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The U.S. believes hackers affiliated with China's government are infiltrating telecoms and stealing users' data. The FBI has urged people to use end-to-end encryption to keep their info safe.

(Image credit: Damien Meyer)

Love Is Blind sees singles match up after days of dating while separated by a wall. The National Labor Relations Board says the show's cast members should be considered employees.'/>

The case could have big implications for what glues reality show fans to the tube. A pending ruling, whatever the outcome, would set a precedent that other unscripted TV cast members could follow.

(Image credit: Netflix)

The patient was in kidney failure and her immune system would reject a human organ. Scientists hope genetically modified pig organs prove safe and will alleviate the organ shortage and save lives.

(Image credit: Joe Carrotta for NYU Langone Health)

Eight of the Republicans set to cast Michigan and Nevada's 2024 Electoral College votes for President-elect Donald Trump still face felony charges related to efforts to reverse Trump's 2020 loss.

(Image credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds)

The earthquake was centered 10 miles west of Port Vila, the largest city in Vanuatu, a group of 80 islands that is home to about 330,000 people.

(Image credit: Dan McGarry)

The protective proteins in our bodies aren’t just great for fending off infection—they could also fight the effects of getting older.

An explosive device planted close to an apartment block in Moscow killed the head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defence Forces, Russia's Investigative Committee said.

(Image credit: AP)

For a limited time, score up to 50% off smart appliances when you shop this holiday season at Govee.

Come Spring 2025, your regular driver's license or ID will no longer get you through TSA checkpoints. Here's how you can get your Real ID ASAP.

The stunning move raised questions about how much longer the prime minister of nearly 10 years — whose popularity has plummeted due to concerns about inflation and immigration — can stay on.

(Image credit: Justin Tang)

• CXL 3.2 provides a range of key improvements
• Security updates are a major focus for 3.2
• CXL has become increasingly vital in the age of AI

CXL Consortium has announced the release of its new Compute Express Link (CXL) 3.2 specifications, bringing a raft of optimized funcationalities to the technology.

In its announcement, the consortium revealed the upgraded specification will improve CXL Memory Device monitoring and management capabilities, and enhance the functionality of CXL Memory Devices for both operating systems and applications.

Security improvements are also a key talking point with the introduction of the Trusted Security Protocol (TSP).

What to expect from CXL 3.2

CXL plays a crucial role in how GPUs and CPUs interact with memory, helping to standardize cross-device communication and reduce delays. All told, this helps make systems faster and more efficient when handling large volumes of data.

With the advent of generative AI, CXL has become increasingly important given the rapid data processing requirements of applications, and this latest update will further improve upon previous specifications, particularly in terms of CXL Memory Device monitoring and management.

The new specification will include a new CXL hot page monitoring unit (CHMU) aimed specifically at streamlining memory tiering.

Similarly, the consortium unveiled compatibility with PCIe management message pass through (MMPT) alongside improvements to CXL online firmware.

Security improvements are a key focus in this latest update through TSP, the consortium noted, including new meta-bits storage features, the expansion of IDE protection, and enhanced compliance tests for interoperability.

Full backwards compatibility with previous CXL specifications was also assured by the consortium.

“We are excited to announce the release of the CXL 3.2 Specification to advance the CXL ecosystem by providing enhancements to security, compliance, and functionality of CXL Memory Devices,” said Larrie Carr, president of CXL Consortium.

“The Consortium continues to develop an open, coherent interconnect and enable an interoperable ecosystem for heterogeneous memory and computing solutions.”

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Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Dec. 17 Strands puzzle, No. 289.

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A spokesperson for President-elect Trump said the case should never have been brought, called for its immediate dismissal.

(Image credit: Pool)

• Pika just released the Pika 2.0 AI video creator with advanced customization tools
• You can upload and customize characters, objects, and settings with the new Scene Ingredients feature
• Pika 2.0 offers a contrast to OpenAI's Sora by aiming at individuals rather than big studios

AI video creator Pika Labs is metaphorically elbowing OpenAI and Sora for some of the limelight with a new version of its platform. Pika 2.0 comes with a suite of new features for making custom videos with AI and arrives only weeks after the company released the Pika 1.5 model with its host of new visual effects.

Pika is even taking unsubtle jabs at OpenAI by describing Pika 2.0 as "Not just for pros. For actual people. (Even Europeans!)" in reference to the enterprise focus of Sora and its limited global release that so far doesn't include European countries.

Rivalry aside, Pika 2.0 has plenty of new perks, making it fairly appealing. The most notable is Scene Ingredients. Imagine a virtual kitchen with a pantry of video elements you can pick from. You choose the characters, props, backgrounds, and other bits you want to incorporate and let Pika's AI blend and bake them.

Let’s say you want to make a clip of a surfing cat in space. Until now, you'd need to write a prompt for the video, perhaps with an image reference for the cat. With Scene Ingredients, you can upload your favorite cat's photo, a stellar background image of the sky at night, and a picture of your dream surfboard, and Pika will mash it up into a delicious, cohesive scene.

Even without images to embed in videos, Pika 2.0 better understands text prompts thanks to its upgraded text alignment. If you’ve ever typed a prompt into an AI tool and gotten something that only vaguely resembled what you wanted, you'll likely notice how Pika is less likely to mess up your idea when making the video.

If you ask for a dragon to fly over a medieval castle during sunset, the AI will be much more likely to show a video with a dragon that actually flies, a castle that looks like a castle, and a sunset that doesn’t look like a lava explosion. And with upgraded motion rendering, all the characters in the video will walk, fly, roller skate, or cartwheel without looking like they are floating or that their joints don't all connect.

Pika for all

Pika’s pitch is about giving the average person or small group control over making videos without making it too complicated. Hence, the deliberate, if oblique, mocking of OpenAI and Sora for their Hollywood-level focus projects. Pika 2.0 is aimed at those making clips for TikTok of marketing videos for side hustles.

That doesn't mean Pika has no other competition besides OpenAI, though. There are AI video platforms for all kinds of projects: Pollo, Runway, Stability AI, Hotshot, and Luma Labs' Dream Machine have something to offer the average aspiring AI filmmaker.

If you want to try out Pika 2.0, it’s available to free and paid users, with limits on the free tier. You can also switch back to earlier models if you desire to.

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The autonomous vehicles will hit the streets of Japan in early 2025, Waymo says.