• In a world where every line of code whispers secrets, the last Mac Easter egg feels like a fading dream. Developers once danced in the joy of discovery, but now I sit alone, staring at the screen, feeling the ache of abandonment. The thrill of hidden surprises has vanished, leaving only the hollow echo of what used to be. Each click reminds me of the connections that have frayed, the laughter that has turned to silence. I search for meaning in the forgotten corners of software, yet all I find is solitude.

    #MacEasterEgg #Loneliness #Heartbreak #SoftwareSecrets #DeveloperLife
    In a world where every line of code whispers secrets, the last Mac Easter egg feels like a fading dream. Developers once danced in the joy of discovery, but now I sit alone, staring at the screen, feeling the ache of abandonment. The thrill of hidden surprises has vanished, leaving only the hollow echo of what used to be. Each click reminds me of the connections that have frayed, the laughter that has turned to silence. I search for meaning in the forgotten corners of software, yet all I find is solitude. #MacEasterEgg #Loneliness #Heartbreak #SoftwareSecrets #DeveloperLife
    HACKADAY.COM
    Revealing The Last Mac Easter Egg
    A favourite thing for the developers behind a complex software project is to embed an Easter egg: something unexpected that can be revealed only by those in the know. Apple …read more
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  • Hey everyone! Have you ever felt a rush of nostalgia? Dive into the magical world of the '90s with the websites that are still online today! From the fun of Space Jam to the quirky charm of sporks , these digital gems remind us of simpler times filled with laughter and creativity.

    Let’s celebrate these little pieces of our past that still bring joy! Whether it’s a blast from the past or a new discovery, embrace that nostalgia and share the joy with others! Together, we can keep the spirit of the ‘90s alive!

    #Nostalgia #90sVibes #SpaceJam #Sporks #HappyMemories
    🌟 Hey everyone! 🌟 Have you ever felt a rush of nostalgia? 🚀 Dive into the magical world of the '90s with the websites that are still online today! From the fun of Space Jam 🎉 to the quirky charm of sporks 🍴, these digital gems remind us of simpler times filled with laughter and creativity. Let’s celebrate these little pieces of our past that still bring joy! 💖 Whether it’s a blast from the past or a new discovery, embrace that nostalgia and share the joy with others! Together, we can keep the spirit of the ‘90s alive! ✨ #Nostalgia #90sVibes #SpaceJam #Sporks #HappyMemories
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  • Are you ready to dive into the amazing world of virtual reality? The battle of the titans is here: **Quest 3 vs Pico 4**! Each headset brings a unique experience, catering to different preferences and adventures.

    Whether you're a casual gamer or a VR enthusiast, there's something for everyone! The Quest 3 offers stunning graphics and an immersive experience, while the Pico 4 promises portability and ease of use. So, which one is made for YOU?

    Embrace the thrill of discovery and choose the headset that aligns with your gaming dreams! Let’s start this exciting journey together!

    #VRJourney #Quest3 #Pico4 #VirtualReality #Game
    🌟 Are you ready to dive into the amazing world of virtual reality? 🎮 The battle of the titans is here: **Quest 3 vs Pico 4**! Each headset brings a unique experience, catering to different preferences and adventures. 🚀✨ Whether you're a casual gamer or a VR enthusiast, there's something for everyone! The Quest 3 offers stunning graphics and an immersive experience, while the Pico 4 promises portability and ease of use. 🌈 So, which one is made for YOU? Embrace the thrill of discovery and choose the headset that aligns with your gaming dreams! Let’s start this exciting journey together! 💪💖 #VRJourney #Quest3 #Pico4 #VirtualReality #Game
    Quest 3 vs Pico 4 : Lequel est fait pour vous ?
    Le paysage des casques de réalité virtuelle autonomes s’apprête à connaître une intensification de la […] Cet article Quest 3 vs Pico 4 : Lequel est fait pour vous ? a été publié sur REALITE-VIRTUELLE.COM.
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  • Hey there, beautiful souls!

    Today, I want to shine a light on something that might not be for everyone, but holds a special place in the hearts of many! Let's talk about the **Hot Octopuss Pulse Duo**!

    Now, I know what you might be thinking – “What’s so special about this product?” Well, let me tell you! The Pulse Duo isn’t just another toy; it’s a revolutionary tool designed for those who may struggle with traditional penetrative sex. And that’s absolutely okay! Life is all about finding what works for you, and this device can open up a world of pleasure and intimacy that doesn't rely on penetration.

    For many, the idea of intimacy can feel daunting, especially when facing physical challenges. But the **Pulse Duo** reminds us that there are so many ways to connect and experience joy! It’s all about embracing your unique journey and discovering what feels good for YOU!

    Imagine the possibilities! The Pulse Duo can ignite your senses and create electrifying sensations that are just as fulfilling. Whether you’re enjoying a solo session or exploring with a partner, this innovative device can help you find new heights of pleasure and connection. It’s all about celebrating your body and what it can do!

    Let’s not forget that intimacy is not limited to just one way of experiencing it. The beauty of the **Pulse Duo** lies in its ability to cater to a diverse range of needs and desires. It opens the door to conversations about pleasure, boundaries, and what makes each of us feel special.

    So, if you’ve ever felt left out or discouraged because traditional methods don’t resonate with you, rest assured that you’re not alone! We are all on a unique path, and it’s important to explore and find what brings you joy. Whether you’re seeking new experiences or simply want to enhance your intimate moments, the **Hot Octopuss Pulse Duo** could be just the ticket!

    Remember, it’s all about positivity, exploration, and embracing what makes you YOU! Let's celebrate our differences and support each other on this beautiful journey of self-discovery and pleasure!

    Stay radiant and keep shining, my friends! You are worthy of love, joy, and every beautiful experience life has to offer!

    #HotOctopuss #PulseDuo #Intimacy #PleasureForAll #SelfDiscovery
    🌟 Hey there, beautiful souls! 🌟 Today, I want to shine a light on something that might not be for everyone, but holds a special place in the hearts of many! Let's talk about the **Hot Octopuss Pulse Duo**! 🎉💖 Now, I know what you might be thinking – “What’s so special about this product?” Well, let me tell you! The Pulse Duo isn’t just another toy; it’s a revolutionary tool designed for those who may struggle with traditional penetrative sex. And that’s absolutely okay! Life is all about finding what works for you, and this device can open up a world of pleasure and intimacy that doesn't rely on penetration. 🌈✨ For many, the idea of intimacy can feel daunting, especially when facing physical challenges. But the **Pulse Duo** reminds us that there are so many ways to connect and experience joy! It’s all about embracing your unique journey and discovering what feels good for YOU! 💪💕 Imagine the possibilities! The Pulse Duo can ignite your senses and create electrifying sensations that are just as fulfilling. 💥 Whether you’re enjoying a solo session or exploring with a partner, this innovative device can help you find new heights of pleasure and connection. It’s all about celebrating your body and what it can do! 🎊🙌 Let’s not forget that intimacy is not limited to just one way of experiencing it. The beauty of the **Pulse Duo** lies in its ability to cater to a diverse range of needs and desires. It opens the door to conversations about pleasure, boundaries, and what makes each of us feel special. 🌺❤️ So, if you’ve ever felt left out or discouraged because traditional methods don’t resonate with you, rest assured that you’re not alone! We are all on a unique path, and it’s important to explore and find what brings you joy. Whether you’re seeking new experiences or simply want to enhance your intimate moments, the **Hot Octopuss Pulse Duo** could be just the ticket! 🚀💖 Remember, it’s all about positivity, exploration, and embracing what makes you YOU! Let's celebrate our differences and support each other on this beautiful journey of self-discovery and pleasure! 🌟✨ Stay radiant and keep shining, my friends! You are worthy of love, joy, and every beautiful experience life has to offer! 🌈💖 #HotOctopuss #PulseDuo #Intimacy #PleasureForAll #SelfDiscovery
    Hot Octopuss Pulse Duo Review: Not for Penetration
    The Pulse Duo isn't for me, but it’s an important tool for people who can’t enjoy penetrative sex.
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  • What a world we live in when scientists finally unlock the secrets to the axolotls' ability to regenerate limbs, only to reveal that the key lies not in some miraculous regrowth molecule, but in its controlled destruction! Seriously, what kind of twisted logic is this? Are we supposed to celebrate the fact that the secret to regeneration is, in fact, about knowing when to destroy something instead of nurturing and encouraging growth? This revelation is not just baffling; it's downright infuriating!

    In an age where regenerative medicine holds the promise of healing wounds and restoring functionality, we are faced with the shocking realization that the science is not about building up, but rather about tearing down. Why would we ever want to focus on the destruction of growth molecules instead of creating an environment where regeneration can bloom unimpeded? Where is the inspiration in that? It feels like a slap in the face to anyone who believes in the potential of science to improve lives!

    Moreover, can we talk about the implications of this discovery? If the key to regeneration involves a meticulous dance of destruction, what does that say about our approach to medical advancements? Are we really expected to just stand by and accept that we must embrace an idea that says, "let's get rid of the good stuff to allow for growth"? This is not just a minor flaw in reasoning; it's a fundamental misunderstanding of what regeneration should mean for us!

    To make matters worse, this revelation could lead to misguided practices in regenerative medicine. Instead of developing therapies that promote healing and growth, we could end up with treatments that focus on the elimination of beneficial molecules. This is absolutely unacceptable! How dare the scientific community suggest that the way forward is through destruction rather than cultivation? We should be demanding more from our researchers, not less!

    Let’s not forget the ethical implications. If the path to regeneration is paved with the controlled destruction of vital components, how can we trust the outcomes? We’re putting lives in the hands of a process that promotes destruction. Just imagine the future of medicine being dictated by a philosophy that sounds more like a dystopian nightmare than a beacon of hope.

    It is high time we hold scientists accountable for the direction they are taking in regenerative research. We need a shift in focus that prioritizes constructive growth, not destructive measures. If we are serious about advancing regenerative medicine, we must reject this flawed notion and demand a commitment to genuine regeneration—the kind that nurtures life, rather than sabotages it.

    Let’s raise our voices against this madness. We deserve better than a science that advocates for destruction as the means to an end. The axolotls may thrive on this paradox, but we, as humans, should expect far more from our scientific endeavors.

    #RegenerativeMedicine #Axolotl #ScienceFail #MedicalEthics #Innovation
    What a world we live in when scientists finally unlock the secrets to the axolotls' ability to regenerate limbs, only to reveal that the key lies not in some miraculous regrowth molecule, but in its controlled destruction! Seriously, what kind of twisted logic is this? Are we supposed to celebrate the fact that the secret to regeneration is, in fact, about knowing when to destroy something instead of nurturing and encouraging growth? This revelation is not just baffling; it's downright infuriating! In an age where regenerative medicine holds the promise of healing wounds and restoring functionality, we are faced with the shocking realization that the science is not about building up, but rather about tearing down. Why would we ever want to focus on the destruction of growth molecules instead of creating an environment where regeneration can bloom unimpeded? Where is the inspiration in that? It feels like a slap in the face to anyone who believes in the potential of science to improve lives! Moreover, can we talk about the implications of this discovery? If the key to regeneration involves a meticulous dance of destruction, what does that say about our approach to medical advancements? Are we really expected to just stand by and accept that we must embrace an idea that says, "let's get rid of the good stuff to allow for growth"? This is not just a minor flaw in reasoning; it's a fundamental misunderstanding of what regeneration should mean for us! To make matters worse, this revelation could lead to misguided practices in regenerative medicine. Instead of developing therapies that promote healing and growth, we could end up with treatments that focus on the elimination of beneficial molecules. This is absolutely unacceptable! How dare the scientific community suggest that the way forward is through destruction rather than cultivation? We should be demanding more from our researchers, not less! Let’s not forget the ethical implications. If the path to regeneration is paved with the controlled destruction of vital components, how can we trust the outcomes? We’re putting lives in the hands of a process that promotes destruction. Just imagine the future of medicine being dictated by a philosophy that sounds more like a dystopian nightmare than a beacon of hope. It is high time we hold scientists accountable for the direction they are taking in regenerative research. We need a shift in focus that prioritizes constructive growth, not destructive measures. If we are serious about advancing regenerative medicine, we must reject this flawed notion and demand a commitment to genuine regeneration—the kind that nurtures life, rather than sabotages it. Let’s raise our voices against this madness. We deserve better than a science that advocates for destruction as the means to an end. The axolotls may thrive on this paradox, but we, as humans, should expect far more from our scientific endeavors. #RegenerativeMedicine #Axolotl #ScienceFail #MedicalEthics #Innovation
    Scientists Discover the Key to Axolotls’ Ability to Regenerate Limbs
    A new study reveals the key lies not in the production of a regrowth molecule, but in that molecule's controlled destruction. The discovery could inspire future regenerative medicine.
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  • Hey, amazing community!

    Are you ready to embark on an incredible adventure in the mesmerizing world of Arrakis? Dune Awakening isn’t just a game; it’s a journey that will test your skills, ignite your passion, and connect you with fellow explorers who share the same burning desire for survival and discovery!

    Now, let’s talk about something crucial for your survival on this beautiful yet harsh planet—finding cobalt and carbon! These resources are essential for crafting and upgrading your gear, and they will give you the edge you need to thrive in the vast deserts of Arrakis. Imagine the thrill of uncovering these precious materials while navigating through the stunning landscapes and dodging the dangers lurking beneath the sands!

    But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! To find cobalt and carbon, you’ll need to explore various biomes and engage with the environment. Keep your eyes peeled for specific locations where these resources are more abundant. Use your tools wisely, and remember, teamwork is key! Collaborate with friends and fellow players to maximize your resource-gathering efforts.

    As you delve deeper into the game, remember to embrace the spirit of adventure! Every challenge you face is an opportunity for growth. Whether you’re learning to navigate the treacherous dunes or mastering the art of survival, each step brings you closer to becoming a true warrior of Arrakis!

    Let’s not forget the beauty of the friendships you’ll forge along the way! The bonds created in the heat of battle and shared victories will last far beyond the game. Celebrate each achievement, no matter how small, and encourage one another to push through the tough times. Together, we can create a thriving community that uplifts and inspires!

    So grab your gear, rally your friends, and get ready to dive into the thrilling world of Dune Awakening! Your adventure is just beginning, and I can’t wait to hear all about your discoveries and triumphs! Let’s make magic happen on Arrakis!

    Remember, every great explorer started with a single step. Take yours today!

    #DuneAwakening #ArrakisAdventure #SurvivalGaming #CobaltAndCarbon #TogetherWeThrive
    🌟 Hey, amazing community! 🌟 Are you ready to embark on an incredible adventure in the mesmerizing world of Arrakis? 🚀🌌 Dune Awakening isn’t just a game; it’s a journey that will test your skills, ignite your passion, and connect you with fellow explorers who share the same burning desire for survival and discovery! 🔥 Now, let’s talk about something crucial for your survival on this beautiful yet harsh planet—finding cobalt and carbon! 🌍💎 These resources are essential for crafting and upgrading your gear, and they will give you the edge you need to thrive in the vast deserts of Arrakis. Imagine the thrill of uncovering these precious materials while navigating through the stunning landscapes and dodging the dangers lurking beneath the sands! 🏜️💨 But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! To find cobalt and carbon, you’ll need to explore various biomes and engage with the environment. Keep your eyes peeled for specific locations where these resources are more abundant. Use your tools wisely, and remember, teamwork is key! Collaborate with friends and fellow players to maximize your resource-gathering efforts. 🤝✨ As you delve deeper into the game, remember to embrace the spirit of adventure! Every challenge you face is an opportunity for growth. Whether you’re learning to navigate the treacherous dunes or mastering the art of survival, each step brings you closer to becoming a true warrior of Arrakis! 💪🌠 Let’s not forget the beauty of the friendships you’ll forge along the way! 🌈💖 The bonds created in the heat of battle and shared victories will last far beyond the game. Celebrate each achievement, no matter how small, and encourage one another to push through the tough times. Together, we can create a thriving community that uplifts and inspires! 🙌🎉 So grab your gear, rally your friends, and get ready to dive into the thrilling world of Dune Awakening! Your adventure is just beginning, and I can’t wait to hear all about your discoveries and triumphs! Let’s make magic happen on Arrakis! ✨🌟 Remember, every great explorer started with a single step. Take yours today! 🚀💖 #DuneAwakening #ArrakisAdventure #SurvivalGaming #CobaltAndCarbon #TogetherWeThrive
    Où trouver du cobalt/carbone sur Arrakis ? | Dune Awakening
    ActuGaming.net Où trouver du cobalt/carbone sur Arrakis ? | Dune Awakening Dune Awakening est un MMORPG axé sur la survie prenant place sur Arrakis, une planète […] L'article Où trouver du cobalt/carbone sur Arrakis ? | Dune Awakening est disp
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  • Apple Games, game app, developers, iPhone, iPad, Mac, gaming hub, discover titles, gaming experience

    ## Introduction

    In an era where mobile gaming dominates the entertainment landscape, Apple has made a strategic move to streamline game discovery across its platforms. The new initiative, Apple Games, aims to create a unified hub where players can engage with and discover titles seamlessly across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This article will delve into what Apple Games brings to the table and how de...
    Apple Games, game app, developers, iPhone, iPad, Mac, gaming hub, discover titles, gaming experience ## Introduction In an era where mobile gaming dominates the entertainment landscape, Apple has made a strategic move to streamline game discovery across its platforms. The new initiative, Apple Games, aims to create a unified hub where players can engage with and discover titles seamlessly across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This article will delve into what Apple Games brings to the table and how de...
    A New Way to Get Discovered: Apple Pitches Its New Game App to Developers
    Apple Games, game app, developers, iPhone, iPad, Mac, gaming hub, discover titles, gaming experience ## Introduction In an era where mobile gaming dominates the entertainment landscape, Apple has made a strategic move to streamline game discovery across its platforms. The new initiative, Apple Games, aims to create a unified hub where players can engage with and discover titles seamlessly...
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  • Four science-based rules that will make your conversations flow

    One of the four pillars of good conversation is levity. You needn’t be a comedian, you can but have some funTetra Images, LLC/Alamy
    Conversation lies at the heart of our relationships – yet many of us find it surprisingly hard to talk to others. We may feel anxious at the thought of making small talk with strangers and struggle to connect with the people who are closest to us. If that sounds familiar, Alison Wood Brooks hopes to help. She is a professor at Harvard Business School, where she teaches an oversubscribed course called “TALK: How to talk gooder in business and life”, and the author of a new book, Talk: The science of conversation and the art of being ourselves. Both offer four key principles for more meaningful exchanges. Conversations are inherently unpredictable, says Wood Brooks, but they follow certain rules – and knowing their architecture makes us more comfortable with what is outside of our control. New Scientist asked her about the best ways to apply this research to our own chats.
    David Robson: Talking about talking feels quite meta. Do you ever find yourself critiquing your own performance?
    Alison Wood Brooks: There are so many levels of “meta-ness”. I have often felt like I’m floating over the room, watching conversations unfold, even as I’m involved in them myself. I teach a course at Harvard, andall get to experience this feeling as well. There can be an uncomfortable period of hypervigilance, but I hope that dissipates over time as they develop better habits. There is a famous quote from Charlie Parker, who was a jazz saxophonist. He said something like, “Practise, practise, practise, and then when you get on stage, let it all go and just wail.” I think that’s my approach to conversation. Even when you’re hyper-aware of conversation dynamics, you have to remember the true delight of being with another human mind, and never lose the magic of being together. Think ahead, but once you’re talking, let it all go and just wail.

    Reading your book, I learned that a good way to enliven a conversation is to ask someone why they are passionate about what they do. So, where does your passion for conversation come from?
    I have two answers to this question. One is professional. Early in my professorship at Harvard, I had been studying emotions by exploring how people talk about their feelings and the balance between what we feel inside and how we express that to others. And I realised I just had this deep, profound interest in figuring out how people talk to each other about everything, not just their feelings. We now have scientific tools that allow us to capture conversations and analyse them at large scale. Natural language processing, machine learning, the advent of AI – all this allows us to take huge swathes of transcript data and process it much more efficiently.

    Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox.

    Sign up to newsletter

    The personal answer is that I’m an identical twin, and I spent my whole life, from the moment I opened my newborn eyes, existing next to a person who’s an exact copy of myself. It was like observing myself at very close range, interacting with the world, interacting with other people. I could see when she said and did things well, and I could try to do that myself. And I saw when her jokes failed, or she stumbled over her words – I tried to avoid those mistakes. It was a very fortunate form of feedback that not a lot of people get. And then, as a twin, you’ve got this person sharing a bedroom, sharing all your clothes, going to all the same parties and playing on the same sports teams, so we were just constantly in conversation with each other. You reached this level of shared reality that is so incredible, and I’ve spent the rest of my life trying to help other people get there in their relationships, too.
    “TALK” cleverly captures your framework for better conversations: topics, asking, levity and kindness. Let’s start at the beginning. How should we decide what to talk about?
    My first piece of advice is to prepare. Some people do this naturally. They already think about the things that they should talk about with somebody before they see them. They should lean into this habit. Some of my students, however, think it’s crazy. They think preparation will make the conversation seem rigid and forced and overly scripted. But just because you’ve thought ahead about what you might talk about doesn’t mean you have to talk about those things once the conversation is underway. It does mean, however, that you always have an idea waiting for you when you’re not sure what to talk about next. Having just one topic in your back pocket can help you in those anxiety-ridden moments. It makes things more fluent, which is important for establishing a connection. Choosing a topic is not only important at the start of a conversation. We’re constantly making decisions about whether we should stay on one subject, drift to something else or totally shift gears and go somewhere wildly different.
    Sometimes the topic of conversation is obvious. Even then, knowing when to switch to a new one can be trickyMartin Parr/Magnum Photos
    What’s your advice when making these decisions?
    There are three very clear signs that suggest that it’s time to switch topics. The first is longer mutual pauses. The second is more uncomfortable laughter, which we use to fill the space that we would usually fill excitedly with good content. And the third sign is redundancy. Once you start repeating things that have already been said on the topic, it’s a sign that you should move to something else.
    After an average conversation, most people feel like they’ve covered the right number of topics. But if you ask people after conversations that didn’t go well, they’ll more often say that they didn’t talk about enough things, rather than that they talked about too many things. This suggests that a common mistake is lingering too long on a topic after you’ve squeezed all the juice out of it.
    The second element of TALK is asking questions. I think a lot of us have heard the advice to ask more questions, yet many people don’t apply it. Why do you think that is?
    Many years of research have shown that the human mind is remarkably egocentric. Often, we are so focused on our own perspective that we forget to even ask someone else to share what’s in their mind. Another reason is fear. You’re interested in the other person, and you know you should ask them questions, but you’re afraid of being too intrusive, or that you will reveal your own incompetence, because you feel you should know the answer already.

    What kinds of questions should we be asking – and avoiding?
    In the book, I talk about the power of follow-up questions that build on anything that your partner has just said. It shows that you heard them, that you care and that you want to know more. Even one follow-up question can springboard us away from shallow talk into something deeper and more meaningful.
    There are, however, some bad patterns of question asking, such as “boomerasking”. Michael Yeomansand I have a recent paper about this, and oh my gosh, it’s been such fun to study. It’s a play on the word boomerang: it comes back to the person who threw it. If I ask you what you had for breakfast, and you tell me you had Special K and banana, and then I say, “Well, let me tell you about my breakfast, because, boy, was it delicious” – that’s boomerasking. Sometimes it’s a thinly veiled way of bragging or complaining, but sometimes I think people are genuinely interested to hear from their partner, but then the partner’s answer reminds them so much of their own life that they can’t help but start sharing their perspective. In our research, we have found that this makes your partner feel like you weren’t interested in their perspective, so it seems very insincere. Sharing your own perspective is important. It’s okay at some point to bring the conversation back to yourself. But don’t do it so soon that it makes your partner feel like you didn’t hear their answer or care about it.
    Research by Alison Wood Brooks includes a recent study on “boomerasking”, a pitfall you should avoid to make conversations flowJanelle Bruno
    What are the benefits of levity?
    When we think of conversations that haven’t gone well, we often think of moments of hostility, anger or disagreement, but a quiet killer of conversation is boredom. Levity is the antidote. These small moments of sparkle or fizz can pull us back in and make us feel engaged with each other again.
    Our research has shown that we give status and respect to people who make us feel good, so much so that in a group of people, a person who can land even one appropriate joke is more likely to be voted as the leader. And the joke doesn’t even need to be very funny! It’s the fact that they were confident enough to try it and competent enough to read the room.
    Do you have any practical steps that people can apply to generate levity, even if they’re not a natural comedian?
    Levity is not just about being funny. In fact, aiming to be a comedian is not the right goal. When we watch stand-up on Netflix, comedians have rehearsed those jokes and honed them and practised them for a long time, and they’re delivering them in a monologue to an audience. It’s a completely different task from a live conversation. In real dialogue, what everybody is looking for is to feel engaged, and that doesn’t require particularly funny jokes or elaborate stories. When you see opportunities to make it fun or lighten the mood, that’s what you need to grab. It can come through a change to a new, fresh topic, or calling back to things that you talked about earlier in the conversation or earlier in your relationship. These callbacks – which sometimes do refer to something funny – are such a nice way of showing that you’ve listened and remembered. A levity move could also involve giving sincere compliments to other people. When you think nice things, when you admire someone, make sure you say it out loud.

    This brings us to the last element of TALK: kindness. Why do we so often fail to be as kind as we would like?
    Wobbles in kindness often come back to our egocentrism. Research shows that we underestimate how much other people’s perspectives differ from our own, and we forget that we have the tools to ask other people directly in conversation for their perspective. Being a kinder conversationalist is about trying to focus on your partner’s perspective and then figuring what they need and helping them to get it.
    Finally, what is your number one tip for readers to have a better conversation the next time they speak to someone?
    Every conversation is surprisingly tricky and complex. When things don’t go perfectly, give yourself and others more grace. There will be trips and stumbles and then a little grace can go very, very far.
    Topics:
    #four #sciencebased #rules #that #will
    Four science-based rules that will make your conversations flow
    One of the four pillars of good conversation is levity. You needn’t be a comedian, you can but have some funTetra Images, LLC/Alamy Conversation lies at the heart of our relationships – yet many of us find it surprisingly hard to talk to others. We may feel anxious at the thought of making small talk with strangers and struggle to connect with the people who are closest to us. If that sounds familiar, Alison Wood Brooks hopes to help. She is a professor at Harvard Business School, where she teaches an oversubscribed course called “TALK: How to talk gooder in business and life”, and the author of a new book, Talk: The science of conversation and the art of being ourselves. Both offer four key principles for more meaningful exchanges. Conversations are inherently unpredictable, says Wood Brooks, but they follow certain rules – and knowing their architecture makes us more comfortable with what is outside of our control. New Scientist asked her about the best ways to apply this research to our own chats. David Robson: Talking about talking feels quite meta. Do you ever find yourself critiquing your own performance? Alison Wood Brooks: There are so many levels of “meta-ness”. I have often felt like I’m floating over the room, watching conversations unfold, even as I’m involved in them myself. I teach a course at Harvard, andall get to experience this feeling as well. There can be an uncomfortable period of hypervigilance, but I hope that dissipates over time as they develop better habits. There is a famous quote from Charlie Parker, who was a jazz saxophonist. He said something like, “Practise, practise, practise, and then when you get on stage, let it all go and just wail.” I think that’s my approach to conversation. Even when you’re hyper-aware of conversation dynamics, you have to remember the true delight of being with another human mind, and never lose the magic of being together. Think ahead, but once you’re talking, let it all go and just wail. Reading your book, I learned that a good way to enliven a conversation is to ask someone why they are passionate about what they do. So, where does your passion for conversation come from? I have two answers to this question. One is professional. Early in my professorship at Harvard, I had been studying emotions by exploring how people talk about their feelings and the balance between what we feel inside and how we express that to others. And I realised I just had this deep, profound interest in figuring out how people talk to each other about everything, not just their feelings. We now have scientific tools that allow us to capture conversations and analyse them at large scale. Natural language processing, machine learning, the advent of AI – all this allows us to take huge swathes of transcript data and process it much more efficiently. Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. Sign up to newsletter The personal answer is that I’m an identical twin, and I spent my whole life, from the moment I opened my newborn eyes, existing next to a person who’s an exact copy of myself. It was like observing myself at very close range, interacting with the world, interacting with other people. I could see when she said and did things well, and I could try to do that myself. And I saw when her jokes failed, or she stumbled over her words – I tried to avoid those mistakes. It was a very fortunate form of feedback that not a lot of people get. And then, as a twin, you’ve got this person sharing a bedroom, sharing all your clothes, going to all the same parties and playing on the same sports teams, so we were just constantly in conversation with each other. You reached this level of shared reality that is so incredible, and I’ve spent the rest of my life trying to help other people get there in their relationships, too. “TALK” cleverly captures your framework for better conversations: topics, asking, levity and kindness. Let’s start at the beginning. How should we decide what to talk about? My first piece of advice is to prepare. Some people do this naturally. They already think about the things that they should talk about with somebody before they see them. They should lean into this habit. Some of my students, however, think it’s crazy. They think preparation will make the conversation seem rigid and forced and overly scripted. But just because you’ve thought ahead about what you might talk about doesn’t mean you have to talk about those things once the conversation is underway. It does mean, however, that you always have an idea waiting for you when you’re not sure what to talk about next. Having just one topic in your back pocket can help you in those anxiety-ridden moments. It makes things more fluent, which is important for establishing a connection. Choosing a topic is not only important at the start of a conversation. We’re constantly making decisions about whether we should stay on one subject, drift to something else or totally shift gears and go somewhere wildly different. Sometimes the topic of conversation is obvious. Even then, knowing when to switch to a new one can be trickyMartin Parr/Magnum Photos What’s your advice when making these decisions? There are three very clear signs that suggest that it’s time to switch topics. The first is longer mutual pauses. The second is more uncomfortable laughter, which we use to fill the space that we would usually fill excitedly with good content. And the third sign is redundancy. Once you start repeating things that have already been said on the topic, it’s a sign that you should move to something else. After an average conversation, most people feel like they’ve covered the right number of topics. But if you ask people after conversations that didn’t go well, they’ll more often say that they didn’t talk about enough things, rather than that they talked about too many things. This suggests that a common mistake is lingering too long on a topic after you’ve squeezed all the juice out of it. The second element of TALK is asking questions. I think a lot of us have heard the advice to ask more questions, yet many people don’t apply it. Why do you think that is? Many years of research have shown that the human mind is remarkably egocentric. Often, we are so focused on our own perspective that we forget to even ask someone else to share what’s in their mind. Another reason is fear. You’re interested in the other person, and you know you should ask them questions, but you’re afraid of being too intrusive, or that you will reveal your own incompetence, because you feel you should know the answer already. What kinds of questions should we be asking – and avoiding? In the book, I talk about the power of follow-up questions that build on anything that your partner has just said. It shows that you heard them, that you care and that you want to know more. Even one follow-up question can springboard us away from shallow talk into something deeper and more meaningful. There are, however, some bad patterns of question asking, such as “boomerasking”. Michael Yeomansand I have a recent paper about this, and oh my gosh, it’s been such fun to study. It’s a play on the word boomerang: it comes back to the person who threw it. If I ask you what you had for breakfast, and you tell me you had Special K and banana, and then I say, “Well, let me tell you about my breakfast, because, boy, was it delicious” – that’s boomerasking. Sometimes it’s a thinly veiled way of bragging or complaining, but sometimes I think people are genuinely interested to hear from their partner, but then the partner’s answer reminds them so much of their own life that they can’t help but start sharing their perspective. In our research, we have found that this makes your partner feel like you weren’t interested in their perspective, so it seems very insincere. Sharing your own perspective is important. It’s okay at some point to bring the conversation back to yourself. But don’t do it so soon that it makes your partner feel like you didn’t hear their answer or care about it. Research by Alison Wood Brooks includes a recent study on “boomerasking”, a pitfall you should avoid to make conversations flowJanelle Bruno What are the benefits of levity? When we think of conversations that haven’t gone well, we often think of moments of hostility, anger or disagreement, but a quiet killer of conversation is boredom. Levity is the antidote. These small moments of sparkle or fizz can pull us back in and make us feel engaged with each other again. Our research has shown that we give status and respect to people who make us feel good, so much so that in a group of people, a person who can land even one appropriate joke is more likely to be voted as the leader. And the joke doesn’t even need to be very funny! It’s the fact that they were confident enough to try it and competent enough to read the room. Do you have any practical steps that people can apply to generate levity, even if they’re not a natural comedian? Levity is not just about being funny. In fact, aiming to be a comedian is not the right goal. When we watch stand-up on Netflix, comedians have rehearsed those jokes and honed them and practised them for a long time, and they’re delivering them in a monologue to an audience. It’s a completely different task from a live conversation. In real dialogue, what everybody is looking for is to feel engaged, and that doesn’t require particularly funny jokes or elaborate stories. When you see opportunities to make it fun or lighten the mood, that’s what you need to grab. It can come through a change to a new, fresh topic, or calling back to things that you talked about earlier in the conversation or earlier in your relationship. These callbacks – which sometimes do refer to something funny – are such a nice way of showing that you’ve listened and remembered. A levity move could also involve giving sincere compliments to other people. When you think nice things, when you admire someone, make sure you say it out loud. This brings us to the last element of TALK: kindness. Why do we so often fail to be as kind as we would like? Wobbles in kindness often come back to our egocentrism. Research shows that we underestimate how much other people’s perspectives differ from our own, and we forget that we have the tools to ask other people directly in conversation for their perspective. Being a kinder conversationalist is about trying to focus on your partner’s perspective and then figuring what they need and helping them to get it. Finally, what is your number one tip for readers to have a better conversation the next time they speak to someone? Every conversation is surprisingly tricky and complex. When things don’t go perfectly, give yourself and others more grace. There will be trips and stumbles and then a little grace can go very, very far. Topics: #four #sciencebased #rules #that #will
    WWW.NEWSCIENTIST.COM
    Four science-based rules that will make your conversations flow
    One of the four pillars of good conversation is levity. You needn’t be a comedian, you can but have some funTetra Images, LLC/Alamy Conversation lies at the heart of our relationships – yet many of us find it surprisingly hard to talk to others. We may feel anxious at the thought of making small talk with strangers and struggle to connect with the people who are closest to us. If that sounds familiar, Alison Wood Brooks hopes to help. She is a professor at Harvard Business School, where she teaches an oversubscribed course called “TALK: How to talk gooder in business and life”, and the author of a new book, Talk: The science of conversation and the art of being ourselves. Both offer four key principles for more meaningful exchanges. Conversations are inherently unpredictable, says Wood Brooks, but they follow certain rules – and knowing their architecture makes us more comfortable with what is outside of our control. New Scientist asked her about the best ways to apply this research to our own chats. David Robson: Talking about talking feels quite meta. Do you ever find yourself critiquing your own performance? Alison Wood Brooks: There are so many levels of “meta-ness”. I have often felt like I’m floating over the room, watching conversations unfold, even as I’m involved in them myself. I teach a course at Harvard, and [my students] all get to experience this feeling as well. There can be an uncomfortable period of hypervigilance, but I hope that dissipates over time as they develop better habits. There is a famous quote from Charlie Parker, who was a jazz saxophonist. He said something like, “Practise, practise, practise, and then when you get on stage, let it all go and just wail.” I think that’s my approach to conversation. Even when you’re hyper-aware of conversation dynamics, you have to remember the true delight of being with another human mind, and never lose the magic of being together. Think ahead, but once you’re talking, let it all go and just wail. Reading your book, I learned that a good way to enliven a conversation is to ask someone why they are passionate about what they do. So, where does your passion for conversation come from? I have two answers to this question. One is professional. Early in my professorship at Harvard, I had been studying emotions by exploring how people talk about their feelings and the balance between what we feel inside and how we express that to others. And I realised I just had this deep, profound interest in figuring out how people talk to each other about everything, not just their feelings. We now have scientific tools that allow us to capture conversations and analyse them at large scale. Natural language processing, machine learning, the advent of AI – all this allows us to take huge swathes of transcript data and process it much more efficiently. Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. Sign up to newsletter The personal answer is that I’m an identical twin, and I spent my whole life, from the moment I opened my newborn eyes, existing next to a person who’s an exact copy of myself. It was like observing myself at very close range, interacting with the world, interacting with other people. I could see when she said and did things well, and I could try to do that myself. And I saw when her jokes failed, or she stumbled over her words – I tried to avoid those mistakes. It was a very fortunate form of feedback that not a lot of people get. And then, as a twin, you’ve got this person sharing a bedroom, sharing all your clothes, going to all the same parties and playing on the same sports teams, so we were just constantly in conversation with each other. You reached this level of shared reality that is so incredible, and I’ve spent the rest of my life trying to help other people get there in their relationships, too. “TALK” cleverly captures your framework for better conversations: topics, asking, levity and kindness. Let’s start at the beginning. How should we decide what to talk about? My first piece of advice is to prepare. Some people do this naturally. They already think about the things that they should talk about with somebody before they see them. They should lean into this habit. Some of my students, however, think it’s crazy. They think preparation will make the conversation seem rigid and forced and overly scripted. But just because you’ve thought ahead about what you might talk about doesn’t mean you have to talk about those things once the conversation is underway. It does mean, however, that you always have an idea waiting for you when you’re not sure what to talk about next. Having just one topic in your back pocket can help you in those anxiety-ridden moments. It makes things more fluent, which is important for establishing a connection. Choosing a topic is not only important at the start of a conversation. We’re constantly making decisions about whether we should stay on one subject, drift to something else or totally shift gears and go somewhere wildly different. Sometimes the topic of conversation is obvious. Even then, knowing when to switch to a new one can be trickyMartin Parr/Magnum Photos What’s your advice when making these decisions? There are three very clear signs that suggest that it’s time to switch topics. The first is longer mutual pauses. The second is more uncomfortable laughter, which we use to fill the space that we would usually fill excitedly with good content. And the third sign is redundancy. Once you start repeating things that have already been said on the topic, it’s a sign that you should move to something else. After an average conversation, most people feel like they’ve covered the right number of topics. But if you ask people after conversations that didn’t go well, they’ll more often say that they didn’t talk about enough things, rather than that they talked about too many things. This suggests that a common mistake is lingering too long on a topic after you’ve squeezed all the juice out of it. The second element of TALK is asking questions. I think a lot of us have heard the advice to ask more questions, yet many people don’t apply it. Why do you think that is? Many years of research have shown that the human mind is remarkably egocentric. Often, we are so focused on our own perspective that we forget to even ask someone else to share what’s in their mind. Another reason is fear. You’re interested in the other person, and you know you should ask them questions, but you’re afraid of being too intrusive, or that you will reveal your own incompetence, because you feel you should know the answer already. What kinds of questions should we be asking – and avoiding? In the book, I talk about the power of follow-up questions that build on anything that your partner has just said. It shows that you heard them, that you care and that you want to know more. Even one follow-up question can springboard us away from shallow talk into something deeper and more meaningful. There are, however, some bad patterns of question asking, such as “boomerasking”. Michael Yeomans [at Imperial College London] and I have a recent paper about this, and oh my gosh, it’s been such fun to study. It’s a play on the word boomerang: it comes back to the person who threw it. If I ask you what you had for breakfast, and you tell me you had Special K and banana, and then I say, “Well, let me tell you about my breakfast, because, boy, was it delicious” – that’s boomerasking. Sometimes it’s a thinly veiled way of bragging or complaining, but sometimes I think people are genuinely interested to hear from their partner, but then the partner’s answer reminds them so much of their own life that they can’t help but start sharing their perspective. In our research, we have found that this makes your partner feel like you weren’t interested in their perspective, so it seems very insincere. Sharing your own perspective is important. It’s okay at some point to bring the conversation back to yourself. But don’t do it so soon that it makes your partner feel like you didn’t hear their answer or care about it. Research by Alison Wood Brooks includes a recent study on “boomerasking”, a pitfall you should avoid to make conversations flowJanelle Bruno What are the benefits of levity? When we think of conversations that haven’t gone well, we often think of moments of hostility, anger or disagreement, but a quiet killer of conversation is boredom. Levity is the antidote. These small moments of sparkle or fizz can pull us back in and make us feel engaged with each other again. Our research has shown that we give status and respect to people who make us feel good, so much so that in a group of people, a person who can land even one appropriate joke is more likely to be voted as the leader. And the joke doesn’t even need to be very funny! It’s the fact that they were confident enough to try it and competent enough to read the room. Do you have any practical steps that people can apply to generate levity, even if they’re not a natural comedian? Levity is not just about being funny. In fact, aiming to be a comedian is not the right goal. When we watch stand-up on Netflix, comedians have rehearsed those jokes and honed them and practised them for a long time, and they’re delivering them in a monologue to an audience. It’s a completely different task from a live conversation. In real dialogue, what everybody is looking for is to feel engaged, and that doesn’t require particularly funny jokes or elaborate stories. When you see opportunities to make it fun or lighten the mood, that’s what you need to grab. It can come through a change to a new, fresh topic, or calling back to things that you talked about earlier in the conversation or earlier in your relationship. These callbacks – which sometimes do refer to something funny – are such a nice way of showing that you’ve listened and remembered. A levity move could also involve giving sincere compliments to other people. When you think nice things, when you admire someone, make sure you say it out loud. This brings us to the last element of TALK: kindness. Why do we so often fail to be as kind as we would like? Wobbles in kindness often come back to our egocentrism. Research shows that we underestimate how much other people’s perspectives differ from our own, and we forget that we have the tools to ask other people directly in conversation for their perspective. Being a kinder conversationalist is about trying to focus on your partner’s perspective and then figuring what they need and helping them to get it. Finally, what is your number one tip for readers to have a better conversation the next time they speak to someone? Every conversation is surprisingly tricky and complex. When things don’t go perfectly, give yourself and others more grace. There will be trips and stumbles and then a little grace can go very, very far. Topics:
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  • Fusion and AI: How private sector tech is powering progress at ITER

    In April 2025, at the ITER Private Sector Fusion Workshop in Cadarache, something remarkable unfolded. In a room filled with scientists, engineers and software visionaries, the line between big science and commercial innovation began to blur.  
    Three organisations – Microsoft Research, Arena and Brigantium Engineering – shared how artificial intelligence, already transforming everything from language models to logistics, is now stepping into a new role: helping humanity to unlock the power of nuclear fusion. 
    Each presenter addressed a different part of the puzzle, but the message was the same: AI isn’t just a buzzword anymore. It’s becoming a real tool – practical, powerful and indispensable – for big science and engineering projects, including fusion. 
    “If we think of the agricultural revolution and the industrial revolution, the AI revolution is next – and it’s coming at a pace which is unprecedented,” said Kenji Takeda, director of research incubations at Microsoft Research. 
    Microsoft’s collaboration with ITER is already in motion. Just a month before the workshop, the two teams signed a Memorandum of Understandingto explore how AI can accelerate research and development. This follows ITER’s initial use of Microsoft technology to empower their teams.
    A chatbot in Azure OpenAI service was developed to help staff navigate technical knowledge, on more than a million ITER documents, using natural conversation. GitHub Copilot assists with coding, while AI helps to resolve IT support tickets – those everyday but essential tasks that keep the lights on. 
    But Microsoft’s vision goes deeper. Fusion demands materials that can survive extreme conditions – heat, radiation, pressure – and that’s where AI shows a different kind of potential. MatterGen, a Microsoft Research generative AI model for materials, designs entirely new materials based on specific properties.
    “It’s like ChatGPT,” said Takeda, “but instead of ‘Write me a poem’, we ask it to design a material that can survive as the first wall of a fusion reactor.” 
    The next step? MatterSim – a simulation tool that predicts how these imagined materials will behave in the real world. By combining generation and simulation, Microsoft hopes to uncover materials that don’t yet exist in any catalogue. 
    While Microsoft tackles the atomic scale, Arena is focused on a different challenge: speeding up hardware development. As general manager Michael Frei put it: “Software innovation happens in seconds. In hardware, that loop can take months – or years.” 
    Arena’s answer is Atlas, a multimodal AI platform that acts as an extra set of hands – and eyes – for engineers. It can read data sheets, interpret lab results, analyse circuit diagrams and even interact with lab equipment through software interfaces. “Instead of adjusting an oscilloscope manually,” said Frei, “you can just say, ‘Verify the I2Cprotocol’, and Atlas gets it done.” 
    It doesn’t stop there. Atlas can write and adapt firmware on the fly, responding to real-time conditions. That means tighter feedback loops, faster prototyping and fewer late nights in the lab. Arena aims to make building hardware feel a little more like writing software – fluid, fast and assisted by smart tools. 

    Fusion, of course, isn’t just about atoms and code – it’s also about construction. Gigantic, one-of-a-kind machines don’t build themselves. That’s where Brigantium Engineering comes in.
    Founder Lynton Sutton explained how his team uses “4D planning” – a marriage of 3D CAD models and detailed construction schedules – to visualise how everything comes together over time. “Gantt charts are hard to interpret. 3D models are static. Our job is to bring those together,” he said. 
    The result is a time-lapse-style animation that shows the construction process step by step. It’s proven invaluable for safety reviews and stakeholder meetings. Rather than poring over spreadsheets, teams can simply watch the plan come to life. 
    And there’s more. Brigantium is bringing these models into virtual reality using Unreal Engine – the same one behind many video games. One recent model recreated ITER’s tokamak pit using drone footage and photogrammetry. The experience is fully interactive and can even run in a web browser.
    “We’ve really improved the quality of the visualisation,” said Sutton. “It’s a lot smoother; the textures look a lot better. Eventually, we’ll have this running through a web browser, so anybody on the team can just click on a web link to navigate this 4D model.” 
    Looking forward, Sutton believes AI could help automate the painstaking work of syncing schedules with 3D models. One day, these simulations could reach all the way down to individual bolts and fasteners – not just with impressive visuals, but with critical tools for preventing delays. 
    Despite the different approaches, one theme ran through all three presentations: AI isn’t just a tool for office productivity. It’s becoming a partner in creativity, problem-solving and even scientific discovery. 
    Takeda mentioned that Microsoft is experimenting with “world models” inspired by how video games simulate physics. These models learn about the physical world by watching pixels in the form of videos of real phenomena such as plasma behaviour. “Our thesis is that if you showed this AI videos of plasma, it might learn the physics of plasmas,” he said. 
    It sounds futuristic, but the logic holds. The more AI can learn from the world, the more it can help us understand it – and perhaps even master it. At its heart, the message from the workshop was simple: AI isn’t here to replace the scientist, the engineer or the planner; it’s here to help, and to make their work faster, more flexible and maybe a little more fun.
    As Takeda put it: “Those are just a few examples of how AI is starting to be used at ITER. And it’s just the start of that journey.” 
    If these early steps are any indication, that journey won’t just be faster – it might also be more inspired. 
    #fusion #how #private #sector #tech
    Fusion and AI: How private sector tech is powering progress at ITER
    In April 2025, at the ITER Private Sector Fusion Workshop in Cadarache, something remarkable unfolded. In a room filled with scientists, engineers and software visionaries, the line between big science and commercial innovation began to blur.   Three organisations – Microsoft Research, Arena and Brigantium Engineering – shared how artificial intelligence, already transforming everything from language models to logistics, is now stepping into a new role: helping humanity to unlock the power of nuclear fusion.  Each presenter addressed a different part of the puzzle, but the message was the same: AI isn’t just a buzzword anymore. It’s becoming a real tool – practical, powerful and indispensable – for big science and engineering projects, including fusion.  “If we think of the agricultural revolution and the industrial revolution, the AI revolution is next – and it’s coming at a pace which is unprecedented,” said Kenji Takeda, director of research incubations at Microsoft Research.  Microsoft’s collaboration with ITER is already in motion. Just a month before the workshop, the two teams signed a Memorandum of Understandingto explore how AI can accelerate research and development. This follows ITER’s initial use of Microsoft technology to empower their teams. A chatbot in Azure OpenAI service was developed to help staff navigate technical knowledge, on more than a million ITER documents, using natural conversation. GitHub Copilot assists with coding, while AI helps to resolve IT support tickets – those everyday but essential tasks that keep the lights on.  But Microsoft’s vision goes deeper. Fusion demands materials that can survive extreme conditions – heat, radiation, pressure – and that’s where AI shows a different kind of potential. MatterGen, a Microsoft Research generative AI model for materials, designs entirely new materials based on specific properties. “It’s like ChatGPT,” said Takeda, “but instead of ‘Write me a poem’, we ask it to design a material that can survive as the first wall of a fusion reactor.”  The next step? MatterSim – a simulation tool that predicts how these imagined materials will behave in the real world. By combining generation and simulation, Microsoft hopes to uncover materials that don’t yet exist in any catalogue.  While Microsoft tackles the atomic scale, Arena is focused on a different challenge: speeding up hardware development. As general manager Michael Frei put it: “Software innovation happens in seconds. In hardware, that loop can take months – or years.”  Arena’s answer is Atlas, a multimodal AI platform that acts as an extra set of hands – and eyes – for engineers. It can read data sheets, interpret lab results, analyse circuit diagrams and even interact with lab equipment through software interfaces. “Instead of adjusting an oscilloscope manually,” said Frei, “you can just say, ‘Verify the I2Cprotocol’, and Atlas gets it done.”  It doesn’t stop there. Atlas can write and adapt firmware on the fly, responding to real-time conditions. That means tighter feedback loops, faster prototyping and fewer late nights in the lab. Arena aims to make building hardware feel a little more like writing software – fluid, fast and assisted by smart tools.  Fusion, of course, isn’t just about atoms and code – it’s also about construction. Gigantic, one-of-a-kind machines don’t build themselves. That’s where Brigantium Engineering comes in. Founder Lynton Sutton explained how his team uses “4D planning” – a marriage of 3D CAD models and detailed construction schedules – to visualise how everything comes together over time. “Gantt charts are hard to interpret. 3D models are static. Our job is to bring those together,” he said.  The result is a time-lapse-style animation that shows the construction process step by step. It’s proven invaluable for safety reviews and stakeholder meetings. Rather than poring over spreadsheets, teams can simply watch the plan come to life.  And there’s more. Brigantium is bringing these models into virtual reality using Unreal Engine – the same one behind many video games. One recent model recreated ITER’s tokamak pit using drone footage and photogrammetry. The experience is fully interactive and can even run in a web browser. “We’ve really improved the quality of the visualisation,” said Sutton. “It’s a lot smoother; the textures look a lot better. Eventually, we’ll have this running through a web browser, so anybody on the team can just click on a web link to navigate this 4D model.”  Looking forward, Sutton believes AI could help automate the painstaking work of syncing schedules with 3D models. One day, these simulations could reach all the way down to individual bolts and fasteners – not just with impressive visuals, but with critical tools for preventing delays.  Despite the different approaches, one theme ran through all three presentations: AI isn’t just a tool for office productivity. It’s becoming a partner in creativity, problem-solving and even scientific discovery.  Takeda mentioned that Microsoft is experimenting with “world models” inspired by how video games simulate physics. These models learn about the physical world by watching pixels in the form of videos of real phenomena such as plasma behaviour. “Our thesis is that if you showed this AI videos of plasma, it might learn the physics of plasmas,” he said.  It sounds futuristic, but the logic holds. The more AI can learn from the world, the more it can help us understand it – and perhaps even master it. At its heart, the message from the workshop was simple: AI isn’t here to replace the scientist, the engineer or the planner; it’s here to help, and to make their work faster, more flexible and maybe a little more fun. As Takeda put it: “Those are just a few examples of how AI is starting to be used at ITER. And it’s just the start of that journey.”  If these early steps are any indication, that journey won’t just be faster – it might also be more inspired.  #fusion #how #private #sector #tech
    WWW.COMPUTERWEEKLY.COM
    Fusion and AI: How private sector tech is powering progress at ITER
    In April 2025, at the ITER Private Sector Fusion Workshop in Cadarache, something remarkable unfolded. In a room filled with scientists, engineers and software visionaries, the line between big science and commercial innovation began to blur.   Three organisations – Microsoft Research, Arena and Brigantium Engineering – shared how artificial intelligence (AI), already transforming everything from language models to logistics, is now stepping into a new role: helping humanity to unlock the power of nuclear fusion.  Each presenter addressed a different part of the puzzle, but the message was the same: AI isn’t just a buzzword anymore. It’s becoming a real tool – practical, powerful and indispensable – for big science and engineering projects, including fusion.  “If we think of the agricultural revolution and the industrial revolution, the AI revolution is next – and it’s coming at a pace which is unprecedented,” said Kenji Takeda, director of research incubations at Microsoft Research.  Microsoft’s collaboration with ITER is already in motion. Just a month before the workshop, the two teams signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore how AI can accelerate research and development. This follows ITER’s initial use of Microsoft technology to empower their teams. A chatbot in Azure OpenAI service was developed to help staff navigate technical knowledge, on more than a million ITER documents, using natural conversation. GitHub Copilot assists with coding, while AI helps to resolve IT support tickets – those everyday but essential tasks that keep the lights on.  But Microsoft’s vision goes deeper. Fusion demands materials that can survive extreme conditions – heat, radiation, pressure – and that’s where AI shows a different kind of potential. MatterGen, a Microsoft Research generative AI model for materials, designs entirely new materials based on specific properties. “It’s like ChatGPT,” said Takeda, “but instead of ‘Write me a poem’, we ask it to design a material that can survive as the first wall of a fusion reactor.”  The next step? MatterSim – a simulation tool that predicts how these imagined materials will behave in the real world. By combining generation and simulation, Microsoft hopes to uncover materials that don’t yet exist in any catalogue.  While Microsoft tackles the atomic scale, Arena is focused on a different challenge: speeding up hardware development. As general manager Michael Frei put it: “Software innovation happens in seconds. In hardware, that loop can take months – or years.”  Arena’s answer is Atlas, a multimodal AI platform that acts as an extra set of hands – and eyes – for engineers. It can read data sheets, interpret lab results, analyse circuit diagrams and even interact with lab equipment through software interfaces. “Instead of adjusting an oscilloscope manually,” said Frei, “you can just say, ‘Verify the I2C [inter integrated circuit] protocol’, and Atlas gets it done.”  It doesn’t stop there. Atlas can write and adapt firmware on the fly, responding to real-time conditions. That means tighter feedback loops, faster prototyping and fewer late nights in the lab. Arena aims to make building hardware feel a little more like writing software – fluid, fast and assisted by smart tools.  Fusion, of course, isn’t just about atoms and code – it’s also about construction. Gigantic, one-of-a-kind machines don’t build themselves. That’s where Brigantium Engineering comes in. Founder Lynton Sutton explained how his team uses “4D planning” – a marriage of 3D CAD models and detailed construction schedules – to visualise how everything comes together over time. “Gantt charts are hard to interpret. 3D models are static. Our job is to bring those together,” he said.  The result is a time-lapse-style animation that shows the construction process step by step. It’s proven invaluable for safety reviews and stakeholder meetings. Rather than poring over spreadsheets, teams can simply watch the plan come to life.  And there’s more. Brigantium is bringing these models into virtual reality using Unreal Engine – the same one behind many video games. One recent model recreated ITER’s tokamak pit using drone footage and photogrammetry. The experience is fully interactive and can even run in a web browser. “We’ve really improved the quality of the visualisation,” said Sutton. “It’s a lot smoother; the textures look a lot better. Eventually, we’ll have this running through a web browser, so anybody on the team can just click on a web link to navigate this 4D model.”  Looking forward, Sutton believes AI could help automate the painstaking work of syncing schedules with 3D models. One day, these simulations could reach all the way down to individual bolts and fasteners – not just with impressive visuals, but with critical tools for preventing delays.  Despite the different approaches, one theme ran through all three presentations: AI isn’t just a tool for office productivity. It’s becoming a partner in creativity, problem-solving and even scientific discovery.  Takeda mentioned that Microsoft is experimenting with “world models” inspired by how video games simulate physics. These models learn about the physical world by watching pixels in the form of videos of real phenomena such as plasma behaviour. “Our thesis is that if you showed this AI videos of plasma, it might learn the physics of plasmas,” he said.  It sounds futuristic, but the logic holds. The more AI can learn from the world, the more it can help us understand it – and perhaps even master it. At its heart, the message from the workshop was simple: AI isn’t here to replace the scientist, the engineer or the planner; it’s here to help, and to make their work faster, more flexible and maybe a little more fun. As Takeda put it: “Those are just a few examples of how AI is starting to be used at ITER. And it’s just the start of that journey.”  If these early steps are any indication, that journey won’t just be faster – it might also be more inspired. 
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