Netflix announced the next addition to its gaming roster, and it’s a collaboration with the TED nonprofit. TED Tumblewords is a daily puzzle game where you slide rows of letters around to make words. There will be three puzzles available each day, and you can play rounds against friends, other online players or the TED bot. In addition to the daily word challenges, which are designed to improve critical thinking and vocabulary, players will see interesting facts from the TED library. The game will be available to play on Netflix and TED.com on November 19.

Since it began offering mobile games, Netflix has amassed a lot of high-quality titles in its lineup. The collection is a mix of licensed indie game projects, such as Hades and Kentucky Route Zero, alongside in-house creations centered on its popular shows, like the retro-styled Stranger Things game. However, the streaming service just today shut down its in-house AAA game studio before the team ever released or even announced a single project. While we wait for TED Tumblewords to arrive, here are some other excellent choices for your daily online gaming fix.

Cohere has added multimodal embeddings to its search model, allowing users to deploy images to RAG-style enterprise search. 

Embed 3, which emerged last year, uses embedding models that transform data into numerical representations. Embeddings have become crucial in retrieval augmented generation (RAG) because enterprises can make embeddings of their documents that the model can then compare to get the information requested by the prompt. 

Your search can see now.

We’re excited to release fully multimodal embeddings for folks to start building with! pic.twitter.com/Zdj70B07zJ

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— Aidan Gomez (@aidangomez) October 22, 2024

The new multimodal version can generate embeddings in both images and texts. Cohere claims Embed 3 is “now the most generally capable multimodal embedding model on the market.” Aidan Gonzales, Cohere co-founder and CEO, posted a graph on X showing performance improvements in image search with Embed 3. 

The image-search performance of the model across a range of categories is quite compelling. Substantial lifts across nearly all categories considered. pic.twitter.com/6oZ3M6u0V0— Aidan Gomez (@aidangomez) October 22, 2024

“This advancement enables enterprises to unlock real value from their vast amount of data stored in images,” Cohere said in a blog post. “Businesses can now build systems that accurately and quickly search important multimodal assets such as complex reports, product catalogs and design files to boost workforce productivity.”

Cohere said a more multimodal focus expands the volume of data enterprises can access through an RAG search. Many organizations often limit RAG searches to structured and unstructured text despite having multiple file formats in their data libraries. Customers can now bring in more charts, graphs, product images, and design templates. 

Performance improvements

Cohere said encoders in Embed 3 “share a unified latent space,” allowing users to include both images and text in a database. Some methods of image embedding often require maintaining a separate database for images and text. The company said this method leads to better-mixed modality searches. 

According to the company, “Other models tend to cluster text and image data into separate areas, which leads to weak search results that are biased toward text-only data. Embed 3, on the other hand, prioritizes the meaning behind the data without biasing towards a specific modality.”

Embed 3 is available in more than 100 languages. 

Cohere said multimodal Embed 3 is now available on its platform and Amazon SageMaker. 

Playing catch up

Many consumers are fast becoming familiar with multimodal search, thanks to the introduction of image-based search in platforms like Google and chat interfaces like ChatGPT. As individual users get used to looking for information from pictures, it makes sense that they would want to get the same experience in their working life. 

Enterprises have begun seeing this benefit, too, as other companies that offer embedding models provide some multimodal options. Some model developers, like Google and OpenAI, offer some type of multimodal embedding. Other open-source models can also facilitate embeddings for images and other modalities. The fight is now on the multimodal embeddings model that can perform at the speed, accuracy and security enterprises demand. 

Cohere, which was founded by some of the researchers responsible for the Transformer model (Gomez is one of the writers of the famous “Attention is all you need” paper), has struggled to be top of mind for many in the enterprise space. It updated its APIs in September to allow customers to switch from competitor models to Cohere models easily. At the time, Cohere had said the move was to align itself with industry standards where customers often toggle between models. 

Ro co-founder and CEO Zachariah Reitano said while he’d “never say never” about potentially taking the seven-year-old telehealth company public, he thinks the benefits of being a private company are growing.

Reitano dodged multiple questions from Axios reporter Dan Primack about whether or not the company has plans to IPO in the near term — or in general — at Axios’s BFD event on October 22nd.

“I might give an unsatisfying answer, but the truth is that right now, we are exclusively focused on delivering the highest quality product for our patients,” Reitano said.

Ro has raised more than $1 billion in venture capital from the likes of General Catalyst, Initialized Capital and Torch Capital, among many others. Ro most recently raised a $150 million in a round led by ShawSpring Partners that valued the company at around $6.6 billion.

Reitano’s sentiment is likely one shared by other late-stage startup founders as venture-backed companies continue to stay private longer, according to PitchBook data. Another factor keeping companies private is the rise of the secondaries market as an increasingly common way to give investors and employees some liquidity — although the majority of activity surrounds a handful of companies.

He also talked about the company’s big “uncomfortable bet” on weight loss drugs that became available on the platform in 2023. Ro was founded in 2017 by Rob Schutz, Saman Rahmanian and Reitano as a telehealth company focused on erectile disfunction. The company expanded to more men’s and women’s health categories including hair growth, fertility and skin health. But it has now become well known as a provider of multiple GLP-1s options.

Reitano said the company began developing the program to offer such drugs in 2021 and moved a significant percentage of its resources into the category at the time. It is now one of the fastest growing sectors of its business.

“Providers want patients to have it, and patients desperately want it. Those things have never happened in any drug category before, and so from our perspective, the prevalence and widespread usage of GLP-1s is inevitable,” Reitano said.

He added that the expansion was natural at the time for the company as conditions like obesity impact many of the other health categories the company focuses on including fertility and sexual health conditions like erectile disfunction.

Best Fitbit smartwatch

$350

The Pixel Watch 3 adds a host of new fitness features, brighter screens, and nifty Google integrations.

Best budget Fitbit

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is a minimalist fitness band that delivers notifications and tracks your activity on a bright OLED screen.

Best Fitbit fitness tracker

The Fitbit Charge 6 features a haptic side button, an improved heart rate algorithm, turn-by-turn navigation with Google Maps, and the ability to broadcast your heart rate on certain Bluetooth gym equipment.

Best Fitbit for kids

$80

Fitbit’s fitness tracker for children sticks to the basics, comes with parental controls, and has eight days of battery life.

Should you even buy a Fitbit right now?

More than 10,000 professional actors, musicians, writers, and other creators have signed a petition urging against AI using their work without permission for training. British composer Ed Newton-Rex wrote the statement and set up the signature collection. The ranks of signers include many famous names. They range from Hollywood stars like Kevin Bacon and Julianne Moore to record-selling musicians and composers like Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus and best-selling authors Harlan Coben and Ted Chiang. The statement itself is brief and to the point:

“The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted.”

SPADEX (Space Docking Experiment) is one of ISRO’s most significant steps towards developing autonomous docking technology, crucial for India’s growing space ambitions. Docking systems allow two spacecraft to connect in orbit, enabling critical operations like assembling space stations, refueling, or transferring astronauts and cargo. SPADEX is key to achieving India’s long-term space exploration goals, including manned spaceflight, satellite maintenance, and future space station construction.

The mission involves two vehicles—‘Chaser’ and the ‘Target’—coming together and connecting in space. It will also test how well the combined spacecraft maintains stability and control after docking, ensuring smooth operations for future missions.

Once docked, the two spacecraft will later separate to perform additional tasks. This experiment is crucial for ISRO to develop the skills needed for advanced missions, such as human spaceflight and lunar sample returns. Mastering these docking and rendezvous techniques is essential for the success of such ambitious operations.

Hyderabad-headquartered Ananth Technologies, an aerospace and defence company, successfully completed the satellite integration project for ISRO. This also marks a private player joining the SPADEX Mission. Ananth Technologies Private Limited (ATL) successfully assembled two 400 kg satellites for ISRO and delivered them to the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru. This centre is responsible for designing and developing satellites for various space missions. “We have been manufacturing electronic subsystems for ISRO since 2000 and have been an integral part of every Indian space programme over the last two decades,” Subba Rao Pavuluri, chairman of ATL, said.

ALSO READ: Why ISRO’s involvement in ESA’s PROBA-3 mission is a milestone

ISRO usually builds its satellites at the URSC. However, for the first time, the complete assembly, integration and testing of satellites have been handled by an Indian private company at a private facility. This change is possible thanks to the recent space sector reforms, which provide more opportunities for private companies to participate in India’s space missions. Since the satellites have arrived at the URSC, they will soon be transported by truck to the Indian Spaceport in Sriharikota. There, they will undergo further testing, be fuelled, and be prepared for launch in the coming months.

“Docking plays a vital role in managing space stations and undertaking complex space projects. Astronauts travelling to a space station depend on precise docking to connect their spacecraft safely, allowing them to transfer smoothly between vehicles. This process ensures a secure journey and helps complete missions successfully, whether the astronauts remain in space or return to Earth,” remarked space expert Girish Linganna.

He said when two satellites approach each other at speeds of around 8 kilometres per second, they must coordinate carefully to avoid a collision. Using cameras or lasers, the lead satellite slows down to allow the trailing one to catch up smoothly. Once aligned, the two satellites connect to form a larger system. These precise connections enable more complex operations and allow multiple components to function together, expanding what can be achieved in space beyond the limits of a single satellite.

“In addition to supporting human spaceflight, docking is critical for constructing larger space structures. By connecting different spacecraft and modules, docking makes it possible to build advanced facilities in orbit and expand space exploration. Without these techniques, large-scale space projects would not be feasible,” added Linganna.

READ MORE: Ananth Technologies successfully completes satellite integration project for ISRO

ISRO has acquired two satellites, each weighing 400 kg, for a SPADEX mission. In this mission, a single rocket will launch both satellites into space, placing them in slightly different orbits. This setup is essential to test how well the satellites can approach, align and dock with each other in orbit, demonstrating key technologies for future missions.

The two satellites, travelling at about 28,000 km/h (or around 8 km per second), will carefully align with each other to perform a ‘space handshake’, where they will connect and attach mechanically, becoming a single unit in orbit. This experiment is important because mastering docking is essential for future missions, such as Chandrayaan-4 and India’s proposed Bharatiya Antariksha Space Station.

The history of docking systems dates back to the Cold War when the Soviet Union achieved the first successful docking in space. On October 30, 1967, the Soviets completed the historic docking of Kosmos 186 and *Kosmos 188—the first fully automated docking between two unmanned spacecraft. This paved the way for later space exploration efforts, including long-term stays aboard space stations. The United States followed this with the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975, which was the first international docking between NASA and the Soviet space agency, marking a new era of cooperation despite ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Docking technology has evolved considerably since then. Early systems required significant manual input from astronauts, but advances in automation have changed this dramatically. Russia’s Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, which service the ISS, have highly reliable automated docking systems. NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which relies on spacecraft like SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, also uses automated systems, often with the International Docking System Standard (IDSS) for compatibility across different space missions. China, too, has developed its Tianzhou cargo spacecraft, which docks autonomously with the Tiangong space station, showcasing its growing sophistication in space operations.

“India’s SPADEX experiment is unique because it focuses on developing indigenous, scalable, and cost-effective docking technology. This experiment involves two spacecraft docking autonomously in orbit, demonstrating precision, navigation, and control capabilities critical for future missions. SPADEX is designed to serve a wide range of spacecraft sizes and mission objectives, including potential collaborations for building space stations or deep space exploration,” remarked Srimathy Kesan, founder and CEO of Space Kidz India, which is into design, fabrication and launch of small satellites, spacecraft and ground systems.

India is advancing in space exploration at an accelerated pace. ISRO’s recent successes, such as the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which made a soft landing on the Moon’s south pole, and the launch of Aditya-L1 to study the Sun, demonstrate the agency’s capabilities. “SPADEX aligns with these achievements, reinforcing ISRO’s long-term vision for space exploration, especially as the Gaganyaan mission approaches. Gaganyaan, India’s first manned mission scheduled for 2025, will require docking technology to ensure safe crew transfer and module operations. SPADEX is integral to this, as autonomous docking will be essential for future crewed missions, satellite servicing, and space station operations,” said Kesan.