Ninety percent of information transmitted to the human brain is visual. The importance of sight in understanding the world makes computer vision essential for AI systems.By simplifying computer vision development, startup Roboflow helps bridge the gap between AI and people looking to harness it. Trusted by over a million developers and half of the Fortune 100 companies, Roboflows mission is to make the world programmable through computer vision. Roboflow Universe is home to the largest collection of open-source computer vision datasets and models.Cofounder and CEO Joseph Nelson joined the NVIDIA AI Podcast to discuss how Roboflow empowers users in manufacturing, healthcare and automotive to solve complex problems with visual AI.A member of the NVIDIA Inception program for cutting-edge startups, Roboflow streamlines model training and deployment, helping organizations extract value from images and video using computer vision. For example, using the technology, automotive companies can improve production efficiency, and scientific researchers can identify microscopic cell populations.Over $50 trillion in global GDP is dependent on applying AI to problems in industrial settings, and NVIDIA is working with Roboflow to deliver those solutions. Nelson also shares insights from his entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing perseverance, adaptability and community in building a mission-driven company. Impactful technology isnt just about innovation, he says. Its about making powerful tools accessible to the people solving real problems.Looking ahead, Nelson highlights the potential of multimodal AI, where vision integrates with other data types to unlock new possibilities, and the importance of running models on the edge, especially on real-time video. Learn more about the latest advancements in visual agents and edge computing at NVIDIA GTC, a global AI conference taking place March 17-21 in San Jose, California.Time Stamps2:03 Nelson explains Roboflows aim to make the world programmable through computer vision.7:26 Real-world applications of computer vision to improve manufacturing efficiency, quality control and worker safety.22:15 How multimodalilty allows AI to be more intelligent.33:01 Lessons learned and perspectives on leadership, mission-driven work and what it takes to scale a company successfully.29:43 Teasing Roboflows upcoming announcements at GTC.You Might Also LikeHow World Foundation Models Will Advance Physical AI With NVIDIAs Ming-Yu LiuAI models that can accurately simulate and predict outcomes in physical, real-world environments will enable the next generation of physical AI systems. Ming-Yu Liu, vice president of research at NVIDIA and an IEEE Fellow, explains the significance of world foundation models powerful neural networks that can simulate physical environments.Snowflakes Baris Gultekin on Unlocking the Value of Data With Large Language ModelsSnowflake is using AI to help enterprises transform data into insights and applications. Baris Gultekin, head of AI at Snowflake, explains how the companys AI Data Cloud platform separates the storage of data from compute, enabling organizations across the world to connect via cloud technology and work on a unified platform.NVIDIAs Annamali Chockalingam on the Rise of LLMsLLMs are in the spotlight, capable of tasks like generation, summarization, translation, instruction and chatting. Annamalai Chockalingam, senior product manager of developer marketing at NVIDIA, discusses how a combination of these modalities and actions can build applications to solve any problem.Subscribe to the AI PodcastGet the AI Podcast through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Google Play, Castbox, DoggCatcher, Overcast, PlayerFM, Pocket Casts, Podbay, PodBean, PodCruncher, PodKicker, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher and TuneIn.

The labyrinthine Universal Century (UC) timeline of Mobile Suit Gundam one of the more expansive fictional histories in anime has been revisited often, for better and worse, between Yoshiyuki Tominos original show (0079, in honor of its release year) and its sequels. The main story continued on through decades, following the conflict between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon; many OVAs returned to little gaps in the One Year War around which the first Gundam show revolves. Eventually other shows would take place in alternate continuities, with more branches than can be aptly described right this moment. But through all of these revisitations of this fictional history, the order of events in the main canon of Gundam (starting from UC0079, the in-universe year the series began) has remained somewhat sacrosanct.Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX first grabbed headlines with the announcement of its collaboration between longtime Gundam steward Sunrise and Khara, with an impressive creative team behind the wheel: director Kazuya Tsurumaki (FLCL, Rebuild of Evangelion), reuniting with FLCL and Evangelion writer Yoji Enokido (also known for Revolutionary Girl Utena) with Evangelion creator and Khara founder Hideaki Anno contributing scripts. The theatrical release, GQuuuuuuX: Beginning, compiles the first few episodes of the show, and leads with a rather exciting prologue.And it turns out its relationship with the timeline of Gundam is much more complex.[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for GQuuuuuuX: Beginning.]GQuuuuuuX (pronounced G-kwuuks, apparently, something the characters themselves puzzle over) takes a swing at encroaching on and then remixing the UCs vast existing fictional history, starting from a simple but fun what if prompt: What would it look like if Char Aznable, who became an archetypal antagonist for the whole franchise, led the Principality of Zeon to victory in the One Year War instead of the Earth Federation?It begins with him stealing the Gundam, its intended pilot Amuro Ray nowhere in sight. The first half hour of GQuuuuuuX follows the domino effect, accelerating through the timeline of 0079 as Zeon steamrolls the Earth Federation. During the final battle, Char disappears. This completes this divergence from the original Gundam timeline as he can no longer complete his mission of revenge against the Zabi family, who lead Zeon.If this sounds like a lot to follow, thats because it is and illustrates the double-edged sword of the narrative premise, which sometimes feels like it leaves us to obsess over these deviation points in the lore. On one hand, this theatrical release is likely to bring it to a much wider audience before it streams in April. But on the other, elements in GQuuuuuuX lean on lore from the original. This is less a knock against the show so much as a warning: Its probably not the best Gundam to start with. But if it gets more people watching 0079, maybe thats a good thing! Its not impossible to follow the cast is mostly new, after all, and the cartoonish animation style seeks to emphasize that newness.Plus, its hard to resist how much there is to love here for folks who hold 0079 close to their hearts, with so many fun twists on familiar people, places, and machinery. The White Base also gets stolen; Char faces his own sister Sayla in the final battle between Zeon and the Earth Federation; a host of minor characters also show their faces in new contexts. The aforementioned prologue is made as though it was an episode of the original show bringing back the classic opening and narration contextualizing the One Year War (humanity was horrified at its actions), complete with the groovy original soundtrack and old-school character designs.While this does make the 3DCG animated mechs feel like more of an intrusion a shame, considering the gorgeous 2D battles of previous show The Witch from Mercury its a delightful throwback, one which moves with the glee of fans who have been gifted the biggest toybox of all time. Its also a delight to see how the changes GQuuuuuuX makes to this canon carve out new spaces for minor characters like Challia Bull, who here takes a bigger role (and, inadvertently, a chance to live) after throwing his lot in with Char to take down the Zabi family. Consequently, it also imagines a wild new status quo for the bigger figures like Kycilia becoming Her Excellency, ascending in power, rather than getting beheaded by a cannon.After the throwback drama of the opening, GQuuuuuuX pivots to new set of characters. Amate Machu Yuzuriha is a high schooler living in the politically neutral space colony Side 6 (which is also the setting of one of the best Gundam OVAs, War in the Pocket). After a meet-cute of sorts with Nyaan, a refugee working as a courier, she also meets Shuji, the mysterious (and broke) pilot of the Red Gundam. Through them, Machu gets involved in Clan Battle, an underground mech fighting ring (the premise not too far-flung from The Witch from Mercurys honor duels at a pilot school). The three already have great chemistry together, something which will no doubt be a delight to watch evolve over the course of the series.Tsurumakis fusion between the classic series and the artists it inspired is prevalent throughout both the theatrical cuts production and its story. As it jumps five years from the end of the One Year War to Side 6 and its reconstruction in UC 0085, the groovy instrumentation of the score shifts to cool and atmospheric electro, the slightly more realistic character designs emulating the original switch to the luminous neon colors and exaggerated features of the new designs by Take (known for her work on Pokmon). The mechanical designs by Ikuto Yamashita (Evangelion, Metaphor: ReFantazio) also merge past and present, giving familiar designs a more rugged facelift.As fun as the prologue is, its here where the talents of the staff really shine, their brightly colored and more cartoonish approach emphasising that this is gearing up to be a radically different take on the UC. Classical touches still remain like the original Newtype flash sound effect that pings whenever the pilots minds touch each other, though the visualization of that sensory experience has been touched up.Tsurumaki and Enokidos approach to the UC also preserves the franchise-wide interest in backroom politics and the impact of this big robot action on civilian life, as well as the recurring, circular nature of the conflicts in the UC between the Earth Federation and Zeon and their descendants.As enjoyable as it is, theres a sense that GQuuuuuuX is more rewarding for those who have kept up with Gundam through all its various pivot points, even in the ways it connects back to our world. One of the most striking visuals of these early episodes is that of black-painted police Zakus cutting through civilian structures bathed inyellow smoke, tearing the area apart in their search for a fugitive, a frenzy punctuated by the armored Military Polices brutality when engaging with the man theyre tracking imagery that holds real potency considering much of the principal cast are refugees from the One Year War. Its but one element of GQuuuuuuX that considers the aftermath of the conflict, of how these tools are reappropriated now that their purpose has been served all building upon the fascistic imagery typically represented by Zeon in new ways, some more analogous with the present day.Though Side 6 is independent and not ruled by Zeon, the appearance of these mechs in the hands of a third party inflicting damage on civilian structures ties into a broader picture of the UC where the machines of that conflict continue to enable violence even outside of their original wielders, through arms sales. The immediate emotional power of the imagery isnt closed off, necessarily, but there are broader implications that add another layer for longtime viewers. This is why its hard to entirely write off GQuuuuuuX as something for fans only; while the prologue episode is a whirlwind of fictional jargon and name drops, the main show has impact even when isolated from this context.Its hard to say how the alternative world built on the 0079 story will come back around over the course of a full anime season (or more) when the show is released in full in April. But there are promising things on the horizon, so only time will tell how Tsurumaki and Enokido will play with UC lore. Its not impossible to follow. Its hard to pin down how the exploration of these older elements will eventually dovetail with the new characters, but its an exciting enough prospect, and theres a clear attempt at striking a balance between the nostalgia of die-hards and the curiosity of newbies. (Not to mention the fun of theory-crafting and wiki dives, something that is amusingly reflected by Machu, who looks up Char on FoolyPedia.) In the meantime, GQuuuuuuX: Beginning is an incredibly exciting (re?)introduction to this reimagined Universal Century in a take that perhaps doesnt make it any easier to understand, but finds exciting new life in it anyway.

The Aqua Sac is a monster material that youll need to build some powerful water items in Monster Hunter Wilds. But youll have to kill a desert-dwelling worm to collect it first.In this Monster Hunter Wilds guide, we tell where to find an Aqua Sac and what weapons and armor you can craft with it.How to get an Aqua Sac in Monster Hunter WildsThe Aqua Sac can be found from the low-rank Balahara only, which youll be able to fight as the fifth main story encounter in Wilds. The Balahara lives in the desert plains, and can burrow underground and rise up to attack.Theres only an 18% chance for a Balahara to drop an Aqua Sac, which means you might end up needing to hunt additional monsters to get an one (or more).What to use an Aqua Sac for in Monster Hunter WildsAn Aqua Sac can be used for the Balahara Vambraces armor piece. But more importantly, an Aqua Sac is essential for crafting many different water-based weapons. The below weapon types all have a Balahara tree and require a Aqua Sac to craft their Balahara variant.LanceSword and ShieldHammerInsect GlaiveHunting HornGun LanceA weapon with water attacks will be essential in the Oilwell Basin fights with the Ajarakan and the Nu Udra (aka the black flame); both are fiery monsters with a weakness to water attacks. Unlike the Flame Sac and Frost Sac, there is no High Rank version of Aqua Sacs.Need help navigating the Forbidden Lands? OurMonster Hunter Wildsguides can outline your progress with ourmain story walkthroughandmonster listahead of reachingHigh Rank, help you settle on an armament with ourweapons listandbest weaponsexplainers, and teach you how to uncoverores,bones, and getmonster tails.

The 2025 Color Collection from 3form celebrates the emotional power of hues and how they can transform any space. By tapping into the different feelings associated with tints, the material solutions provider curated a timeless line rather than a trend-driven grouping that would be dated after a few seasons. It was exciting to think about color through these different lenses, says Ryan Smith, chief creative officer at 3form. We looked at words associated with each of these colors and imagined the spaces that they might exist in.Jewel and BuoyantJewel and BuoyantBy mixing films, the 3form team was able to develop a range that complements their existing 250-color portfolio, with the introduction of four new vivid hues. The focus was on adding tertiary tones to balance the selected primary hues. This new palette offers designers endless possibilities for their projects.Pharaoh and LemonPharaoh and LemonThe collection represents five key categories of emotion and a total of 10 curated colors. Each pairing includes a saturated color and a softer, muted partner shade. Jewel is a lush teal, while Buoyant is a serene green. These two verdant tints capture the soothing, restorative essence of nature. Pharaoh, a radiant gold, and Lemon, a luminous soft yellow, are all about vibrant energy. They make a joyous and optimistic duo.Vermillion and SunstoneVermillion and SunstoneVermillion is a bold red-orange, while Sunstone is the invigorating yet tempered counterpart. Both of these colors ignite creativity in any room. The purple hues highlight sophistication and elegance. Winterberry is reminiscent of ripened fruit, and its companion Teaberry evokes quiet luxury. Two neutrals can be used to ground spaces and provide balance. Velvety Tourmaline, placed with airy Ivory, offers reassurance and brings balance to interiors.Winterberry and TeaberryWinterberry and TeaberryAvailable in three signature materials, they are ideal for application across industries, from hospitality to healthcare. Varia panels have a sandstone finish on the front and back, ideal for floor-to-ceiling or half walls. The popular 3form Laminated Glass is offered in Low-Iron or Clear-Float finishes, suitable for room dividers and decorative wall features. Chroma, with vellum finish, is perfect for backlit applications like reception desks, tabletops, or shelves.Tourmaline and IvoryThe companys fifth yearly color line allows specifiers to shape environments with expressive, mood-driven shades. We played with dense and light colors on the spectrum to put together this focused collection, Smith adds.Tourmaline and IvoryTo learn more about 3forms 2025 Color Collection, head to 3-form.com.Photography courtesy of 3form.

March isn't the most exciting time of the year for casual skywatching, though there are two notable events: a total lunar eclipse in the middle of the month and the partial solar eclipse at the end. There are other reasons to head outside and look up too. Here's what you're looking for. March 1314: Total lunar eclipse (Blood Moon)Late on the night of March 13, the entire moon will fall into the darkest part of Earth's shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse throughout the Western Hemisphere. Because of the alignment of the Sun, Earth, and moonand the filtering of the Sun's light through Earth's atmosphere in betweenthe moon will appear red or orange, which is why it is also known as a Blood Moon. The partial eclipse starts just after 1 a.m. ET on March 14 when the moon begins to enter Earth's shadow, with totality expected between 2:26 a.m. and 3:31 a.m. ET. NASA notes that Jupiter and Mars will also be visible in the western sky that night, and constellations may appear brighter as the moon dims throughout the event. For ideal viewing, head somewhere with dark skies. March 29: Partial solar eclipseEclipses come in pairs, and this pair is rounded out with a partial solar eclipse on March 29 that can be seen from northeastern North America, northwestern Africa, and much of Europe. Most viewers in the U.S. will miss this one, as only a small portion of the sun will be obscured in New England, and maximum coverage will occur over the northernmost parts of Canada and Greenland. That said, early risers on the East Coast will be able to see the moon take a bite out of the Sun around sunrise, as the partial eclipse will already be underway. The event is expected to begin around 3:50 a.m. ET and end at 7:43 a.m. ET. Planet visibilityPlanet visibility is pretty good in March following February's impressive planet parade. Venus will be low in the western sky right after sunset for the first two weeks, while Mercury can be seen just below that for about a half hour. Mars will be in the east after sunset until around 3 a.m., and Jupiter can be viewed nightly in the west before 1 a.m. Zodiacal lightFinally, while there aren't any meteors to speak of until the Lyrids arrive in April, early spring is a great time to view zodiacal light. What looks like lingering twilight is actually believed to be sunlight reflecting off dust in the solar system. The phenomenon, which looks like hazy light emanating up from the horizon, is easiest to see around the equinox (March 20) but will be visible all spring whenever the moon is dark.

Your phones camera does so much filtering, processing, and AI adjustments, it can make you question reality itself. In a world where Google can put you into photos you take, what's even real? If you'd rather avoid letting your phone decide what your photos look like, here's how to take control back from your camera app.Since Android is an open platform, the default apps on your phone may be different from someone else's. The various settings and apps I reference may be different on some phones, and some apps might not be compatible with all devices, but there are usually options that will work for you.Switch to RAW photos (where available)Much like higher-end cameras, many smartphones can now take RAW photos. These are specially encoded versions of photos that store all of the data your camera's sensor captures, uncompressed, in an easy-to-edit format. Some phones, like the Google Pixel phones, will take a RAW photo and a processed JPEG at the same time, allowing you to get the best of both worlds.On Google Pixel devices, you can swap to this mode by tapping the Settings icon on the bottom left of the camera app, selecting the Pro tab, and toggle on RAW/JPEG. The setting may be different on some phones, so poke around in your camera's app to see what you can find.Once you have a RAW photo, you can use apps like Adobe's Lightroom to edit photos how you prefer. You can adjust exposure levels, tweak highlights and shadows, or alter color tint to get a more realisticor a more stylizedlook.Use ZeroCam for one-button simplicityIf your phone doesn't support RAW photosor if you prefer a simpler camera experienceZeroCam is a handy alternative. This app has exactly one feature: It takes photos without any filtering or post processing. There are no sliders or adjustments, just a shutter button to take a photo. If your phone has multiple lenses, you can tap to swap between them, but there's not much else to the app.The one major downside of this app is that its only free on a trial basis (one week if you go for the annual plan, three days if you choose monthly), after which youll need to pay for a subscription. The good news is the service is dirt cheap at $1/month or $7.49 for a year, so it's not a huge expense, especially if the simplicity helps you focus more on the moment than what youre using to capture it.Get more control with Camera FV-5I'll let you in on a little secret: Even when you shoot RAW photos, your phone's manufacturer is still making some decisions about what your photos are going to look like. That's because your camera has to automatically make decisions about things like ISO level, shutter speed, focus, or even which lens to use. If you want to get maximum control, you'll want an app like the Camera FV-5 Lite.This app gives you controls to adjust ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and other settings to get the exact shot you want. It also has some nice advanced features like burst photo mode, and automatic exposure bracketing. Some featuresincluding capturing photos in RAW formatare only available in the paid version, which costs a one-time fee of $5.Pro controls for video with Blackmagic CameraBlackmagic is best known for its suite of excellent cinema cameras and free Davinci Resolve editing suite. The software that runs on Blackmagics cameras is some of the best and most intuitive in the business, and now you can get it on your phone with the Blackmagic Camera app. Well, some phones. It works on most of the recent flagship phones from Samsung, Google, OnePlus, and a few other manufacturers; you can check the full list of supported devices here.The Blackmagic Camera app technically only supports recording video, so if you primarily want photos, you might want to go with one of the other options on this list. However, this app is peerless for videographers. In addition to pro camera controls, it includes handy features like an RGB histogram and image stabilization to get the perfect shot.

We're over four years into the current generation of consoles (which is probably past the halfway point) and while Sony is still selling tons of PlayStation 5 units, the price of the system means it remains out of reach for many. To help address that, Sony has teamed up with a leasing company called Raylo to offer a PS5 rental service in the UK via the country's PlayStation Direct website.Leases for the PS5 Digital Edition, the version with a disc drive and the PS5 Pro are available on 12-, 24- or 36-month agreements or a rolling monthly contract. The longer a term you lock in, the lower the monthly price will be. For instance, a 36-month agreement for a PS5 Digital Edition costs 11 (around $14) per month. A rolling contract for the PS5 Pro, however, will run you a whopping 35.59 (nearly $46) per month. There are also leasing options available for the PlayStation Portal and the PS VR2 headset, which just got a price cut.As The Standard points out, there's a lifetime warranty on each device. Raylo won't force customers to pay extra if they return one at the end of a lease with minor dents, scratches or discoloration (though there will be penalties for "significant damage"). You can cancel at any point, but you'll need to pay a fee if you change your mind before 18 months have passed, though there is a 14-day grace period.While there are some benefits to leasing, particularly for those who want to play a PS5 but can't afford the initial cost of buying one upfront, there are drawbacks. Depending on the lease term and length of the plan, renting a PS5 can cost more than buying one. There are options to buy a device at the end of a lease, or to continue renting or upgrade (a three-year contract would take you up around the time the PS6 is rumored to arrive in 2028). Otherwise, you won't own the thing you've been paying for over the last several months.On the other hand, Xbox has offered monthly payment plans for the Xbox Series X/S from the outset with Game Pass Ultimate included. And yes, you do get to keep that console at the end of the financing period.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-opens-an-official-ps5-rental-service-in-the-uk-174653347.html?src=rss

Apple has issued a legal challenge against the British government over a demand to create a backdoor for encrypted iCloud accounts, as reported by Financial Times. The company has filed a complaint in the hopes to reverse the order. The iPhone maker made its appeal to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), which is an independent judicial body.This comes after a leak revealed the order from the UK government, which tasked Apple with building the aforementioned backdoor for iCloud encrypted backups. This was an attempt by the government to try to force the company to make data available to law enforcement. Apple didnt acquiesce. Instead, the iPhone maker announced that it would end national access to the strongly encrypted version of iCloud storage, also known as Advanced Data Protection.The 2016 Investigatory Powers Act is what allows UK authorities to demand access to encrypted accounts in this way, but its believed that this is the first time it has faced a legal challenge. The IPT has accepted Apples case and will consider whether the UKs demands were lawful.The case could be heard as soon as this month. It remains unclear if the hearing will be open to the public, as the UK government is likely to argue that the case should be restricted on the grounds of national security.Apple hasnt commented on its legal action against the UK government, merely pointing to a statement it made last month. This statement read, in part, that "we have never built a back door or master key to any of our products or services and we never will."UK security minister Dan Jarvis has defended the demand for access to encrypted accounts on a case-by-case basis, saying that "the Investigatory Powers Act contains robust safeguards and independent oversight to protect privacy and ensure that data is obtained only on an exceptional basis, and only when it is necessary and proportionate to do so."The original request would have allowed UK law enforcement access to an encrypted iCloud account after obtaining a warrant that was approved by a judge. Its worth noting that not even Apple has access to this data.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-is-now-fighting-the-uk-over-its-demand-for-backdoor-access-to-icloud-accounts-171234908.html?src=rss

Android's Find My Device network now lets you track friends and family alongside your belongings, thanks to a new beta feature. And that sounds both useful and slightly creepy.

A low severity flaw grants threat actors access to sensitive data in Webex, Cisco warns.