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A month before the COVID-19 pandemic had spread to North America, auto fintech startup MotoRefi — newly armed with nearly $9 million in venture capital — was preparing to bring its refinancing platform to the masses. CEO Kevin Bennett, and the investors behind the company, saw the opportunity to service Americans who collectively hold $1.2 trillion in auto loans. What they didn’t anticipate was the sudden uptick in demand fueled by COVID-19 and the uncertainty and chaos that the pandemic created. MotoRefi, which was born out of QED Investors in 2017, developed an auto refinancing platform that handles the entire process, including finding the best rates, paying off the old lender and re-titling the vehicle. The company has benefitted from the convergence of two trends sparked by COVID-19 that has turbocharged its business: an accelerated adoption of fintech across the economy and growing attention toward personal finance. Now, investors are pouring more money into the startup to help it make the most of the spike in demand for auto refinancing. MotoRefi said Friday it has raised $10 million in a round led by Moderne Ventures. Liza Benson, a partner at Moderne Venture, will join the board. “Many people are looking around saying how can they save money?” Bennett said, commenting on the events of the past year. “And while auto refinance historically is in a relatively low awareness category of personal finance, that interest has really grown and accelerated through 2020.” For instance, Google searches for auto refinance increased about 40% in 2020 over the previous year, he added. The company said its revenue rose by sixfold, its workforce tripled to more than 150 people and the number of lenders on its platform doubled over the past year. MotoRefi said it refinanced more than $250 million of auto loans in 2020. “We actually weren’t planning on raising twice in a year,” Bennett said. “But the growth had been pretty noticeable from the investor standpoint in the market.” That new capital will be used to hire more employees and expand its offerings, according to Bennett, who noted that MotoRefi now operates in 42 states and Washington, DC. MotoRefi has raised more than $24 million to date. The company raised $8.6 million last February in a Series A funding round. That round, which would later grow to $9.4 million, was co-led by Accomplice and Link Ventures. Motley Fool Ventures, CMFG Ventures (part of CUNA Mutual Group) and Gaingels also participated in the round. The Series A round followed $4.7 million in seed funding that MotoRefi announced in March 2019.

Experts Prescribe These 6 Lifestyle 'Medicines' For a Long, Healthy Life YORAM VODOVOTZ & MICHAEL PARKINSON, THE CONVERSATION22 JANUARY 2021 The majority of Americans are stressed, sleep-deprived, and overweight and suffer from largely preventable lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Being overweight or obese contributes to the 50 percent of adults who suffer high blood pressure, 10 percent with diabetes and additional 35 percent with pre-diabetes. And the costs are unaffordable and growing. About 90 percent of the nearly US$4 trillion Americans spend annually for health care in the US is for chronic diseases and mental health conditions. But there are new lifestyle "medicines" that are free that doctors could be prescribing for all their patients. Lifestyle medicine is the clinical application of healthy behaviors to prevent, treat and reverse disease. More than ever, research underscores that the "pills" today's physician should be prescribing for patients are the six domains of lifestyle medicine: whole food plant-based eating, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, addiction reduction or elimination, and positive psychology and social connection. We are a primary care preventive medicine physician and a computational immunologist, both committed to applying state-of-the-art research to inform the clinical practice of lifestyle medicine. Our findings and recommendations were just published. We highlight the key take-home points for each of the areas below. Whole-food, plant-based eating Diets high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and lower in animal products and highly processed foods have been associated with prevention of many diseases. These diets have also improved health and even reversed common cardiovascular, metabolic, brain, hormonal, kidney, and autoimmune diseases as well as 35 percent of all cancers. We believe that future research should include larger trials or new research methods with emphasis on quality of diet. This would include more data on the micronutrient composition and protein sources of plant versus animal-based foods – not just proportion of fat, carbohydrates, and protein. Such trials should include children, as many adult disorders are seeded as early as infancy or in utero. Regular physical activity For decades, surgeon generals' guidelines have emphasized that daily moderate-to-vigorous aerobic physical activity has both immediate and long-term health benefits. For example, why we age and the rate at which we age – chronological age versus biological age – is determined by multiple molecular processes that are directly influenced by physical activity. And now scientists are gaining a better understanding of the cellular and molecular changes that exercise induces to reduce disease risk. Research priorities for scientists and physicians include obtaining a deeper understanding of the type, intensity and frequency of activity, and better insights into the molecular and cellular alterations that occur with exercise. Restorative sleep Sleep helps the cells, organs and entire body to function better. Regular uninterrupted sleep of seven hours per night for adults, eight to 10 hours for teenagers and 10 or more for children is necessary for good health. Though understudied, there is evidence that high-quality sleep can reduce inflammation, immune dysfunction, oxidative stress, and epigenetic modification of DNA, all of which are associated with or cause chronic disease. Therefore, research into the biological mechanisms that underlie the restorative properties of sleep could lead to environmental or po[CENSORED]tion-based and policy approaches to better align our natural sleep patterns with the demands of daily life. Stress management Though some stress is beneficial, prolonged or extreme stress can overwhelm the brain and body. Chronic stress increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, irritable bowel disease, obesity, depression, asthma, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, neurological disorders, and obesity. One of the most powerful mechanisms to reduce stress and enhance resilience is by eliciting a relaxation response using mind-body therapies and cognitive behavioral therapy. More research is need to gain a better understanding of how these therapies work. Addiction reduction and elimination Many social, economic and environmental factors have fueled the national rise in substance abuse generally and, most tragically, the opioid epidemic. Physicians and researchers are beginning to understand the underlying physiology and psychology of addiction. Yet the continued stigma and disjointed or absent access to services remains a challenge. Clinicians and scientists need to explore how to predict who is more vulnerable to addiction and find ways of preventing it. Treatment that incorporates integrated care focused on all the patient's needs should be prioritised. Positive psychology and social connection Maintaining a positive mindset through the practice of gratitude and forgiveness has a significant impact on psychological and subjective well-being, which are, in turn, associated with physical health benefits. Social connectivity, namely the quantity and quality of our relationships, has perhaps the most powerful health benefits. Conversely, social isolation – such as living alone, having a small social network, participating in few social activities, and feeling lonely – is associated with greater mortality, increased morbidity, lower immune system function, depression and cognitive decline. Further study is needed to uncover how an individual's biology and chemistry change for the better through more social interactions. Inflammation's role in lifestyle-related diseases Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors produce a vicious cycle of inflammation. While inflammation is a healthy, natural way the body fights infections, injury, and stress, too much inflammation actually promotes or exacerbates the diseases described above. The inflammatory response is complex. We have been using machine learning and computer modeling to understand, predict, treat and reprogram inflammation – to retain the healing elements while minimising the detrimental more chronic ones. Scientists are unraveling new mechanisms that explain how chronic stress can turn genes on and off. Overcoming challenges and barriers We and others who study lifestyle medicine are now discussing how we can leverage all of these approaches to improve clinical studies on the impacts of lifestyle interventions. At the same time, we and our colleagues realise that there are environmental challenges and barriers that prevent many people from embracing these lifestyle fixes. There are food deserts where healthier foods are not available or affordable. Unsafe neighborhoods, harmful chemicals and substances create constant stress. Poor education, poverty, cultural beliefs and racial and ethnic disparities and discrimination must be addressed for all people and patients to appreciate and embrace the six "pills." The application of lifestyle medicines is particularly important now because unhealthy lifestyles have caused a pandemic of preventable chronic diseases that is now exacerbating the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately afflicts those with these conditions. Ask your doctor to "prescribe" these six "pills" for a longer and better life. After all, they're free, work better than or as well as medications and have no side effects! The Conversation Yoram Vodovotz, Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh and Michael Parkinson, Senior Medical Director of Health and Productivity, UPMC Health Plan & Workpartners, University of Pittsburgh. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary denies report in The Times that Japanese government privately concluded Tokyo Olympics will have to be cancelled because of coronavirus; report suggested Japan's focus now on securing Games for Tokyo in 2032; IOC also issues statement The Japanese government insists there is "no truth" they have decided the Tokyo Olympics will have to be cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Tokyo 2020 organisers have vowed to stage the rescheduled Games this summer despite much of Japan being under a state of emergency due to a third wave of Covid-19 infections. However, The Times, citing an unidentified senior member of the ruling coalition, said the government's focus was now on securing the Games for Tokyo in the next available year, 2032. Tokyo Games will go ahead, say organisers IOC chief Bach: 'No Plan B' for Tokyo Olympics "We will clearly deny the report," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Manabu Sakai said in response at a news conference. The IOC issued a statement in which it echoed the response of the Japanese government in describing the report as "categorically untrue", adding: "The IOC is fully concentrated on and committed to the successful delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 this year." In a separate statement, the IPC said: "We believe that with the robust measures and plans we have in place, the Games can and will go ahead safely." The governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, and the Games' organising committee said its partners, including the government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), were "fully focused" on hosting the games as scheduled. Event organisers told Sky Sports News last week they remained committed to holding the showpiece event this summer and had not discussed another postponement. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said in an interview with Kyodo News on Thursday there is "no Plan B" for Tokyo 2020. "We have at this moment, no reason whatsoever to believe that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will not open on the 23rd of July in the Olympic stadium in Tokyo," Bach said. The IOC said last year they would not delay the Games beyond 2021. A recent surge in coronavirus cases has forced Japan to close its borders to non-resident foreigners and declare a state of emergency in Tokyo and other cities. Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said he was cautiously hopeful that successful Covid-19 vaccine campaigns could help ensure the safe staging of the world's largest sporting event. Games spokesperson Masa Takaya told Sky Sports News they would watch how the J.League football and baseball seasons in Japan started over the coming weeks to determine how spectators can be accommodated. Tokyo reported new daily coronavirus cases of more than 1,000 for nine straight days through Thursday and set a single-day record of more than 2,400 infections earlier this month.

Software has a big role to play in the future of the auto industry For decades, the automotive industry grew accustomed to normality. Automakers build cars themselves. Suppliers provide needed components to OEMs. However, as we all know, times are changing. There’s a push for more digitization and a growing need for more software as more EVs emerge and more self-driving capabilities are added to cars. Automakers are finding themselves without the expertise to fulfill the need for connected services and AI insights. Engineers at parts supplier Continental have predicted that vehicle functions controlled by software will increase from 10% to 40% by 2030. Tamara Snow, head of research and advanced engineering at Continental, said in an interview with Ward’s Auto that “vehicles are becoming part of the Internet of Things and will increasingly be defined in terms of software rather than hardware.” She went on to point out that the current vehicle architecture model is decentralized, having an excess of wires and other components instead of having one system in place that serves as a central source for data and interface operations. According to Gartner, the rise of vehicles with an embedded connection will rise to 580 million by 2025, a 152% increase from 2020. Legacy automakers are beginning to partner with software brands to develop architecture that allows for things like customized interface interaction and over-the-air system updates. The gist: Suppliers need to move forward with digitalization in mind. The sun is starting to set on the days of just supplying hardware to OEMs. Auto manufacturers are looking for software that’ll allow them to meet consumer demand for personalization. It’s also important to realize that filling the “software gap” for OEMs isn’t entirely everything. It may be smart to start building relationships with software providers in order to come up with ways to innovate the internal architecture for vehicles. Stellantis’ focus for the future The merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and PSA Group is officially complete, creating one unified brand called Stellantis. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, formerly PSA’s CEO, has indicated that although this merger may seem like an offensive move, it’s also a defensive one. The newly combined automaker’s vision includes reassessing operations in China, including potentially exiting altogether, preserving factory jobs and creating more distinctions between brands. PSA has been working with IBM and Sigfox, a French wireless network operator, to create better packaging tracking between suppliers and assembly plants in order to meet another one of Stellantis’ priorities of reducing costs by 80% by the end of 2024. Tavares looks to be the right man for the job. In 2017, PSA bought Opel/Vauxhall, (aka GM’s struggling European operations) and Tavares was a big part of the brand revival, raising its operating margin to 4.7%. Tavares’ leadership combined with a focus on improving pricing, even if that meant at the cost of volume, and strong emphasis on branding were a few reasons why the turnaround was successful. FCA has experienced difficulty with weak sales and underutilized factory space in Europe. Tavares wants to use PSA’s engineering resources to revamp Fiat’s lineup and increase profitability. It doesn’t look like any brands will be cut as a result of the merger, at least for now. Strong brand diversity will be key to market share growth. In a press conference Tuesday, Tavares said, “Stellantis is more than the sum of its parts,” indicating that even though the new company has access to a large pool of resources, its focus is on the future and quickly adapting to consumer demand and EV adoption. In my opinion, the biggest challenge Stellantis and Tavares must tackle revolves around China since it’s the largest vehicle market on the planet. If Stellantis can crack the code for success in China and properly execute whatever plan it decides on, it’ll come as a massive win for the company. Industry news: Semiconductor shortage update: Volkswagen China has lost over 50,000 cars in production because of the ongoing chip shortage. The automaker was one of the first OEMs to experience the shortage back in December. Vehicles using the Electronic Stability Program are the models primarily affected by the supply shortage. China accounts for 40% of VW’s vehicle deliveries and is also a huge source of profits for the German OEM. Cruise raised another $2 billion in a new equity round and one of the investors is making headlines: Microsoft. Cruise specializes in autonomous vehicles and, after this latest round of funding, is moving closer to commercializing. Microsoft will provide Azure, its cloud and edge computing platform. Cloud services are extremely important and sometimes costly since AVs have to compile and compute massive loads of data. This also marks another significant investment made by a large consumer tech firm. Volkswagen may face a fine up to $121 million for missing out on CO2 emissions requirements set in place by the European Union. VW cut average CO2 emissions in new vehicles in 2020 by 20% to 99.8 g/km, .5 g/km above its target. CEO Herbert Deiss blamed the pandemic as the major factor that thwarted VW’s efforts to meet the restrictions set in place. Volkswagen still has a positive outlook for 2021 as the company increases electric vehicle output.

Philips has announced the 288E2UAE monitor, which features a 4K resolution and a 60 Hz refresh rate. This monitor features a 28" screen size with a typical response time of 4 ms, Grey to Grey. This monitor utilizes either a DisplayPort or HDMI video connection with an included USB hub. This monitor is expected to have a retail price of $300. The Philips 288E2UAE monitor offers a 4K resolution utilizing either an HDMI or DisplayPort connection The Philips 288E2UAE monitor offers some incredible features, including an EasySelect menu, integrated cable management, and LowBlue mode. These features allow users to use the monitor with little to no eye strain continuously, and these features complement the Flicker-free technology and SmartImage game mode incredibly well. The LowBlue mode reduces the amount of blue light emitted by this monitor, which can substantially reduce the amount of eye strain experienced by users.This monitor features integrated cable management, which allows for a much cleaner desk and monitors setup. This monitor utilizes the EasySelect menu toggle key allowing for efficient and easy menu navigation. This toggle key is discretely placed on the back of the monitor, and this ensures that the user can easily get to the toggle key if then need to change nearly any setting for the monitor. The Philips 288E2UAE monitor has a resolution of 4K, or 3,840 x 2,160. This higher resolution allows for much more screen space and easier multitasking. This monitor covers 119% of the sRGB color gamut and 106.9% of the NTSC color gamut. This wide color gamut support ensures that any image displayed on the screen looks fantastic. This monitor features a 28" screen size ensuring that this monitor will fit into nearly any professional set up while still providing a large screen for multitasking and productivity work. This monitor features HDMI or DisplayPort video connections, allowing for widespread compatibility with various devices ranging from PCs to consoles. This monitor features a USB that features four USB alongside these video connections, ports allowing users to connect a keyboard, mouse easily, and other peripherals through these USB ports. The Philips 288E2UAE monitor will have an expected price tag of $300, with little-to-no information regarding when this monitor will be available in the United States.

Cyberpunk 2077 update 1.10 "lays the groundwork for the upcoming patches" according to CD Projekt Red, and it's out right now on PS4 (and PS5 via backwards compatibility). It weighs in at a whopping 16.9GB on Sony's systems. Update 1.10 looks to fix a load of bugs and hopefully, finally fix the game's consistent crashing issues. You can find the full patch notes below. Cyberpunk 2077 Update 1.10 Patch Notes Stability Various stability improvements including: Memory usage improvements in various systems within the game: characters, interactions, navigation, in-game videos (news, tv, etc.), foliage, laser effects, minimap, devices, AI, street traffic, environmental damage system, GPU-related, and more. Various crash fixes (related to, among others, loading saves, game opening/closing and Point of No Return). Quests/Open World Fixed an issue where calls from Delamain would end immediately and seem like they cannot be picked up in Epistrophy. Fixed an issue where players would not receive calls from Delamain when approaching relevant vehicles in Epistrophy. Fixed an issue where the objective could get stuck on "Answer the call from Mr. Hands" in M'ap Tann Pèlen. Fixed an issue where Judy could teleport underground in Pyramid Song. Fixed an issue where it would be impossible to talk to Zen Master in Poem of The Atoms. Fixed an issue where Takemura wouldn't call in Down on the Street. Fixed an issue where Jackie could disappear in The Pickup. Fixed an issue where it could be impossible to get out of the car in The Beast in Me: The Big Race. Fixed an issue where players could stop receiving calls and messages after moving too far away from A Day In The Life area. Fixed an issue where opening the package wouldn't update Space Oddity. Retro-fixed the saves affected by a rare issue where speaking to Judy in Automatic Love would be impossible due to an invisible wall. The underlying issue is under investigation. Fixed an issue that prevented players from collecting the reward in Gig: Freedom of the Press. The quest will auto-complete for those who could not collect the reward previously, and the reward will be provided automatically. Fixed an issue where Delamain would remain silent throughout Epistrophy if the player initially refused to help him. UI Fixed an issue where prompt for exiting braindance could be missing. Removed an invalid item from loot. Visual Fixed an issue where a grenade's trajectory could be displayed in photo mode. Fixed particles' hue appearing pink when viewed close up. Fixed cars spawning incorrectly in Reported Crime: Welcome to Night City. Achievements Fixed an issue where completing one of the assaults in progress in Santo Domingo would sometimes not contribute towards progression for The Jungle achievement, preventing its completion. Miscellaneous Addressed the issue responsible for saves getting oversized (related to the modifier indicating if the item is crafted), and trimmed the excess size from already existing saves. Fixed an issue where input could stop registering upon opening the weapon wheel and performing an action. Fixed an issue where the "Continue" button in the Main Menu could load an end game save. PlayStation-specific Performance optimization of crowds on PlayStation 4 Pro and PlayStation 5. Various crash fixes on PlayStation 4. We'll be putting this update to the test over the weekend to see whether it works as intended, and we'll be sure to keep you updated. But until then, file a full bug report in the comments section below.

pro . good luck

MANILA -- Nissan Motor will end its assembly operations in the Philippines in March as part of efforts to restructure its regional operations, the Japanese automaker said on Thursday. Nissan's move comes as automakers in the country struggle to keep business humming amid the pandemic. Car sales in the Philippines fell 40% last year to 223,973 vehicles. Nissan will terminate operations of its Almera assembly line in Laguna Province, south of Manila, upon the expiration of its contract with its local partner, the company said. While Nissan's assembly plant employs only 133 people, the automaker's decision is a blow to the Philippine car manufacturing industry, which the government is trying to expand to generate more jobs. Last year, Honda Motor ended car manufacturing operations in the country, a move that cost more than 600 jobs, while Isuzu Motors closed up shop the year before. Both companies have opted to import from other Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand, where they have larger production. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Nissan's decision only reinforces the need for "safeguard" duties on imports to protect the domestic industry, even though major car companies that rely on imports opposed them. "The announcement of Nissan to close their assembly operations in the country is regrettable, as these developments all the more demonstrate the critical situation of the local motor vehicle industry," Lopez said in a statement on Thursday. "The stoppage of Almera's assembly operations, following closely that of Honda and Isuzu, only highlights that the local auto assembly industry is critically impacted by the surge in imports and will thus benefit from the time-bound safeguard duty," Lopez added. Lopez early this month announced the country would impose temporary tariffs of 70,000 pesos ($1,460) on passenger cars and 110,000 pesos on light commercial vehicles. Nissan was the third bestselling car brand in the Philippines last year, after Toyota and Mitsubishi, Nissan's partner in its three-way alliance with Renault. Nissan's sales, however, fell 49% to 21,751 vehicles, of which 4,500 were Almera models, according to the trade department. Nissan said it will continue to invest in the Philippines by expanding dealerships.

The Covid-19 crisis developed because the global health watchdog has become overly focused on lifestyle activism at the expense of its original mandate to fight infectious diseases For the past 20 years the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been an institution searching for a role. Established immediately after World War 2 to fight the scourge of infectious diseases, it was able to bask in the glow of a mandate fulfilled when, in 1980, it declared that smallpox had been eradicated by vaccination (the last known case was identified in Somalia in 1977). Global health initiatives during this period also brought huge reductions in the prevalence of polio, leprosy, river blindness and yaws, though the campaign against malaria was a failure. While the WHO likes to claim credit for the elimination of smallpox, it has tended to exaggerate and misrepresent its role. It has never had a large budget and has never employed front-line health workers. The WHO’s job was to act as an information clearing house and to facilitate co-ordination, through diplomacy. So, the WHO never directly vaccinated a single child against smallpox. That was done by volunteers working for the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) and national governments.But few institutions go quietly into the night once their initial mission is accomplished. The WHO cast around for a new role, and under former Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland (1998-2003) it found one. Drawing its mandate from the 1978 Alma Ata Declaration (Kazakhstan) — which declared that health should be exclusively a governmental responsibility — the WHO turned its focus to advocating universal health cover and campaigning against “lifestyle” issues associated with noncommunicable ailments such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.Since 2000 the WHO has launched campaigns against smoking and (later) vaping, alcohol, sugary drinks and talking on cellphones while driving. It campaigned for children to “work less and play more”, for regular exercise, and suggested that people who work from home or sit in aircraft “shouldn’t sit too long in the same position”. In 2018 it declared that video game addiction is a “disease” Among its tips for coping with the coronavirus quarantine is the idea that people shouldn’t “watch too much news”. Of course, universal health cover is a desirable objective. But realising such an ideal is the responsibility of governments and their societies. It adds no value to these endeavours to have the WHO lecturing from the sidelines. Yet this is a major preoccupation of the organisation. It was the biggest single item and accounted for a quarter of the WHO’s 2020/2021 budget ($1.36bn out of $4.84bn). It has to be pointed out that most of the WHO’s money is not spent fighting either infectious or lifestyle diseases. It spends most of its core funding on itself. In 2017 the organisation’s travel expenses were leaked to Associated Press. The WHO had spent $200m on travel expenses that year, more than it spent to fight HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis combined. With 7,000 staff, it spends five times more on air travel than Medecins Sans Frontieres, with its 37,000 aid workers. In 2019, an audit found that more than half of all WHO staff travel claims were fraudulent, mostly because they had found spurious reasons for upgrading to business class. The current WHO director-general, Ethiopia’s Tedros Ghebreyesus, owed his election in 2018 to campaigning by the Chinese government. This may explain his active collaboration in the initial Chinese cover-up of the outbreak. Chinese labs had sequenced the coronavirus genome in December 2019 and a local medical scientist, Dr Li Wenliang, had sought to warn colleagues of the outbreak. But Li was silenced by the government and the WHO did nothing more than tweet, two weeks later, that there “was no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission”. It also chose to ignore Taiwanese warnings in December rather than arouse the ire of mainland China. It is not clear why the Chinese were so keen to cover up the outbreak, but the claim that it originated in an accident in a Wuhan laboratory which, among other things, carries out classified military projects, gained credibility recently with the publication of a US state department fact sheet suggesting this may well be the deeper reason. Weeks were lost and the pandemic was already entrenched in several countries by the time Tedros declared a public health emergency of international concern on January 30. But at the same time he stated that the “WHO didn’t recommend limiting trade or movement”. Instead of sounding the alarm early, the WHO only declared a pandemic on March 11, far too late. Further bad advice, including opposition to wearing masks, showed an organisation palpably unable to perform what should be its core function. From focusing on a relatively few infectious diseases in developing countries it now concerns itself, almost exclusively, with dictating people’s lifestyle choices. For example, by referring only to studies that highlight the severity of disease in cases where smokers did contract Covid-19, the WHO ignored numerous studies that found smokers are less likely to contract the disease in the first place. The WHO presents itself as a sort of global super health ministry. But it is nothing of the sort. Its track record shows it be much more like an activist nongovernmental organisation than an organ of global governance. It fits more comfortably alongside such hard-core campaigners as Oxfam and Greenpeace than real global governance organisations such as the World Trade Organisation or the Bretton Woods institutions. If the world is to be better prepared for future epidemics it requires a root and branch transformation of the WHO. Some, including Brundtland (who still enjoys employment at WHO subsidiary the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board) have suggested more resources should be thrown at the organisation. But until it cleans up its act and is given a renewed infectious disease mandate by its stakeholder countries, that would simply be a waste. • Christianson, a freelance writer, has been a political scientist, NGO researcher and development banker. He entered business journalism in 1997 and was Diageo African Business Writer of the Year in 2006.

THURSDAY, Jan. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Millionaires, rejoice! It turns out that money can, in fact, buy happiness. And a new study suggests more is better, with well-being rising as earnings grow. Having more money gives people a greater sense of control over life," said study author Matthew Killingsworth. The finding stems from more than 1.7 million real-time reports of well-being from more than 33,000 U.S. adults. They were prompted by their cellphones to answer the question "How do you feel right now?" at random times during their waking hours. Previous research had suggested that an annual income of more than $75,000 might not improve people's day-to-day lives, and that notion has been widely circulated. But this study appears to disagree. Seen from a moment-by-moment angle, Killingsworth said, the data show "evidence that happiness rises continuously, far above $75,000," which means there's reason to believe that more money really does improve people's lives. "If you have more money, you can choose how to spend your time and how to direct your life," said Killingsworth, a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, in Philadelphia. Stress reduction This study found that a sense of control accounted for as much as 74% of the apparent link between greater income and greater well-being. People who earn more spend less time stressing out about bills, Killingsworth noted. The study found that 44% of low-earners had money problems, compared with 7% among those earning over $500,000, he said. "To put it another way: People with low incomes were seven times as likely to report trouble coping with bills," Killingsworth explained. The report was published in the Jan. 26 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. On average, participants were 33 years old and made about $85,000 per year. About 1% earned $500,000 or more. Just over one-third were married (37%), and about two-thirds were women. Real-time well-being reports were solicited randomly throughout the day. Participants were also asked how important money was to them; whether they equated money with success; whether they felt in control of their life; and how optimistic, financially insecure, and/or time-pressed they were. After stacking responses up against income, Killingsworth broadly found that the more money you make, the better you feel day-to-day and the more satisfied you are with life overall. He found no evidence of a ceiling in the relationship between money and happiness. Above $80,000 a year, larger incomes were associated with significantly higher levels of all positive feelings (confident, good, interested and proud) and significantly lower levels of negative feelings (bored, bad, sad, upset). So are people on the short end of the economic stick doomed to a less happy existence? Not necessarily. While wealth matters, it's "far from the most important thing," Killingsworth said. For one thing, while money can afford a sense of control, there's always an opportunity to find other ways to achieve the same end, he said. And some people say money just isn't that important to them. "For those people, happiness is virtually unaffected by how much they earn," Killingsworth said. "So it's possible that people who don't earn high salaries, but nevertheless craft lives that they enjoy, may find they don't actually miss having more money." A complex relationship The goal, he said, should be to keep money in perspective, because "people are happiest when they don't equate money and success in life." The findings came as little surprise to James Maddux, senior scholar with the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Va. "Research on the relationship between wealth and happiness, for individuals and nations, has been evolving for decades and has shown that the relationship is complex, as this study again demonstrates," Maddux noted. So Killingsworth's finding of a link between higher incomes and life satisfaction "is not a radical take or an alternative 'school of thought,'" Maddux said. "It's simply new information about a very complex research question." And given the finding of a strong connection between a sense of control and well-being, Maddux offered some advice. "Stop trying to become happier by buying more and more expensive stuff," he said, because that's the road to debt. "And debt is detrimental to life satisfaction, partly because it leads to feelings of insecurity and loss of control." More information There's more on money and happiness at the World Economic Forum. SOURCES: Matthew Killingsworth, PhD, senior fellow, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; James Maddux, PhD, university professor emeritus of clinical psychology, and senior scholar, Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jan. 26, 2021 Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Tags: economics, psychology, stress

Evernote is making it easier for users to see and manage their content in its productivity app with the rollout of a new one-stop dashboard called Home. Evernote Home gives users access to their most relevant content including important notes, tags and shortcuts which are now instantly available and neatly organized upon opening the app. However, the new feature also gives users the freedom to organize their content however they want so that they can work faster and stay focused without feeling overwhelmed. We've put together a list of the best cloud storage for photos Get your files in order with the best document management software Also check out our roundup of the best small business software In a press release, the company's CEO Ian Small explained that Home is just the first of many new features that will be coming to the new Evernote, saying: Evernote is making it easier for users to see and manage their content in its productivity app with the rollout of a new one-stop dashboard called Home. Evernote Home gives users access to their most relevant content including important notes, tags and shortcuts which are now instantly available and neatly organized upon opening the app. However, the new feature also gives users the freedom to organize their content however they want so that they can work faster and stay focused without feeling overwhelmed. We've put together a list of the best cloud storage for photos Get your files in order with the best document management software Also check out our roundup of the best small business software In a press release, the company's CEO Ian Small explained that Home is just the first of many new features that will be coming to the new Evernote, saying: Evernote Home is rolling out to Mac, Windows and Evernote Web customers over the next few weeks and the new feature will also be coming to iOS and Android later in the year. We've also highlighted the best cloud storage

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC 62.165 5.96%) is now a company on the cusp of significant reforms. After a change of the guard at the top echelon of the semiconductor behemoth, spurred by the hardball tactics of the activist hedge fund Third Point, Intel appears to be gearing up for an expansive partnership with TSMC. Against this backdrop, today’s earnings announcement by the company for the last quarter of 2020 has taken on an added significance. Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) Financial Scorecard for the Fourth Quarter of 2020 For the three months that ended on the 31st of December 2020, Intel reported $20 billion in revenue, registering a decrease of 1 percent relative to the comparable quarter last year. For the full year, Intel earned a revenue of $77.9 billion, corresponding to an increase of 8 percent relative to 2019 levels. The following excerpt from the company's earnings release provides supplemental platform revenue information:As far as the guidance for Q1 2021 is concerned, Intel expects to earn a GAAP revenue of $18.6 billion. This is higher than the consensus analyst expectation of $16.08 billion. Moreover, Intel expects its operating margin to compute at 27 percent (on a GAAP basis) during the first quarter of 2021. As far as Intel's product line is concerned, the company noted in its press release: Started production of 10nm-based 3rd Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors (“Ice Lake”), ramping in Q1. Launched 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processors ("Tiger Lake"); announced 11th Gen Intel® Core™ S-Series desktop processors ("Rocket Lake"), now shipping. Entered discrete graphics market with Intel® Iris® Xe MAX graphics, Intel’s first Xe-based discrete GPU. Announced Amazon Web Services selected Intel's Habana Gaudi AI processors for EC2 training. Introduced new Intel® Optane™ SSD series and 3rd gen Intel Optane persistent memory “Crow Pass” for enterprise and cloud customers. As mentioned earlier, Intel was widely expected to announce a formal collaboration with TSMC during this earnings release cycle for the mass production of its next-generation entry-level, mid-range, and high-end CPUs on the 5nm and 3nm process nodes. While the press release does not include any further guidance on this matter, we will continue to follow the earnings call for further details. Of course, this move, should it materialize, would allow Intel to regain some of its competitive edge that it has lost on the back of the incessant delay in the launch of its products based on the 10nm and 7nm nodes. The market has reacted positively to Intel’s financial reporting, with the stock posting a gain of over 5 percent in the after-hours trading mainly due to a healthy beat on EPS. The Backstory Recently, Intel announced that its CEO, Robert Swan, would step down on the 15th of February 2021. He would be replaced by the former CEO of VMware, Pat Gelsinger. This leadership change is intended to help Intel transition to a “multi-architecture XPU company". Nonetheless, the move follows a series of high-level contacts and a scathing letter that was penned by Third Point’s CEO, Daniel Loeb, to the chairman of Intel, Omar Ishrak. The letter had demanded that the semiconductor behemoth rectify its debilitating brain drain issue and evaluate strategic policy options, including spinoffs and joint ventures with other industry players. Update: It appears Intel is not entering into an expansive partnership with TSMC after all. During today's earnings call, the company's CEO stated that a "majority" of Intel's 2023 production would remain in-house but that moving forward, it is "likely" that outside foundries would be used more frequently.

If you were disappointed with the marriage options in Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town so far - even with the addition of same-gender marriage - then you'll be pleased to know that Marvelous has DLC plans for even more boys and girls to woo. In their five-part DLC plan, stretching from April to August, players will get access to outfits for themselves and their spouses, as well as new areas, new scenarios, and six new marriage candidates. The six new/old potentials come from previous Story of Seasons and Harvest Moon games, including Raeger and Iris from Story of Seasons, Felicity and Neil from Harvest Moon 3D: A New Beginning, and Ludus and Lisette from Trio of Towns. Part 1 – April 2021 - ‘Animal Attire’ costumes for the protagonists and marriage candidates - ‘Olive Town Mystery Files’ sub-scenario – Join Mikey and Cindy to discover the cause of strange incidents occurring across Olive Town in the very first mystery scenario in the Story of Seasons series! Part 2 – May 2021 - ‘Windswept Falls Expansion Pack’ – Explore a refreshing, brand-new area home to four characters from a past entry on the Nintendo 3DS system (includes two marriage candidates) Part 3 – June 2021 - ‘School Uniforms’ costume set for the protagonists and marriage candidates - ‘Terracotta Oasis Expansion Pack’ – Discover an exotic oasis home to four characters from Story of Seasons for Nintendo 3DS (includes two marriage candidates) Part 4 – July 2021 - ‘Yukata Set’ costumes for the protagonists and marriage candidates - ‘The Legendary Sprite Dance’ sub-scenario – The Earth Sprite Village is livelier than ever, and the sprites are determined to revive their legendary dance and hold a feast…with or without Boss Sprite’s permission! Part 5 – August 2021 - ‘Twilight Isle Expansion Pack’ – Sail to an island bathed in twilight and meet the four characters from Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns that have made it their new home (includes two marriage candidates) ‘Expansion Pass’ Purchase Bonus DLC – The following costume sets will be available to owners of the ‘Expansion Pass’ at the game’s launch on March 23. - ‘Pete and Claire’s Overalls’ costumes from Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town - ‘Yuto and Naomi’s Hoodies’ costumes from Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town - ‘Henry and Holly’s Western Attire’ costumes from Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns Have you changed your mind about who you intend to marry, now that there are more options? Discuss your preferences in the comments below.

The Detroit Auto Show may be downsized for 2021, but late September is still shaping up to be a major auto blowout in southeast Michigan. Jeep announced this week that it will sponsor Detroit 4fest — one of the country’s premier off-road events at Holly Oaks ORV Park, Metro Detroit’s sprawling off-road playground. Scheduled for Sept. 25-26, Detroit 4fest will be sandwiched between the Detroit Auto Show’s Sept. 21-26 Motor Bella event and the American Festival of Speed, Sept. 30-Oct. 3. With Motor Bella and Festival of Speed held back-to-back at M1 Concourse in Pontiac — and Detroit 4fest taking over Holly Oaks 30 miles north off I-75 — the auto trifecta will move the epicenter of car shows to Oakland County, away from its traditional TCF Center location in downtown Detroit. The three events should attract tens of thousands of auto fans and automotive media as they promise experiential showcases craved by automakers. A key reason the Detroit Auto Show had move its January dates to late September was to open up outdoor opportunities for automakers to display their wares to showgoers. Manufacturers are keen to show off their vehicles beyond old school, convention-hall static displays. Like adjacent music stages at a music festival, the three auto events promise a lollapalooza of automotive hardware — and could just chart a way forward for what next-century auto shows could be. Detroit 4Fest will be a showcase for the latest Jeep concept vehicles and Mopar accessories geared to adventurous consumers. In 2020, the event attracted some 680 off-road participants from novices to seasoned off-roaders. Fans can can come watch for free — with 4Fest offering a slate of events including live music, a vendor village, on-site camping, off-road driving instruction and seminars, Jeep Gladiator Challenge, and more. "The Jeep brand is excited to power Detroit 4Fest again in 2021,” said Jeep brand boss Jim Morrison. “Jeep will celebrate with its owners and off-road enthusiasts and new products like the electrified Wrangler 4xe, the Wrangler Rubicon 392, and the all-new Grand Cherokee." In the spirit of auto shows, 4Fest also hopes to put on a charity event to raise money for local Detroit causes. With the rugged Ford Bronco hitting the market this summer, 4Fest should also be one of the first venues for Bronco and Jeep Wrangler owners to go head-to-head on challenging off-road terrain. 4Fest dovetails with the Detroit Three’s increased emphasis on off-road vehicles and pickup trucks. “It will be like muscle car days with dirt,” smiled Z Performance's Tom Zielinski, who is organizing the event. “Wrangler and Broncos — not to mention the new Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX super trucks. 4Fest is an experience unlike any other where you can drive your own rig at an ORV park.” The Detroit Auto Show’s Motor Bella event will be aimed at a more traditional auto show clientele eager to see the latest cars and SUVs. With automakers like General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. promising a new generation of electric vehicles, it could offer the chance for customers to ride in in the latest EVs around M1’s 1.5-mile test track. Though it's unclear how many automakers will attend the Motor Bella, the Detroit Auto Dealers Association — which runs the show — expects multiple brands will be represented. Set up on M1’s 87 acres, the event is expected to include new vehicle debuts. DADA expects the show will return to TCF Center in 2022. “(Motor Bella) will be a mobility-filled event. One that will provide our show partners with a cost-efficient backdrop to share all of their brands, products and technologies in a fun and festival-like atmosphere that’s completely outdoors,” said Detroit Auto Show chairman Doug North in a statement. The American Festival of Speed, organized by M1’s own Pontiac Motorsports Exposition, will immediately follow Motor Bella and 4Fest and will take aim at higher end clientele. Modeled after the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, the M1 event will be showcase for some of the industry’s fastest super cars — as well as historic race cars. Fans will get to watch fast-lap competitions as well as take rides. M1 teased its Festival events last summer when it hosted four classic Shadow Can Am race cars. The foursome — one of them fired by a 1,000-horsepower Chevy V-8 – celebrated the opening of M1’s events facility that will be an asset to both the Motor Bella and Festival shows. M1 has hosted Roadkill Nights powered by Dodge during the Woodward Dream Cruise, an event that has attracted nearly 50,000 fans. Festival of Speed also has ambitions for a black tie Charity Ball intended to benefit Pontiac charities. All three events will take place in Oakland County. "Detroit 4Fest brings something new and exciting to the Oakland County Parks and to the Holly and Groveland communities with this unique off-road event," said Dan Stencil, Executive Officer, Oakland County Parks and Recreation. Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne With the rugged Ford Bronco hitting the market this summer, 4Fest should also be one of the first venues for Bronco and Jeep Wrangler owners to go head-to-head on challenging off-road terrain. 4Fest dovetails with the Detroit Three’s increased emphasis on off-road vehicles and pickup trucks. “It will be like muscle car days with dirt,” smiled Z Performance's Tom Zielinski, who is organizing the event. “Wrangler and Broncos — not to mention the new Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX super trucks. 4Fest is an experience unlike any other where you can drive your own rig at an ORV park.” The Detroit Auto Show’s Motor Bella event will be aimed at a more traditional auto show clientele eager to see the latest cars and SUVs. With automakers like General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. promising a new generation of electric vehicles, it could offer the chance for customers to ride in in the latest EVs around M1’s 1.5-mile test track. Though it's unclear how many automakers will attend the Motor Bella, the Detroit Auto Dealers Association — which runs the show — expects multiple brands will be represented. Set up on M1’s 87 acres, the event is expected to include new vehicle debuts. DADA expects the show will return to TCF Center in 2022.

Athena Calderone has built her career on creativity. She first came on the map for her nine-year-old lifestyle site EyeSwoon, and has since authored two books: Cook Beautiful, and just this year, Live Beautiful. For the design expert and lifestyle guru, creativity comes from introspection, both spiritually (though her daily morning ritual involving Palo Santo —a wood used for medicinal purposes—and intention-setting) and physically (by exploring the interiors of her Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, townhouse). The common denominator between the two, Calderone, who’s in her 40s, has found, are objects. “To me, the pieces you choose to place in your home carry stories and memories within them, and add personality to your space,” she says, “I love collecting.” And through quarantine, she’s turned her hobby of collecting into a business venture, expanding her lifestyle empire to include a line of handmade home decor items. Initially, Calderone created custom-made products for personal reasons. “Whenever I could not find a piece that I wanted to live within my home, I’d have it custom-made or a vintage piece altered,” she says. “This is my approach to interior and now product design. I love to create from a place of need, with a focus on purpose-driven pieces that enhance my quality of life.” After sharing her products on social media, she was bombarded with inquiries. “I was flattered my audience loved them so much that I wanted to make them available for purchase so they were accessible.” To do so, Calderone collaborated with some of her favorite brands, including Beau Rush Ceramics, The Wooden Palate, and Simone Bodmer-Turner. “I’ve had long-standing relationships with” these brands, she says. “It felt right that I start my product development work with them, expanding on pieces that we’ve authentically built together,” she says. “What I love about partnering with [these brands] is that [they] are artisan, producing works of high integrity with uniquely organic movement to each piece.” And for Calderone, her debut home collection wasn’t a guessing game or creating products for the sake of creating products. “It comes from an authentic place because I’ve lived with these pieces and I also have built deep relationships with their manufacturers,” she says, “So my audience gets my touch and intention with these products but also the practical nature of their usability.” Calderone shared with Penta a few of her favorite things at home and elsewhere. My favorite city in the world is… I have a love affair with Copenhagen. It makes my heart go pitter-patter from the food to the design to the light and colors! The one thing in my kitchen I can’t live without is… a sharp knife! The one thing in my home I can’t live without is… our pup, Tuco. If I were to buy a piece of art, it would be by… Ethan Cook in real life. Cy Twombly in fantasy. The best book I’ve read in the last year is… Mary Oliver will always sit at my bedside. I love Why I Wake Early. The one trip I’ve taken that I would love to do again… I really miss Italy —Aeolian islands or Ischia. The thing that gets me up in the morning is… ritual. I love to wake early, burn palo santo, meditate, and then sip my morning coffee. The restaurant in my hometown that I love to take a visitor is… Cafe Altro Paradiso or Estela. Ignacio Mattos is my favorite chef. A person who inspired me to do what I do is… my son! Being a young mom forced me to be home in my 20s when my peers were out in the world developing themselves. I developed my passions and creativity within the home, which unknowingly led me to where I am today! A new routine I’ve developed during social isolation is… long morning walks on the beach with my dog. The perfect meal at home is… my whole roasted sumac chicken with roasted veggies and labne. The recipe is one of my favorites from my cookbook, Cook Beautiful. The one thing I’m doing more of to help me get through this difficult time is… spending quality time with my loved ones. Particularly cooking with my son, Jivan, regularly. Just all around more focused time together with the people closest to my heart.

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches provided another virtual update on Ottawa's COVID-19 situation Wednesday. (CBC) Ottawa's recent surge of COVID-19 cases may have reached its peak, the city's medical officer of health said Wednesday. During a virtual news conference Wednesday, Dr. Vera Etches told reporters there are several positive signs indicating Ottawa has turned a corner. "We are seeing a few encouraging indicators that the provincial shutdown measures which began in December, on the 26th, are starting to have an impact on the COVID-19 situation here in Ottawa," Etches said. Key COVID-19 numbers in the Ottawa area today Namely, the percentage of people testing positive is in decline. Last week, 4.5 per cent of those tested for COVID-19 were positive, but by Wednesday, that figure had dropped to 3.5 per cent. The overall number of positive tests has also dropped, and those who do test positive are reporting fewer close contacts, Etches said. Currently, the average number of close contacts per infected person in Ottawa is 1.3. COVID-19 levels in the city's wastewater are also declining, Etches said. While there's reason to be optimistic, Etches credited the drastic shutdown measures for the decline in cases, and warned that trend could reverse if residents let down their guard. "While we would still meet the criteria for a red zone in the provincial framework, this status should encourage us to maintain the behaviours that are working to stop COVID-19 transmission," she said. She said physical distancing measures will be required for "many months to come" before the vaccine can offer protection against wider spread of the virus. "I'm confident that Ottawans can keep doing our best to limit close contacts to those with whom we live, stay two metres apart from other when making essential trips, wear a mask and wash our hands often," Etches said. Asked when she thinks non-essential businesses can reopen, Etches said she couldn't offer a guess. Schools will reopen first, and health officials will wait to gauge the impact of that before ending the current lockdown, she said.

In 2020, the OpenAI team granted access to what many consider "artificial intelligence": the third version of the generative pre-trained transformer, or GPT-3. The AI model is an exercise in scale, with 175 billion parameters, or 10 times more than the previous largest model, and can quickly learn a task with a few examples. GPT-3 can create passages of prose that both make sense and sound human. But several AI enthusiasts also discovered that it can generate code. In a demonstration on YouTube, GPT-3 takes requests for specific web page features—"a black button and an orange button," for example—and converts them into valid CSS. I response, a collective shudder has gone through the developer community. ID Software's founder, John Carmack, said in a July 2020 tweet that has sparked a lively discussion, "I used to say that AI research seemed to have an odd blind spot towards automation of programming work, and I suspected a subconscious self-preservation bias. The recent, almost accidental, discovery that GPT-3 can sort of write code does generate a slight shiver." One response to the post captures the fear that life as developers and app sec teams as they know it is about to change: "Prepared to be deprecated." How much should software teams worry? Here are five lessons from top experts for a reality check. 1. Whom the robots are coming for Unlike earlier waves of automation, such as robotic process automation, that primarily affected low- and middle-income occupations, applied machine-learning and AI technologies will have a greater impact on high-income occupations—including developers. While analysts consider high-creativity occupations, such as application programmers, to be safe from automation, AI promises creative and error-free programming. Yet, in many cases, humans will move into complementary jobs, said Beena Ammanath, executive director of the Deloitte AI Institute. "In the future, you can imagine or describe what you want the code to do, and it will get auto-generated. Does that mean the software engineer role or developer role with vanish? I don't think so." —Beena Ammanath Software development is already in the target of machine learning and AI. While past assessments of the changes that AI would work on employment concluded that the tasks that are easiest to automate—often of lower-paid workers—would be affected most, economists and AI experts are increasingly reassessing their assumptions. AI will largely affect higher-level jobs. Market analysts, sales managers, and programmers are facing the largest exposure to the impact of AI, analysts say. "Where the robotics and software that dominate the automation field seem mostly to involve 'routine' or 'rule-based' tasks—and thus lower- or middle- pay roles—AI’s distinctive capacities suggest that higher-wage occupations will be some of the most exposed," the Brookings Institute concluded in a report. Much of the analysis is based on the work of Michael Webb, a PhD candidate in economics at Stanford University, who used machine learning to compare job descriptions and the text of patents to figure out "the exposure of tasks to automation." Validating the findings on previous emerging technologies—robotics and software—he found that technology patents can be used to predict future technology impacts and that those patents that focus on AI are set to impact higher-paid work than previously estimated, he stated in a January 2020 technical paper. The Brookings Institute combined his work with specific occupations, finding that developers—specifically, computer programmers—will face high exposure to the disruption of AI technology. 2. Developer and app sec teams will remain in demand Despite those impacts, there are many reasons not to immediately worry if you are a developer or on an application security team. First, the impact of AI will not immediately change the market for developers. In a study that analyzed job postings for certain skills and the existence of AI technology in those same areas, a group of economists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, and Boston University found that the "AI exposure is associated with both a significant decline in some of the skills previously demanded in vacancies and the emergence of new skills." Yet, even more than a decade after postings for AI-knowledgeable researchers started to take off, the overall impact on the job market is still minor. Moreover, software developers continue to be in demand. Rather than replace developers, technologies such as software automation have made developers' jobs more efficient. While low-code and no-code technologies also threaten to upend developers' lives, so far the technologies have expanded the ranks of those professionals, said Chris Wysopal, CTO and co-founder of the application security firm Veracode. "More and more applications are being built than ever before with the whole digital transformation, which the pandemic is accelerating, and the question continues to be, 'Are there enough developers to go around?' Some of those applications that might not have been built are instead being built by low-code and no-code. It expands the pool of applications, not shrinks the pool of developers." —Chris Wysopal 3. AI will change how your teams work For most development teams, AI tools will help to smooth development, to create defect-free code, and to identify bottlenecks. Game-maker Ubisoft, for example, has created a tool called Commit Assistant, that uses a combination of machine learning and automation to learn from bug fixes and create signatures to identify future bugs. The tool can recognize six in 10 software errors, with an accuracy of 70%. In 2019, the Mozilla Foundation adopted the Commit Assistant, also known as Clever-Commit, to aid its software development. While automation and AI have had an increasing impact on software development, the demand for software developers will grow an average of 21% per year for the next decade, according to an analysis by Deloitte. Rather than doing a search of Google or StackOverflow for correct code, developers will have AI assistants to help them create better code, using big data and machine learning to pinpoint the best and most efficient samples. "The software engineer role or the software developer role is going to move to a higher level, where you are more connected on the design side or the creative side, and focus on being able to try out different ways of designing the same solution." —Beena Ammanath 4. Security benefits from more AI A variety of companies have already started using machine-learning algorithms and pattern recognition to analyze vulnerability reports and the subsequent code changes to determine what program patterns are bug-free. In May, the research firm Altran and Microsoft teamed up to release Code Defect AI, which uses a variety of machine-learning techniques to determine whether software follows good practices and determines whether the latest commit is likely to have bugs. Software security firm Snyk acquired DeepCode.ai, which scans open-source repositories and commits to create a model of what mistakes coders are making. The increased abstraction of low-code and no-code development will likely also feed into the AI trend, especially if AI adoption results in more companies using higher-concept development and low-code application creation, said John Bratinecevic, senior analyst for application development and delivery at Forrester Research. Because such technologies add significant rails to development, security will benefit, he said. "At a technical level, it is more secure, because you can't make as many technical fumbles." —John Bratinecevic 5. Lifelong learning will serve you well Overall, the increase in AI adoptions means that developers will have to learn new coding frameworks, understand machine-learning concepts, and adapt to working with AI-powered tools. The economists from MIT, Princeton, and BU discovered that, as AI demonstrated capabilities to take on certain tasks such as code review, those skills declined in job postings, indicating less demand. Developers should expect changes ahead and focus on life-long learning to stay relevant, said Deloitte's Ammanath. "Because this space has seen such rapid changes, developers who can thrive in that environment will be able to adapt to the future. Developers may not need to know AI, but they need to be able to use the tools that AI is follow up to make their development job work." —Beena Ammanath Go with the flow: It's what development teams do If any class of workers can rise to the challenge that AI poses for future employment, it is developers, Ammanath added. Developers are constantly learning new frameworks, new programming approaches, and new languages. "Developers who focus on learning will find that as AI closes one door, another will open." —Beena Ammanath Keep learning Learn how to build an app sec strategy for the next decade in this Jan 21 Webinar. Get up to speed on modern app sec with this Jan 27 Webinar about the day in the life of an application security developer. See TechBeacon's Guide to App Sec Testing and Gartner's 2020 Magic Quadrant for AST. Discover how a SAST-DAST combo can boost your security in this Webinar. Build app sec into your software with TechBeacon's Guide. Take a deep-dive into the tools landscape with our Application Security Trends and Tools Guide.

The Intel Core i5-11400 6 Core Rocket Lake Desktop CPU has leaked out along with its benchmarks. The mainstream chip will be part of the 11th Gen Core family and will be replacing the Intel Core i5-10400 which offers fantastic value given its price but lacks any overclocking capabilities. Intel Core i5-11400 6 Core Rocket Lake Desktop CPU Benchmarks Leak Out - Up To 12% Faster Single-Threaded Performance Versus Predecessor The Intel Core i5-11400 is part of the Core i5 segment within the 11th Gen Rocket Lake CPU family. It features 6 cores and 12 threads that are based on the 14nm Cypress Cove architecture & is going to deliver improved IPC over the aging Skylake architecture. In terms of clock speeds, the CPU features a 2.60 GHz base clock and a 4.40 GHz boost clock. When compared to its predecessor, the Core i5-10400 rocks a higher base clock of 2.90 GHz but a lower boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The CPU features 12 MB of L3 cache, 3 MB of L2 cache and will come with a 65W TDP which is the standard (PL1) configuration for non-K chips. The PL2 TDP should be rated at around 125-150W.The performance benchmarks were carried out on an MSI Z490M Gaming Edge WiFi motherboard which was equipped with 64 GB of DDR4 memory. The speeds for the DDR4 DIMMs have not been reported. In single-core tests within the Geekbench 5 benchmark, the Intel Core i5-11400 Desktop CPU scored 1247 points and in the multi-core tests, the chip scored 6197 points. The single-core performance shows a jump of 12% while the multi-core performance is boosted by 9%. This is a respectable gain over its 10th gen predecessor. Compared to the Intel Core i5-10600K which offers a much higher base and a boost clock of 4.1 GHz / 4.8 GHz, the Core i5-11400 ends up slightly slower with 6% lower single-core and 14% lower multi-core performance but that is to be expected since the Core i5-10600K is an unlocked part with a 125W (PL1) and 225W (PL2) rating and also carries the aforementioned higher clocks. At the same time, the Core i5-11400 is no match for the Ryzen 5 5600X but in either single-core and multi-core performance tests. The actual competitor to the Ryzen 5 5600X should be the Core i5-11600K but based on these benchmarks, even the unlocked part will have a hard time matching the Ryzen CPU. As we reported, the Intel Rocket Lake Desktop CPUs will be shipping months after the 500-series boards that will be available on 11th January. The CPUs are expected to be announced at CES 2021 but a hard launch isn't planned till March-April.

Remember Shao Jun, the hero from Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China? Well, her story's getting its very own manga adaptation, Ubisoft has announced. Published by manga giant VIZ, Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun will be available both at retail and online from the 16th February. It'll feature an "extended" version of Shao Jun's tale. Here's the official cover art for the release: he manga's actually been running in Japan since November 2019, but it's nice to hear that the localisation is finally happening. Artist Minoji Kurata is a big fan of the series, stating that she's played "almost every game" in an interview with Access the Animus last year. Kurata's favourite assassin is apparently Edward Kenway, which we think is a pretty solid choice. Anyway, are you interested in this Assassin's Creed adaptation? Keep your blade sheathed in the comments section below.