Latest news with #Web2.0
Boston Globe
10-06-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Can Boston's innovation scene get its mojo back? The Globe's 2025 Tech Power Players say yes.
But the local tech scene has more than a chance to regain its buzz. And the road back to prominence goes through what investors say is the only area in technology that matters right now: artificial intelligence. How — and how quickly — the Boston, however, has an advantage, one captured by the Globe' s Tech Power Players, our annual list of the most consequential leaders in the region's innovation economy. In a word, it's diversity — an exceptional combination of academics, entrepreneurs, investors, and industries, ranging from software to clean energy to health care. Advertisement This diversity provides the talent and opportunity to not only advance foundational AI models that learn from vast troves of data, but also to develop applications that spread the benefits of AI to businesses and consumers — in ways that affect lives. Thanks to key leaders in the scene, that development is underway. Advertisement PathAI, a Boston company that has raised more than $250 million in VC funding, has trained AI models to help pathologists diagnose disease and pharmaceutical companies to develop treatments while improving laboratory workflows; the firm is led by physician-scientist-turned-CEO Andy Beck. Familiar Machines & Magic of Woburn, Boston firm Motional's IONIQ 5 robotaxi parked along the Boston Harbor. Motional The state's biggest industries, meanwhile, are looking to AI — and local tech firms — to make them more efficient, effective, and competitive. Boston Medical Center, for example, is experimenting with AI tools to schedule operating rooms, translate medical records into different languages, and take notes during doctor-patient conversations, allowing doctors to focus on care. 'When you put together health care with all the innovation in Boston,' says Joy Brown, BMC's chief digital information officer, 'you have the opportunity to change health care.' When it comes to emerging technologies, the race often goes to the early, not just the swift. The question is whether Boston, which famously missed the personal computer wave and the interactive, social internet known as Web 2.0 (so long, Facebook!), is embracing AI too late. The Advertisement The Bay Area accounted for 33 of the 50 companies on Mikey Shulman, CEO and cofounder of Suno, in the company's Cambridge office. Barry Chin/Globe Staff 'It's time for Boston to reinvent itself,' says Adrian Mendoza, founder and general partner of the Boston VC firm Mendoza Ventures. 'We've got to create an AI hub here.' Mendoza and others in the tech community say the state should support AI on the scale of the vaunted biotech initiative, which was launched in 2008 and solidified Boston and Cambridge as the premier life sciences cluster. Daniela Rus, director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT, says the key is creating compelling opportunities for local university graduates to stay here rather than take their smarts, ambitions, and startups to Silicon Valley and other places. One way to attract and keep talent here, she says, would be to provide startups low- or no-cost access to the massive — and expensive — computing power needed to build and train AI models. Most important, Rus says, the state needs to go big. 'The moment is now,' she says, 'not 10 years from now.' Rus is among those who say the Advertisement Sabrina Mansur, executive director of the Massachusetts AI Hub, the Healey administration's AI initiative, says the $100 million will be a catalyst to encourage partnerships between companies, industries, universities, and government. Massachusetts, she adds, can offer more than just money to AI entrepreneurs; the state presents the opportunity to work with industries such as robotics, clean energy, and biotech. 'This is where you come to change the world,' Mansur says. Just look at the region's clean energy and sustainability sectors, which have some of the world's leading companies. Form Energy, cofounded by MIT materials scientist A computer rendering of a commercial-scale fusion power plant that Commonwealth Fusion Systems plans to build in Virginia, not far from Washington D.C. Commonwealth Fusion Systems Is all this enough to change the trajectory of the local tech sector? Employment in Boston-area startups declined more than 4 percent last year, according to San Francisco VC firm SignalFire, while venture investment in local information technology companies fell to the lowest level in six years, according to PitchBook. Advertisement But local techsters say the region still has the key ingredients: talent and money. Universities, teaching hospitals, and growing companies continue to fight to attract the best and the brightest while venture capital remains a robust industry. Only California and New York have bigger VC sectors than Massachusetts, according to the National Venture Capital Association. What Boston needs to become a stronger innovation hub are more successful home-grown companies, along the lines of tech stars HubSpot ($32 billion stock market value), Toast ($25 billion market value), and Klaviyo ($10 billion market value), says Jeff Bussgang, cofounder and general partner of the Boston VC firm Flybridge. What it will take are determined founders, smart investors, and, ultimately, the approach of Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers. 'We just gotta keep swinging hard,' says Bussgang, 'and connect on one or two pitches.' Explore the list by sector Rob Gavin can be reached at
New York Times
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Oblivion Had Glitches Galore. Thankfully, They're Still There.
When The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was released in 2006, it was clear that the studio Bethesda had successfully expanded its fantasy franchise's charm and oddball magic. The premise of Oblivion is similar to other modern role-playing games, giving the player a seemingly insurmountable objective and then crucial skills and weaponry on the journey. High-definition graphical processing power for that era contributed to indelible world building, allowing players to freely travel the cities and caverns of Cyrodiil. But what made Oblivion one of the genre's most celebrated games was the agency it afforded players, the expansive environment it threw them into and the way it fully embraced the dorkiness of its fantasy world. In the mid-2000s, the ways players experienced video games were transforming. User-generated content was propelling Web 2.0, and social media, like Facebook, was rising. Although Oblivion was a single-player game, its wonky artificial intelligence, character dialogue and player interactions made it a watershed moment for online memes. Characters having a conversation would walk away from each other midsentence. Some jumped out of street corners to greet you with a quest and an eerie smile. The rag-doll physics of enemies coupled with their heinous death shrieks made battles more humorous than haunting. The technical flaws run counter to the cool aura of more recent fantasy role-playing games, like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015) and Oblivion's successor, Skyrim (2011), which produced notable memes of its own. But Oblivion's rawness resonated. Online pages and forums dedicated to its goofy glitches and bugs still garner an audience. In the game's opening levels, players can raise their Sneak skill by quietly walking circles behind a sewer rat that runs into a corner endlessly. So when The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered was announced last week — and then immediately released — some worried that the polish would wear away the charm. Yet Bethesda has somehow managed the opposite, which became clear to me after spending five days doing everything but the main quest in the refreshed digital landscape of Cyrodill. The world is stunning. The Imperial City Sewers you're meant to traverse while learning the basics of the game look hideous and vile. The rolling green hills, once an escape from my stifling nonsocial life in high school, still soothe me. The way the aurora borealis stretches across the night sky, coupled with the unforgettable soundtrack, breathe a deep sense of solace into an otherwise purely digital experience. And the nonplayer characters are still strange, still overly kind, still poignant, like the wife whose missing husband you eventually discover trapped in a magical painting. The quest 'A Brush With Death' is memorable for all its oddities, including freakish trolls and the watercolor effect applied to the entire level. During an online presentation last week, several members of Oblivion's original development team recounted how the game broke through in 2006. That was no guarantee in a year of big releases, such as Gears of War, Saints Row, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. Todd Howard, the executive producer at Bethesda, said that each of the Elder Scrolls games — including Arena (1994), Daggerfall (1996), Morrowind (2002) — tries 'to define role-playing games and open-world games for their generation.' Oblivion, he said, was a critical moment for the studio, which has since developed Fallout and Starfield games. Some of the bugs and glitches in the original Oblivion are still present, with the ability to duplicate highly valuable items and create short cuts to master skills. One popular exploit lets the player quickly increase their Security skill with a single lock pick. An expanded character creator has given rise to new memes altogether, including 'Sir Vancealot' — a riff on the internet's obsession with bloated images of the vice president — and other visual abominations. Nearly two decades ago, Oblivion proved that games did not need overly polished worlds to thrive. Moments from some of its eccentric characters live forever online. During one high elf's dialogue in the original Oblivion, a dissatisfied voice actor can be heard objecting to and then immediately rerecording her line about thieves and their break-ins. The clip, flub and all, made its way into the remaster. As one online commenter noted, 'Don't mess with imperfection.'
Channel Post MEA
20-04-2025
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
Fuse and Check Point Software Launches First Real-Time Blockchain Firewall
Layer 2 blockchain payments platform Fuse has partnered with Check Point Software to develop and deploy a real-time threat prevention security layer that protects its entire blockchain. The partnership will furnish Fuse with an advanced blockchain security layer that can identify and mitigate threats before they have had a chance to develop, moving blockchain defense from detection to real-time prevention. Working closely with Check Point, Fuse will foster a safer ecosystem for all users and developers, accelerating its goal of mainstreaming crypto payments for B2B and B2C applications. Check Point's technology is capable of preventing malicious transactions in real-time, leveraging advanced AI-powered threat engines that draw from more than 30 years of global cyber intelligence. The collaboration with Check Point extends beyond smart contract-level audits. With the imminent introduction of real-time threat detection, the integration will provide comprehensive protection across the entire network, reinforcing Fuse's commitment to safeguarding user funds and trust while establishing new benchmarks for blockchain security infrastructure. Fuse CEO Mark Smargon said: 'Prevention is always better than a cure, particularly with crypto networks that serve as the backbone for global payments. With Check Point providing a dedicated security layer, we're confident that we can not only deter hackers, who are becoming increasingly sophisticated, but pioneer a cybersecurity model that will become the gold standard for protecting web3 protocols.' 'We're proud to partner with Fuse and bring Check Point's real-time threat prevention to Web3. By applying our leading threat intelligence, we're setting a new standard for blockchain security—protecting users, wallets, and dApps.' says Dan Danay, Head of Web 3.0 Security at Check Point Software Technologies. 'Just as robust cybersecurity powered the rise of Web 2.0, real-time prevention will be key to Web3's mainstream adoption.' Fuse recently launched Ember Nodes with support from leading partners including Collider Ventures, Tectona, Spark, TRGC, and Blockchain Founders Fund. It attracted broad community support, giving users an opportunity to acquire nodes and participate in network governance and validation. Just as it pioneered network firewall technology for Web 2.0, Check Point is now supporting the evolution of Web 3.0 by tackling its most critical barrier—security. The Check Point partnership will support Fuse in its quest to become the preeminent web3 network for stablecoin payments. In the process, it will champion better blockchain security for all users across its ecosystem. 0 0
TECHx
17-04-2025
- Business
- TECHx
Fuse Integrates Real-Time Blockchain Security with Check Point Software
Fuse, a Layer 2 payments blockchain, has partnered with Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP) to enhance its blockchain security. The collaboration introduces a real-time threat prevention layer across the Fuse network. This integration aims to stop attacks before they occur. By shifting from detection to real-time prevention, Fuse is strengthening its infrastructure. The move reflects a growing need for proactive security in Web3. Check Point, known for its legacy in cybersecurity, brings over 30 years of threat intelligence to the table. Its AI-driven technology prevents malicious transactions in real-time. This helps protect wallets, smart contracts, and decentralized applications. Fuse is focused on providing a safer environment for users and developers. The goal is to accelerate the adoption of crypto payments in both B2B and B2C markets. With this step, Fuse sets a higher standard for blockchain security. CEO Mark Smargon emphasized the importance of prevention. He said Fuse wants to deter increasingly sophisticated hackers while building a more secure Web3 framework. The partnership also goes beyond smart contract audits. It introduces a network-wide defense system. This aligns with Fuse's long-term vision of mainstreaming digital payments through a secure blockchain infrastructure. Dan Danay, Head of Web 3.0 Security at Check Point, highlighted the shift toward real-time protection. He believes this is key to Web3's growth, just as cybersecurity was essential to Web 2.0. Recently, Fuse launched Ember Nodes, supported by partners like Collider Ventures and Blockchain Founders Fund. The initiative invited users to participate in governance and network validation. Now, with the added layer of security, Fuse is furthering its mission. The company is positioning itself as a trusted and scalable solution for stablecoin payments. The Check Point partnership strengthens this direction. As blockchain adoption increases, security remains critical. Fuse and Check Point aim to lead by example, bringing real-time blockchain security to the forefront of Web3.
