Face-to-Face with AI: Hyperrealistic Tutors Are Poised to Become a New Instructional Medium
The article highlights emerging hyperrealistic, conversational video tutors that act as face‑to‑face AI instructors. By combining lifelike visual agents with learning‑tuned models like Google’s LearnLM, these tutors can conduct real‑time dialogue, ask probing questions, and adapt to student responses. Companies such as Synthesia, HeyGen, and Speakology AI are already deploying streaming avatars and language‑practice platforms, serving thousands of learners. However, issues of instructional quality, privacy, equity, and teacher integration must be addressed before widespread adoption.
FDA Rejects Review of Moderna’s Experimental Flu Vaccine Data
Here the Moderna flu data the FDA refused to review. This is the most important slide from the company's study of its experimental flu vaccine-- exactly the data FDA said it wouldn't even review. And below is a thread of...
Face-to-Face with AI: Hyperrealistic Tutors Are Poised to Become a New Instructional Medium
The episode explores the emerging field of hyperrealistic, conversational video tutors—AI-driven visual agents that can engage learners in real‑time voice and video dialogue. It contrasts the old paradigm of static AI‑generated videos with a new responsive model that enables full...
Best Employee Engagement Software: Singapore and Malaysia’s Top Picks
The HR Vendors of the Year 2025 awards in Singapore and Malaysia highlighted the leading employee engagement platforms in the region. Rewardz captured the gold award in Singapore, while Fermion took gold in Malaysia, with Achievers, Pacific Prime, Budaya by Leaderonomics...
Gen Z Perspectives: NDP 2026, AI Caricatures and Do Mascots Still Matter?
Singapore’s National Day Parade 2026 is issuing a tender to appoint a creative agency that will design and manage a nationwide branding and publicity campaign through August 2026. IKEA Singapore jumped on the AI‑generated caricature craze, turning its popular panda,...
Antigen Orientation Boosts HPV Cancer SNA Vaccine, Slows Tumors in Models
Northwestern researchers engineered a spherical nucleic acid (SNA) vaccine in which the HPV16 E7 peptide is displayed at the nanoparticle surface via its N‑terminus. This N‑terminal orientation (N‑HSNA) generated up to eight‑fold higher interferon‑γ secretion and 2.5‑fold greater cytotoxicity than...
SANS Stormcast Friday, February 13th, 2026: SSH Bot; OpenSSH MacOS Change; Abused Employee Monitoring
The episode dives into a newly discovered SSH worm that can turn a compromised host into a botnet in just four seconds, highlighting its self‑propagation and cryptographically signed command‑and‑control mechanism. It then reviews the latest OpenSSH changes for macOS, emphasizing...
Hasbro Entertainment, Animaj Launch LUMEE
Hasbro Entertainment and kids‑media firm Animaj have launched LUMEE, a joint venture that consolidates their digital advertising inventory and audience insights. The platform offers COPPA‑compliant ad placements across YouTube and Connected TV, leveraging AI‑enhanced production for rapid branded content. LUMEE...
AI’s Impact on Workers and Organisations Depends More on Business Activities and Job Roles than Firm Size: MOM
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) told Parliament that AI’s effect on jobs hinges more on business activities and specific roles than on firm size. The ministry is analysing whether AI will complement or replace workers across both SMEs and multinational...
Engineers Now Manage AI Agents, Not Write Code
My biggest takeaways from Sherwin Wu : 1. AI is writing virtually all code at OpenAI. 95% of the engineers use Codex, and engineers who embrace these tools open 70% more pull requests than their peers, and that gap is...
Vaccine Play Iliad Draws Nine-Digit B Round; Denmark’s Gubra Launches Venture Creation Unit
Iliad Biotechnologies announced a $115 million Series B round, the largest venture deal of the week, led by RA Capital Management. New investors Janus Henderson and BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts also participated. The funding will accelerate Iliad’s intranasal vaccine program targeting pertussis...
MF Doom Estate Revives Temu Counterfeit Merch Lawsuit
A federal judge has allowed the MF Doom estate to proceed with a revised trademark infringement lawsuit against Temu, alleging the platform actively curates, advertises, and ships counterfeit merchandise bearing the late rapper’s mask and name. The original case was...
Wesfarmers Hedges AI Bets with Multi-Year Deals with Both Microsoft and Google
Australian retailer Wesfarmers has signed multi‑year agreements with both Microsoft and Google Cloud to accelerate AI adoption across its portfolio. The Microsoft deal brings Azure OpenAI, M365 Copilot and Copilot Studio to divisions such as Bunnings, Kmart and Priceline, while...
Better Satellite World: The State of Space in the State
The episode reviews the current landscape of New York’s space and satellite industry, anchored by Empire Space’s data-driven census and ecosystem mapping. Guests discuss how the state’s regulatory environment, talent pool, and funding ecosystem are shaping growth, with insights from Patterson...
AI Startups' Lies Expose Get‑rich‑quick Culture
So much lying with AI startups now This one lied they were a launch partner and had access to Seedance 2.0 already but didn't as ByteDance staff said they never released an API Last week Higgsfield got suspended for shady practices, now...
Energy Insiders Podcast: Why Batteries Are Getting Bigger and Marrying Solar
The Energy Insiders podcast featured Sam Reynolds, head of Octopus Australia, outlining plans to construct the country’s largest battery and the rise of solar‑battery hybrid projects. He explained how falling storage costs and grid‑balancing needs are driving batteries to scale...
Bluetooth Pacemakers Could Be Tracked via War‑Driving
For the Nancy Guthrie case, an idea and maybe a crazy one but she had a pacemaker which often implantable devices use bluetooth such as Medtronic's. Couldn't you war-drive (drones even better) with a high gain antenna with amplifiers -...
Growth Needs Systems, Not Just Speed
Growth is the dream of every operator (or at least your potential acquirer). But if you’re not careful, it can be the siren song of death. Hiring faster. Spending more. Scaling too soon. All in the name of “growth.” The reality is — growth...
Video of the Week: Aviation's Digital Inflection Point – From AI Hype to Operational Reality
The aviation industry is moving beyond hype as AI, cloud, biometrics and automation begin to deliver operational gains. Recent pilots in generative AI for disruption management, biometric boarding and dynamic retailing have shown tangible efficiency improvements. However, entrenched legacy systems,...
Stop Overthinking: Write Ten Takes on One Belief
If you keep stalling because you don’t have “enough ideas,” you’re overthinking. Start with one belief and write ten versions.
Direct Bug Reporting to Replit Agent Now Enabled
We’re closing the loop. Your users can now send bugs and feedback directly to Replit Agent.
Video of the Week: Aviation's Digital Inflection Point – From AI Hype to Operational Reality
Airlines are moving beyond hype to embed AI, biometrics and cloud tools into daily operations, yet success hinges on leadership, data integration and talent. Recent pilots in disruption management, biometric boarding and dynamic retail have shown measurable efficiency gains. Persistent...
Grab to Buy Majority of Stash for $425M
🇸🇬🌏Singapore's Grab agrees to acquire Stash Financial for initial $425m: Grab will acquire a 50.1% equity stake in @Stash by Q3 2026, with plans to acquire remaining shares from existing shareholders over a three-year period. @TylerPathe, @FinTech_Futures: https://t.co/KqNQdcjgR4 #WealthTech #WealthManagement #ecosystems #SoutheastAsia
Laser Weapon Airspace Closure Highlights Drone Policy Lag
Airspace Closure Over Laser Weapon Use A Glaring Example Of Drone Defense Policy Struggles After years of putting off the drone threat, the U.S. government is trying to do something about it, but policy is struggling to catch up. Story: https://t.co/VBGe87B1Ik
When Every Second Counts: Government Tech Helps First Responders’ Lifesaving Missions
Government labs are accelerating first‑responder capabilities through two NIST‑sponsored challenges. The prize competition pushes drones to generate high‑resolution 3D indoor maps, while the First Responder Smart Tracking (FRST) challenge develops rugged wearables that pinpoint personnel inside structures where GPS fails....
Stripe's Managed Payments Automate Tax, Fraud, Dispute Handling
pretty dope release from @stripe. add 1 line of code: {managed_payments: { enabled: true } and boom merchant of record is live don't have to worry about - sales tax - fraud - disputes
Identity Protection Is Key to Combating Fraud
Why Identity Protection and Cybersecurity Are Central to Fighting Fraud by @ChuckDBrooks https://t.co/hftYQY0W6B #cybersecurity #fraud
Transparency in Coverage Proposed Rule Aims to Make Price Files More Usable
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a December proposed rule to overhaul the Transparency in Coverage (TiC) machine‑readable files, with implementation slated for 2027. The rule would filter out payment rates that never apply to a...
Bringing End-to-End AP Automation Into Dynamics 365 Business Central: What Partners Need to Know
Mekorma and Continia announced a joint solution that delivers end‑to‑end accounts payable automation directly inside Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for North American customers. Continia provides OCR‑driven invoice capture, approval routing, and document management, while Mekorma adds vendor onboarding, compliance validation,...
MSDW Podcast: Understanding 2026 Tax Changes with Avalara's Scott Peterson
Avalara released its 2026 Tax Changes Report, highlighting “off the charts” growth in U.S. transaction taxes. In a sponsored MSDW podcast, Avalara VP Scott Peterson explained how federal income‑tax reforms will affect state tax structures. He noted that many states...
From the Microsoft Power Platform Blogs: Power Apps MCP; Data Change Request Architecture; Build Reusable Component Collection; Power Apps Error...
Microsoft announced a public preview of Power Apps MCP (Model Context Protocol) and a redesigned agent feed, allowing AI agents to automate routine tasks within low‑code business applications. The AI assistants can ingest emails or documents, extract key data, and...
Introducing the Terraform State Provider for Pulumi ESC
Pulumi has launched a new Terraform State provider for its ESC platform, allowing teams to import Terraform output values directly into ESC environments. The provider reads state files from local, S3, or Terraform Cloud backends and exposes outputs as first‑class...
Custom Kernels for All From Codex and Claude
Hugging Face released a 550‑token CUDA‑kernel agent skill that equips coding agents like Claude and Codex with architecture‑aware optimization knowledge. The skill was used to generate production‑ready RMSNorm, RoPE, GEGLU and AdaLN kernels for a diffusers video pipeline and a...
Passwordless PostgreSQL: IAM Authentication with Pulumi
Pulumi now offers reusable components to enable AWS IAM authentication for Aurora PostgreSQL, allowing applications to connect using short‑lived tokens instead of static passwords. The setup provisions an RDS cluster with IAM authentication, creates IAM‑enabled database users, and configures IRSA...
Microsoft Dynamics Partner Roundup: New Microsoft Clients; Housing Services Win; Manufacturing Industry Lead
Microsoft Dynamics partners announced several strategic moves this week. Endeavor4 added over 60 former DataSys clients, extending its ERP support across North America. Solvares Field Service and Infinity Group secured Saxon Weald as their first joint housing customer, deploying a scheduling...
The Little Battery that Could Pave the Way for Ageing Coal Generators to Be Shut Down on Schedule
Australia’s renewable rollout hinges on grid‑forming inverters, a technology that can mimic the inertia and fault‑current support traditionally supplied by large synchronous condensers. Early results from the 25‑50 MW Darlington Point battery, built with these inverters, show it can stabilise frequency...
Payers Pledge To Launch Digital Health Payment Models Like CMS’ ACCESS
On Feb 12, HHS announced that health insurers covering roughly 165 million Americans have pledged to implement digital‑health reimbursement models modeled on CMS’s ACCESS program by Jan 1 2028. The ACCESS model adjusts payments based on measurable patient‑outcome impact, shifting from volume‑based to value‑based...
AGI Arrives When No Test Shows Human‑AI Gap
Reaching AGI won't be beating a benchmark. It will be the end of the human-AI gap. Benchmarks are simply a way to estimate the current gap, which is why we need to continually release new benchmarks (focused on the remaining...
Over 55% of Enterprise Buyers Ask AI First. Is Your Brand On the Shortlist?
Enterprise buyers are increasingly turning to generative AI before traditional search, with 55% of large firms starting research with AI. This shift moves the sensemaking phase—defining problems, categories, and criteria—upstream into conversational interfaces, effectively shaping the Day One shortlist. Reports show...
TMTB EOD Wrap
The episode discusses the recent market downturn, highlighted by a 2% drop in QQQs, as AI disruption spreads beyond software and internet sectors into areas like property management and freight logistics. It examines how AI is turning into a net...
Future Of TikTok U.S.: A Conversation With Keen's Bradley Keefer
TikTok’s U.S. platform, now under new ownership, suffered early outages and a 150% surge in uninstalls, yet ad spend remained steady. Sensor Tower data shows ad costs fell roughly 36% while ROI climbed 60% year‑over‑year, according to Keen Decision Systems’...
Australia’s Home Battery Boom Risks Locking Households Into Closed Ecosystems
Australia’s home battery market has surged past 210,000 installations, spurred by the federal Cheaper Home Batteries scheme. Tech entrepreneur Simon Hackett warns that most of these systems are locked to proprietary software, preventing third‑party control. The scheme only requires VPP‑readiness,...
Biotech IPOs Deliver Median -15% Return, Outperforming Losses
Humbling 30 year Biotech stats shared by @verdadcap in a recent report: Just over 1,000 biotechs hit $200M mkt cap at some point. Of those, 67% have lost value (had cumulative negative returns), vs 48% for all other US companies....
Capital Markets Reshape Translational Therapeutics Landscape
The Catalyst Machine | Ep. 931 How Capital Markets Quietly Rewired Translational Therapeutics https://t.co/lWNRxW0wuQ https://t.co/l14X2JfrLX
TikTok and Fabulate Team up to Scale Creator Content Across APAC with AI at the Core
TikTok has partnered with Fabulate to embed its Symphony generative‑AI suite into the influencer‑marketing platform, creating a unified workflow for brands and creators across APAC. The integration adds AI dubbing, video generation and licensed digital avatars directly into Fabulate’s SparQ 2.0...
Affordable Duckweed Lines & Stellar Service From Rutgers
I had such a fantastic experience with the Duckweed archivists at the Rutgers Duckweed Stock Cooperative. Many of their lines are open for commercial entities too for just $170+ship. Got some great duckweed for rapid prototyping in and customer service...
Biotech Earnings: Neurocrine Drops, Alnylam Faces Skepticism
Earnings roundup: Neurocrine slumps, Alnylam battles skeptics and Ascendis eyes a competitor https://t.co/kU1ex80A24 by @realJacobBell $NBIX - 10% $ALNY - 4% $ASND - 2% $BBIO #biotech
ULA Encounters New Issue Despite Earlier Fix
Interesting situation for ULA. Not great to see after the previous issue that we thought was fixed.
Ideal Clients Crave Clarity, Not Convincing.
The right clients don’t need you to convince them. They need you to be clear.
