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Student loan debt has an influence over borrowers’ career choices long after graduation, affecting their job satisfaction, career advancement, and investment strategies. According to a recent study conducted by MissionSquare Research Institute, the debt that’s carried by one in four Americans under 40 affects job-acceptance decisions for 56% of public-sector employees and 62% of those working in the private sector. “When they choose to accept . . . jobs, [the] majority of them have considered how that position or that job can help them with their student loan debt,” says the report’s author and MissionSquare’s head of research, Zhikun Liu. “It not only impacts people’s day-to-day financials, but also their morale at work, job acceptance, as well as their retention.” While most professionals take salary into consideration, Liu says borrowers are more likely to view compensation as a top priority, even at the expense of other factors like job satisfaction or advancement opportunities. That was especially true among male, Black, and Hispanic borrowers, according to the survey, who were about 10% more likely to view the debt as a significant factor in their career choices. Perhaps that is why retention rates were significantly lower among borrowers, with just 39% saying they wanted to stay with their current employer, compared with 61% of those without student loans. “We find that student debt leads to short-term financial planning and limited investment opportunities, which in turn hinders wealth accumulation and retirement planning,” Liu says. “They cannot take more risks, and their financial planning horizon is within the next few months, or within the year, versus [planning for] the next five, 10 years.” Borrowers are less satisfied with their jobs long after graduation According to the study, younger workers are more likely to say that student loan debt has limited their career advancement opportunities. Borrowers of all ages, however, report higher levels of career dissatisfaction and lower levels of loyalty to their current employer. According to the MissionSquare survey, more than a third of borrowers said the debt has served as a barrier to career advancement. Furthermore, while 18% of public sector employees without student loan debt report low work morale, the proportion jumps to 23% among borrowers. “It does force some trade-offs,” says Cassie Spencer, a career coach who works with students, recent graduates and mid-career professionals. “You may need to live at home for longer, if you can, or move to a smaller city with more affordable living costs, but that can mean [fewer] job growth opportunities.” Not being able to afford rent in a major city while paying down student loans or feeling pressure to take a less desirable job—or one with more limited career advancement potential—to secure a higher starting salary can reduce borrowers’ job satisfaction, employer loyalty, and long-term prospects. Furthermore, as graduates get older, Spencer says the debt often forces borrowers to delay major milestones—like purchasing a home, starting a family, starting a business, or changing careers—which can make them feel stuck. “It becomes a decision of, ‘do I continue to work in this job or this industry that I don’t love, or that I feel is having a negative impact on my life and my mental health, for something that could be better, even though the pay is not there?’” she says. “A lot of people in their early to mid-30s are not homebuyers yet; a lot of people are delaying starting a family; and there’s a lot of factors, but I think student loan debt is one of those factors.” Borrowers are better at pursuing professional development Though there are many challenges associated with student loan debt, it’s not all bad news for borrowers. This research suggests the added burden inspires them to pursue more professional development and educational credentials. According to the MissionSquare study, those with student loan debt are 37% more likely to say they are pursuing a professional development goal—such as new skills, responsibilities, leadership opportunities, and credentials—or have already achieved it. The desire for additional skills training at an affordable rate and at a quick pace has inspired many borrowers to pursue one-year master’s programs that begin during undergrad, often referred to as “accelerated Masters” or “four-plus-one” programs. “The influx of four-plus-one programs and the rise in students specifically looking for accelerated, shorter-term programs is astronomical,” Spencer says. She adds that such programs can help recent graduates begin their careers at a higher salary level, though there are risks, as it does add to their debt and makes it harder to switch careers later on. “Gen Z is already a generation that really does want to invest in their skills, and they want employers that are going to invest in them,” says Christine Cruzvergara, the chief education strategy officer for Gen Z career platform Handshake. “For those with student loans in this generation, it’s even more so.” The long-term financial implications of student loan debt Taking on such a significant debt load at such a young age can also make it harder for borrowers to set and achieve long-term financial goals. Borrowers are less likely to also be investors, according to the MissionSquare study, and those that were reported a much shorter investment horizon. As a result, public sector employees with student loan debt were 14% more likely to strongly agree that their retirement savings are inadequate, as well as 9% of private sector staff. According to a recent survey conducted by Handshake 54% of borrowers say their student loan debt is a major source of stress, including 61% of Black and first-generation borrowers. “For some it can be crippling because they either don’t have the support or the knowledge or the teaching from anyone to know how to manage all of this,” Cruzvergara says, adding that it can also inspire borrowers to learn about personal finance sooner. “You can choose to make this motivational for you, and, quite frankly, get smart about your finances very early in your life.” How employers can help student borrowers—and themselves Cruzvergara advises all young people—but especially borrowers—to seek out the education and advice they need to manage their money responsibly. She also implores organizations seeking to hire young talent to offer student loan repayment plans, a perk which 25% of undergraduates in the Handshake survey say is essential, but one that just a tenth of full-time employers offer. With most of this year’s graduates leaving school with debt, Cruzvergara says employers should also remain open-minded about where they’re recruiting from. After all, in an environment where loans can have lasting career and lifestyle implications, some of the savviest students are intentionally turning down brand-name schools for more affordable alternatives. “It doesn’t mean the student couldn’t get into the expensive private school that has a better brand name, but maybe it does mean that that student made a smart financial decision from the get-go not to take on all of that debt,” she says. “So, that talent might actually be just as good, just as smart, just as intelligent, but may not be at the brand name school that the employer has historically recruited at.” View the full article

Starchitecture is heading to the moon. A lunar design from the international architecture and design firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is part of a just-launched rocket mission that expects to land on the moon in early March. Not architecture per se, the design encases a shoebox-size data storage center that’s attempting to prove the concept of off-world disaster recovery services. Commissioned by Florida startup Lonestar Data Holdings, the solar-powered 8-terabyte data storage device is tacked onto the side of the lunar lander now making its way to the moon. A thin, 3D-printed object with sleek curves and a matte-black finish, BIG’s design sets a higher bar than the wire-jumbled scientific instruments typically seen on space missions. “As we prepare to return to the moon to stay, it is important that everything we do these coming years of lunar settlement is done with intention and care,” Bjarke Ingels, BIG founder and creative director, tells Fast Company. “We are laying the cornerstones of the lunar society we are about to establish. As such, every step of the way holds significance for the future.” [Image: Lonestar Data Holdings]The 10-by-7-inch device’s exterior is designed to cast shadows of the silhouetted faces of NASA astronauts Charlie Duke and Nicole Stott as the sun passes overhead. This may end up more of a design intention than a reality, as a photo of the lander shows the device crammed alongside other wiring and instruments with limited open space to cast those shadows. [Image: Lonestar Data Holdings]The data storage device is attached to the side of Athena, a lander developed by Houston startup Intuitive Machines (IM), through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. IM’s first lunar lander, Odysseus, made history in February 2024 by becoming the first commercial spacecraft ever to land on the moon. This new mission, IM-2, launched February 26 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk-owned SpaceX. Transit will take about one week, and the lander is expected to attempt lunar contact around March 6. The Athena lander is carrying NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations, including a drill and mass spectrometer that will measure the potential presence of volatiles or gases in the lunar soil, and a laser retroreflector array that can give future spacecraft a navigational reference point on the lunar surface. Also aboard the rocket carrying Athena is NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer, an orbiter that will map the different forms of water that exist on the surface of the moon, providing key information for future settlement and exploration. The data storage device has more modest implications for humanity. As a proof of concept for backing up data in case of terrestrial disaster, the solar-powered data center will operate for just one lunar day, or about two weeks here on Earth. Ingels argues that the project still merits a level of attention to design. “Even if modest in scale, this data center is one of very few artifacts designed to remain part of the lunar landscape for years to come,” he says. So while BIG’s design won’t actually be functional for very long, the device will become the first piece of high design to make it to the moon. It probably won’t be the last. View the full article

Decision comes as ministers bet on expansion of London’s airports to boost economic growth View the full article

Yope is the latest photo-sharing app vying to take on Instagram and TikTok. The pitch? A hybrid of a private Instagram and a group chat. While WhatsApp and Snapchat allow for group messaging and Instagram offers private accounts, Yope blends the best of both—creating a space where users can share photos exclusively with their chosen circles. Launched in September 2024, Yope has grown exponentially over the past six months, now boasting 2.2 million monthly active users and 800,000 daily active users, many of whom are in the investor-coveted Gen Z demographic. The company also claims that 40% of users are still active on the app seven days after installing it. According to TechCrunch, Yope has raised an initial seed round of $4.65 million on a valuation of $50 million. Users can create and name groups, invite friends, and post photos exclusively within those spaces. Each group features a wall where Yope’s machine-learning technology stitches images into a continuously evolving photo collage. The app also offers a lock screen feature similar to the app Locket, displaying the most recent shared photos. A Snapchat-like streak function boosts engagement, while the “recap” feature—akin to Google Photos and Apple’s Photos app—compiles shared images into a slideshow. Videos posted by Yope ambassadors on TikTok and Instagram have racked up more than 56 million views, and the company told TechCrunch that 70% to 80% of its users join through invites from friends. The app’s user base currently skews young, with an average age of 18. “Instagram and Snapchat have become platforms for curated content. While Gen Z users take a lot of photos, only 1% of them are shared,” Bahram Ismailau, Yope’s cofounder and CEO, told TechCrunch. Yope is betting on a shift away from public platforms like Instagram and X in favor of private, closed-group sharing—reminiscent of an earlier internet era. Other apps have tried to capture this nostalgia. BeReal (RIP) had its moment, while Poparazzi and Locket also attempted—and failed—to redefine social media’s halcyon days. The question is: Can Yope succeed where others have fizzled out, or is it just another fleeting challenger to Instagram and TikTok? View the full article

Right-wing influencer and his brother were being held on multiple charges including sexual exploitationView the full article

The dramatic images of wealthy neighborhoods burning during the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires captured global attention, but the damage was much more widespread. Many working-class families lost their homes, businesses, and jobs. In all, more than 16,000 structures—most of them homes—were destroyed, leaving thousands of people displaced. The shock of this catastrophic loss has been reverberating across Southern California, driving up demand for rental homes and prices in an already unaffordable and competitive housing market. Many residents now face rebuilding costs that are expected to skyrocket. Climate-related disasters like this often have deep roots in policies and practices that overlook growing risks. In the Los Angeles area, those risks are now impossible to ignore. As the region starts to recover, communities have an opportunity to rebuild in better ways that can protect neighborhoods against a riskier future, but at the same time don’t price out low-income residents. Research shows that low-income residents struggle the most during and after a disaster. Disaster assistance also tends to benefit the wealthy, who may have more time and resources to navigate the paperwork and process. This can have long-term effects on inequality in a community. In Los Angeles County, where one-third of even moderate-income households spend at least half their income on housing, many residents may simply be unable to recover. My research at the University of San Diego focuses on managing risk in the face of climate change. I see several ways to design solutions that help low- and moderate-income residents recover while building a safer community for the future. Better building policies that recognize future risk Before a disaster, communities trying to adapt to climate change often prioritize protecting high-risk, high-value property, such as a beachfront or hillside neighborhood with wealthy homes. My own research also shows a trend toward incremental climate adaptations that don’t disturb the status quo too much and, as a result, leave many risks unaddressed. Climate risks are often underestimated, in part because of policy limitations and a political reluctance to consider unpopular solutions, such as restricting where people can build. Yet disasters once considered unimaginable, such as the Los Angeles wildfires, are occurring with increasing frequency. Making communities safer from these risks requires communitywide efforts. And that can mean making difficult decisions. Policy changes, such as updating zoning laws to prevent rebuilding in highly vulnerable areas, can avoid costly damage in the future. So can not building in risky areas in the first place. California already has some of the strictest wildfire-prevention codes in the country, but the same rules for new homes don’t apply to older homes. Communities can invest in programs to help these property owners retrofit their homes by offering grants or incentives to remove highly flammable landscaping or to “harden” existing homes to make them less vulnerable to burning. Research shows that resilience efforts can spur “climate gentrification,” or displacement due to increases in property values. So, focusing on affordability in resilience efforts is important. For long-term affordability and resilience, governments can collaborate with communities to develop strategies such as supporting Community Land Trusts through grants, low-interest loans, or land transfers; implementing zoning reforms to enable higher-density, climate-resilient affordable housing; and incentivizing green infrastructure to strengthen community resilience. In some cases, communities may have to consider managed retreat (moving people out of high-risk areas) but with adequate compensation and support for displaced residents to ensure that they can rebuild their lives elsewhere. [Image: Beverly Hills Fired Department] Making the risks clear through insurance Insurance rates can also encourage residents and communities to lower their risks. Yet in many places, insurance policies have instead obscured the risks, leaving homeowners less aware of how vulnerable their property may be. For years, insurers underpriced wildfire risk, driven by market competition. California policies also capped the premiums they could charge. As fire damage and rebuilding costs soared in recent years, insurers unwilling to shoulder more of the risk themselves pulled out of the state. That left countless Californians uninsured and hundreds of thousands reliant on the state-run insurance known as the FAIR Plan. The plan imposes caps on payouts and is now struggling to stay solvent, resulting in higher costs that insurers are expected to pass on to consumers. Insurance reforms could help reduce the financial burden on vulnerable populations while also lowering overall risk. To achieve this, the reforms could incentivize building more resilient homes in less risky areas. As seen with the L.A. fires, what your neighbor does matters. Reducing fire risk in each home can make entire neighborhoods safer. Insurers can provide a road map for how to reduce those risks, while state and local governments can provide assistance to retrofit homes and help ensure that insurance premiums remain affordable. There are also innovative approaches to fund resilience efforts that can include insurers. One example is New York’s Climate Change Superfund Act, which requires fossil fuel companies to finance climate adaptation efforts. Equipping communities with resilience hubs When disasters strike, local groups and neighbors play critical roles in stabilizing neighborhoods. But residents also need more specialized help to find housing and apply for disaster aid. Building resilience hubs in communities could help support residents before, during, and after disasters. The resilience hub in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles provides one model for what these spaces can achieve. It’s anchored in a community arts center with solar power and backup energy storage. Residents can drop in to cool down during heat waves or charge their phones during power outages. It also hosts community classes, including in disaster preparedness. During and after a disaster, resilience hubs can serve as central organizing points. They can provide crucial information, resources, and assistance with completing paperwork to access aid. Having access to skilled help in navigating what can be a complicated, time-consuming process is often critical, particularly for people who aren’t native English speakers. Getting assistance is also often critical for displaced renters, who may have little certainty about when or if they will be able to return to their homes. Understanding their legal rights can be confusing, and rising costs as rental housing is rebuilt can price them out of the market. Research shows that building a supportive community can provide a crucial social safety net when dealing with disasters and also boost the community’s social and economic well-being. Reframing policies for everyone The catastrophic L.A. wildfires were a powerful reminder that governments and communities need to think carefully about the risks they face and the role policies may play as they learn to live with greater fire risk. Building a resilient future in a warming world will require bold, innovative, and collective strategies that support communities while advancing equitable solutions. Nichole Wissman is an assistant professor of management at the University of San Diego. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

US president has threatened 25% duties on EU importsView the full article

It used to be that if you asked a classroom of kids what they want to be when they grow up, you’d get answers like “firefighter” and “astronaut.” These days, Gen Alpha dreams of becoming content creators. A survey of 910 U.S. Gen Alpha kids (ages 12 to 15) by social commerce platform Whop found that nearly a third want to be YouTubers, while one in five aspire to become TikTok creators. Content creation isn’t their only ambition—19.1% also expressed interest in becoming mobile app or video-game developers. While the “iPad kid” generation is learning plenty from screen time, many feel their schools aren’t keeping up with the rise of digital careers. More than half of Gen Alpha say they feel unprepared by their education when it comes to building a personal brand and online presence—key components of a successful online career. “Everyone wants to be a content creator, especially kids who have grown up online. They can see the opportunities that exist to make money, find a community, and build a following,” says Cameron Zoub, Whop cofounder and chief growth officer. “[For] a 15-year-old today, if you have a laptop, there’s a million ways to make money on the internet.” Long gone are the days of lemonade stands and car washes. Gen Alpha sees real earning potential in streaming video games, selling products online, reviewing brands, securing sponsorships, and even competing in esports tournaments. Entrepreneurship is also on the rise. More than one in six Gen Alpha kids aspire to start their own business, with many already earning hundreds of dollars annually, despite being too young for traditional jobs. Brands are taking notice too: Nearly a quarter of Gen Alpha report that either they or someone they know has been approached for a sponsorship deal. With mid-tier YouTubers charging $5,000 to $10,000 per brand partnership, that’s some serious pocket change. View the full article

US president’s taunts galvanise governing party and upend Conservative opposition’s strategyView the full article

Error fed into data set used by watchdog in review of UK’s cash savings marketView the full article

The suspension of billions in US aid has brought the global development sector to its knees. The fight against Aids was hit hardest View the full article

US asset manager previously managed all of The People’s Pension’s £33bn in assets View the full article

IRS Chief Operating Officer Melanie Krause will assume the role of acting IRS Commissioner following the retirement of Doug O’Donnell, the Internal Revenue Service’s acting Commissioner since January, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced. O’Donnell, who has spent 38 years at the IRS, plans to retire on Friday after serving in multiple leadership roles, including as Acting Commissioner from November 2022 to March 2023. “On behalf of the Treasury Department, I want to thank Doug O’Donnell for his decades of public service and dedication to the nation’s taxpayers,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “He has been a remarkable public servant, and I wish him the best in retirement. At the same time, Melanie Krause and the agency’s leadership team are well positioned to serve during this critical period for the nation in advance of the April tax deadline.” O’Donnell expressed confidence in his successor, saying, “The IRS has been my professional home for 38 years. I care deeply about the institution and its people and am confident that Melanie will be an outstanding steward of the Service until a new Commissioner is confirmed.” Krause has served as the IRS Chief Operating Officer since April 2024, overseeing operations that include finance, risk management, facilities, human resources, procurement, privacy, and research. Before taking on this role, she was the IRS Deputy Commissioner of Operations Support, where she led key operational functions. Krause joined the IRS in October 2021 as Chief Data & Analytics Officer, overseeing research, applied analytics, and statistics and advancing AI and analytical research initiatives. She later served as Acting Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement from November 2022 to March 2023. Prior to her tenure at the IRS, Krause spent 12 years in the federal oversight community, including positions at the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. In addition to her work in tax administration, Krause is a licensed registered nurse and holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As acting Commissioner, Krause will manage the agency’s priorities leading up to the April tax deadline while maintaining oversight of its operational functions. The IRS has yet to announce a timeline for appointing a permanent Commissioner. O’Donnell’s departure marks the end of a career spanning nearly four decades. Krause will serve as acting Commissioner until a new appointment is confirmed. This article, "Krause Appointed Acting IRS Commissioner as O’Donnell Retires" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

IRS Chief Operating Officer Melanie Krause will assume the role of acting IRS Commissioner following the retirement of Doug O’Donnell, the Internal Revenue Service’s acting Commissioner since January, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced. O’Donnell, who has spent 38 years at the IRS, plans to retire on Friday after serving in multiple leadership roles, including as Acting Commissioner from November 2022 to March 2023. “On behalf of the Treasury Department, I want to thank Doug O’Donnell for his decades of public service and dedication to the nation’s taxpayers,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “He has been a remarkable public servant, and I wish him the best in retirement. At the same time, Melanie Krause and the agency’s leadership team are well positioned to serve during this critical period for the nation in advance of the April tax deadline.” O’Donnell expressed confidence in his successor, saying, “The IRS has been my professional home for 38 years. I care deeply about the institution and its people and am confident that Melanie will be an outstanding steward of the Service until a new Commissioner is confirmed.” Krause has served as the IRS Chief Operating Officer since April 2024, overseeing operations that include finance, risk management, facilities, human resources, procurement, privacy, and research. Before taking on this role, she was the IRS Deputy Commissioner of Operations Support, where she led key operational functions. Krause joined the IRS in October 2021 as Chief Data & Analytics Officer, overseeing research, applied analytics, and statistics and advancing AI and analytical research initiatives. She later served as Acting Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement from November 2022 to March 2023. Prior to her tenure at the IRS, Krause spent 12 years in the federal oversight community, including positions at the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. In addition to her work in tax administration, Krause is a licensed registered nurse and holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As acting Commissioner, Krause will manage the agency’s priorities leading up to the April tax deadline while maintaining oversight of its operational functions. The IRS has yet to announce a timeline for appointing a permanent Commissioner. O’Donnell’s departure marks the end of a career spanning nearly four decades. Krause will serve as acting Commissioner until a new appointment is confirmed. This article, "Krause Appointed Acting IRS Commissioner as O’Donnell Retires" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

eBay has introduced a series of user experience (UX) enhancements designed to help shoppers find local listings and fast-shipping items more efficiently. The updates include improved delivery estimates, new search filters, and clearer retail standards, making it easier for customers to make informed purchasing decisions. eBay has leveraged artificial intelligence to improve the accuracy of delivery estimates, addressing the challenges posed by its decentralized seller network. By analyzing factors such as a customer’s proximity to an item, the chosen shipping service, the seller’s shipping history, and real-time data synchronization, eBay has enhanced its predictive capabilities for delivery times. Search item cards now prominently display estimated delivery ranges for both free and paid fast shipping options. This allows customers to quickly identify items that can arrive within their desired timeframe. To further streamline the shopping experience, eBay has introduced a “Shipping and pickup” filter. This feature enables customers to easily locate items with fast delivery options, categorized as: U.S.: 2-4 days UK & Germany: 1-3 days By consolidating multiple shipping options into a single filter, eBay aims to simplify the search process and provide greater transparency on delivery times. Recognizing the growing demand for local pickup and same-day options, eBay has enhanced its local pickup feature by displaying precise driving distance on item cards. This update helps buyers assess whether a local purchase is convenient before committing to a transaction. The Shipping and pickup filter, introduced earlier this year, has also been updated to integrate various delivery options, including Free shipping, Local pickup, and Click & Collect, into a single streamlined search tool. In an effort to simplify the shopping experience, eBay has launched the eBay Top-Service badge in Germany. This new designation highlights listings that meet high-quality retail standards, such as fast and free shipping, free returns, and trusted sellers. The initiative replaces overlapping labels like “eBay Plus” and “eBay Garantie,” providing clearer signals to buyers. This article, "eBay Enhances Local and Fast-Shipping Shopping Experience with New UX Updates" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

eBay has introduced a series of user experience (UX) enhancements designed to help shoppers find local listings and fast-shipping items more efficiently. The updates include improved delivery estimates, new search filters, and clearer retail standards, making it easier for customers to make informed purchasing decisions. eBay has leveraged artificial intelligence to improve the accuracy of delivery estimates, addressing the challenges posed by its decentralized seller network. By analyzing factors such as a customer’s proximity to an item, the chosen shipping service, the seller’s shipping history, and real-time data synchronization, eBay has enhanced its predictive capabilities for delivery times. Search item cards now prominently display estimated delivery ranges for both free and paid fast shipping options. This allows customers to quickly identify items that can arrive within their desired timeframe. To further streamline the shopping experience, eBay has introduced a “Shipping and pickup” filter. This feature enables customers to easily locate items with fast delivery options, categorized as: U.S.: 2-4 days UK & Germany: 1-3 days By consolidating multiple shipping options into a single filter, eBay aims to simplify the search process and provide greater transparency on delivery times. Recognizing the growing demand for local pickup and same-day options, eBay has enhanced its local pickup feature by displaying precise driving distance on item cards. This update helps buyers assess whether a local purchase is convenient before committing to a transaction. The Shipping and pickup filter, introduced earlier this year, has also been updated to integrate various delivery options, including Free shipping, Local pickup, and Click & Collect, into a single streamlined search tool. In an effort to simplify the shopping experience, eBay has launched the eBay Top-Service badge in Germany. This new designation highlights listings that meet high-quality retail standards, such as fast and free shipping, free returns, and trusted sellers. The initiative replaces overlapping labels like “eBay Plus” and “eBay Garantie,” providing clearer signals to buyers. This article, "eBay Enhances Local and Fast-Shipping Shopping Experience with New UX Updates" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Every quarter is a new nail-biter for the chipmakerView the full article

The AI start-up’s models are being rapidly adopted by state-owned enterprises, hospitals and local governments View the full article

The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. AI and energy are two of the most critical forces shaping the future of our planet—and their relationship is impossible to ignore today. From the significant power consumption of data centers to the growing energy requirements of AI-driven applications, the rapid adoption of AI is driving a surge in global energy demand that is outpacing the growth of renewable energy sources. This presents a crucial challenge: How to balance the environmental impact of this technology with the transformative potential it holds? The solution is more AI. Transform the environmental impact of energy production As I explored in my recent article, technologies like cloud, edge computing, and AI are reducing the carbon intensity of oil and gas production today while helping to advance the new energy systems of tomorrow. For example, consider the parallels between data intelligence for energy operations and autonomous vehicles. Much like how self-driving cars interpret real-time data about other drivers and traffic conditions to make decisions, AI-enabled devices in the oil field interpret data from wells and facilities in the network to take proactive and autonomous actions. This ensures that operations stay in the “sweet spot,” unlocking significant productivity gains while reducing costs and carbon emissions. This is only the beginning. Soon, AI will enable optimization throughout the entire production life cycle—from subsurface exploration to field development and production operations. This will allow us to optimize assets in real time, marking a significant step forward in energy production while maximizing performance and sustainability. But to realize this vision, we must unleash the full potential of AI across our industry. It must evolve from a digital tool that supports individual tasks into a fundamental capability set woven into the very fabric of our planning, decision making, and operations. AI will be the X factor for our industry. It has the potential to fundamentally transform the environmental impact of energy production. But for this to happen, we can’t rely on traditional AI and machine learning workflows. We need tailor-made solutions to meet the unique demands of the energy industry. Enter engineered AI. Engineered AI: AI for the energy industry The AI lexicon is constantly expanding and now includes everything from narrow AI to general AI to superintelligent AI, alongside the now ubiquitous generative AI. However, the unique challenges of the energy industry demand a specialized approach. To address them effectively, we at SLB propose “engineered AI”—a specialized approach to AI development focused on solving the energy sector’s most pressing challenges. Now, you may ask, “Do we really need more AI?” Well, consider this: Before a single barrel of oil or cubic foot of gas is produced, vast amounts of data are generated, analyzed, and acted upon. In fact, a single well can produce more than 10 terabytes of data per day, roughly equivalent to half of the text content in the U.S. Library of Congress. Engineered AI is purpose-built to address these complexities. It combines machine learning and generative AI with energy-specific data, physics-based modeling, and the deep domain expertise of the scientists and engineers across our industry. With open, secure, and adaptable architectures, we can unlock decades of historical data to drive innovation across the industry. As engineered AI evolves, it will enable the industry to rapidly accelerate and derisk processes such as reservoir design and management, construction of wells and facilities, and asset maintenance and performance. Ultimately, this will result in greater efficiency, reduced costs, and lower carbon emissions across the entire energy value chain. AI for the energy transition While engineered AI will be critical for improving performance and reducing emissions in the oil and gas industry today, it will also play a key role in scaling the low carbon solutions of tomorrow. Leveraging decades of subsurface data, we are already developing engineered AI solutions to identify optimal locations for carbon capture and storage and geothermal energy developments. This represents a significant step forward in reducing industrial emissions and accelerating the transition to clean, renewable energy systems. And as engineered AI capabilities mature, its impact will continue to accelerate. So, while the rapid growth of AI undoubtedly introduces new complexities to the global energy mix, I believe AI will unlock new opportunities, becoming one of our most valuable tools in delivering secure, affordable, and sustainable energy for all. When we get it right, AI isn’t just technology. It’s the key to a world with more energy and less emissions. Rakesh Jaggi is president of Digital & Integration at SLB. View the full article

Pixel users will soon get an extra layer of protection against malicious calls and texts, as Google's AI-powered, real-time scam detection is rolling out widely next month. The Gemini Nano feature, which is coming to both Google Messages and Phone by Google, runs in the background and will alert you mid-call if it identifies "conversation patterns commonly associated with scammers." You'll hear a beep at the beginning of possible scam calls to indicate that the conversation is being monitored, with subsequent beeps sounding every few minutes. You'll also see an on-screen prompt when suspicious activity has been detected, with options to "End call" or mark "Not a scam." For messages, possible scam texts will be automatically moved to your Spam & blocked folder. Google says that the feature works on-device only and will not save or record any call or message content. Google rolled out live threat detection for spotting malicious apps on your Pixel late last year (the same time that Scam Detection launched in a public beta). That feature alerts you to suspicious apps—specifically, "stalkerware" that scrapes your personal data—in real time so you can evaluate and delete them if needed. How to enable scam detection on your PixelOnce scam detection is widely available in March, you can activate the feature for calls in your settings. Open Phone by Google Settings > Scam Detection and toggle scam detection on. To enable detection and filtering for spam texts in Google Messages, go to Messages Settings > Spam protection. Of course, threat and scam detection features don't absolve users of the responsibility to follow basic security best practices when it comes to calls, messages, and apps. Be wary of calls and texts from numbers you don't know, and don't engage with anyone requesting urgent action, such as providing sensitive information, sending money, or downloading software or apps to your devices. Don't click links in suspicious texts or emails, and always go directly to the website for the bank or institution to locate contact information. View the full article

Do you remember a time when the internet was a more chaotically personal place? When the experience of using social media wasn't so uniform? SkySpace seeks to recapture those days. The site transforms your Bluesky profile into a Myspace-esque page, complete with backgrounds, music, and a section for your top eight friends. I kind of love it. "I miss when social media was more about being social and less about media," wrote Ste Curran, who built the site, in the project's FAQ. "I miss the personality, the ugliness, the chaos, the feeling of planting a flag in tiny part of the internet and saying 'this is mine'." And SkySpace certainly delivers there, allowing you to customize basically every aspect of your profile page. Choose any image on the web as your background—including animated GIFs—and tweak the fonts, color scheme, and borders. Add a song to your profile using a Spotify, Soundcloud, or Apple Music link. List your interests. There's even a version of MySpace "friends"—complete with an optional top eight. You can view the SkySpace version of any Bluesky profile, but most of them are boring. To make yours interesting you need to sign in—head to the Skyspace homepage, type your Bluesky handle in the top-right corner, then click "Log In". You will be asked by Bluesky to authorize SkySpace; do that, and you're in. You can now click the various edit buttons to really tweak your profile. Credit: Justin Pot You can link to any image on the web to add it to the background, then choose how the image will be positioned. You can choose the color of each panel, and its transparency. You can choose the thickness and style of the line around each panel. You can even change the text font and color. Hit Submit, and the change will stick. (The way this happens is pretty interesting. Your options are actually turned into a Bluesky post as a reply. SkySpace doesn't store any of your settings on its own servers—the service just scans profiles for relevant posts and renders the page using them. As the FAQ explains it: "When you edit a section the site creates a new post tagged with #skyspace and sends it as a reply to a dead account, @skyspacenull. That effectively hides each post from your followers but SkySpace can see them, parse them and turn them into something beautiful/horrific/beautiful to you.") Explore the rest of your page and tweak everything you can. You can add a quote, a location, blurbs, a song, and even a list of interests. All of this will feel vary familiar to MySpace veterans, as will the friends section at the bottom: Credit: Justin Pot This is populated entirely from your mutuals on Bluesky—people you follow who also follow you back. You can optionally choose which eight people show up here, bringing back the most important decisions one could make on the internet in 2005: Who deserves a spot in your top eight? This site doesn't really return us to the friendlier, simpler internet of two decades ago—if only!—but it's a nice reminder of the chaos and customization we once took for granted. I recommend checking it out. View the full article

Treasuries gained for a sixth straight session. Morgan Stanley say the 10-year has scope to fall back below 4% if the prevailing view on the Fed shifts. View the full article

Suzy Levian, founder of Suzy Levian New York, has announced the launch of EmpowerHer, a new initiative designed to provide financial and mentorship support to female entrepreneurs. Timed to coincide with Women’s History Month, the program aims to remove financial barriers and help women grow their businesses through grants, scholarships, and networking opportunities. Breaking Barriers for Women in Business Levian, a self-made entrepreneur in the jewelry industry, created EmpowerHer to give back to women facing the same challenges she once overcame. “Amidst the hardships of founding my own business while raising my six children, I found strength in the confidence of all the women who supported me and had faith in my success,” said Suzy Levian. “Now, I want to do the same for others.” The initiative goes beyond financial assistance, offering mentorship programs, business development resources, and networking support to women across various industries. Whether launching a startup, expanding a business, or pursuing financial independence, EmpowerHer seeks to equip women with the resources they need to succeed. A Commitment to Lasting Change EmpowerHer reflects Levian’s broader mission of empowering women to embrace their strength, pursue their goals, and overcome industry barriers. By fostering a network of female entrepreneurs, the program aims to encourage collaboration, create business growth, and inspire the next generation of women leaders. For more information on EmpowerHer, including application details, visit www.suzylevian.com. About Suzy Levian Levian, the first woman in her family’s 500-year-old jewelry legacy to establish her own business, has built a brand centered on empowerment and resilience. Known for her designs featuring The Secret Diamond, a hidden gem symbolizing inner beauty and strength, Levian’s work extends beyond jewelry into home décor and fashion. Her brand, Suzy Levian New York, is available in major department stores and top retailers nationwide. This article, "Suzy Levian Launches EmpowerHer to Support Women Entrepreneurs" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Suzy Levian, founder of Suzy Levian New York, has announced the launch of EmpowerHer, a new initiative designed to provide financial and mentorship support to female entrepreneurs. Timed to coincide with Women’s History Month, the program aims to remove financial barriers and help women grow their businesses through grants, scholarships, and networking opportunities. Breaking Barriers for Women in Business Levian, a self-made entrepreneur in the jewelry industry, created EmpowerHer to give back to women facing the same challenges she once overcame. “Amidst the hardships of founding my own business while raising my six children, I found strength in the confidence of all the women who supported me and had faith in my success,” said Suzy Levian. “Now, I want to do the same for others.” The initiative goes beyond financial assistance, offering mentorship programs, business development resources, and networking support to women across various industries. Whether launching a startup, expanding a business, or pursuing financial independence, EmpowerHer seeks to equip women with the resources they need to succeed. A Commitment to Lasting Change EmpowerHer reflects Levian’s broader mission of empowering women to embrace their strength, pursue their goals, and overcome industry barriers. By fostering a network of female entrepreneurs, the program aims to encourage collaboration, create business growth, and inspire the next generation of women leaders. For more information on EmpowerHer, including application details, visit www.suzylevian.com. About Suzy Levian Levian, the first woman in her family’s 500-year-old jewelry legacy to establish her own business, has built a brand centered on empowerment and resilience. Known for her designs featuring The Secret Diamond, a hidden gem symbolizing inner beauty and strength, Levian’s work extends beyond jewelry into home décor and fashion. Her brand, Suzy Levian New York, is available in major department stores and top retailers nationwide. This article, "Suzy Levian Launches EmpowerHer to Support Women Entrepreneurs" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Google just announced that its “loss of pulse dectection” feature for the Pixel Watch 3 has received FDA clearance and will be available to U.S. users by the end of March. Read on for more on what this feature does, how well it works (according to one early study), and how you’ll be able to enable it. The feature has been available in several European countries since late 2024. According to a Google help page on the feature, it’s currently available in “Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.” Google - Pixel Watch 3 (41mm) Smartwatch with Porcelain Band - LTE - Polished Silver $449.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Get Deal Get Deal $449.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg What is “loss of pulse detection”? According to documents from Google, the feature is meant to sound an alarm and contact emergency services whenever the person wearing the watch loses their pulse. This could be from a heart attack, poisoning, overdose, or other cause of respiratory or circulatory failure, according to Google’s documents on what they had in mind when developing the feature. When the watch detects a “loss of pulse event” (it thinks you are wearing the watch but cannot detect a pulse with the regular heart rate sensor), the watch is programmed to do the following, in order: Perform additional checks (taking about 20 seconds) to be sure that it’s not detecting movement or a pulse. For example, it can use brighter lights in the optical heart rate sensor, and check for movement from accelerometers. Buzz your wrist and ask if you are OK. You can tap an “I’m OK” button to clear the alert. This phase lasts for 15 seconds. Play an audible alarm while displaying a 20-second countdown stating that it will place an emergency call (“No pulse detected / Calling 911 in…”) Call 911 through the watch’s LTE connection, or through a connected phone, and play a recorded message to them (not audible to you or to bystanders). The message states that your watch detected a loss of pulse and that you are unresponsive, and it gives your approximate location. While the call is ongoing, there is a “talk to 911” button displayed on the watch. You (or a bystander) can tap that button to interrupt the recorded message and speak to emergency services as a regular phone call. What is (and isn’t) loss of pulse detection good for? The loss of pulse detection feature is promising for what are sometimes called “unwitnessed” cardiac arrests, as a group of Italian healthcare professionals wrote in the journal Resuscitation. I wasn’t able to find any real-world accounts of this feature saving someone’s life, but to be fair it’s only been available for a few months. Google emphasizes that the feature is not intended to provide any treatment or be expected to save your life, and definitely cannot replace medical monitoring devices that may have been prescribed or recommended to you by your provider. It can’t prevent a loss of pulse, or determine the cause of a loss of pulse, and it can’t even be sure that its emergency calls will go through. Importantly, the loss of pulse detection process has not been tested in a variety of real-world situations that may increase the risk of false alarms, or of missing a real event. These are some of the people who might be most interested in this feature, so it’s worth noting that the feature has not been tested for people identified as high risk for sudden cardiac death, or for people who are pregnant, under 22 years of age, who have chronic pain, poor blood flow to the wrist, peripheral nerve conditions, cognitive impairment, sickle cell disease, or who have a tattoo on their wrist that may interfere with the sensor. How well does loss of pulse detection work on the Pixel Watch 3?Google has published a brief summary of the results of their testing from the watch, as part of this document that gives instructions for use. They tested the feature on 135 volunteers, including—according to a press release—stunt actors who simulated falls while wearing a tourniquet. The sensitivity in a clinical trial was 69.3%, meaning that the feature was activated 69.3% of the time that a person had an actual loss of pulse. The other 30.7% of the time, it didn’t activate. That’s not great, but the idea seems to be that it’s a lot better than nothing. The other metric of accuracy, specificity, Google described as amounting to “1 false positive call over 7.75 user-years” with 131 of their users. (That would be compatible with 131 users wearing the watch for about three weeks each, resulting in one person getting a false positive, but Google didn’t release the full results so we can’t say whether that’s exactly how the study went, or how their use compared to what you might be doing with your watch over the next 7.75 years.) If you do get a false positive, you’ll have a few chances to cancel the alert before it gets as far as calling emergency services. If you tap that “I’m OK” button, the watch will ask if you were doing anything innocuous that may have triggered it. Sleeping on your arm is one of the options; so are a loose fit on the watch band, and not wearing the watch at all. Google also notes that other factors like ambient light, or pressure on the skin, may sometimes result in false positives. How to enable (or disable) loss of pulse detection on the Pixel Watch 3Once the feature is available here, it will be an option when you're setting up a new watch. (So far it hasn't been announced for any Fitbit models or older Pixel watches, just the Pixel Watch 3 in both sizes.) To turn on loss of pulse detection for the Pixel Watch 3 that you already have, go into the Pixel Watch app, tap Safety & Emergency, and look for Loss of Pulse Detection. There is a switch that allows you to turn the feature on or off. View the full article