The report evaluates health systems across seven domains: population health, environmental sustainability, workforce, medicines and technology, service delivery, financing, and governance. Read...

The latest technology may sport the latest bells and whistles, but it can be costly to upgrade. Not just in price, but also in features. Newer isn’t always better, especially when you’re perfectly happy with your existing devices.  Except when more contemporary gear can keep you from getting hacked—as D-Link has reminded its customers several times this past month. The company is warning customers still using end-of-life VPN routers, NAS units, and modems of vulnerabilities that can be remotely exploited. Totaling over 100,000 in number, the affected units can be made to execute commands (VPN routers and NAS boxes) or be taken over completely (modems). Further reading: Solve your Wi-Fi problems with these smart router settings D-Link says it will not release security patches for this older hardware, which sport release dates going back as much as a decade or more. Instead, the company urges its customers to move on to newer hardware—a step that applies as much to these users as anyone still clinging to obsolete devices. For many people accustomed to using items until they wear out, the idea of giving up seemingly functional hardware can feel wasteful and unnecessary. But the sad reality is that when a device becomes susceptible to attacks, the hardware is generally no longer safe to use, even if it still works. In the case of these D-Link networking devices, you could end up with an intruder on your home network that can spy on you, including any sensitive or personal activity. And such attacks aren’t limited to just networking equipment—phones and laptops can become just as vulnerable when software updates end. Device manufacturers don’t universally issue alerts about obsolescence, either. You may not even notice until incompatibility errors arise for commonly used apps—or strange behavior arises. Moving on isn’t easy, but sometimes you have to. The PCWorld staff has collectively poured one out many times over the years for our favorite hardware homies. Wikimedia / Linksys So, unfortunately, the burden of knowing your gear’s end of life is on you. For some types of devices like Android phones and Chromebooks, you can look this up online—it’s stated upfront how long to expect software updates. Others get notifications after a certain period of time, like five or ten years. And yet other times, you’ll have to make the call yourself, after realizing further updates haven’t been issued in a long while. Sometimes you can extend hardware life by changing its software—for example, flashing an Android phone with different firmware from a trusted source. Or transforming an old Windows laptop into a Chromebook or Linux machine. But other times, you can’t eke any more life out of a device with reasonable effort. Your only choice is to move on to new hardware to stay protected. No clearer is this point than with Windows 10 PCs. The coming death of Windows 10 in 2025 will render thousands of laptops and desktops incapable of running a modern, secure version of Windows—their hardware components won’t meet the requirements of Windows 11. And, realistically speaking, not everyone can switch to ChromeOS Flex or Linux—apps aren’t always universally available across all platforms.  The only thing that lessens the sting of having to replace well-loved gear is snagging a good replacement at a discount. That can be done by purchasing a newer but not brand-new model, shopping during a sale period, or both. (Speaking of, November can be one of the best times to upgrade gear, with all the Black Friday deals happening—provided you grab an actual good bargain among the questionable ones. The potential of tariffs next year also make upgrading soon a possible wise move, as they can affect prices). As easy as it is to grumble about the unnecessary throwing of older yet functional hardware overboard, the ever-changing nature of security can render older methods of defense outdated and weak. (For example, if your router only supports WEP or original WPA protocols, it is definitely way too old to still be in regular use). In fact, that’s part of why Microsoft is throwing so many PCs overboard in the move to Windows 11—it wants devices capable of utilizing a TPM and Secure Boot. Also, even when devices can survive such shifts over time, most companies don’t have the resources to support them indefinitely. Still, it’s a bitter pill to swallow. Not like I would have direct knowledge of this, with a box full of cherished hardware I never found close replacements for. (RIP, Asus Chromebook Flip CP101PA). Read...

As a tech journalist who writes and edits daily, AI-generated content is a real concern for me. Will AI eventually render me useless in the industry I’ve given years of my life to by replacing human-produced content with AI-generated content?  It can be difficult to discern AI-generated content from human-made kind. If you’re not looking out for the telltale signs such as repeated phrases or odd shifts in tone, you could be fooled into thinking it’s genuine. That’s where AI detection tools come in. Further reading: How not to get bamboozled by AI content on the web In my never-ending quest to stay one step ahead of AI-generated content, I tried four different AI detection tools to see if the results were inaccurate or unreliable. As you might’ve already guessed from the headline of this article, most of these AI-detection tools produced diddly squat.  Narrowing it down Before I dive in, if you type in the search term “AI detection tool” into your browser of choice, you’ll be inundated with results. I knew there had to be some kind of vetting process.  So, instead of trying out every tool that I could find, I narrowed it down to four. I selected each tool based on ease of access (no subscription needed) and robust FAQ pages that explain how the tool analyzes AI-generated content. Clear and direct language is a sticking point of mine, so I’ll be looking out for that too. As you can see in the example below, Grammarly displays this kind of information on the front page.  All of these tools have the same percentage-based ranking system. The higher the percentage, the likelier the content is AI-generated. It seems simple enough on the surface, but it struggles in practice.  ‘Testing parameters’  I called this section “testing parameters,” but this is just an experiment for me, a kernel of curiosity I’m chasing. For this article, just so we’re clear, I used the tools on AI-generated text and not other forms of content like images or audio. AI-generated text is the type of content these tools are designed to analyze and decipher.  First, I asked Google Gemini to write a brief story about a wizard discovering a laptop for the first time. I asked for a short story because some AI detection tools will only analyze a certain amount of content. Here’s the story Google Gemini generated:  The old wizard, Alaric, was known for two things: his impressive beard, which flowed like a silver waterfall down to his knees, and his insatiable curiosity. So, when a strange, flat object materialized in the center of his summoning circle, he wasn’t alarmed. Intrigued, yes, but not alarmed. He peered at the object. It was black and shiny, with a glowing symbol on the back that resembled a bitten apple. Cautiously, he poked it with his staff. The object sprang to life, emitting a soft hum and displaying a bright, rectangular window filled with strange symbols. By the Great Astral Dragon!” Alaric exclaimed, his beard bristling with excitement. “What manner of sorcery is this?” He cautiously touched the window, and the symbols shifted and changed. He prodded more, and a moving picture appeared – a tiny, colorful bird flapping its wings. Alaric jumped back, startled. “Is it… alive?” he wondered aloud, circling the object. He tried a spell, muttering, “Reveal thy secrets!” but nothing happened. He tried another, “Open sesame!” but still nothing. Frustrated, he slumped onto his stool, stroking his beard thoughtfully. Suddenly, he noticed a small, flat area beneath the window with rows of even smaller symbols. Remembering the moving picture, he tentatively pressed one of the symbols with his finger. The symbol appeared on the bright window! He pressed another, and another, and soon, a word formed: “MAGIC.” Alaric’s eyes widened. “It responds to touch! But… no magical aura…” He pondered this for a moment, then a mischievous glint appeared in his eye. He began rapidly pressing the symbols, a wide grin spreading across his face. On the screen, a sentence appeared: “Is this a talking mirror? Can I order a dragon?” Alaric chuckled, his beard shaking with mirth. “No, my friend,” he whispered to the strange object, “but you are something even more extraordinary.” He spent the rest of the day exploring his new treasure, discovering its games, its moving pictures, and its endless sea of information. He learned it was called a “laptop,” a word he found rather amusing. He even managed to send a message to his old friend, the sorceress Elara, who lived in a neighboring kingdom. “My dear Elara,” he wrote, “you absolutely must see this! It’s a magical device with moving pictures and talking letters! And it can even play music! Come quickly, and we shall explore its wonders together!” As he sent the message, Alaric couldn’t help but think that this “laptop” might be the start of a whole new era of magic, one where technology and sorcery intertwined in ways no one could have ever imagined. And he, Alaric the wizard, would be at the forefront of this exciting new frontier. Next, I copied and pasted the story (word-for-word) into every AI detection tool and ran them twice. I focused on the consistency (or inconsistency) of results across two runs as well as the accuracy of the percentage ranking. This story is 100 percent AI-generated, so I wanted to see if the tool would get it right at the get-go. Only one of them got close.  The results Below you’ll find the results of the AI detection tools I used for this experiment:  AI Detector by Grammarly: 37 percent (first run), 37 percent (second run) GPTZero: 62 percent (first run), 62 percent (second run) QuillBot: 78 percent (first run), 78 percent (second run) Originality.ai: 100 percent (first run), 100 percent (second run) These tools offer a subscription model with more advanced AI detection features, but you can use the basic AI detection for free, so that’s what I did and based my judgments on. AI Detector by Grammarly AI Detector by Grammarly first caught my eye because I use it daily to catch misspellings while editing drafts. The popular brand is a familiar face in a sea of no-name AI detection tools, so I welcomed it with open arms. Sigh. The experience was a mixed bag. Grammarly’s tool gave me a consistent result (37 percent for both runs), but it was inaccurate by a large margin. This story is a complete fabrication by Google Gemini, so seeing such a low percentage is surprising.  I felt as though Grammarly kept pushing the subscription model on me. I get it from a business standpoint, but as a regular person scrolling through the page, the experience left a bad taste in my mouth. Grammarly also suggested I use Grammarly Authorship, a more reliable tool or feature for detecting AI (according to them), but you need a Grammarly account to use it.  I’ll give Grammarly credit for its easy-to-navigate webpage, though. All you do is type or paste the text in question and click the green “Check Text” button. The box on the right will then check the text for AI generation and spit out a percentage ranking.  Grammarly also has a robust FAQ section if you scroll down the page. There you’ll find answers regarding how the tool detects AI content and a clear explanation of how no AI detection tool is foolproof. This whole section earns major brownie points from me, a woman who loves transparency and straight-to-the-point answers.  GPTZero GPTZero ranked the story 62 percent AI-generated on both runs. It’s slightly above 50 percent, which I consider a lukewarm result — not particularly impressive. The breakdown chart, which typically identifies the sections of text that are AI-generated, isn’t as well-defined as QuillBot’s. GPTZero shows a percentage for human-written content, AI-written content, and mixed content — each identifiable with a color.  The mixed content, I assume, is a combination of AI-generated and human-generated content, but I wish GPTZero was explicit here. QuillBot better identifies this with human-written and AI-refined. GPTZero’s advanced scan goes into more detail here by identifying passages as “low human impact,” “medium AI impact,” and so on. Only the basic scan is available to use without an account. For access to the advanced scan, you’ll need to make an account with GPTZero, which inspired cantankerous feelings inside me. Still, for the sake of this article, I “logged in” using my personal Gmail account and checked out the advanced scan. Turns out you only get five free scans before (you guessed it), GPTZero will ask you to upgrade your account and pay a monthly fee of $23.99. Talk about a buzzkill.  QuillBot QuillBot did surprisingly well and might be my favorite of the AI-detection tools I sampled because of the intuitive interface and detailed report. It scored 78 percent across two runs, which is far more accurate than Grammarly’s tool. It also highlights each paragraph with a color that tells you whether the tool believes the text is AI-generated, AI-generated and AI-refined, human-written and AI-refined, or human-written. The breakdown is well-defined, as you can see in the image below.  QuillBot also includes a FAQ section near the bottom of the page, which, again, I appreciate. However, I have one nitpick with the first question: How accurate is QuillBot’s AI content detector tool? The answer is as follows… QuillBot’s AI content detector tool is trained with advanced algorithms to identify repeated words, awkward phrases, and unnatural flow, which are key indicators that the content is AI-generated. However, the more advances are made in AI models, the less any AI detector tool will be able to distinguish human-written from AI-generated content. The first sentence gets the point across just fine, especially if you’re just looking for a basic answer, but the second one is a little vague and confusing. No AI detection tool is 100 percent accurate and I believe this should be abundantly clear. Confusing language aside, the rest of the FAQ section offers straight-to-the-point answers, which is a good thing. Originality.ai Originality.ai was the AI-detection tool that broke my brain and forced me to walk back my previous claims. According to the website, this tool is the “most accurate AI detector,” a bold claim to make and yet it appears to be nothing short of the truth. Dammit. I can’t argue with the results and the results were, quite frankly, totally accurate. I scored a 100 percent percentage ranking on both runs and, once I wiped the surprised Pikachu expression from my face, I wanted to dig in a little more and try a human-made sample, this time something written by yours truly. So, I pulled a paragraph from an old story of mine, a weird tale about an unnerving android woman named Seen. I did this because I was worried that Originality.ai had given me a false positive. Originality.ai Originality.ai did it again. Who knew lightning could strike twice in the same spot? The tool correctly identified (with 100 percent accuracy, as you can see in the above screenshot) the passage as human-made and authentic. Maybe it is the most accurate AI detector out there right now, as Originality.ai claims. If anything, it’s the most accurate AI detector I’ve encountered thus far and that’s saying something. The other tools on this list are nowhere near as accurate or spot-on based on the percentage rankings alone. Originality.ai claims its AI detection tool is more accurate than others because it uses “a larger AI detection model.” That’s the simple answer. Originality.ai has an entire webpage detailing how its AI detection tool works and that includes benchmarks and datasets. It’s essentially creating a scientific standard for AI detection tools, which is impressive and legitimizing. While Originality.ai accurately identified my own examples of AI-generated and human-produced content, the results may vary for others. My takeaway There’s nothing more reliable than your own eyes and gut feelings, and I’ll always stick by that. Try not to fall for the sweet nothings a subscription model might try to sell you, especially if there’s a promise of a more reliable tool or feature lurking just behind the paywall. If you’re noticing repeated phrases or jarring shifts in topic or tone, it’s likely AI-generated. That said, you can’t ignore the accuracy of Originality.ai, so if you must use an AI-detection tool, it’s probably one of the more accurate ones available right now. The moral of the story is to do your research and approach everything with a healthy dose of skepticism. Read...

Though it was a bit rough around the edges in terms of backwards compatibility, my first look at 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 storage reveals a very nice uptick in performance — about twice the 40Gbps of Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 in certain benchmarks. Logical. By way of comparison, that’s roughly as fast as an NVMe SSD on the PCIe 4.0 bus. And a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD is exactly what’s inside the OWC Envoy Ultra portable drive I used to test Thunderbolt 5 storage. Note that you’ll see 120Gbps listed in the Thunderbolt 5 specs, but that’s uni-directional output for driving multiple high-resolution displays. Bi-directional transfers such as those used by storage devices are “limited” to 80Gbps, or roughly 6- to 7GBps after overhead. How well does Thunderbolt 5 work? Mark Hachman / IDG My debut look at Thunderbolt 5 came courtesy of the aforementioned Envoy Ultra attached to a Thunderbolt 5, 32GB Maingear ML-17 (Mk. II) laptop. Obviously, I wasn’t able to use the 59GB RAM disk in my standard test PC for 48GB transfers, but the T-Force NVMe SSD in the laptop provided a decently fast substitute. Alas, the Envoy Ultra completely failed to appear on our official Asus ROG Strix Z790-I (Thunderbolt 4) test bed. It didn’t appear in the BIOS, disk manager, or the Thunderbolt utility. The issue is being cooperatively investigated by OWC, Intel, and Asus as the drive failed to enumerate on an Asus Maximus Z890 Hero board as well. In case you weren’t aware, Thunderbolt 5 is supposed to be full backward compatible with versions 3 and 4. Further, only the newer Sonoma and Sequoia versions of macOS would recognize the Envoy Ultra for use on my Apple Silicon Mac Studio, though it was enumerated on the Thunderbolt bus in System Info as far back as Ventura. Sequoia is required for Intel-based Macs. Finally, I was unable to test on older Thunderbolt 2 systems as the Envoy Ultra sports a captive Type-C cable which prevented me from employing Apple’s Thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter. This is an extremely small sample size of equipment, so I’m not sure just how pervasive the issues are, but there have been rumblings around the industry about the current state of compatibility. It’s definitely toe-in-water-time for Thunderbolt 5 — even for early adopters. Further reading from another PCWorld expert: My first Thunderbolt 5 experience has been a massive bust What Thunderbolt 5 gear is available? Another Thunderbolt 5 laptop currently shipping is the Razer Blade 18. Both Asus and Gigabyte have announced a slew of motherboards that either feature Thunderbolt 5 or sport headers so they can be upgraded to it via add-on cards. Can you upgrade older computers with add-on cards? According to my inquiries, no. There are some clever engineers and hackers out there, but there are timing issues and other factors that make porting backwards highly unlikely. Yup, you’ll need new stuff to get Thunderbolt 5 speeds. And note that neither Thunderbolt 4 or 5 are compatible with older Thunderbolt 2. How fast is Thunderbolt 5 storage? How about 6GBps sequential reading, and nearly 4GBps sequential writing with multiple queues? Then there’s nearly 4GBps sequential reading and writing single-queued. That’s a very nice bump up from the previous highs of around 3GBps multi-queued and 2.5GBps single-queued delivered by 40Gbps USB 4. It’s about what we’d expect from doubling bandwidth from 40Gbps to 80Gbps. You can see the evidence below from CrystalDiskMark 8. The Thunderbolt 5 OWC Envoy Ultra absolutely rocked CrystalDiskMark 8’s sequential throughput tests. However, when it comes to random performance under CrystalDiskMark 8, the test picture painted no particular improvement. This stands to reason as increased throughput isn’t going to help any drive find/seek data faster. Random performance, according to CrystalDiskMark 8, is little improved over 40Gbps technologies. To reiterate, this was a pre-production drive on a brand-new laptop rather than our official test bed. As I had to transfer my 48GB files from SSD to SSD I omitted those results. However, in total with this arrangement the Envoy Ultra still finished a mere second slower than the first place OWC 1M2 — easily within the margin of error for these tests. The ATTO benchmark thought highly of the Envoy Ultra, if not as highly as CrystalDiskMark 8. We also omitted the results for our usual 450GB write as it’s more a test of the SSD inside and the amount of secondary cache it offers, rather than the speed of the bus. The Envoy Ultra was on pace for a stellar result if it hadn’t slowed to 1.2GBps when secondary cache was exhausted. Again, official Envoy Ultra numbers will have to wait until we upgrade our test bed to Thunderbolt 5. The test results above are simply to illustrate the rough difference between Thunderbolt 3/4, USB 4, 10Gbps USB, and Thunderbolt 5 performance. In summation, there was a marked increase in sequential transfers — with multiple queues and with only one. On suitably fast systems, it should save you time. Once again, random ops are minimally improved so don’t expect an uptick in lots-of-small-files scenarios. Note that these tests were run on a pre-production version of the Envoy Ultra, though OWC did eventually get a shipping version to us. What does Thunderbolt 5 mean for you? Thunderbolt 5 is here and you probably want it (we do), even if it saves you only modest amounts of time in the real world. Time is money, of course, but to see a profit, you’ll have to overcome some hefty initial investments — the 2TB OWC Envoy Ultra I tested is $400 and the 4TB is $600. Gulp. Thunderbolt 5 motherboards and Windows laptops are priced for the top-shelf as well, and the high cost-to-performance ratio carries over to the Mac. Only high-end newbies such as the Mac Mini (M4 Pro) offer Thunderbolt 5. Long story short… For the nonce, Thunderbolt 5 is for adventurous early adopters, enthusiasts, and prosumers who actually need the speed, and have the software and hardware to take advantage of it. This is par for the course with any new technology, though we don’t remember these kind of compatibility issues with Thunderbolt 4. Most folks will be just fine with less expensive and — at the moment — more trustworthy 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4, including our top-rated external drive, the Adata SE920. Read...

TL;DR: Master up to 14 languages with Babbel’s lifetime subscription, now $129.97 through December 8. Big language-learning goals deserve a tool that actually works. Babbel makes learning approachable, practical, and effective with lessons that fit seamlessly into your routine for $130 through December 8. With access to 14 languages, including Spanish, French, and Italian, Babbel focuses on conversational skills and everyday vocabulary so you can start speaking with confidence. Its lessons are designed by experts and backed by speech-recognition technology, helping you fine-tune pronunciation and sound like a natural. The short lessons take just 10 to 15 minutes, making it easy to learn on the go — whether you’re waiting for your coffee or winding down at night. Babbel is about more than just checking off a bucket list goal; it’s a tool for travelers, lifelong learners, and anyone ready to connect with new cultures. Real lessons, real progress — Babbel makes fluency attainable for anyone. It’s a long-term investment in your skills, and the perfect way to say goodbye to language barriers for good. For $129.97 ahead of Black Friday, a lifetime subscription to Babbel Language Learning offers endless possibilities without recurring fees.   Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages) – $129.97 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

A proposal to cut programs from a Rotorua apprenticeship training program has blindsided the forestry and wood manufacture industry, a tutor says. Read...

The NZDF has been meeting with the US, UK and Australia to discuss advanced technology and spy tech. Read...

The charity said it was working towards developing new leadership in the blind community, and ensuring better access to technology. Read...

TL;DR: Lifetime access to ChatGPT, Gemini, Midjourney, and more for just $29.97 (reg. $234) with 1minAI. Access top AI tools conveniently in one place with this early Black Friday deal.  AI has revolutionized how we work, but let’s be real: paying for each subscription feels like signing up for new streaming services. If you want to tap into the latest AI tools without breaking the bank, 1minAI is your solution. It brings together some of the most powerful AI models available — like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Midjourney — all in one convenient platform. 1minAI’s sidebar tools allow for seamless switching between AI models, utilizing the best of what each AI has to offer, and organizing everything it creates in one place.Whether you’re generating blog content with GPT-4 or graphic design elements with Midjourney, 1minAI helps you streamline your workflow by giving you access to the best AI technology without the hassle of managing multiple subscriptions.Streamline your workflow today with lifetime access to the top AI tools for only $29.97 (reg. $234) — this early Black Friday deal won’t last long.   1minAI: Lifetime Subscription – $29.97 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

DXC Technology and ServiceNow have unveiled a new Centre of Excellence to boost global adoption of generative AI solutions for businesses. Read...