We have only touched the surface of what drones can do and how ubiquitous they will become. This is also true in industry, where they have the potential to replace human labor in risky activities such as inspection at height.
Swiss startup Voliro operates in this space, with flying robots that can inspect wind turbines, overwater structures, and other infrastructure that’s hazardous for humans to reach because of factors such as height and weather conditions.
This is more than a visual inspection for glaring issues like corrosion; Voliro’s drones can poke around with sensors that can perform tasks such as dry film thickness, often eliminating the need for people on ropes. Yet, don’t expect CEO Florian Gutzwiller to tell you how many labor casualties the company’s drones are preventing. “I’m Swiss. If I were an American CEO, I would say we are saving lives every day, but I think it’s too aggressive,” he told TechCrunch.
Cultural differences aside, Gutzwiller has another reason to emphasize other aspects than accident prevention, such as productivity: Even when all goes well, which is luckily most often the case, industrial inspections cause downtime. Avoiding this downtime can save a significant amount of money for Voliro’s clients, which include Chevron and Holcim, as well as inspection and maintenance service providers.
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“One of my favorite examples is flare stacks,” Gutzwiller said. “Because a flare stack is hot, you have to turn it off. You have to cool it down. You have to build a scaffold. Then you do the inspection. After doing the inspection, remove the scaffold, and then turn it on again. This can be a matter of days or weeks, and we can do it in 20 minutes.”
Voliro’s competitors include Avestec, Flyability, and Skygauge, but Gutzwiller thinks versatile hardware gives it an edge. There are its sensors that can handle heat, combined with the core innovation it is based on: a tiltable rotor that gives freedom of 360-degree motion to its robots, meaning they can work on ceilings and apply pressure without losing stability.
This advanced rotor was developed by some of Voliro’s team within the Autonomous Systems Lab at ETH Zurich, before the startup became one of its many spinoffs in 2019. The commercial launch of its drones followed three years later, but that’s not what it sells: Its business model is a B2B subscription.
This model has many advantages, Gutzwiller said. For customers, it means accessing hardware and software upgrades as they are developed, in addition to getting support. For the company, it means recurring revenue that can fund R&D and showing the kind of cash flow that investors like to see.
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This may explain why the company recently managed to raise $12 million, despite a challenging fundraising environment for startups and robotics. Bringing its funding to date to $22 million, this new capital injection was led by Cherry Ventures, with additional investment from existing business angels, family offices, and a conventional debt facility as a minority part of the round, according to the company.
Commercial traction helped with VCs and bankers, but there was still an element of luck and serendipity. Voliro pitched many VC firms, as is the norm these days, but it hadn’t pitched Cherry Ventures until a Mexican entrepreneur Gutzwiller met randomly at a bus stop in the mountains recommended him to do so. Fast forwarded a few months, and Cherry led Voliro’s Series A round.
Gutzwiller’s journey with Voliro was also serendipitous. After selling his company Open Systems to private equity in 2017, Gutzwiller became an angel investor, but he didn’t stop at investing into the ETH spinoff: He became an entrepreneur in residence at the company, then its executive chairman, until he replaced former CEO Mina Kamel in November 2022.
Gutzwiller is now in charge of spearheading Voliro’s growth, and he’s bullish about its platform approach. For instance, it will soon support third-party sensors that can detect corrosion under insulation. In the longer term, it could go further toward repairs, for instance, by having its robots remove rust or add coating themselves. But first, the company will work on expanding its client base across oil and gas, energy, and other industry sectors that could benefit from needing less human work at height.
Another TV show has fallen victim to the Netflix ax as That ’90s Show has been canceled after two seasons. But fret not, as the critically acclaimed Yellowjacketsis coming to the best streaming service in October.
That ’90s Show is a sequel to the classic sitcom That ’70s Show, which propelled the likes of Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis to Hollywood stardom back in the early noughties. However, franchise star Kurtwood Smith has now confirmed that the comedy series, which has 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, will not be renewed for a third season in an Instagram post.
That ’70s Show follows the lives of six teenage friends in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin from 1976 to 1979 and ran for eight seasons until 2006. In 2023, That ’90s Show debuted on Netflix and centers on Leia Forman (Callie Haverda), the daughter of Eric Forman (Topher Grace) and Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon) from the original series, as she visits her grandparents for the summer and meets a new generation of Point Place kids.
Almost the entire original cast of That ’70s Show returned for the sequel series, including Kurtwood Smith (Red), Debra Jo Rupp (Kitty), Topher Grace (Eric), Mila Kunis (Jackie), Ashton Kutcher (Kelso), Laura Prepon (Donna) and Wilder Valderrama (Fez).
Yellowjackets, one of the best Paramount Plus shows, is a time-hopping thriller about a girls soccer team whose plane crashes into the Ontario wilderness in 1996 on the way to a tournament. After surviving the catastrophe, they must make some tough decisions to get through the harsh conditions. The series then jumps back to the present time and follows the consequences of this event in their adult lives in 2021.
When Yellowjackets debuted on Showtime in 2021, it became the cable channel’s biggest original series in years and now it’s set to receive even more praise when it becomes one of the best Netflix shows.
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The show features a star-studded cast of Ella Purnell, Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, and Juliette Lewis, who have been praised for their performances, with The Verge writing in their Yellowjackets season 2 review: “It has, across the board, a brilliant ensemble cast with stellar chemistry.”
In this video I walk you through a entry level cybersecurity roadmap that I would take if I had to restart my cybersecurity career from scratch!
Resources:
Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate 👉 https://imp.i384100.net/xky4Q1
CompTIA Security+ 👉 https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security
CompTIA Network+ 👉 https://www.comptia.org/certifications/network
AWS Cloud Practitioner 👉 https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-cloud-practitioner/
Security Blue Team Level 1 👉 https://www.securityblue.team/why-btl1/
PJPT by TCM Security 👉 https://certifications.tcm-sec.com/pjpt/
Video Resources:
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The iPad Pro M4 hasn’t been available for very long, but we already found a solid markdown on the Apple touchscreen device when looking through tablet deals:
Right now, when you purchase the iPad Pro M4 (256GB, OLED), you’ll spend $950. At full price, this model sells for $1,000. We can probably thank Amazon’s upcoming October Big Deal Day savings event for the discount on this model. Not to mention the several other Prime Day iPad deals we’ve been keeping tabs on!
The iPad Pro M4 is one of the fastest and best-looking iPads Apple has ever produced. Rocking an 11-inch Ultra Retina XRD Display that delivers 2420 x 1668 resolution, this is one of the brightest and most colorful displays we’ve seen on an iPad. And thanks to ProMotion, P3 wide color, and True Tone certifications, the Pro M4 will constantly be optimizing whatever content you’re scrolling through or watching. Not to mention, the brilliant new screen is matched by the landscape 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage.
Featuring Wi-Fi 6E support, you should have zero issues connecting this iPad to modern networking gear. You should also have no trouble using the USB-C connector to recharge the iPad, or to connect the tablet to an external display.
As for processing power and graphics, this iPad Pro uses Apple’s M4 chip. The 10-core CPU allows the M4 iPad to work fast and efficiently. Expect little to no load times for apps, webpages, and streamable media. There’s even another 10 cores that are dedicated exclusively to the iPad’s GPU, which is why those crisp-clear visuals always look so dang good!
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The Pro M4 is compatible with the Apple Pencil (USB-C) and Magic Keyboard and has enough battery life to get you through an entire day (about 10 hours). We see plenty of iPad deals when searching for Apple markdowns, and it’s hard to say how long this discount is going to hang in there for. That being said, now could be the best time to save.
Take $50 off the iPad Pro M4 (256GB, OLED) when you purchase through Best Buy, and be sure to check out some of the other Best Buy deals we’ve been digging up!
Hello, world! Welcome to Crash Course Computer Science! So today, we’re going to take a look at computing’s origins, because even though our digital computers are relatively new, the need for computation is not. Since the start of civilization itself, humans have had an increasing need for special devices to help manage laborious tasks, and as the scale of society continued to grow, these computational devices began to play a crucial role in amplifying our mental abilities. From the abacus and astrolabe to the difference engine and tabulating machine, we’ve come a long way to satisfying this increasing need, and in the process completely transformed commerce, government, and daily life.
Produced in collaboration with PBS Digital Studios: http://youtube.com/pbsdigitalstudios
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Google announced the Pixel Buds Pro 2 at the Made by Google event held on August 13 with some neat features including Gemini integration. While the company didn’t mention anything as such for the older Pixel Buds, later in September it started sending out emails stating Gemini will expand to older Pixel Buds as well. Now it seems, Google has started rolling out Gemini support for the older Pixel Buds including the original Pixel Buds Pro from 2022.
Google is rolling out Gemini support for older Pixel Buds including the first-gen “Pro” model
Today, popular Android reporter, Mishaal Rahman, took to his X account to post about the rollout. According to his post on X, the rollout is underway for some users already. So, if you are among those lucky ones, you can immediately access Gemini directly from your original Pixel Buds Pro. However, there’s one thing that you’ll need to do.
You’ll have to make Gemini the default assistant on your Android phone. Yes, that’s all. That said, the rollout is currently happening on the server side. So, if you can’t access Gemini via your original Pixel Buds Pro, we recommend waiting for a few more days.
The “Hey Google” setting is now merged
Besides, there’s a new “Only require one unlock” toggle that Google is rolling out for Gemini. After enabling the toggle, you’ll have to pair the original Pixel Buds Pro and unlock your device once before you can start engaging with Gemini. If not, you’ll have to unlock your phone every time you’ll need to talk to Gemini. More importantly, this whole thing will work only when earbuds and devices are connected.
Additionally, Google has made some changes to how the “Hey Google” works. Interestingly, Google is merging the “Hey Google” setting to your connected device’s settings. It means that if you haven’t enabled “Hey Google” for your device, you can’t engage with Gemini via the trigger word from your earbuds. Moreover, the Pixel Buds Pro users will welcome this integration since Google is likely removing touch-and-hold gestures from the earbuds.
Ten years ago, the Reaper of Souls expansion completely reimagined and revived Diablo III. It overhauled huge swaths of the game, strengthening its foundation enough that D3 remained a fun time even as it stretched far past what should have been its expiration date.
Diablo IV has moved at a different pace. It managed to get through launch without the technical mishaps that plagued its predecessor, but it was still a game that landed somewhere short of its full potential on arrival. Our felt that, and I felt it in my own playthrough. Once I finished the campaign and started the grinding loop, I quickly got bored and abandoned my character.
But ahead of its first major expansion, Vessel of Hatred, Diablo IV is not the same as it was at launch. I’ve spent some time with the new content in Vessel of Hatred and while I’ll cover what the region of Nahantu brings to the table, I’m also taking this chance to take a broader look at the state of Diablo IV.
Vessel of Hatred adds companionship and customization
Vessel of Hatred introduces a new region, Nahantu, and a new class, Spiritborn. Nahantu is a jungle biome with lush greenery in some spaces and complete devastation in others. Basically, it’s your standard Diablo IV location. It also has several points of interest for the lore nerds out there.
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Spiritborn is a completely new class in the Diablo universe and it’s a great addition. This is a close-range fighter with skills inspired by four Spirit Guardians: The gorilla abilities center defense and heavy hits, the jaguar delivers tempo-driven fire attacks, the eagle deals lightning damage via feathers, and the centipede is all about poison powers. Yes, centipede. It doesn’t sound like a fearsome creature, but trust me, those poison attacks are rad. The biggest thrill spawns from the ultimate abilities, where the actual Spirit Guardian appears to fight on your behalf. Having a spectral gorilla smash down and crush enemies is deeply satisfying in a way I didn’t know I needed.
In my run of D4, I’ve put the most hours into playing a Necromancer and a Sorcerer. They’re both loads of fun, but they feel at their strongest when they’re completely focused on one element or damage type. I’m not enamored of needing to completely redo my talent tree and paragon boards every time I encounter a unique item, so I appreciate that a Spiritborn really can pick and choose skills from across the four Guardians. That’s something Blizzard devs about in a livestream about the class design, and I’m pleased to report that the class-specific Spirit Hall makes it easy to get benefits from legendary and unique item powers without overhauling your entire rotation. That’s not to say optimal builds won’t emerge over time, but flexibility is a real win in the Spiritborn kit.
My other favorite addition in Vessel of Hatred is the Den, a quartet of mercenaries that can join you on your quests. For solo players, they act like the companions in Diablo III — you can pick one to follow you around and join your battles. Each has a miniature skill tree that you can customize to best match your own playstyle. A secondary mechanic, Reinforcement, allows you to access followers’ abilities even if you don’t or can’t have one equipped. Reinforcement allows you to pick a single ability from a single merc and set when you want them to use it. Their skills can map directly to when you use your own powers, or to more battle-specific conditions such as your character being injured or crowd controlled. My favorite combo started with me casting an eagle spell to yoink enemies into a clump, then my archer buddy would show up and fire off an incendiary grenade to scorch them all. But the combinations are pretty endless and easy to switch up on a whim.
The Den isn’t a deep game system and heavy-duty players probably won’t take long to max out all four companions. However, it offers yet another opportunity to customize your playthrough, and that’s where I think a Diablo game shines. Even though I used a default Spiritborn model, named her Test and never bothered to transmog gear, it still didn’t take long for me to start feeling attached to the character. This was my Spiritborn, my journey to save the world with my set of allies.
Sanctuary is a bleak place. Even when I play D4 with other people, the oppressive grimness of the settings and situations creates a feeling of “us against the world.” Maybe a few NPCs will be useful from time to time, but most of them are either going to betray us or lie to us or die on us. But for once, even while facing the most unbeatable foes, Vessel of Hatred made me feel connected. It’s in the expansion’s basic premise, that Neyrelle has chosen to shoulder an impossible burden for you and is going to try her damnedest to survive and succeed. It’s in the presence of the Den, where someone always has your back in battle. It’s in the refrain of your guide, Eru: Help is needed, so help is offered. It’s in the new Dark Citadel end-game dungeon, which you literally can’t complete without at least one other person. Even if you play Vessel of Hatred solo, you never feel alone.
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There are other notable features arriving with Vessel of Hatred, and you’ll notice the stat crunch and new difficulty system if you’ve been keeping up with the game over the past year. Runewords are returning in a throwback to Diablo II, and there is of course more powerful gear to hunt down. But I see those updates as the culmination of a whole year of tweaks and revisions to Sanctuary.
A review of Diablo IV‘s first year
For better and for worse, Blizzard is a game studio that responds to the demands of its audience. “We’ve heard your feedback” may be the most-uttered phrase across the company’s events. I think there’s a balance to be struck in giving the community such a loud voice in a game’s direction, but in the case of Diablo IV, it has generally turned out well. When a lot of people fill the forums and say that a system is unfun, odds are good it’ll get reworked. And there definitely were some unfun points in Diablo IV.
The item system got a thorough and rewarding overhaul in Season 4. Activities like the Helltide and Nightmare dungeons are no longer gated to the highest difficulty levels. Even simple tweaks have done a lot to improve quality of life: At one point, the locations of the vendors changed so that the Blacksmith, Jeweler and Occultist are now all next to each other, meaning you aren’t mounting up to go across town just to swap out one item of gear. Nearly every update feels intended to give players more agency and more power.
A seasonal model also helps here, introducing fresh gameplay ideas every few months that the devs can learn from and possibly turn into permanent updates. For instance, Vessel of Hatred is launching with the start of a new season that adds Realmwalker monsters to chase across Sanctuary. Not every season revolutionizes the core gameplay — sometimes it’s just a glimpse into a faction with a short story thread to untangle — but these themed end-game additions can be reason enough to keep playing.
So, is it worth returning to Sanctuary?
For those who just want to experience the story, Vessel of Hatred is a worthwhile and natural continuation of the cliffhanger from the base game. For über-fans, I assume you live on the PTR and already have your own opinions about what’s coming (and you’ll play for hours no matter what).
I’m mostly speaking to the group in the middle, who have dabbled occasionally or never logged back in after the big Lilith battle. For these players, now’s a good time to return to Diablo IV. Explore the new story, try the Spiritborn; you’ll probably find plenty to enjoy.
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A live game usually needs some time to find its footing, or to prove it has staying power beyond an initial fifteen minutes of fame. Vessel of Hatred is just the latest example of how Blizzard is committed to changing, improving and making Diablo IV a hell of a good time.
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