Author: Vidya Saras

The Second Era of Trump Begins

In the world of high-priced art, galleries usually act as gatekeepers. Their selective curation process is a key reason galleries in major cities often feature work from the same batch of artists. The system limits opportunities for emerging artists and leaves great art undiscovered.NALA was founded by Benjamin Gulak ’22 to disrupt the gallery model. The company’s digital platform, which was started as part of an MIT class project, allows artists to list their art and uses machine learning and data science to offer personalized recommendations to art lovers.By providing a much larger pool of artwork to buyers, the company…

New EU Commissioner for Technical Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen said that modern healthcare has made incredible progress through digital transformation, which has meant that citizens have received better healthcare. “Unfortunately, healthcare systems are also exposed to cybersecurity incidents and threats. That is why we are launching an action plan to ensure that healthcare systems, institutions and connected medical devices are resilient,” she said. “Prevention is better than cure, so we must prevent cyberattacks from happening. But if they do happen, we must have everything in place to detect them and to be able to respond quickly and recover.” One…

Carrie Underwood has been praised for turning what could have been an embarrassing moment into a memorable one during President Donald Trump’s inauguration.Underwood was billed to perform “America The Beautiful” at the inauguration but had to endure an awkward wait due to technical difficulties.The country singer was reportedly criticized for accepting to perform at Trump’s inauguration but remained unperturbed, describing it as an honor.Article continues below advertisementTechnical Difficulties Mar Carrie Underwood’s PerformanceUnderwood looked incredibly gorgeous on Monday as she stepped up to perform at the inauguration. She wore a simple but lovely gray sleeveless dress, which she paired with matching…

Companies that rely heavily on artificial intelligence (AI) to prepare their Research and Development (R&D) tax claims could find their claims rejected by HMRC if the process lacks human oversight. That is the warning from Blick Rothenberg, a leading audit, tax, and business advisory firm. Ele Theochari, a Partner and R&D specialist at the firm, says the government’s recently announced AI Opportunities Action Plan offers both “opportunities and risk” to R&D claimants. A growing number of providers use AI-based tools to compile and submit R&D claims as well as additional information forms, sometimes falsely claiming they enjoy special privileges with…

The day Bitcoiners have been waiting for is finally here. Donald Trump, the first-ever pro-Bitcoin president of the United States, is officially being inaugurated today, January 20, 2025. After a historic campaign in which he famously turned his stance around and championed Bitcoin and crypto throughout 2024, Bitcoiners are eagerly watching to see his promises come to life.Trump’s campaign was filled with bold commitments to the Bitcoin and crypto industry: national bitcoin reserves, freeing Ross Ulbricht, making the United States the crypto capital of the world, and more. Today marks the beginning of his presidency, and these promises are expected…

Japanese Bitcoin company Diamond Hands CEO Koji Higashi has come out strong against TRUMP coin, saying it is one of the worst examples of what is wrong with parts of the cryptocurrency industry. Bold criticisms by Higashi raise concerns about transparency, exploitation, and how such projects harm the overall reputation of the crypto space. TRUMP Coin: A Controversial Addition To The Market Higashi characterized TRUMP coin as blatant “grift,” a term which, by definition, encapsulates its alleged focus on personal gains over value. By his accounts, the project is an epitome of opportunism prevalent in crypto, exploiting trends without giving…

tl;dr Kintsugi🍵 in progress At the start of November, the Kintsugi🍵 month-long Merge sprint began! Kintsugi specs and milestones/plans were released, and now client teams are deep into the sprint with an aim to launch a persistent testnet in the first week of December. Kintsugi specs incorporate all of the learnings and minor adjustments from the Amphora interop. The Kintsugi November sprint, then, is an effort to (1) incorporate the new changeset and (2) refine and productionize Merge implementations. Kintsugi will culminate in the launch of a persistent multi-client testnet to run through the December holidays and serve as the…

Binance has long been one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. With their own blockchain – the BNB Smart Chain – they’re looking to become a leader in the NFT industry as well.Formerly known as the Binance Smart Chain, the BNB Smart Chain (BSC) is a Layer-1 blockchain with the full support of the Binance crypto exchange. With this powerhouse behind it, BNB looks to dominate the DeFi space – but has also branched out into NFTs, games, and even blockchain-based art.Though incredibly popular upon its debut, BSC is facing increasing competition from other Layer-1 blockchains, and a…

“When we look at intimate image abuse, the vast majority of tools and weaponized use have come from the open source space,” says Ajder. But they often start with well-meaning developers, he says. “Someone creates something they think is interesting or cool and someone with bad intentions recognizes its malicious potential and weaponizes it.”Some, like the repository disabled in August, have purpose-built communities around them for explicit uses. The model positioned itself as a tool for deepfake porn, claims Ajder, becoming a “funnel” for abuse, which predominantly targets women.Other videos uploaded to the porn-streaming site by an account crediting AI…