AI Headphones Allow You To Listen to One Person in a Crowd

In a crowded, noisy environment, have you ever wished you could tune out all the background chatter and focus solely on the person you’re trying to listen to? While noise-canceling headphones have made great strides in creating an auditory blank slate, they still struggle to allow…

The Impact of AI and LLMs on the Future of Jobs

Artificial intelligence (AI) has grown tremendously in recent years, which has created excitement and raised concerns about the future of employment. Large language models (LLMs) are the latest example of that. These powerful subsets of AI are trained on massive amounts of text data to understand…

Uni-MoE: Scaling Unified Multimodal LLMs with Mixture of Experts

The recent advancements in the architecture and performance of Multimodal Large Language Models or MLLMs has highlighted the significance of scalable data and models to enhance performance. Although this approach does enhance the performance, it incurs substantial computational costs that limits the practicality and usability of…

Clearing the “Fog of More” in Cyber Security

At the RSA Conference in San Francisco this month, a dizzying array of dripping hot and new solutions were on display from the cybersecurity industry. Booth after booth claimed to be the tool that will save your organization from bad actors stealing your goodies or blackmailing…

NIS2 is coming – why you should act now – CyberTalk

NIS2 is coming – why you should act now – CyberTalk

By Patrick Scholl, Head of Operational Technology, Infinigate

NIS2 – the Network and Information Security Directive – is a revision of the NIS Directive, which came into force in 2016, with the aim of strengthening cyber security resilience across the EU.

The revision tightens reporting requirements and introduces stricter control measures and enforcement provisions. By October 17th 2024, the NIS2 Directive will be a requirement across all EU member states. Despite the urgency, businesses still have many questions.

Distributors like Infinigate are committed to supporting the implementation of NIS2 by offering a broad choice of cyber security solutions and services in collaboration with vendors, such as Check Point.

Supporting NIS2 implementation

In Germany, as an example, NIS2UmsuCG, the local directive governing the implementation of the EU NIS2 to strengthen cyber security, is already available as a draft and defines EU-wide minimum standards that will be transferred into national regulation.

It is estimated that around 30,000 companies in Germany will have to make changes to comply. However, thus far, only a minority have adopted the measures mandated by the new directive. Sometimes, symbolic measures are taken with little effect. In view of the complexity of the NIS2 requirements, the short time in which they are to be implemented and the need for holistic and long-term solutions, companies need strong partners who can advise on how to increase their cyber resilience.

Who is affected?

The NIS2 directive coming into force in autumn 2024 will apply to organisations across 18 sectors with 50 or more employees and a turnover of €10 million. Additionally, some entities will be regulated regardless of their size — especially in the areas of ‘essential’ digital infrastructure and public administration.

The following industry sectors fall under the ‘essential’ category:

  • Energy
  • Transport
  • Banking and finance
  • Education
  • Water supply
  • Digital infrastructure
  • ICT service management
  • Public administration
  • Space exploration and research
  • Postal and courier services
  • Waste management
  • Chemical manufacturing, production and distribution
  • Food production, processing and distribution
  • Industry & manufacturing (medical devices and in-vitro, data processing, electronics, optics, electrical equipment, mechanical engineering, motor vehicles and parts, vehicle manufacturing)
  • Digital suppliers (marketplaces, search engines, social networks)
  • Research institutes

It’s worth bearing in mind that NIS2 regulations apply not only to companies, but also their contractors.

Good to know: The “size-cap” rule

The “size-cap” rule is one of the innovations that come with NIS2 and is intended to level out inequalities linked with varying requirements and risk profiles, budgets, resources and expertise. The regulation is intended to enable start-ups and medium-sized companies as well as large corporations to be able to implement the security measures required by NIS2.

You can get NIS2 compliance tips here: https://nis2-check.de/

NIS2 in a nutshell

In Germany, companies are required to register with the BSI (Federal Office for Information Security), for their relevant areas. A fundamental rule is that any security incidents must be reported immediately.

Across Europe, the strict security requirements mandated by NIS2 include the following:

  • Risk management: identify, assess and remedy

Companies are required to take appropriate and proportionate technical, operational and organisational measures. A holistic approach should ensure that risks to the security of network and information systems can be adequately managed.

  • Security assessment: a self-analysis

Security assessment includes questions such as: what vulnerabilities are there in the company? What is the state of cyber hygiene? What security practices are already in place today? Are there misconfigured accounts that could be vulnerable to data theft or manipulation?

  • Access management: protecting privileged accounts

Companies subject to NIS2 regulations are encouraged to restrict the number of administrator-level accounts and change passwords regularly. This lowers the risk of network cyber security breaches threatening business continuity.

  • Closing the entry gates: ransomware and supply chain security

One of the main concerns of the NIS2 directive is proactive protection against ransomware. Endpoint security solutions can help here. Employee training is another necessary step to create risk awareness and help identify and prevent cyber attacks.

The focus here should be on best practices in handling sensitive data and the secure use of IT and OT systems. Supply chain vulnerability is a major area of concern. Companies need to ensure that the security features and standards of the machines, products and services they purchase meet current security requirements.

  • Zero tolerance strategy: access control and zero trust

In a world where corporate boundaries are increasingly blurred due to digitalisation, cloud infrastructures and decentralised working models, perimeter-based architectures have had their day. A zero trust concept provides multiple lines of defence, relies on strong authentication methods and threat analysis to validate access attempts.

  • Business continuity: prepared for emergencies

Business continuity management measures are essential to ensure that critical systems can be maintained in the event of an emergency. These include backup management, disaster recovery, crisis management and emergency plans.

In summary, we should not let the complexity of the topic discourage us from taking action; after all, NIS2 is for our benefit, to help us protect our business assets from increasing cyber risk.

Businesses would be well advised to start on the route to assessing their security posture and current status vis-à-vis NIS2 requirements. You can make a start by simply identifying all relevant stakeholders in your organisation, starting a task-force and gathering intelligence on your cyber risk.

Identify key steps and build a roadmap to compliance that is manageable for your resources; your channel partners can help by providing expert advice https://page.infinigate.com/nis2-checkpoint.

OpenAI disrupts five covert influence operations

In the last three months, OpenAI has disrupted five covert influence operations (IO) that attempted to exploit the company’s models for deceptive activities online. As of May 2024, these campaigns have not shown a substantial increase in audience engagement or reach due to OpenAI’s services. OpenAI…

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Part 16 | Super Replay

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Part 16 | Super Replay

After The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time reinvented the series in 3D and became its new gold standard, Nintendo followed up with a surreal sequel in Majora’s Mask. Set two months after the events of Ocarina, Link finds himself transported to an alternate version of Hyrule called Termina and must prevent a very angry moon from crashing into the Earth over the course of three constantly repeating days. Majora’s Mask’s unique structure and bizarre tone have earned it legions of passionate defenders and detractors, and one long-time Zelda fan is going to experience it for the first time to see where he lands on that spectrum.

Join Marcus Stewart and Kyle Hilliard today and each Friday on Twitch at 1:00 p.m. CT as they gradually work their way through the entire game until Termina is saved. Archived episodes will be uploaded each Saturday on our second YouTube channel Game Informer Shows, which you can watch both above and by clicking the links below. 

Part 1 – Plenty of Time
Part 2 – The Bear
Part 3 – Deku Ball Z
Part 4 – Pig Out
Part 5 – The Was a Bad Choice!
Part 6 – Ray Darmani
Part 7 – Curl and Pound
Part 8 – Almost a Flamethrower
Part 9 – Take Me Higher
Part 10 – Time Juice
Part 11 – The One About Joey
Part 12 – Ugly Country
Part 13 – The Sword is the Chicken Hat
Part 14 – Harvard for Hyrule
Part 15 – Keeping it Pure

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If you enjoy our livestreams but haven’t subscribed to our Twitch channel, know that doing so not only gives you notifications and access to special emotes. You’ll also be granted entry to the official Game Informer Discord channel, where our welcoming community members, moderators, and staff gather to talk games, entertainment, food, and organize hangouts! Be sure to also follow our second YouTube channel, Game Informer Shows, to watch other Replay episodes as well as Twitch archives of GI Live and more. 

MIT Corporation elects 10 term members, two life members

MIT Corporation elects 10 term members, two life members

The MIT Corporation — the Institute’s board of trustees — has elected 10 full-term members, who will serve one-, two-, or five-year terms, and two life members. Corporation Chair Mark P. Gorenberg ’76 announced the election results today.

The full-term members are: Nancy C. Andrews, Dedric A. Carter, David Fialkow, Bennett W. Golub, Temitope O. Lawani, Michael C. Mountz, Anna Waldman-Brown, R. Robert Wickham, Jeannette M. Wing, and Anita Wu. The two life members are: R. Erich Caulfield and David M. Siegel. Gorenberg was also reelected as Corporation chair.

As of July 1, the Corporation will consist of 80 distinguished leaders in education, science, engineering, and industry. Of those, 24 are life members and eight are ex officio. An additional 25 individuals are life members emeritus.

The 10 new term members are:

Nancy C. Andrews PhD ’85, executive vice president and chief scientific officer, Boston Children’s Hospital

Andrews is a biologist and physician noted for her research on iron diseases and her roles in academic administration. She currently serves as executive vice president and chief scientific officer at the Boston Children’s Hospital and professor of pediatrics in residence at Harvard Medical School. She previously served for a decade as the first female dean of the Duke University School of Medicine. After graduating from medical school, she completed residency and fellowship at BCH, joining the faculty at Harvard as an assistant professor in 1993. From 1999 to 2003, Andrews served as director of the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology MD-PhD program, and then was appointed professor of pediatrics and dean for basic sciences and graduate studies at Harvard Medical School. Andrews currently serves on the boards of directors of Novartis, Charles River Laboratories, and Maze Therapeutics.

Dedric A. Carter ’98, MEng ’99, MBA ’14, chief innovation officer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Carter currently serves as the vice chancellor for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development and chief innovation officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has cabinet-level responsibility for the entrepreneurship, innovation, economic development, and commercialization portfolios at the university through Innovate Carolina and the Innovate Carolina Junction, a new hub for catalyzing innovation and accelerating entrepreneurial invention located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, among other oversight and engagement roles. Prior to his appointment, he was the vice chancellor for innovation and chief commercialization officer at Washington University in St. Louis. Before that, he served as the senior advisor for strategic initiatives in the Office of the Director at the U.S. National Science Foundation, in addition to serving as the executive secretary to the U.S. National Science Board executive committee.

David Fialkow, co-founder and managing director, General Catalyst Partners

Fialkow currently serves as managing director of General Catalyst Partners, a venture capital firm that makes early-stage and transformational investments in technology and consumer companies. His areas of focus include financial services, digital health, artificial intelligence, and data analytics. With business partner Joel Cutler, Fialkow built and sold several companies prior to founding General Catalyst Partners in 2000. Early in his career, he worked for the investment firm Thomas H. Lee Company and the venture capital firm U.S. Venture Partners. Fialkow studied film at Colgate University and continues to produce documentaries with his wife, Nina, focused on health care and social justice.

Bennett W. Golub ’79, SM ’82, PhD ’84, co-founder and senior policy advisor, BlackRock

In 1988, Golub was one of eight people to start BlackRock, Inc., a global asset management company. In March of 2022, he stepped down from his day-to-day activities at the company to assume a part-time role of senior policy advisor. Formerly, he served as chief risk officer with responsibilities that included investment, counterparty, technology, and operational risk, and he chaired BlackRock’s Enterprise Risk Management Committee. Beginning in 1995, he was co-head and founder of BlackRock Solutions, the company’s risk advisory business. He also served as the acting CEO of Trepp, LLC. a former BlackRock affiliate that pioneered the creation and distribution of data and models for collateralized commercial-backed securities, beginning in 1996. Prior to the founding of BlackRock, Golub served as vice president at The First Boston Corporation (now Credit Suisse).

Temitope O. Lawani ’91, co-founder, Helios Investment Partners, LLP

Lawani, a Nigerian national, is the co-founder and managing partner of Helios Investment Partners, LLP, an Africa-focused private investment firm based in London. He also serves as co-CEO of Helios Fairfax Partners, an investment holding company. Prior to forming Helios in 2004, Lawani was a principal at the San Francisco and London offices of TPG Capital, a global private investment firm. Before that, he worked as a mergers and acquisitions and corporate development analyst at the Walt Disney Company. Lawani serves on the boards of Helios Towers, Pershing Square Holdings, and NBA Africa. He is also a director of the Global Private Capital Association and The END Fund, and has served on the boards of several public and private companies across various sectors.

Michael C. Mountz ’87, principal, Kacchip LLC

Michael “Mick” Mountz is a logistics industry entrepreneur and technologist known for inventing the mobile robotic order fulfillment approach now in widespread use across the material handling industry. In 2003, Mountz, along with MIT classmate Peter Wurman ’87 and Raffaelo D’Andrea co-founded Kiva Systems, Inc., a manufacturer of this mobile robotic fulfillment system. After Kiva, Mountz established Kacchip LLC, a technology incubator and investment entity to support local founders and startups, where Mountz currently serves as principal. Before founding Kiva, Mountz served as a director of business process and logistics at online grocery delivery company Webvan, and before that he served as a product marketing manager for Apple Computer working on the launch of the G3 and G4 series Macintosh desktops. Mountz holds over 40 U.S. technology patents and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2022.

Anna Waldman-Brown ’11, SM ’18, PhD ’23

Through her work with the Fab Lab network, which spun off from the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, Waldman-Brown has worked with international policymakers and grassroots innovators across more than 60 countries to foster creative problem-solving and sustainable development. She helped build up and connect fab labs across dozens of countries, co-organized two week-long fab lab conferences and developed the ongoing Fab Festival, curated open-source development of an early Maker Map and several lists of academic articles related to the Maker Movement, and finalized an official collaboration with Autodesk and the international Fab Lab network. In addition to providing informal mentorship and support for students across the Institute, Waldman-Brown became involved in the burgeoning MIT Grad Student Union (GSU)/UE Local 256 around 2019 to advocate for practical solutions to improving graduate student life and health and safety. Her current work as an industrial strategy policy analyst is through the Made in America Office, which is part of the Executive Office of the President’s Office of Management and Budget.

R. Robert Wickham ’93, SM ’95, president, MIT Alumni Association

Skilled in building go-to-market teams, strategic planning, operational management, and delivering results, Wickham has held leadership roles at Salesforce and Oracle, and gained foundational experiences in management consulting and entrepreneurship. As the former general manager of Tableau Asia Pacific, a Salesforce business unit, Wickham spearheaded significant growth initiatives. He also served as chief of staff for Asia Pacific and led specialized teams in Platform and Emerging Technologies, which included pivotal technologies such as the Lightning Platform and Einstein Analytics, and drove the launch of Salesforce’s $50M Australian venture fund and its regional program for startups. Before joining Salesforce, Wickham led Oracle’s Engineered Systems business across Australia and New Zealand, and the System Management business in North America. He joined Oracle through its acquisition of Empirix Web Division, where he ran sales for North America.

Jeannette M. Wing ’78, SM ’79, PhD ’83, executive vice president for research, Columbia University

Wing is the executive vice president for research and professor of computer science at Columbia University, and previously served as Avanessians Director of the Data Science Institute. Wing’s current research interests are in trustworthy AI, and her areas of research expertise include security and privacy, formal methods, programming languages, and distributed and concurrent systems. Prior to Columbia, Wing worked at Microsoft, where she served as corporate vice president of Microsoft Research, overseeing research labs worldwide. Before joining Microsoft, she was on the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, where she was the head of the Department of Computer Science and associate dean for academic affairs of the School of Computer Science. During a leave from Carnegie Mellon, she served at the National Science Foundation as assistant director of the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate.

Anita Wu MBA ’16, partner, AlixPartners

Wu is a partner in the retail practice at AlixPartners, a global consultancy specializing in management advisory, business performance improvement, and corporate turnarounds. Outside of client services, she is the global leader for AlixPartners’ Women’s Empowerment Network. Prior to moving to the U.S. for MIT, Wu led smart cities design in Sydney, Australia, and implemented various initiatives that improved commuter usage of public transportation. She has also previously led the operations for a nonprofit, Light the Way, where she fundraised and delivered education curriculum and microfinancing programs for farming villages in Nepal. She currently resides in New York City.

The two life members are:

David M. Siegel SM ’86, PhD ’91, co-founder and co-chairman, Two Sigma

Siegel is a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Before co-founding the financial sciences company Two Sigma, he was chief technology officer and managing director at Tudor Investment Corporation. Prior to that, he was a senior leader at D.E. Shaw, where he ultimately rose to be the firm’s first chief information officer. Siegel is currently an active investor and advisor, and serves as a board member for Re:Build Manufacturing, a family of industrial businesses. He is co-founder of the Scratch Foundation, with MIT Professor Mitchel Resnick ’88. He founded the Siegel Family Endowment in 2011 to support organizations and leaders that will understand and shape the impact of technology on society, and as the organization’s chairman devotes significant time and energy to actively engaging with this work.

R. Erich Caulfield SM ’01, PhD ’06, founder and president, The Caulfield Consulting Group

Since 2013, Caulfield has served as the founder and president of The Caulfield Consulting Group, a management consulting firm that specializes in improving organizations’ performance through strategic and operational support. Between 2011 and 2013, he was the New Orleans federal team lead for the White House’s Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) Initiative and, from 2010 to 2011, was a White House Fellow at the Domestic Policy Council. Between 2008 and 2010, Caulfield served as chief policy advisor to Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker. Before entering government service, Caulfield worked in management consulting as an associate at McKinsey and Company, focusing on process design and public sector-related projects. Caulfield is also a member of the board of directors for the New Orleans Business Alliance.

Arm unveils new AI designs and software for smartphones

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