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Spain is getting rid of its golden visa and plans 100% tax on homes bought by non-EU residents

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People are benchmarking AI by having it make balls bounce in rotating shapes

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AI benchmark; yellow 'ball' on black background

The list of informal, weird AI benchmarks keeps growing.

Over the past few days, some in the AI community on X have become obsessed with a test of how different AI models, particularly so-called reasoning models, handle prompts like this: “Write a Python script for a bouncing yellow ball within a shape. Make the shape slowly rotate, and make sure that the ball stays within the shape.”

Some models manage better on this “ball in rotating shape” benchmark than others. According to one user on X, Chinese AI lab DeepSeek’s freely available R1 swept the floor with OpenAI’s o1 pro mode, which costs $200 per month as a part of OpenAI’s ChatGPT Pro plan.

Per another X poster, Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro models misjudged the physics, resulting in the ball escaping the shape. Other users reported that Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental, and even OpenAI’s older GPT-4o, aced the evaluation in one go.

But what does it prove that an AI can or can’t code a rotating, ball-containing shape?

Well, simulating a bouncing ball is a classic programming challenge. Accurate simulations incorporate collision detection algorithms, which try to identify when two objects (e.g. a ball and the side of a shape) collide. Poorly written algorithms can affect the simulation’s performance or lead to obvious physics mistakes.

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X user N8 Programs, a researcher in residence at AI startup Nous Research, says it took him roughly two hours to program a bouncing ball in a rotating heptagon from scratch. “One has to track multiple coordinate systems, how the collisions are done in each system, and design the code from the beginning to be robust,” N8 Programs explained in a post.

But while bouncing balls and rotating shapes are a reasonable test of programming skills, they’re not a very empirical AI benchmark. Even slight variations in the prompt can — and do — yield different outcomes. That’s why some users on X report having more luck with o1, while others say that R1 falls short.

If anything, viral tests like these point to the intractable problem of creating useful systems of measurement for AI models. It’s often difficult to tell what differentiates one model from another, outside of esoteric benchmarks that aren’t relevant to most people.

Many efforts are underway to build better tests, like the ARC-AGI benchmark and Humanity’s Last Exam. We’ll see how those fare — and in the meantime watch GIFs of balls bouncing in rotating shapes.

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Whales shift to CATZILLA as DOGE and SHIB struggle, eyeing a potential 12,000% surge

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Whales shift to CATZILLA as DOGE and SHIB struggle, eyeing a potential 12,000% surge

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

As Bitcoin and Ethereum soar, CATZILLA gains traction, outpacing DOGE and SHIB in investor interest and growth potential.

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In the current crypto surge, attention is shifting toward a newcomer as Bitcoin and Ethereum soar. Major investors show increasing interest in CATZILLA, while veteran favorites like DOGE and SHIB face challenges in keeping pace. The question on many minds is whether this emerging digital asset could become the next big sensation with phenomenal growth potential.

CATZILLA: A new giant roars in the meme coin arena

As Bitcoin and Ethereum push the crypto market upward, all eyes are on CATZILLA, the new contender poised to disrupt the meme coin space. With DOGE and SHIB facing waning momentum, CATZILLA is stepping into the spotlight, blending viral meme culture with massive growth potential. Its playful yet chaotic theme — a Godzilla-sized cat wreaking havoc — taps into Japanese kaiju-inspired storytelling, captivating both crypto investors and anime fans alike.

CATZILLA is more than just a meme; it’s a movement. With its bold narrative, unique gameplay, and vibrant community, this new meme coin has the potential to redefine the space, offering a fresh perspective on the intersection of entertainment and financial opportunity.

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The CATZILLA advantage: From meme to massive gains

Unlike fleeting meme coins that rise and fall overnight, CATZILLA is building a sustainable path to long-term success. Its 14-stage presale structure ensures early investors benefit from gradual price increases, with a projected 700% ROI already turning heads.

The coin operates on three pillars of value:

  1. Epic Gameplay: A gamified experience that keeps players and investors engaged.
  2. A Unified Mission: Challenging crypto manipulation with a vision for fairness and decentralization.
  3. A Thriving Community: A hub for cat lovers, anime enthusiasts, and crypto degens seeking financial freedom.

With a playful yet rebellious mission, CATZILLA is not just another token — it’s a symbol of resistance against greed and inequality in the crypto world.

Ride the wave: CATZILLA is ready to dominate

CATZILLA is rallying a legion of fans and investors to join its movement. Its larger-than-life persona and engaging narrative make it a standout among meme coins, while its transparent roadmap ensures confidence in its long-term potential.

Intereted investors wouldn’t want to  miss the opportunity to join the feline frenzy! CATZILLA is gaining momentum, and the next 12,000% superstar could be just around the corner.

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Dogecoin’s trend hints at potential growth in altcoin season

Dogecoin is showing signs of bouncing back. Recently, the price has been between about 30 and 43 cents. While it has dipped by nearly 8% in the past week, it’s still up over 165% in the last 6 months. The nearest resistance is just below 50 cents, with more significant resistance above 60 cents. If DOGE manages to break these levels, it could ride the bullish wave. The Moving Averages suggest sideways motion, but relative strength and stochastic indicators suggest more room for upward movement. The market may soon favor altcoins like Dogecoin, sparking new interest and possibly leading to notable gains.

Shiba Inu Price poised for a bullish surge after recent dip

Shiba Inu (SHIB) has seen a recent price dip. Its current range is $0.00001827 to $0.00002364. This drop marks a 10.64% decline over the past week and 16.27% over the month. Yet, it shows a 15.58% rise over six months. The price is near support at $0.00001625. If it stays strong, SHIB could break past $0.00002699 resistance. The RSI is under 50, suggesting the market may shift upward. Potential growth could lead to breaking the second resistance at $0.00003236, a rise of about 27% from the current range. Keep an eye on these levels for signs of a bullish trend.

Conclusion

As DOGE and SHIB show less short-term potential, Catzilla emerges as the leading meme coin aiming to bring financial freedom to all. Offering a 700% ROI during its presale from $0.0002 to $0.0016 over 14 stages, it combines governance rights, loyalty rewards, and staking benefits. Catzilla invites enthusiasts to join the fight for financial liberation by acquiring CATZILLA tokens.

To learn more about Catzilla, visit the website, X, Telegram chat.

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Disclosure: This content is provided by a third party. crypto.news does not endorse any product mentioned on this page. Users must do their own research before taking any actions related to the company.

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Canada to monitor crypto transactions for drug money

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Canada’s FINTRAC updates AML strategies, emphasizing cryptocurrency’s role in combating synthetic opioid-related money laundering.

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Adults with ADHD have a shorter life expectancy, study finds

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People with ADHD tend to struggle more at school and at work, and have worse physical and mental health than those without it. They’re also more likely to grapple with the criminal justice system and homelessness, according to the researchers.

People with ADHD tend to struggle more at school and at work, and have worse physical and mental health than those without it. They’re also more likely to grapple with the criminal justice system and homelessness, according to the researchers.

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Over a billion credentials stolen were stolen in malware attacks in 2024

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Over a billion credentials stolen were stolen in malware attacks in 2024


  • Billions of passwords are breached each year, SpecOps report claims
  • Millions of users are guilty of poor password hygiene
  • Strong passwords are the first line of defense against data breaches

Passwords are being breached at an alarming rate, and threat actors are gaining access to victims accounts through weak and easily compromised credentials, experts have warned.

New research from SpecOps has revealed over a billion passwords were stolen in malware attacks in a 12 month period, highlighting just how widespread the issue is.

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US Congress starts investigating crypto debanking allegations

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US Congress starts investigating crypto debanking allegations

The U.S. House Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into alleged debanking practices targeting crypto companies. 

On Friday, Committee Chair James Comer sent letters to prominent crypto executives, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Uniswap founder Hayden Adams, seeking information about reported banking restrictions.

The inquiry aims to assess whether financial institutions acted independently or were influenced by government pressure to deny services to crypto firms. 

These allegations, referred to as “Operation Choke Point 2.0,” draw parallels to an Obama-era initiative that targeted industries deemed high-risk for fraud. Recent reports suggest that federal regulators may have coordinated efforts to restrict crypto firms’ access to traditional banking services.

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Crypto’s regulatory turbulence in recent years

The investigation follows years of complaints from crypto founders about abrupt account closures and banking hurdles, particularly during the Biden administration. 

Lawmakers have expressed concerns that debanking stifles innovation and pushes technological advancements overseas. 

The committee also highlighted potential political discrimination, citing claims from industry leaders and First Lady Melania Trump’s memoir, which described a similar experience.

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TRUMP Spot Trading Volume Hits $38B Across Exchanges Within 5 Days: CryptoQuant

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Ripple Executives Meet Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago Event

The official meme coin of United States President Donald Trump has been a roaring success since its launch five days ago, witnessing high trading activity and investor participation.

Data analyzed by the on-chain intelligence firm CryptoQuant now shows that Official Trump (TRUMP) has recorded roughly $38 billion in total trading volume across centralized crypto exchanges since its release on January 17. The token’s spot trading volume topped $17 billion on January 19; however, the recent figure indicates that the volume has almost doubled over the past few days.

The TRUMP Pump

CryptoQuant found that the world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, dominated the spot trading volume with $16 billion, while other platforms like OKX and Bybit followed suit with $7 billion and $6 billion, respectively.

The Trump meme was promoted as a cryptocurrency created to express support for and engagement with Trump’s beliefs and ideals. These coins exist on the Solana blockchain, and 200 million TRUMP are currently in circulation, with the total supply expected to grow to one billion over the next three years.

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Less than two days after its launch, TRUMP became one of the top 20 altcoins on CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap (now at number 25), with a market cap of nearly $15 billion. The rally also made the token the second-biggest meme coin, trailing behind Dogecoin (DOGE).

Official Trump’s pump had never been seen before in the crypto space, so during the next few days after its launch, it ranked as the top trending token across the entire sector.

Significant Correction

Amid the growth in Official Trump’s market cap and spot trading volume, the token’s price skyrocketed from 0 to $72 in less than 48 hours. Although the meme coin’s price had corrected significantly by the time of writing, and it was trading at $35.88 on CoinMarketCap, TRUMP is still up more than 450% from its January 18 trading price of $7.

Noteworthily, Official Trump’s market cap now hovers around $7.18 billion, and analysts have attributed this drop in price and market cap to the launch of MELANIA, a competing meme coin by First Lady Melania Trump.

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Interestingly, President Trump attempted to downplay the success of TRUMP at a press briefing a day after his inauguration; however, it cannot be denied that the memecoin’s pump created new crypto millionaires overnight.

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Bitcoin Long-Term Holders Officially Enter Into Greed Territory, Is This Good Or Bad For Price?

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Bitcoin Long-Term Holders Officially Enter Into Greed Territory, Is This Good Or Bad For Price?

Este artículo también está disponible en español.

In a recent development, crypto analyst Ali Martinez revealed that Bitcoin long-term holders have officially entered greed territory. This could benefit the price in the short term, although the long-term consequences could be severe. The greed phase suggests that long-term Bitcoin holders are now excessively optimistic about BTC’s future trajectory.

Bitcoin Long-Term Holders Officially Enter Into Greed Territory

In an X post, Martinez stated that long-term Bitcoin holders, having experienced every phase of the market cycle, are now letting greed take over. In terms of market sentiment, these holders have moved from capitulation to hope, optimism, and then belief and are now in the greed phase.

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This excessive optimism typically leads these investors to accumulate more BTC impulsively without considering rational analyses. In the short term, this greed phase is bullish for the Bitcoin price since this market sentiment could spark more buying pressure and drive the flagship crypto higher.

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Bitcoin
BTC’s market dynamics in greed phase | Source: Ali Martinez on X

This buying pressure for Bitcoin already looks to be evident as on-chain analytics platform Santiment revealed that the number of wallets holding 100 to 1,000 BTC has broken an all-time high (ATH), rising to 15,777 wallets. The platform also mentioned that Bitcoin whales peaked up steam this week with the US inauguration and a new BTC ATH as transactions exceeding $100,00 surged to their highest level in six weeks. 

This greed phase is good for the BTC price, as it could continue to send the flagship crypto to new highs. However, in the long term, this excessive optimism could put BTC in overbought territory, eventually sparking a massive wave of sell-offs that would send the Bitcoin price tumbling. 

This greed phase among Bitcoin long-term holders looks to be sparked by optimism around Donald Trump’s pro-crypto administration and the strategic BTC reserve especially. This still poses a risk for the Bitcoin price since the flagship crypto could be trading well above its actual value if the BTC reserve isn’t eventually created. 

What Needs To Happen For BTC To Stay Bullish

In another X post, Ali Martinez warned that the Bitcoin price needs to stay above $97,530 to remain bullish. According to him, this price level is the key support level to watch for BTC, as holding above it is crucial to maintaining the current bullish momentum. Bitcoin is currently consolidating around this range after hitting a new ATH of $109,000 earlier this week. 

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Meanwhile, crypto analyst Crypto Rover highlighted the $102,000 support area as the most important for the BTC price right now. His accompanying chart showed that the flagship crypto could drop to as low as $98,000 if it drops below this support level. 

At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $104,900, up over 2% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

Bitcoin
BTC trading at $105,375 on the 1D chart | Source: BTCUSDT on Tradingview.com

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from Tradingview.com

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S&P 500 Sees Best Start for a President Since 1985 | Bloomberg: The Close 1/24/2025

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Bloomberg Television brings you the latest news and analysis leading up to the final minutes and seconds before and after the closing bell on Wall Street. Today’s guests are Jerome Schneider, PIMCO, John Ketchum, NextEra Energy, Gregory Francfort, Guggenheim Securities, Mike Sabel, Venture Global, Kara Murphy, Kestra Investment Management, Chris Cain, Bloomberg Intelligence, Angelo Zino, CFRA, Rashad Bilal & Troy Millings, Earn Your Leisure, Kevin Cohee, OneUnited Bank, Rohit Chopra, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (Source: Bloomberg)

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The AI industry’s pace has researchers stressed

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Hand squeezing yellow stress ball

To outside observers, AI researchers are in an enviable position. They’re sought after by tech giants. They’re taking home eye-popping salaries. And they’re in the hottest industry of the moment.

But all this comes with intense pressure.

More than half a dozen researchers TechCrunch spoke with, some of whom requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the AI industry’s breakneck pace has taken a toll on their mental health. Fierce competition between AI labs has fomented an isolating atmosphere, they say, while the rising stakes have ratcheted up stress levels.

“Everything has changed virtually overnight,” one researcher told me, “with our work — both positive and negative results — having huge impacts as measured by things like product exposure and financial consequences.”

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Just this past December, OpenAI hosted 12 livestreams during which it announced over a dozen new tools, models, and services. Google responded with tools, models, and services of its own in a dizzying array of press releases, social media posts, and blogs. The back-and-forth between the two tech giants was remarkable for its speed — speed that researchers say comes at a steep cost.

Grind and hustle

Silicon Valley is no stranger to hustle culture. With the AI boom, however, the public endorsement of overwork has reached troubling heights.

At OpenAI, it isn’t uncommon for researchers to work six days a week — and well past quitting time. CEO Sam Altman is said to push the company’s teams to turn breakthroughs into public products on grueling timelines. OpenAI’s ex-chief research officer, Bob McGrew, reportedly cited burnout as one of the reasons he left last September.

There’s no relief to be found at competing labs. The Google DeepMind team developing Gemini, Google’s flagship series of AI models, at one point stepped up from working 100 hours a week to 120 hours to fix a bug in a system. And engineers at xAI, Elon Musk’s AI company, regularly post about working nights that bleed into the wee hours of the morning.

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Why the relentless push? AI research today can have a sizeable impact on a company’s earnings. Google parent Alphabet lost some $90 billion in market value over the aforementioned bug, which caused Google’s Gemini chatbot to generate controversial depictions of historical figures.

“One of the biggest pressures is competitiveness,” Kai Arulkumaran, a research lead at AI services provider Araya, said, “combined with rapid timescales.”

Leaderboards above all

Some of this competition plays out very publicly.

On a monthly — and sometimes weekly — basis, AI companies gun to displace one another on leaderboards like Chatbot Arena, which rank AI models across categories like math and coding. Logan Kilpatrick, who leads product for several Google Gemini developer tools, said in a post on X that Chatbot Arena “has had a nontrivial impact on the velocity of AI development.”

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Not all researchers are convinced that’s a good thing. The industry’s velocity is such, they say, that they find their work at risk of being obsolesced before it can even ship.

“This makes many question their work’s value,” Zihan Wang, a robotics engineer working at a stealth AI startup, said. “If there is a huge probability that someone goes faster than me, what is the meaning of what I’m doing?”

Other researchers lament that the focus on productization has come at the expense of academic camaraderie.

“One of the underlying [causes of the stress] is the transition of AI researchers from pursuing their own research agendas in industry to moving to work on [AI models] and delivering solutions for products,” Arulkumaran said. “Industry set up an expectation that AI researchers could pursue academic research in industry, but this is no longer the case.”

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Another researcher said that — much to their consternation and distress — open collaboration and discussions about research are no longer the norm in industry, outside of a few AI labs that have embraced openness as a release strategy.

“Now there is increasingly a focus on commercialization, closed-source scaling, and execution,” the researcher said, “without contributing back to the scientific community.”

Running the grad gauntlet

Some researchers trace the seeds of their anxiety to their AI grad programs.

Gowthami Somepalli, a PhD student studying AI at the University of Maryland, said that research is being published so rapidly, it has become difficult for grad students to distinguish between fads and meaningful developments. That matters a lot, Somepalli said, because she has seen AI companies increasingly prioritize candidates with “extremely relevant experience.”

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“A PhD is generally quite an isolating and stressful experience, and a machine learning PhD is particularly challenging due to the field’s rapid progression and the ‘publish or perish’ mentality,” Somepalli said. “It can be especially stressful when many students in your lab are publishing 4 papers while you’re publishing only 1 or 2 papers a year.”

Somepalli said that, after the first two years of her grad program, she stopped taking vacations because she felt guilty about stepping away before she’d published any studies.

“I constantly suffered from impostor syndrome during my PhD and almost dropped out at the end of my first year,” she said.

The path forward

So what changes, if any, could foster a less punishing AI work environment? It’s tough to imagine the pace of development slowing any — not with so much cash at stake.

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Somepalli stressed small but impactful reform, like normalizing voicing one’s own challenges.

“One of the biggest problems … is that no one openly discusses their struggles; everyone puts on a brave face,” she said. “I believe [people] might feel better if they could see that others are struggling, too.”

Bhaskar Bhatt, an AI consultant at professional services company EY, says the industry should work to build “robust support networks” to combat feelings of isolation.

“Promoting a culture that values work-life balance, where individuals can genuinely disconnect from their work, is essential,” Bhatt said. “Organizations should foster a culture that values mental well-being as much as innovation, with tangible policies like reasonable work hours, mental health days, and access to counseling services.”

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Ofir Press, a postdoctoral student at Princeton, proposed fewer AI conferences and weeklong “pauses” on paper submissions so that researchers can take a break from tracking new work. And Raj Dabre, an AI researcher at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology in Japan, said researchers should be reminded in gentle ways of what’s really important.

“We need to educate people from the beginning that AI is just work,” Dabre said, “and we need to focus on family, friends, and the more sublime things in life.”

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