting Tuesday. In February 2024, Trump told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo he would introduce tariffs of more than 60% on Chinese goods if he won the election."When it comes to China, it's not affecting us. As Pfizer, we haven't any reliance on China right now, nor Canada or Mexico," Bourla told CNBC in an interview on February 18."We are waiting to see how that could play out with the tariffs in places that have not been announced yet," Bourla added.Representatives for Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

2025-03-04T03:38:59Z Read in app California is requiring all state employees to come into offices four days a week starting July 1. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? California is mandating that state employees return to the office four days a week starting by July.The move aligns with a White House mandate for federal workers to return full-time.Companies like Amazon and JPMorgan also require in-person work, ending remote policies.California is requiring most state employees to come into the office at least four days a week by July 1.Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said on Monday that the state employs 224,000 full-time workers and that over half have returned to daily in-office work."When we work together, collaboration improves, innovation thrives, and accountability increases," Newson said in a statement on Monday.The announcement said that telework would be granted on a case-by-case basis, including for employees who do not live near their offices.The order follows a wider White House mandate to return federal workers to the office full time. States, including Ohio and Virginia, require their employees to work in person, ending pandemic-era telework policies.Similarly, companies including Amazon, JPMorgan, and Salesforce have required their employees to return to in-person work.

We wouldnt have gone a dime over five dollars, personally, but someone out therepresumably a diehard Pokmon fan with outrageously deep pocketsjust dropped $87,840 on a Cheeto that achieved viral fame thanks to being shaped like a Charizard. The resemblance is well, if you squint, maybe? Pokemon.com The flaming tail is at least a spot-on detail because as you can plainly tell, the Cheetozard is formed from a Flamin Hot Cheeto rather than the less-scorching, lighter-colored regular variety. The lucky (?) buyer also got a custom Pokmon card as well as a storage box, presumably more to preserve the snack foods value rather than spare anyone who might dare to handle it the dreaded cheese-dust fingers. At three inches long, thats over $29,000 per orange inch! Goldins auction site notes It was initially discovered and preserved sometime between 2018-2022 by 1st & Goal Collectibles. The Cheeto surged in popularity on social media platforms in late 2024. It was featured on memorabilia site Arena Club as well as 1st and Goal Collectibles. Is this a wise investment for the future (what is the shelf life of a single Cheeto? Is is on par with a Twinkie, for instance)? But more urgently: is this yet another illustration of how Pokmons secondhand market has gotten entirely out of control? Who can forget, for instance, the Van Gogh kerfulffle of fall 2023? Or the ultra-rare card that Goldin sold back in 2021 for an eye-watering $1.2 million? Dont hold back, share your reactions below. 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.

SpaceX is gearing up for the eighth test flight of its Starship rocket, hoping to correct course following the explosive mishap that scattered tiny bits of the upper stage over the Atlantic Ocean in January. Starship is scheduled for liftoff on Monday during an hour-long launch window that opens at 6:30 p.m. ET. The launch will be streamed live on SpaceXs website and the companys page on X, with the webcast beginning around 40 minutes before liftoff. The upcoming flight will target objectives not reached on the previous test, including Starships first payload deployment and multiple reentry experiments geared towards returning the upper stage to the launch site for catch, SpaceX wrote in an emailed statement. Youre also welcome to follow the launch at the third party livestreams provided below. During flight 7, Starships upper stage suffered an engine glitch that forced an early shutdown, causing it to break apart and rain down bits of rocket debrisover Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean. The mishap prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to launch an investigation to determine the root cause of Starships untimely breakup. In late February, SpaceX issued a statement that blamed the rocket mishap on a harmonic response several times stronger in flight than had been seen during testing, meaning vibrations amplified by resonance that put increased stress on Starships propulsion system. Shortly afterward, the FAA gave SpaceX the green light to proceed with the rockets eighth test flight. The FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental and other licensing requirements for the suborbital test flight, the agency wrote in an emailed statement.The upcoming flight will follow the same suborbital trajectory as previous test flights. SpaceX will make a second attempt to deploy test satellites from Starship for the first time. For this test, the company will use four Starlink simulators, which will be similar in size and weight to the companys next-generation satellites. The simulators, however, will not remain in orbit, but are designed to reenter on a similar suborbital trajectory as the rocket itself. During test flight 8, SpaceX will also carry out multiple reentry experiments that are aimed toward returning the upper stage to the launch site so that it can be caught mid-air in a similar way to the booster. The flight will also include another booster catch attempt. Starship has undergone several upgrades ahead of its previous test flight, including a smaller forward flap thats located higher up on the rocket to reduce heating during its reentry. Starships propulsion system was upgraded to hold 25% more fuel, along with improved avionics for better valve control and sensor readings, boosting performance and enabling longer missions, according to SpaceX. Starships heat shield also uses new, upgraded tiles, with a backup layer underneath in case any of the tiles fall off or sustain damage during reentry.That said, a significant number of tiles have been removed from Starship to stress-test vulnerable areas across the vehicle, the company explained. Multiple metallic tile options, including one with active cooling, will test alternative materials for protecting Starship during reentry, among other strategies. Despite the mishap in January, SpaceX is making progress with its Starship rocket. During the rockets fifth test flight in October 2024, Starships Super Heavy 232-foot-tall (71 meters) booster gently came down towards the 400-foot-tall Mechazilla tower, which caught the massive launch vehicle in its arms for the first time. The feat was repeated during the seventh test in January. SpaceX plans on retrieving and reusing both Starships booster and its upper stage.The megarockets test flights dont always go perfectly, but Starship always puts on a show.

Project Files: https://www.patreon.com/posts/123580331 .This is the 7th part of the tutorial series, where we are going to implement a Real Time Strategy game using Unreal Engine and C++. In this episode , we are going to implement a base building class. I am planning to use this class as the C++ parent of all the buildings we are going to implement in the game. We will also implement selectable interface on the building class so that we can select the building by clicking on it in the game just like we select characters. Full C++ RTS Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNTm9yU0zou5_PYxEdjNbAgbVRn-daOga .Unreal Strategy game with Blueprints series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNTm9yU0zou4Eulmi8YIfzHiNZEzfbSMk // ! https://www.patreon.com/codelikeme Patrons will have access to project files of all the stuff I do in the channel and other extra benefitsJoin this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClb6Jh9EBV7a_Nm52Ipll_Q/join Like my facebook page for more content : https://www.facebook.com/gamedevelopersclub/ Follow me on twitter : https://twitter.com/CodeLikeMe2 Follow me on reddit : https://www.reddit.com/user/codelikeme #CodeLikeMe #unrealengine #ue5 #ue4 #indiegamedev