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Procedure for DTE-controlled call negotiation

If you’ve ever been on an Easter egg hunt, you understand the thrill and disappointment that typically comes with this activity. You see a colorful object and rush towards it only to find out it’s a candy wrapper. When you eventually stumble upon an easter egg, the thrill and frisson of relief you feel are […]

The post 3 Ways to Show Your UX Specialist Knowledge in Your Resume appeared first on Usability Geek

DNA-testing company 23andMe (Nasdaq: ME), once an industry leader that attracted millions of customers, including rapper Snoop Dogg and investor Warren Buffett, has announced significant cuts to its operations, with plans to lay off 200 employees or roughly 40% of its workforce. The company also said it will discontinue development of its therapeutic programs. Here’s what to know about the latest development and what led up to it.

Board exodus

The latest move comes as the company looks to stabilize after facing significant challenges, including the resignation of all seven independent board members in October.

Data breach

Last year, 23andMe suffered a massive data breach when hackers accessed the personal information of 6.9 million users. The incident led to a class-action lawsuit, which, in September, 23andMe agreed to settle for $30 million.

The problem with SPACs

In 2021, 23andMe went public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. It later expanded into drug-discovery and weight-loss sectors. However, as DNA test kit sales declined, so did its financial health. By fiscal 2023, it reported a $312 million net loss, with its stock down 98% since going public, currently at about $4 after a reverse stock split in October 2024.

Separate reports have found that things have often not ended well for companies that took advantage of the pandemic-era SPAC boom, which led to billions in losses for investors and a number of bankruptcies for companies.

What’s next for 23andMe and its employees?

The layoffs are expected to result in $12 million in severance, termination, and transition-related costs and are part of a broader plan to streamline the business and achieve annual cost savings of $35 million.

The company says it is exploring various strategic options for its therapeutic programs, including potential licensing agreements and the sale of assets in its development pipeline.

“We are taking these difficult but necessary actions as we restructure 23andMe and focus on the long-term success of our core consumer business and research partnerships,” said Anne Wojcicki, cofounder, CEO, and chair of the board, in a statement.

Shares of 23andMe were up almost 6% to $4.87 on the news, which was announced late yesterday. The stock is down more than 73% year to date.

The Vatican and Microsoft on Monday unveiled a digital twin of St. Peter’s Basilica that uses artificial intelligence to explore one of the world’s most important monument’s while helping the Holy See manage visitor flows and identify conservation problems.

Using 400,000 high-resolution digital photographs, taken with drones, cameras and lasers over four weeks when no one was in the basilica, the digital replica is going online alongside two new on-site exhibits to provide visitors—real and virtual—with an interactive experience.

“It is literally one of the most technologically advanced and sophisticated projects of its kind that has ever been pursued,” Microsoft’s president Brad Smith told a Vatican press conference.

The project has been launched ahead of the Vatican’s 2025 Jubilee, a holy year in which more than 30 million pilgrims are expected to pass through the basilica’s Holy Door, on top of the 50,000 who visit on a normal day.

“Everyone, really everyone should feel welcome in this great house,” Pope Francis told Smith and members of the project’s development teams at an audience Monday.

The digital platform allows visitors to reserve entry times to the basilica, a novelty for one of the world’s most visited monuments that regularly has an hours-long line of tourists waiting to get in.

But the heart of the project is the creation of a digital twin of St. Peter’s Basilica through advanced photogrammetry and artificial intelligence that allows anyone to “visit” the church and learn about its history.

The ultra-precise 3D replica, developed in collaboration with digital preservation company Iconem, incorporates 22 petabytes of data—enough to fill five million DVDs—Smith said.

The images have already identified structural damage and signs of deterioration, such as missing mosaic pieces, cracks and fissures invisible to the naked eye, with a speed and precision far beyond human capabilities.

Francis has called for the ethical use of AI and used his annual World Message of Peace this year to urge an international treaty to regulate it, arguing that technology lacking human values of compassion, mercy, morality and forgiveness were too great.

On Monday, he thanked the Microsoft team and basilica workers responsible for the project and marveled at how modern technology was helping spread an ancient faith and preserve a piece of world patrimony, which celebrates the 400th anniversary of its consecration in 2026.

“This house of prayer for all peoples has been entrusted to us by those who have preceded us in faith and apostolic ministry,” he told Smith and the delegation. “Therefore, it is a gift and a task to care for it, in both a spiritual and material sense, even through the latest technologies.”

Smith declined to give a price tag for Microsoft’s investment in the project, saying only it was “substantial” and was borne of Francis’ initiative in 2018 to bring tech companies together to promote ethnically minded AI.

He said Microsoft had done similar AI projects at Mont Saint-Michel in France and Ancient Olympia, in Greece.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

—Nicole Winfield, Associated Press

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More than 70,000 people are expected to attend this year’s highly anticipated event in Lisbon.

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Renew Home says they're building a "virtual power plant" in Texas by "enabling homes to easily reduce and shift the timing of energy use." Thursday they announced a 10-year project distributing hundreds of thousands of smart thermostats to customers of Texas-based power utility NRG Energy, starting next spring. (Bloomberg calls them "AI-enabled thermostats that use Alphabet Inc.'s Google Cloud technology.") The ultimate goal? "Create a nearly 1-gigawatt, AI-powered virtual power plant" — equivalent to 1.9 million solar panels, enough to power about 200,000 homes during peak demand. One NRG executive touted the move as "cutting-edge, AI-driven solutions that will bolster grid resilience and contribute to a more sustainable future." [Residential virtual power plants] work by aggregating numerous, small-scale distributed energy resources like HVAC systems controlled by smart thermostats and home batteries and coordinating them to balance supply and demand... NRG, in partnership with Renew Home, plans to offer Vivint and Nest smart thermostats, including professional installation, at no cost to eligible customers across NRG's retail electricity providers and plans. These advanced thermostats make subtle automatic HVAC adjustments to help customers shift their energy use to times when electricity is less constrained, less expensive, and cleaner... Over time, the parties expect to add devices like batteries and electric vehicles to the virtual power plant, expanding energy savings opportunities for customers... Through the use of Google Cloud's data, analytics, and AI technology, NRG will be able to do things like better predict weather conditions, forecast wind and solar generation output, and create predictive pricing models, allowing for more efficient production and ultimately ensuring the home energy experience is seamless for customers. Google Cloud will also offer "its AI and machine learning to determine the best time to cool or heat homes," reports Bloomberg, "based on a household's energy usage patterns and ambient temperatures." It was less than a year ago that Renew Home was formed when Google spun off the load-shifting service for its "Google Nest" thermostats, which merged with load-shift management startup OhmConnect. Bloomberg describes this week's announcement as "Three of the biggest names in US home energy automation... coming together to offer some relief to the beleaguered Texas electrical grid." But they point out that 1 gigawatt is roughly 1% of the record summer demand seen in Texas this year. Still, "The entire industry has been built to serve the peak load on the hottest day of the year," said Rasesh Patel, president of NRG's consumer unit. "This allows us to be a lot more smarter about demand in shaving the peak."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Marine Institute’s Dr Niall McDonough talks about the upcoming Ocean Knowledge 2030 Conference and a new national marine strategy.

Read more: Why knowledge is vital for securing Ireland’s ocean economy

Led by Prof Breandán Kennedy, the research project will bring together 21 institutions from 11 countries.

Read more: UCD-led EU project aims to revolutionise biomedical research

Equipter's new dump container was designed to fit into tighter spaces than its larger counterparts, and is capable of holding up to 2,500 lbs.

By knowing the ins and outs of attic ventilation, roofing contractors can stand out from the rest and earn more contracts, says Shane Gotschi, co-owner of DryHome Roofing & Siding.

The insights come faster and are more comprehensive

El defensa ha fallecido a causa de una leucemia Leer

Crecen los proyectos de convivencia intergeneracional que buscan paliar la soledad de los mayores y el acceso a la vivienda para los jóvenes Leer

Luis Madrid, director de Agora Lledó International School de Castellón, ha recogido su Official Pass Acreditation con el que el centro podrá debatir y participar en decisiones de temas relevantes en la educación mundial Leer

Los de Chus Mateo han perdido todos sus partidos lejos del Wizink, desapareciendo en los últimos cuartos alarmantemente. El domingo visitan Murcia en ACB y el jueves al Armani en Euroliga. Lesión de Musa Leer

Bob Schieffer, Chief Washington Correspondent and Anchor of Face The Nation, joins UTTM to discuss Pres. Obama's prime time speech presenting his plan to defeat ISIS.

“Dancing With the Stars” hit a new milestone on Nov. 12, and revealed who was heading to the semifinals for Season 33. The 500th episode opened with pros — including returning favorite Sharna Burgess — for the opening number, “Crazy in Love,” the same opening number from the 2005 series premiere. Many past competitors returned […]

Prime Video has set a premiere date for the sophomore season of its musical drama series “Bandish Bandits.” The new season continues to explore the fusion of Indian classical music with contemporary pop, following protagonists Radhe and Tamanna as they compete for recognition. Series creators Amritpal Singh Bindra and Anand Tiwari return, with Tiwari directing […]

How is cloud adoption transforming federal agencies and driving mission success?

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By achieving a clean financial audit for the first time ever, the Marine Corps can provide accountability, transparency and validity for their spending.

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Founded in 1978, Sealey Tools is well-known nationally and internationally as a leading brand of professional tools and workshop equipment. When the company experienced an unexpected, significant and sustained increase in orders during the Covid pandemic lockdown, its warehouse was under extreme pressure to keep up with such an unprecedented upturn in demand.

With a history spanning 65 years following its inception in 1958, Guangxi LiuGong Machinery Co. Ltd. has established itself as one of the worldwide leaders in construction & earthmoving machinery manufacture. Having developed the first modernised wheel loader in China in 1966, LiuGong has expanded its product range to encompass 19 top-of-the-range product lines which it proudly showcases today.

Antalis’ EcoCube is a physical cube designed to help businesses kick-start their journey to EcoExcellence, with 6 zones linking to an online toolkit containing information to support all sustainable packaging needs and challenges.

Weleda AG has achieved a significant milestone with successful integration of the LFS warehouse management system supplied by EPG (Ehrhardt Partner Group) at its production location in Switzerland. Introducing the system signifies a crucial step in transitioning all manufacturing sites in the German-speaking region to LFS.

Teledyne DALSA, a Teledyne Technologies company and global provider of machine vision technology, has launched its next generation AI-powered BOA3 smart camera for industrial automation and inspection.

Lehning Laboratories, the homeopathy and herbal medicines provider, has selected the ZetesAtlas identification solution, equipped MD-9000 automatic marking and tamper-proof labelling stations, to ensure compliance with new Falsified Medicines Directive and to assure its customers of product authenticity.

Logistics UK has revealed the shortlist for its Logistics Awards 2024, the event that recognises the achievement of businesses and individuals from across the sector. Logistics UK’s Board will now complete the final round of independent judging before winners are announced at this year’s awards presentation event on Thursday 12 December 2024.

We Mean Business Coalition’s chief executive officer Maria Mendiluce, Zapmap’s co-founder and chief operating officer Melanie Shufflebotham, and co-leader of the Green Party England and Wales Carla Denyer are among those to have been awarded an inaugural Women in Green Business Award celebrating their work driving the UK's net zero transition. 

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Martin Gruenberg is sitting for a second day of grilling on Capitol Hill, this time at the Senate Banking Committee,

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Former Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma has died. He was 89. The family says in a statement that the Republican had a stroke during the July Fourth holiday.

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The Secret Service's director says the roof where a shooter opened fire at Donald Trump's rally was identified as a potential vulnerability before the event.

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It's easy to talk about long-haul, no-panic investing during good times, like we’ve just experienced for an unnaturally long time. But when the going gets tough and markets decline, it is harder to stay the course and sleep at night.

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The Vikings settled in North America 500 years before Christopher Colombus, study reveals

2025 can't come soon enough. #StrangerThings #Netflix #TvShows