Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

In this tutorial, we explore adaptive experimentation using Meta’s Ax with the modern Client API. We work through a complete workflow where we tune a RandomForest model on a synthetic classification dataset while balancing predictive accuracy against model footprint. We begin by defining a mixed search space with integer, float, log-scaled, and categorical parameters, then use Ax’s ask-tell optimization loop to run constrained Bayesian optimization, multi-objective optimization, and parameter-constrained experimentation. Along the way, we visualize convergence, inspect the Pareto frontier, use Ax’s built-in analysis tools, and persist the experiment for future reuse. import importlib, subprocess, sys def _ensure(module, pip_name=None): try:…

A healthcare software provider believed its segmented environment was reasonably secure. The company had invested heavily in layered controls across a distributed workforce, separating developer environments, segmenting cloud infrastructure, and tightly managing administrative access. Multifactor authentication (MFA) was enforced broadly, vulnerability scanning was routine, and annual penetration tests were part of the organization’s broader security and compliance efforts. Then an insider threat penetration test (pentest) with NodeZero® showed how quickly a single compromised developer credential could enable lateral movement through the environment and toward cloud infrastructure supporting software delivery. “It owned our network in a matter of minutes,” said the company’s…

Over the last few days, people who were trying to do everything right lost their Bitcoin. They bought a respected hardware signer, generated a seed offline using that device, and trusted the device to do the one thing a signer exists to do: produce a number no one else can guess. The Coldcard did not. A preprocessor guard that checked the wrong thing had quietly routed seed generation to a weak software PRNG (pseudorandom number generator), MicroPython’s Yasmarang, instead of the hardware entropy source. On some models the effective entropy collapsed to around 40 bits. The flaw shipped in March…

This artist’s concept depicts NASA’s three SkyFall Mars helicopters collecting data while flying over the surface of the Red Planet.  The green frequency waves emanating from the helicopters’ large antennas depict collection of subsurface radar data. The red beams depict collect near-infrared imagery data from regolith (crushed rock and dust) and other surface features. Equipped with four instruments each, the three helicopters will follow in the footsteps of the agency’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, a technology demonstrator that flew 72 times over nearly three years, proving that powered, controlled flight is possible in the rarefied Martian atmosphere. It also demonstrated how an…

New York City has a large population of free-roaming cats, which can harbor and transmit zoonotic parasites.Some parasites shed by cats remain in the environment for long periods and infect pets, wildlife and humans.Researchers recently tested cats that were captured during a trap-neuter-return program in New York City and found that more than half were infected with at least one type of parasite; young male cats shed large numbers of parasite eggs into the environment.The study’s authors suggest that trap-neuter-return programs incorporate disease management and surveillance to better monitor and mitigate zoonotic health risks.See All Key Ideas If…

Claim: A video posted in August 2026 is authentic footage of an Amazon delivery robot driving off a pier and into the ocean. Rating: In August 2026, people on social media shared a video apparently showing an Amazon delivery robot driving off a pier and into the ocean. For example, one Instagram post (archived) with the video said an “isolated navigation error” led to the robot driving off a pier in San Diego. Users also shared the video on Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), TikTok (archived) and X (archived). However, there was evidence that the video was generated with artificial intelligence…

Day will briefly turn into night across a swathe of northern Spain on August 12, when the Moon will completely cover the Sun during a rare total solar eclipse. Here is what you need to know about the first total solar eclipse visible in mainland Europe since 2006. What is an eclipse? Eclipses happen when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth, casting a narrow band of shadow across our planet. It creates a strange twilight during which temperatures drop, shadows appear at strange angles and some animals go to sleep. These odd phenomena convinced ancient cultures that…

Almost 50 asylum seekers deported using the “one in one out” scheme have been recorded as returning to the UK a second time, the Guardian has learned.In addition to the returnees detained by the Home Office, an unknown number are believed to have arrived in the UK undetected.The scheme, which began last September, allows the UK government to return people arriving on small boats to France, in exchange for a similar number of asylum seekers being brought to the UK legally. The aim is to deter asylum seekers from crossing the Channel in small boats.The Guardian previously revealed that the…

GMB is pushing for union recognition at the UK’s largest energy company, Octopus Energy, known as a progressive organisation with a focus on renewable energy.The union is planning to submit a formal proposal for voluntary recognition at the London-based company and says Octopus, as a top rated ethical business, should welcome the involvement of trade unions.But the company, which has risen to prominence in the UK energy sector with its tech-driven approach, has said there is currently no need – or demand from staff – for union recognition.A spokesperson for Octopus Energy denied the company was anti-union, adding it was…

Suno announced plans to implement a new watermarking technology and download policy to limit the spread of spammy AI tracks and increase transparency. In a lengthy blog post, CEO and co-founder Mikey Shulman laid out the company’s principles and the next steps for the company as it seeks legitimacy.The company is rolling out new transparency tools, along with new watermarking and fingerprinting tech. Shulman says it aligns with “emerging industry standards” that will make it easier to identify Suno-generated content. He also says the company is aiming to partner with “distribution platforms on combatting fraud and misuse.”Last year, the company…