One of the most challenging aspects of astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is anticipating what life and extraterrestrial civilizations will look like. Invariably, we have only one example of a planet that supports life (Earth) and one example of a technologically advanced civilization (humanity) upon which to base our theories. As for …

Continue reading "New Study Examines How Extraterrestrial Civilizations Could Become “Stellarvores.”"

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An 11-page document that’s attributed to a Pentagon whistleblower has provided new cases in the controversy over unidentified anomalous phenomena — also known as UAPs, unidentified flying objects or UFOs. The document, released today in conjunction with a House subcommittee hearing on UAPs, lays out details about what’s said to be a special access program …

Continue reading "Congressional Hearing Fuels Fresh Debate About UFOs"

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Elon Musk proměnil sociální síť X ve svoji osobní zbraň a využil ji způsobem, jejž málokdo očekával.  Zatímco si příznivci Demokratické strany stěžovali na pravicovou propagandu, Musk se věnoval sázkařským trhům.

Kdykoli to někdo v uplynulých měsících řekl nahlas, znělo to jako vtip. Mike Tyson, světová boxerská legenda, která byla v ringu naposledy v roce 2005, bude v osmapadesáti letech znovu zápasit. Železný boxer v důchodu neodolal lákavé nabídce hubatého sedmadvacetiletého influencera Jakea Paula, který se pokořením legendy chce vydat na cestu profesionálního šampiona boxu. Serióznosti akce navíc moc nepřidalo, že byla v červnu odsunuta z původního termínu. Nyní je ale všechno jinak. Oba bojovníci zveřejnili svá tréninková videa, ve kterých dřou jako koně. Proběhly mediální tréninky i tiskové konference. Do Texasu míří na boxerský galavečer sto tisíc lidí a na Netflixu, který to bude pro své předplatitele streamovat živě, se jej chystá zhlédnout sto milionů diváků. Díky pozvání Netflixu jsem v texaském Arlingtonu osobně a na webu reflex.cz vám přinesu postřehy z této monstr akce.

Vyhlášení Českých slavíků proběhne 29. listopadu ve Foru Karlín. Vy můžete hlasovat do 17. listopadu do půlnoci. Během slavnostního večera vystoupí interpreti jako Michal David, kapela Mirai, Marie Rotterová a po více než deseti letech se na pódiu slavíků vrátí Tomáš Klus. Zároveň bude uvedena do síně slávy Marta Kubišová. Po Jiřím Suchém a václavu Neckářovi to v ní bude první ženou.

Removed From Network (Open for application): Anti-Bullying Movement (Movements)

Please remember to put your subjects name with the last name first and provide a link in your application to their profile at imdb.com. Upcoming Actors No applications have been received since the last update.

"Hollywood Squares," starring award-winning actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore as the center square, and hosted by Nate Burleson, premieres Thursday, January 9 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).

This matchup replaces the previously scheduled Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks game.

The doubleheader begins on ESPN at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 27 when Aaron Judge and the Yankees host Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers, who won the National League Central in 2024.

Пентагон представил новую серию воздушных и морских беспилотников в рамках программы Replicator - масштабного проекта, направленного на ускорение поставок беспилотных систем вооружений в вооруженные силы США.

What is the fraudulent "SOMO Registration" site?

Our team has examined the website (registration-somogames[.]com) and found that it is a scam website posing as the real SOMO page (somo.xyz). We also found that the purpose of the fraudulent page is to steal cryptocurrency. Therefore, it is highly advisable to avoid this site and always verify the legitimacy of websites.

What is the fake "Privasea Registration" website?

During a routine investigation, our researchers discovered this fake "Privasea Registration" site (registration-privasea[.]org; other domains are possible). The scam imitates the Privasea AI Network (privasea.ai) and promises rewards to entice users into exposing their digital wallets to a crypto drainer.

What kind of email is "Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)"?

After inspecting this "Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)" email, we determined that it is spam. This fake message encourages the recipient to improve their account security to avoid service interruptions. The goal is to promote a phishing website that targets email account log-in credentials.

Apple's new Mac mini and MacBook Pro models powered by M4 Pro and M4 Max chips introduce Thunderbolt 5 connectivity to the Mac lineup for the first time, bringing the first major bandwidth increase since Thunderbolt 3 debuted in 2015. While this next-generation standard promises significant improvements, understanding its specific benefits can help you decide whether it's really essential for your needs.


Let's take a closer look at Thunderbolt 5 – what it does, whether it's necessary, and which accessories leverage the latest standard.

Thunderbolt 5: What It Does

Thunderbolt 5 doubles the standard data transfer speed to 80 Gbps in both directions, with a special "Bandwidth Boost" mode reaching up to 120 Gbps for video-intensive tasks. This asymmetrical mode allocates 120 Gbps to display data while maintaining 40 Gbps for other data transfers, effectively tripling the bandwidth compared to Thunderbolt 4. The standard also increases maximum power delivery to 240W, up from Thunderbolt 4's 100W limit, enabling faster charging for power-hungry devices like the 16-inch MacBook Pro.


The increased bandwidth supports more demanding display configurations for M4 Pro and M4 Max-powered Macs. Thunderbolt 5 also incorporates DisplayPort 2.1, enabling features like 4K displays at 240Hz refresh rates, for smoother motion during gaming and video playback. Like previous versions, the standard maintains backward compatibility with older Thunderbolt standards and USB devices, including the latest USB4 2.0 specification.

Latest Macs With Thunderbolt 5

Apple's latest Mac models featuring Thunderbolt 5 offer enhanced external display support, varying by specific chip configuration. Both the Mac mini with M4 Pro chip and MacBook Pro with M4 Pro or M4 Max chip provide three Thunderbolt 5 ports. Here's a detailed breakdown of what's capable in terms of display configurations:

MacBook Pro Models

• MacBook Pro with M4 Pro Chip:




• Supports up to two external displays:




• Two displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt.


• One display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI.




• Alternatively, supports one external display:




• One display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz over HDMI.


• One display with up to 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI.







• MacBook Pro with M4 Max Chip:




• Supports up to four external displays:




• Three displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI.




• Alternatively, supports up to three external displays:




• Two displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or one display with up to 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI.

Mac mini Models

• Mac mini with M4 Pro Chip:




• Supports up to three external displays:




• Three displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt.




• Alternatively, supports one external display:




• One display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or one display with up to 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI.

Note that the Mac mini with the standard M4 chip features Thunderbolt 4 ports and supports up to three external displays, with specific configurations as detailed in Apple's technical specifications.

Do I Need Thunderbolt 5?

For most users performing everyday tasks like web browsing, document editing, or even photo editing, Thunderbolt 4's 40 Gbps bandwidth remains more than adequate. Even 4K video editing and working with large file sizes works smoothly with Thunderbolt 4 connections, as many professionals will attest. The new Mac mini and base 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 chip includes Thunderbolt 4 ports that should serve most of these users.


It's worth considering Thunderbolt 5 if you work with 8K video, require multiple high-resolution displays, or regularly transfer extremely large files. The technology will be particularly beneficial if you work with virtual reality, 3D rendering, or high-end video production where every bit of bandwidth matters. However, remember that taking full advantage of Thunderbolt 5 requires compatible peripherals, which are just beginning to enter the market and typically command premium prices.

For most users, the presence of Thunderbolt 5 shouldn't be the deciding factor when choosing between M4 and M4 Pro/Max Macs. The standard M4 models with Thunderbolt 4 will continue to serve the majority of users well, making Thunderbolt 5 a "nice-to-have" rather than a necessity for typical Mac buyers. The technology's true benefits will likely become more apparent as compatible peripherals become more available and affordable over time.

• 14-Inch vs. 16-Inch MacBook Pro Buyer's Guide 2024


• M4 vs. M4 Pro vs. M4 Max Chip Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?


• M1 vs. M2 vs. M3 vs. M4 MacBook Pro Buyer's Guide: 30+ Differences Compared

Thunderbolt 5 Accessories

The first wave of Thunderbolt 5 peripherals is beginning to arrive. Apple's Thunderbolt 5 Pro Cable ($69) features a braided black design, supports the full 120 Gbps bandwidth and 240W power delivery, while maintaining backward compatibility with Thunderbolt 3/4 and USB standards.


For storage, OWC's Envoy Ultra external SSD achieves speeds over 6GB per second – double that of previous Thunderbolt drives – and comes in 2TB ($399.99) and 4TB ($599.99) configurations with a built-in Thunderbolt cable.


Lastly, OWC's Thunderbolt 5 Hub ($189.99) expands a single port into three Thunderbolt 5 ports and one USB-A port, supporting up to 140W power delivery – enough to charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro. The hub enables three separate device daisy chains and can drive up to three 8K displays at 60Hz with Display Stream Compression. Its aluminum enclosure uses passive cooling for silent operation, making it suitable for noise-sensitive environments like recording studios.
This article, "Thunderbolt 5 in New Macs: Features, Benefits, and Is It Needed?" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Leading artificial intelligence companies including OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are facing "diminishing returns" from their costly efforts to build newer AI models, according to a new Bloomberg report. The stumbling blocks appear to be growing in size as Apple continues a phased rollout of its own AI features through Apple Intelligence.


OpenAI's latest model, known internally as Orion, has reportedly fallen short of the company's performance expectations, particularly in handling coding tasks. The model is said to be lacking the significant improvements over existing systems when compared to the gains GPT-4 made versus its predecessor.

Google is also reportedly facing similar obstacles with its upcoming Gemini software, while Anthropic has delayed the release of its anticipated Claude 3.5 Opus model. Industry experts who spoke to Bloomberg attributed the challenges to the increasing difficulty in finding "new, untapped sources of high-quality, human-made training data" and the enormous costs associated with developing and operating new models concurrently with existing ones.

Silicon Valley's belief that more computing power, data, and larger models will inevitably lead to better performance, and ultimately the holy grail – artificial general intelligence (AGI) – could be based on false assumptions, suggests the report. Consequently, companies are now exploring alternative approaches, including further post-training (incorporating human feedback to improve responses and refining the tone) and developing AI tools called agents that can perform targeted tasks, such as booking flights or sending emails on a user's behalf.

"The AGI bubble is bursting a little bit," said Margaret Mitchell, chief ethics scientist at AI startup Hugging Face. She told Bloomberg that "different training approaches" may be needed to make AI models work really well on a variety of tasks. Other experts who spoke to the outlet echoed Mitchell's sentiment.

How much impact these challenges will have on Apple's approach is unclear, though Apple Intelligence is more focused in comparison, and the company uses internal large language models (LLMs) grounded in privacy. Apple's AI services mainly operate on-device, while the company's Private Cloud Compute encrypted servers are only pinged for tasks requiring more advanced processing power.

Apple is integrating AI capabilities into existing products and services, including writing tools, Siri improvements, and image generation features, so it can't be said to be competing directly in the LLM space. However, Apple has agreed a partnership with OpenAI that allows Siri to optionally hand off more open-ended queries to ChatGPT. Apple has also reportedly held discussions with other LLM companies about similar outsourcing partnerships.

It's possible that the challenges faced by major AI companies pursuing breakthrough general-purpose AI models could ultimately validate Apple's more conservative strategy of developing specific AI features that enhance the user experience. In that sense, its privacy-first policy may not be the straitjacket it first seemed. Apple plans to expand Apple Intelligence features next month with the release of iOS 18.2 and then via further updates through 2025.

This article, "AI Companies Reportedly Struggling to Improve Latest Models" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Федеральная торговая комиссия США (FTC) обвинила Meta* в подавлении конкуренции и обеспечения себе доминирующего положения на рынке социальных сетей. Речь идет про покупку Instagram* и WhatsApp. FTC утверждает, что компания действовала недобросовестно, а покупка соцсети и мессенджера навредила конкуренции и потребителям. Как итог: подача заявления в суд и требование продажи Instagram и WhatsApp сторонней компании....

The new ZATANNA miniseries finds DC's mistress of magic facing off against a new enemy.

Action Comics #1075 features a retcon and a major status quo development for Metropolis across the Superman titles.

The women’s division finally receives a mid-card title

[This is a guest post by Conal Boyce] Recently I watched a video posted by Alexander Unzicker, a no-nonsense physicist who often criticizes Big Science (along the same lines as Sabine Hossenfelder — my hero). But in this case (link below) I was surprised to see Unzicker play back a conversation between himself and ChatGPT, […]

Gardner Minshew will remain the Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback when they visit the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Antonio Pierce announced.

FOX Sports' Joel Klatt joins Colin Cowherd to discuss why Deion Sanders deserves Coach of the Year.

Radioactive for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.

Chris Broussard analyzes if a win for the Kansas City Chiefs over the Buffalo Bills could elevate Patrick Mahomes above Josh Allen in MVP odds.

Patrick Mahomes wanted to get back to a hero-ball offense this season. It didn't work out, so he's gradually reverting to last year's plan.

Former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels detailed what it was like to prepare for games with Tom Brady every week during a season.

Nick Wright unveils his Week 11 Tiers alongside Chris Broussard, Kevin Wildes and Coach Eric Mangini. Watch as Nick addresses "massively underestimating" the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles and why the Buffalo Bills climb higher up the tiers.

Shaquille O'Neal joins the First Things First crew. Shaq answers if Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic can end career as a top 5 center. "He's on that list for me."

Gambling expert Chris “The Bear” Fallica and former NFL Offensive Lineman Geoff Schwartz reveal their best bets of CFB Week 12, choosing Washington vs. UCLA and Penn State vs. Purdue.

Michael Irvin breaks down whether the Buffalo Bills can finally end the Kansas City Chiefs' undefeated streak in this pivotal matchup. He analyzes the key factors at play as Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen go head-to-head.

Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy has had some real growth since suffering a season-ending injury earlier this season.

Cryptocurrency markets are trading higher as meme coins Pepe and Dogwifhat were listed for trading on Coinbase COIN. Notable Statistics: - IntoTheBlock data shows large transaction volume increased by 18.7% and daily active addresses growing by 7.8%. Transactions greater than $100,000 are up from…

Russia is facing the mounting risk of stagflation, a think tank tied to the Kremlin said. The nation's high interest rates will trigger an economic a downturn while inflation remains high, TsMAKP said. Tight monetary policy is costing Russian business profitability and risks spurring…

MicroStrategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR) director Leslie J. Rechan has executed a significant sale of company shares, amounting to approximately $12 million, as per a recent SEC filing. The transactions were disclosed on Wednesday. Don't Miss: Over the last five years, the price of gold has increased by…

Billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will head an effort, dubbed DOGE, to reduce wasteful federal spending. Here's what it's about.

In this episode, host Giada Santana and agrifood reporter Sofia Sánchez Manzanaro outline supporters and detractors of EUDR and possible scenarios ahead of the vote.

Sharp rise in cases over 30 years compounded by millions of people lacking access to medication, Lancet study finds

Resurgent group could turn fragmented sector to its advantage by playing consolidator on home turf

The West’s failure at phasing out Russian oil and gas sales has helped Russia's economy rebound, write Martin Vladimirov, Isaac Levi and Sergiy Makogon.