Kategorie: Technology

  • South of Midnight: 6 Tips to Help You Thrive in This Dark, Fantastical World

    South of Midnight: 6 Tips to Help You Thrive in This Dark, Fantastical World

    Reading Time: 8 minutes

    Summary

    • South of Midnight launches on April 8, or play now with the Premium Edition.
    • The game arrives for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox app for Windows PC, Steam, cloud, and will be available day one with Game Pass. And with Xbox Play Anywhere, play on Xbox consoles, Windows PC, and cloud with full cross-entitlements and cross-saves.
    • To celebrate release, we’ve put together 6 tips to help you in both exploration and combat.

    South of Midnight invites you into a dark, fantastical world drawn from tales of the American South – and while this might look like a fairytale, both the stories it tells and the challenges it poses are far from simplistic.

    Telling the tale of Hazel, who gains the magical power of Weaving after her mother is swept away by a supernatural flood, you’ll need to cross a warped take on the South in your hunt to find her mother, and answers to what exactly is going on. Along the way, you’ll battle Haints – corrupted enemies borne from the sorrow of the world – and cure the wounds of Mythical Creatures, the subjects of real-life folktales brought to life by developer Compulsion Games.

    Premium Edition owners can play from today (ahead of an April 8 release date for all players), and to celebrate we’ve put together some tips that cover both exploration and combat, which will help you prepare for this very unexpected journey:

    Look Everywhere

    South of Midnight Screenshot

    Navigating each of South of Midnight’s chapters could be as simple as following your Guiding Strand – a feature that sees magical threads guide you to your next goal. But that’s far from all there is to discover. Each location is stuffed with hidden areas – some require platforming to reach, others need you to use your spells, while others will lead you into battles you might never have otherwise had. All of them will require a keen eye to find.

    Your rewards for doing this usually come in the form of Floofs – the game’s upgrade currency – and we hugely recommend you take the time to look for them. With just a bit of concerted exploration, you can add upgrades to your skill tree (more on those later) much faster than by simply running from one objective to the next.

    Even better, you may also find Life Filaments as you go. Most chapters contain one of these – usually in its most hidden side area – and collecting three offers a permanent upgrade to your health bar.

    Expand These Stories

    South of Midnight Screenshot

    South of Midnight is all about stories – from the tale of Hazel’s search to find her mother, to the tragic backstories of the Mythical Creatures you’ll find along the way. But if you want to dig really deep, make sure to search each chapter for items, notes, and more. You’ll see these marked by small circles as you approach, often in out-of-the-way locations.

    Far from your regular world-building, each chapter’s hidden notes add even more detail to the characters and stories you’re learning about along the core questline. You may discover hidden motivations for why characters are the way they are, simply because you took the time to read about their lives. It’s an enriching way to add to the wider tale.

    Upgrade Early and Often

    South of Midnight Screenshot

    As mentioned above, you can speed through the upgrade tree with a bit of exploration – and when you start hitting harder combat sequences, you’ll thank yourself for doing it. Even on its regular difficulty level, South of Midnight’s combat packs a punch, with even the most basic Haint enemies removing whole chunks of your health bar after a single hit – never mind when you come up against a Mythical Creature. Upgrades are your means of turning the tables.

    Upgrades tend to focus more on offering you added perks, rather than simply buffing an ability’s existing stats. When you Unravel a downed enemy to claw back some health, for example, you can add an area of-effect blast to stagger any nearby Haints before you get back into the fray. Adding a quick double-dodge to your repertoire, meanwhile, will come in very handy when you start meeting enemies that can quick-fire multiple projectiles. Take the time to explore the skill tree, and prioritize upgrades that look like they’ll solve problems.

    Use Dodges as Attack and Defence

    South of Midnight Screenshot

    Hazel doesn’t have the ability to block attacks – but she more than makes up for that with a powerful bonus to her dodge. Hitting the dodge button will help you escape in any direction (with some invulnerability frames thrown in) – but hitting a perfectly timed dodge, just before you’re hit, comes with a nasty surprise for whoever was trying to hurt you.

    Perfect Dodges send out a blast of energy, staggering any enemy around you and doing some nice damage, too. It’s worth paying attention to not just what attacks enemies can do, but the time it takes to pull them off – pretty soon, you can be doing almost as much damage by not attacking.

    Use Spells as Interrupts

    South of Midnight Screenshot

    As we mentioned, getting hit in South of Midnight can get very nasty, very quickly – and while Hazel has that handy dodge, it can sometimes be easier simply to stop an attack in the first place. Against most enemies, throwing out a spell – whether that’s a Pull, a Push, or a Weave (which incapacitates most Haints) – will break them out of an attack completely.

    While it’s tempting to spam your spells as soon as they’ve cooled down, we’d recommend keeping one in reserve as an emergency interrupt – if you see an enemy winding up during your combo, simply hit them with a spell and keep thwacking.

    Chain Your Spells

    South of Midnight Screenshot

    If you really want to keep an enemy locked down, you can use your full spell repertoire to keep attacks going without interruption. This is particularly useful once you have a few upgrades under your belt.

    For example, you could Pull an enemy towards you, with an added Weave effect (which you can also upgrade to have them take more damage while tied up). As soon as they break free, Weave them again with that core spell – and when they break free again, use Push to deal some damage and keep your distance, before charging up your ranged attack to deal the killer blow.

    With a bit of practice, enemies that felt like they took an age of dodging and poking to beat in the early game can begin to go down in a single combo – it’s extremely satisfying.

    South of Midnight will be available on April 8, 2025, on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, Steam and cloud, and arrives on day one with Game Pass. Play from today by purchasing the Premium Edition, and get access to digital extras.

    South of Midnight Premium Edition
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    South of Midnight Premium Edition

    Xbox Game Studios

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    $49.99

    Immerse yourself into the macabre and fantastical world of South of Midnight with the Premium Edition, which includes the full game, up to 5 days early access, and digital access (in English) to: • South of Midnight Artbook • Original Soundtrack composed by Olivier Deriviere
    • The Boo-Hag Comic book by Rob Guillory
    • Music Video: Songs & Tales of South of Midnight • Documentary: Weaving Hazel’s Journey, Director’s Cut UNRAVEL THE PAST From the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family’s shared past and – if she’s lucky – find her way to a place that feels like home. A DARK MODERN FOLKTALE When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world of memory made real and must embark on a journey to rescue her mother and safeguard her hometown. In this folktale for modern times, Hazel will need to reconcile the weight of family, history, and legacy against her own identity. CONFRONT MYTHICAL CREATURES Wield an ancient power to restore creatures and uncover the traumas that consume them. Cast weaving magic to fight destructive Haints, explore the diverse regions of the South, and reweave the tears in the Grand Tapestry. HAUNTING BEAUTY OF THE GOTHIC SOUTH Discover the lush, decayed county of Prospero and its locals. Experience a crafted visual style, touching storytelling, and immersive music inspired by the complex and rich history of the South.

    South of Midnight
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    South of Midnight

    Xbox Game Studios

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    $39.99

    From the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family’s shared past and – if she’s lucky – find her way to a place that feels like home. A DARK MODERN FOLKTALE When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world of memory made real and must embark on a journey to rescue her mother and safeguard her hometown. In this folktale for modern times, Hazel will need to reconcile the weight of family, history, and legacy against her own identity. CONFRONT MYTHICAL CREATURES
    Wield an ancient power to restore creatures and uncover the traumas that consume them. Cast weaving magic to fight destructive Haints, explore the diverse regions of the South, and reweave the tears in the Grand Tapestry. HAUNTING BEAUTY OF THE GOTHIC SOUTH
    Discover the lush, decayed county of Prospero and its locals. Experience a crafted visual style, touching storytelling, and immersive music inspired by the complex and rich history of the South.

    Website: LINK

  • Grand Theft Auto V Coming to Game Pass and PC Game Pass on April 15

    Grand Theft Auto V Coming to Game Pass and PC Game Pass on April 15

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    If you’ve been missing the streets of Los Santos, I’m excited to share that Grand Theft Auto V is making its way back to Game Pass on April 15! And for those of us who play on PC, I’m even happier to announce that GTAV Enhanced will be playable with PC Game Pass, and includes the latest features, like Hao’s Special Works Vehicles and more.

    Ultimate, PC, and Standard players — keep an eye on @GamePass and @XboxGamePassPC on April 15 for our favorite “available today” reminder!  

    GTA Online Features 

    Everyone playing GTAV Enhanced on PC will have access to new vehicles and modifications, Chameleon Paints, and a bunch more all in Hao’s Special Works.  

    When playing GTA Online, you’ll need to make sure you and your friends are all playing in the same edition so you can squad up — the good news is that Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass Standard players have access to all console and PC editions so you can download to play whatever your friends are on. And PC Game Pass players, both editions are available for you to download and play, even if your friends are on Steam or Epic Games.  

    Oscar Guzman Flies Again  

    No matter what version you’re playing, everyone will have access to Oscar Guzman Flies Again, the latest update where you can take to the skies — taking control of the McKenzie Field Hanger in Grapeseed. Play new arms trafficking missions, fly new aircraft, and more. 

    While you’re waiting for April 15, you can check out the Grand Theft Auto Radio playlists on Spotify to whet your appetite before getting back into the streets of Los Santos. Keep an eye on @GamePass and @XboxGamePassPC and we’ll talk soon! 

    Website: LINK

  • Supporting teachers to integrate AI in K–12 CS education

    Supporting teachers to integrate AI in K–12 CS education

    Reading Time: 5 minutes

    Teaching about artificial intelligence (AI) is a growing challenge for educators around the world. In our current seminar series, we are gaining insights from international computing education researchers on how to teach about AI and data science in the classroom. In our second seminar, Franz Jetzinger from the Technical University of Munich, Germany, presented his work on supporting teachers to integrate AI into their classrooms. Franz brings a wealth of relevant experience to his research as an accomplished textbook author and K–12 computer science teacher.

    A photo of Franz Jetzinger in a library.

    Franz started by demonstrating how widespread AI systems and technologies are becoming. He argued that embedding lessons about AI in the classroom presents three challenges: 

    1. What to teach (defining AI and learning content)
    2. How to teach (i.e. appropriate pedagogies)
    3. How to prepare teachers (i.e. effective professional development) 

    As various models and frameworks for teaching about AI already exist, Franz’s research aims to address the second and third challenges — there is a notable lack of empirical evidence integrating AI in K–12 settings or teacher professional development (PD) to support teachers.

    Using professional development to help prepare teachers

    In Bavaria, computer science (CS) has been a compulsory high school subject for over 20 years. However, a recent update has brought compulsory CS lessons (including AI) to Year 11 students (15–16 years old). Competencies targeted in the new curriculum include defining AI, explaining the functionality of different machine learning algorithms, and understanding how artificial neurons work.

    Two students are seated at a desk, collaborating on a computing task.

    To help prepare teachers to effectively teach this new curriculum and about AI, Franz and colleagues derived a set of core competencies to be used along with existing frameworks (e.g. the Five Big Ideas of AI) and the Bavarian curriculum. The PD programme Franz and colleagues developed was shaped by a set of key design principles:

    1. Blended learning: A blended format was chosen to address the need for scalability and limited resources and to enable self-directed and active learning 
    2. Dual-level pedagogy (or ‘pedagogical double-decker’): Teachers were taught with the same materials to be used in the classroom to aid familiarity
    3. Advanced organiser: A broad overview document was created to support teachers learning new topics 
    4. Moodle: An online learning platform was used to enable collaboration and communication via a MOOC (massive open online course)

    Analysing the effectiveness of the PD programme

    Over 300 teachers attended the MOOC, which had an introductory session beforehand and a follow-up workshop. The programme’s effectiveness was evaluated with a pre/post assessment where teachers completed a survey of 15 closed, multiple-choice questions on their AI competencies and knowledge. Pre/post comparisons showed teachers’ scores improved significantly having taken part in the PD. This is surprising as a large proportion of participants achieved high pre-scores, indicating a highly motivated cohort with notable prior experience teaching about AI.

    Additionally, a group of teachers (n=9) were invited to give feedback on which aspects of the PD programme they felt contributed to the success of implementing the curriculum in the classroom. They reported that the PD programme supported content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge well, but they required additional support to design suitable learning assessments.

    The design of the professional development programme

    Using action research to aid AI teaching 

    A separate strand of Franz’s research focuses on the other key challenge of how to effectively teach about AI. Franz engaged teachers (n=14) in action research, a method whereby teachers engage in classroom-based research projects. The project explored what topic-specific difficulties students faced during the lessons and how teachers adapted their teaching to overcome these challenges.

    The AI curriculum in Bavaria

    Findings revealed that students struggled with determining whether AI would benefit certain tasks (e.g. object recognition, text-to-speech) or not (e.g. GPS positioning, sorting data). Franz and colleagues reasoned that students were largely not aware of how AI systems deal with uncertainty and overestimated their capabilities. Therefore, an important step in teaching students about AI is defining ‘what an AI problem is’. 

    A teenager learning computer science.

    Similarly, students struggled with distinguishing between rule-based and data-driven approaches, believing in some cases that a trained model becomes ‘rule-based’ or that all data models are data-driven. Students also struggled with certain data science concepts, such as hyperparameter, overfitting and underfitting, and information gain. Franz’s team argue that the chosen tool, Orange Data Mining, did not provide an appropriate scaffold for encountering these concepts. 

    Finally, teachers found challenges in bringing real-world examples into the classroom, including the use of reinforcement learning and neural networks. Franz and colleagues reasoned that focusing on the function of neural networks, as opposed to their structure, would aid student understanding. The use of high-quality (i.e. well-prepared) real-world data sets was also suggested as a strategy for bridging theoretical ideas with practical examples. 

    Addressing the challenges of teaching AI

    Franz’s research provides important insights into the discipline-specific challenges educators face when introducing AI into the classroom. It also underscores the importance of appropriate professional development and age-appropriate and research-informed materials and tools to support students engaging with ideas about AI, data science, and machine learning.

    Students sitting in a lecture at a university.

    Further reading and resources

    If you are interested in reading more about Franz’s work on teacher professional development, you can read his paper on a scalable professional development offer for computer science teachers or you can learn more about his research group here.

    Join our next seminar

    In our current seminar series, we are exploring teaching about AI and data science. Join us at our next seminar on Tuesday 8 April at 17:00–18:30 BST to hear David Weintrop, Rotem Israel-Fishelson, and Peter F. Moon from the University of Maryland introduce ‘API Can Code’, an interest-driven data science curriculum for high-school students.

    To sign up and take part in the seminar, click the button below; we will then send you information about joining. We hope to see you there.

    The schedule of our upcoming seminars is online. You can catch up on past seminars on our previous seminars and recordings page.

    Website: LINK

  • This student made his own odds with a DIY slot machine

    This student made his own odds with a DIY slot machine

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Today’s digital slot machines are anything but “fair,” in the way that most of us understand that word. There is tight regulation in most places, but the machines can still adjust their odds of payout in order to maintain a specific profit margin. If the machine thinks it has paid out too many wins recently, it will effectively prevent you from winning. That’s pretty infuriating when you think about it, so Hugo White built his own slot machine so he could control the odds.

    This is a very basic slot machine with three wheels. Each has 12 symbols and there aren’t any complicated second screens, payline variations, or any of the other nonsense you’ll find in a modern casino. It is, however, a digital experience and the machine operates under the control of an Arduino Nano board. That means that White can set the odds programmatically. But for now, he plans to keep the odds natural (so each wheel has a 1:12 chance of landing on any particular symbol). 

    Three NEMA 17 stepper motors turn those wheels, under the control of the Arduino through a CNC shield with stepper driver modules. There is a small speaker and strips of WS2812B individually addressable RGB LEDs for added flair. The enclosure and all of the mechanical parts, aside from basic hardware and fasteners, were 3D-printed.

    The highlight of this project is the coin-handling. It has custom mechanisms for accepting and dispensing coins. It will only take 50-cent coins (detected by a photo sensor) and, during a payout, it will push those coins out using a servo-actuated rack-and-pinion mechanism.

    Unfortunately, White reports that there are still bugs in the code that he’s struggling to sort out. He’d like some assistance with that, so get in touch with him if you’re willing to lend a hand. 

    The post This student made his own odds with a DIY slot machine appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Coming Soon to Game Pass: South of Midnight, Blue Prince, Borderlands 3, and More

    Coming Soon to Game Pass: South of Midnight, Blue Prince, Borderlands 3, and More

    Reading Time: 7 minutes

    It’s time to confront some magical creatures (or maybe just your backlog) with these games coming soon! Some surprise benefits and announcements you might have missed, day one games (with some amazing music; looking at you South of Midnight), and more. Let’s get to it!

    Coming Soon

    Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 3
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard

    Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition packs bazillions of guns and is a mayhem-fueled adventure, featuring the base game plus all four campaign add-ons, Director’s Cut content, and all cosmetic packs! Blast through worlds and enemies as one of four Vault Hunters, each with deep skill trees, abilities, and customization. Play solo or join with friends to take on insane enemies, score loads of loot, and save your home from the most ruthless cult leaders in the galaxy.

    All You Need is Help (Console) – April 3
    Now with Game Pass Standard

    Dive into a quirky multiplayer co-op puzzle game where adorable, fluffy cube-shaped creatures collaborate to reach their goals. This cooperative-centric game is designed for enjoyment across generations – from children to grandparents – making it perfect for family and friends.

    Still Wakes the Deep (Xbox Series X|S) – April 3
    Now with Game Pass Standard

    From the award-winning developers at The Chinese Room comes a terrifying tale of isolation. You are trapped on an oil rig in the North Sea, running from an unknowable horror that has come aboard. With no escape and no way to fight back, all you can do is survive. 

    Wargroove 2 (Console) – April 3
    Now with Game Pass Standard

    Embark on an all-new adventure filled with unlikely friendships, unknown adversaries, and ugly revenge plots. Wage war against your foes with a cast of new Commanders. Design and share maps, cut-scenes, and campaigns with easy-to-use editors and in-depth customization tools.

    Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – Ultimate Evil Edition (Console and PC) – April 8
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard

    This Ultimate Evil Edition contains both Diablo III and the Reaper of Souls expansion set, together in one definitive volume. Rise as one of humanity’s last defenders – crusader, barbarian, witch doctor, demon hunter, monk, or wizard – and collect legendary loot while mastering devastating new powers and abilities.

    South of Midnight (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – April 8
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

    Available on day one with Game Pass! South of Midnight is a new action-adventure from Compulsion Games. Explore the mythos and confront mysterious creatures of the Deep South in this modern folktale while learning to weave an ancient power to surmount obstacles and face the pain haunting your hometown. Game Pass members can save 10% on the Premium Edition Upgrade to unlock up to 5 days early access, plus digital access to the South of Midnight Artbook, the original soundtrack, and more.

    Commandos: Origins (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S) – April 9
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

    Available on day one with Game Pass! Commandos: Origins revisits the six iconic commandos from the original series. Witness elite stealth-tactics gameplay, use your team’s unique abilities to execute complex strategies, and combine your forces in 2-player co-op multiplayer. The battlefield is calling. Do you have what it takes?

    Blue Prince (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S) – April 10
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

    Available on day one with Game Pass! Welcome to Mt. Holly, the mysterious manor with shifting rooms. Blue Prince is a genre-bending, atmospheric, architectural adventure where you explore an ever-changing manor of 45 shifting rooms. Discover secrets and mysteries in a house you build one room at a time. As you discover more with each passing day, the question asked is – can you find the rumored Room 46?

    Hunt Showdown 1896 (PC) – April 15
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

    Available now on PC and coming soon to Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) and Xbox consoles! Hunt: Showdown 1896 is a new era of the addictively unforgiving extraction shooter. In corrupted backwaters lost to history, fight back alone – or with friends – against timeless evil. Twisted monsters and other ruthless Hunters stand between you and your Bounty. Risk everything as Hunt consumes you.

    In Case You Missed It

    EA Sports College Football 25 (Cloud and Xbox Series X|S) – Available now
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

    Step into iconic stadiums with unforgettable traditions and get unlimited access to EA Sports College Football 25. Members can chase college greatness with Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta), PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate via EA Play. Plus, score a Supercharge Pack by April 24.

    More In-Game Benefits for Free-to-Play Games

    For Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members, we announced we’re bringing even more benefits for select free-to-play games. You can expect in-game benefits like cosmetics, characters, in-game currency, and more with seasonal content drops. Starting today, members will get access to the following in-game benefits for Asphalt Legends Unite:

    Asphalt Legends Unite (Console and PC) – link your Gameloft Club account
    Speed into action with the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, 10 St. Patrick’s Card Packs, and 500,000 credits to upgrade, enhance, and dominate the track.

    DLC / Game Updates

    Dead by Daylight: Tokyo Ghoul – Available now
    From anime to the horrific realm of video game horror, Tokyo Ghoul’s Ken Kaneki has come to Dead by Daylight. Feel the tear as your gruesome Kagunes spring from your back-flesh to propel you forward, teeth gnashing in anticipation.

    Sea of Thieves: 2025 Edition Update – Available now
    To celebrate Sea of Thieves‘ Seventh Anniversary, fresh 2025 Editions are now available. These new options contain the latest version of the full game and offer a range of choices at different price points, packed to bursting with bonuses including some of the game’s most popular items!

    Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – Season 03 – Starting today
    Season 03 Multiplayer and Zombies content kicks off today! Players can jump in and get locked and loaded prior to Verdansk officially launching in Call of Duty: Warzone tomorrow April 3rd. Game Pass members can save 10% and maximize their gameplay with Season 03 BlackCell which includes the standard Battle Pass with an added BlackCell Page Unlock with bonus unlockable content, 20 tier skips, 1,100 Call of Duty Points, and more. Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members, stay tuned for in-game benefits dropping soon.

    Age of Empires IV: Knights of Cross and Rose Expansion – April 8
    Pre-order and save 15% on Age of Empires IV: Knights of Cross and Rose today and prepare to experience the stories and strategic warfare of the Knights Templar and House of Lancaster. These variant civilizations innovate upon the French and English, bringing new weapons, units, buildings, and technologies to the battlefield.  

    Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks

    New Perks are here! Check the Game Pass section on your console, Xbox mobile app, or Xbox app on Windows PC to find new in-game content, consumables, and offers included with your Game Pass Ultimate membership. Perks vary by region, platform, and over time.

    The First Descendant: Beyond the Void Bundle – Available now
    Enter Beyond the Void, the next chapter of Season 2 in The First Descendant! Claim the Episode 2 Bundle to gear up in style, customize your loadout, and join your fellow Descendants on new missions in the uncharted Sigma Sector!

    Candy Crush Solitaire (Mobile): Sweet Starter Pack – Available now
    The Sweet Starter Pack gives you the perfect edge to sharpen your strategy and sweeten every move. It includes 5,000 coins, 4 undo moves, 3 Color Bomb boosters, and 1 Wild Card.

    Sea of Thieves: Seventh Serving Emote – Available now
    For a limited time, celebrate seven years on the Sea of Thieves with this Emote and carve a slice of delicious dessert!

    Leaving April 15

    The following games are leaving the Game Pass library soon, which means it is time to re-shuffle your play list and check these out before they go. Remember to use your 20% membership discount on your purchase if you would like to keep them in your library.

    • Botany Manor
    • Coral Island
    • Harold Halibut
    • Homestead Arcana
    • Kona
    • Orcs Must Die! 3
    • Shadow of the Tomb Raider Definitive Edition
    • Turbo Golf Racing

    We’re adding more games over time to the ‘Stream your own game’ collection for Game Pass Ultimate members. Go to Xbox.com/Play to see the list of available cloud playable games to stream on supported devices if you own them. 

    As always, love to chat with you about what games you’re playing and what you’re downloading next! Catch us at Game Pass, PC Game Pass, or Xbox, and we’ll remind you when these “coming soon” games turn into “available today”. Cheers!

    Website: LINK

  • Argon ONE V5 case review

    Argon ONE V5 case review

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    The first thing that strikes you is the sheer size. This is not a small case, and that’s because it has a few tricks under its tough exterior. Argon is clearly intending this case to be your powerhouse server. Removing the solid aluminium lid, we find space for your Raspberry Pi 5 along with some impressive passive heatsinking and a mounted PWM 30 mm fan. On-board ports – including the GPIO header – are exposed within the housing for projects and there’s a few millimetres of clearance for adding your own bits and pieces. Argon’s signature daughterboard design is here too, with a PCB that plugs into the USB-C and HDMI ports of your Raspberry Pi, breaking them out to full-size HDMI and an additional two front-mounted USB-A connectors. Slotting it all together onto the plastic base creates a solid unit for your next project.

    All the usual rear ports plus full-size HDMI and antenna mount points

    Features and upgrade options

    There is a very good reason this case is so much larger than standard. Alongside the Raspberry Pi, there is space for two M.2 NVMe slots for up to full-sized 2280 solid-state drives. This case then becomes a NAS with SSD RAID capability. You can purchase the add-on PCBs for each M.2 separately or pre-mounted, offering flexibility on price and future upgrade options. Then, nestling next to the front-mounted USB ports, there’s an audio-out port. This case comes with a DAC built-in, which upgrades it further to a potential media server.

    Home automation enthusiasts may be tempted by the optional Zigbee add-on which plugs into the daughterboard and comes complete with an antenna which mounts to the case externally. If you’re using the case headless and want to see some info at a glance, the £9 OLED module adds a tiny screen to the top of the case for you to use as you wish. Finally, another option is to add a dedicated uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which sits neatly under the case. Argon has created an entire ecosystem around the simple concept of a case.

    We were supplied with a manual, thermal pads for the various Raspberry Pi chips, and additional thermal pads for protecting the M.2 SSDs. Assembly was easy and the result was formidable. It may not look as pretty as its predecessors on your living room cabinet, but you’ll probably be able to drop it from some height without causing it much damage.

    There is excellent heat dissipation and port access inside

    Verdict

    10/10

    If you are looking to build a home server for media, automation, or just data storage, this is a well-priced option that will keep your Raspberry Pi cool and protected with a wealth of upgrade options.

    Specs

    Ports: 6 × USB, USB-C, 2 × full-size HDMI, 3.5 mm audio

    Add-ons: Up to 2 × NMVe M.2 SSD (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280), Zigbee module with antenna, OLED screen, UPS

    Cooling: Passive aluminium, active 30 mm PWM fan

  • Empowering India’s digital future: Our computing curriculum’s impact

    Empowering India’s digital future: Our computing curriculum’s impact

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    The Raspberry Pi Foundation has been working in India since 2018 to enable young people to realise their potential through the power of computing and digital technologies. 

    We’ve supported Code Clubs, partnered with government organisations, and designed and delivered a complete computing curriculum for students in grades 6 to 12 and at the undergraduate level. Our curriculum is tailored to the Indian context, and we provide extensive support to help teachers deliver it effectively.

    Three female students at the Coding Academy in Telangana.

    In another recent blog, we shared in detail how we’ve created an impactful curriculum for India. We’re now excited to share our new report evaluating how our curriculum is being taught in Telangana and Odisha. This report demonstrates the impact we’ve had so far, highlighting our successes and the key lessons we have learnt.

    Key findings from the evaluation

    Our evaluations of how the curriculum is being taught show that teachers are well-equipped to deliver the curriculum and provide high-quality and accessible learning experiences that develop students’ computing knowledge and skills.

    A group of students in a classroom.

    In Telangana, we partnered with the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TGSWREIS) to introduce our curriculum at the Coding Academy School and Coding Academy College. Our report found that all school and college teachers we trained agreed they felt confident teaching students using the resources provided. Students were very positive about the classes, and their assessment scores demonstrated strong learning outcomes: 77% of school students and 70% of college students achieved at least 60% of available marks.

    In Odisha, we worked with Learning Links Foundation and Quest Alliance, in partnership with Panchasakha Sikhya Setu (PSS) Abhiyan, to deliver the IT and Coding Curriculum (Kaushali) to students in grades 9 and 10. Our findings were also very positive:

    • 87% of teacher respondents agreed that the curriculum resources were high quality and useful for their teaching
    • 91% felt more confident about teaching IT and coding due to the curriculum resources
    • 93% of teachers agreed that the training helped them understand the curriculum’s structure, content, and objectives
    • 89% felt confident in teaching the curriculum after the training
    • Teachers also reported a positive impact on their students, with almost all agreeing that it improved students’ coding skills, digital literacy, and understanding of responsible digital citizenship

    The report also highlights how students better understood how computing and coding are used in the world and developed an increased interest in pursuing careers in these fields.

    Key factors for effective implementation

    Our evaluations show the importance of several factors when launching a computing curriculum:

    • Aligning content with students’ experience and interests: Content should be tailored to students’ existing knowledge, culturally relevant, and follow industry standards to prepare them for employment
    • Providing extensive support to teachers: This includes careful selection and training of master teachers, comprehensive training for teachers that considers their knowledge and experience, and ongoing support through webinars, calls, and classroom observations
    • Ensuring sufficient quantity and quality of infrastructure: Adequate equipment and internet access are crucial for effective teaching and learning

    We are committed to always improving our approach to ensure that all young people in India have the opportunity to learn about computing.

    Join us in shaping the future

    You can read our new report here. If you are interested in partnering with us or want to learn more about our mission, please contact india@raspberrypi.org.

    Website: LINK

  • Forgot your safe combination? This Arduino-controlled autodialer can crack it for you

    Forgot your safe combination? This Arduino-controlled autodialer can crack it for you

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Safes are designed specifically to be impenetrable — that’s kind of the whole point. That’s great when you need to protect something, but it is a real problem when you forget the combination to your safe or when a safe’s combination becomes lost to history. In such situations, Charles McNall’s safe-cracking autodialer device can help.

    This is a device, controlled by an Arduino UNO Rev3, that can attach to a traditional safe that has a dial combination lock and perform a brute-force procedure in order to find the combination. In simple terms, it tries every permutation of digits until it happens to stumble across the correct combination for that safe.

    The Arduino spins the dial using a stepper motor and there is an OLED screen for status information, with buttons for control. The device attaches to the safe using magnetic mounts and it grabs the dial with a 3D-printed chuck. There is also a magnetic clutch, which is important because it slips when the lock mechanism falls into place on a successful combination entry. That prevents the autodialer from continuing on after it finds the correct combination.

    This can attempt combinations at a very fast rate, but it could still take several days or even weeks to succeed if it has to try every single permutation. Luckily, it is possible to narrow down the possibilities quite a lot. That depends on the safe model, but design quirks tend to eliminate specific number ranges and can help the cracker find one or two dials through feel alone before moving to brute-forcing.

    McNall plans to live stream a cracking attempt soon, so stay tuned for that. Until then, you can check out McNail’s code on GitHub.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcfdyP5HKWw?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    The post Forgot your safe combination? This Arduino-controlled autodialer can crack it for you appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • DOOM: The Dark Ages – Going Hands-on with Story, Sandboxes, Mechs, and Dragons

    DOOM: The Dark Ages – Going Hands-on with Story, Sandboxes, Mechs, and Dragons

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    This is where The Dark Ages truly breaks free from expectation. In my final (and longest) section of the demo, I’m placed into id’s take on a sandbox open zone and told to approach it however I’d like. My solitary goal is to close five demon-spewing portals, but how I do it, and what diversions I take, are entirely up to me. Over the course of an hour, I’m repeatedly reminded that I’ve never played a DOOM game like this before.

    As you’d hope for, this sandbox sequence is stacked with optional goals – heavily protected artillery batteries to take out, caches of gold to spend on upgrades, and more. At one point, I’m simply running somewhere, when a cathedral-sized tentacle bursts out of the ground and begins to attack – this isn’t a scripted moment, or even an objective I’m given, it’s just another surprise hidden along the way.

    But the core objectives themselves hold surprises, too. In that first story mission, closing portals was simply a case of clearing an arena, but it’s never quite the same in this case. Some portals transport me to a dungeon, requiring me to solve puzzles in order to find my way to the energy source powering them. Others introduce Leader enemies – overpowered beasts who are invulnerable to my attacks until I kill enough of their followers, and come with permanent upgrades after your victory. Along the way, I find new guns, augmenting my armory with new options. It’s restlessly, relentlessly inventive, as if id has been waiting for an opportunity to transplant new ideas into the DOOM format.

    And that’s the key takeaway from my full session with DOOM: The Dark Ages – this feels like a developer brimming with enthusiasm, not just for DOOM itself, but for what DOOM could be. I was expecting a new story, new guns, and new demons – I wasn’t expecting new genres. I cannot wait to find out what else this team has in store.

    DOOM: The Dark Ages launches for Xbox Series X|S, PC (via the Xbox app for Windows PC, Steam, and Battle.net), PlayStation 5, and cloud on May 15, 2025. It will be available day one with Game Pass.

    Website: LINK

  • Chop saw tape dispenser

    Chop saw tape dispenser

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    It’s in this spirit that Bunchowills has made the world’s smallest chop saw that is also a tape dispenser. Yes, the spinny 3D-printed blade won’t give you the same clean edge as a pair of scissors, but it looks considerably more awesome, and that’s the whole point.

    This mostly 3D-printed build runs on a pair of AA batteries, and can technically be used for woodworking projects as well as stationery management (its maker claims it can cut through toothpicks). Download the STL files, fire up your printer, and make one today for the woodworker with everything in your life.

    Warning! Moving parts

    Be careful when handling this project because it has moving parts. Children should be supervised.

  • Quickly digitize your Magic deck with this 3D-printable scanning rig

    Quickly digitize your Magic deck with this 3D-printable scanning rig

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    We call them “deck builders” for a reason: because players end up with huge piles of trading cards. They can get difficult to manage, which is why the ManaBox app exists for Magic: The Gathering. It lets collectors scan and log their decks, which is handy for everything from finding market values to optimizing deck builds. To speed up the scanning process, Fraens designed this 3D-printable rig.

    The ManaBox app has a nice feature that lets users scan cards with their phone’s camera. The app recognizes the scanned card and then adds it to the library. But doing that manually, one card at a time, can be a labor-intensive process for large collections. This rig automates that by feeding cards from a deck to a scanning area. After the app logs a card, the machine moves on to the next card.

    That happens under the control of an Arduino Nano board. It turns the feed motor through a basic L298N H-bridge driver. A light dependent resistor triggers when a card is in position, so the Arduino knows when to stop the motor.

    But it is the motor starting process that is particularly clever. Fraens needed a way for the machine to determine when a scan finishes, so it can push the next card into place. The ManaBox app plays a sound after a successful scan and the Arduino listens for that through a microphone. When it hears the sound (or any sound — the room must be quiet), it knows to proceed.

    However, Fraens ran into an issue with scanning certain reflective cards. Too much glare would ruin a scan, so Fraens added a diffused LED ring light with adjustable brightness and hue. After putting a new card in place, the machine waits to hear the notification sound of a successful scan. If too much time passes without that sound, the Arduino will begin adjusting the lighting parameters until the scan succeeds.

    This is, of course, an awful lot of work if you only have a few dozen cards. But if you have hundreds or thousands in your collection, it could be worthwhile. 

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl2RyKrg4pI?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    The post Quickly digitize your Magic deck with this 3D-printable scanning rig appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Experience CS: a new way to teach computer science

    Experience CS: a new way to teach computer science

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    I am delighted to announce Experience CS, a free, integrated computer science curriculum for elementary and middle school students (8–14 years old) that will be available in June 2025. 

    Experience CS enables educators to teach computer science through a standards-aligned curriculum that integrates computer science concepts and knowledge into core subjects like maths, science, languages, and the arts. 

    An educator helps students with a coding task.

    This cross-curricular and integrated approach is one of the most effective ways to provide younger students with an introduction to computer science and is increasingly important as the impact of digital technology reaches every corner of our lives. We also know that embedding CS in real-world contexts helps make it meaningful and relevant for students, which is essential if we are going to inspire kids from different backgrounds to want to learn more about computer science and technology. 

    Built by educators, for educators 

    The team behind Experience CS includes educators with significant experience of teaching CS in elementary and middle school settings and everything we do is being informed by the world’s leading research into effective pedagogy as well as extensive testing and research in classrooms. This won’t stop when we launch. We will continue to develop and improve the curriculum and resources in response to feedback from teachers and students. 

    Two students use computers in a classroom.

    One of the most important design principles for Experience CS is that it can be used by any educator. You don’t need a CS qualification or any previous experience in teaching CS classes to deliver engaging and creative learning experiences for your students. 

    We will provide lesson plans, classroom resources, and an online platform that is designed to be easy and safe to use. We will also provide educators with professional development to help build their confidence, knowledge, and skills. You don’t need to adapt or amend the resources to use them, but you will be able to if you want to. We trust teachers to know what is best for their classrooms.

    A creative and safe learning experience 

    Crucially, Experience CS will be a creative learning experience. We’ve all seen those apps and platforms that purport to teach computer science by having young people direct their favourite pop culture character around a maze. While those types of games can be fun, we think that they fail to convey the creative potential of computer science and leave more students feeling “why bother” rather than being inspired to learn more. 

    That’s why Experience CS includes self-directed creative projects using the popular programming platform Scratch, with clear instructions and endless opportunities for young people to express themselves creatively. 

    Students use their laptops in a classroom, supervised by a teacher.

    We know that online safety is the most important consideration for schools, teachers, and parents, which is why we have built a version of Scratch that is safe for schools. That means it won’t have the community and sharing features that are so central to the full Scratch platform. It will come with simple and intuitive classroom management features that enable teachers to create accounts, set assignments, review progress, and provide feedback to students. 

    Free forever, for everyone

    Our promise is that Experience CS will be available for teachers and students anywhere in the world to use for free, for as long as you need it. 

    Initially, we are developing the curriculum and resources for the US and Canadian education systems and we will be mapping the lessons to national and local standards in both countries. The materials will all be available in English, French, and Spanish. We will also be focusing our professional development and support for schools in the US and Canada, including working with a fantastic network of educational partners. 

    Building on the legacy of CS First 

    We are delighted that Experience CS is supported by Google and that we are able to build on the fantastic work that they have done over many years to support educators and students through CS First. 

    Google has today announced that CS First will no longer be available from June 30, 2025 and that they are recommending that their users should move over to Experience CS for the next school year. That is a huge vote of confidence from a team that really knows what they are talking about. I want to pay tribute to everyone at Google who has worked so hard over the years to support teachers and inspire students through CS First. 

    We are looking forward to working with all of the CS First community to make sure that you are supported through the transition and set up ready to go for the start of the new school year. You can find out more about the support we will be offering by registering here.

    Website: LINK

  • Practical AI in the Raspberry Pi Official Magazine

    Practical AI in the Raspberry Pi Official Magazine

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    We’ve filled the magazine with tutorials and hands-on projects – as always, a lot of these come from the fantastic Raspberry Pi user community, without which we’d be nothing. Thank you to everyone who’s ever built a project with Raspberry Pi, and special thanks to the subscribers who make this magazine possible.

    Practical AI with Raspberry Pi

    Our biggest budget build this issue is the McLaren Car Play – Adam Bell has used a Raspberry Pi to fool a 90s super car into thinking that it’s an iPod, adding Apple’s in-car entertainment setup via a Raspberry Pi 5.

    McLaren CarPlay

    We have literally scoured the alphabet to bring you the A to Z of Raspberry Pi – from AI to Zero and every point in between, there’s a factoid ready for your next computing-themed pub quiz.

    The A to Z of Raspberry Pi

    Feeling a little fuzzy and light-headed? Best get that checked out. But if you want to check whether the air in your office if making you drowsy, PJ Evans has built a CO2 monitor using a sensor, a Pimoroni Badger 2040 W and a smattering of Python programming. It’s getting warmer in the UK now, so take this as a cue to open the window!

    Build a smart C02 sensor

    Then again, sometimes a fuzzy is good… like the way video games used to blur pixels to trick the mind into thinking that their graphics were more detailed than they actually were. KG Orphanides adds a CRT emulator to a modern setup to put more beauty back in retro games.

    Build a CRT emulation console

    You’ll find all this and much more in the latest edition of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine. Pick up your copy today from our store, or subscribe to get every issue delivered to your door.

  • Win one of three 26 TOPS AI HAT+

    Win one of three 26 TOPS AI HAT+

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Subscribe

  • Here’s how we’re helping developers build safer Android apps more efficientlyHere’s how we’re helping developers build safer Android apps more efficiently

    Here’s how we’re helping developers build safer Android apps more efficientlyHere’s how we’re helping developers build safer Android apps more efficiently

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    On the Android Developers Blog, we’re sharing how we’re making it easier than ever for developers to build safe apps, while also continuing to strengthen our ecosystem’s protection in 2025 and beyond. Here are just a few highlights:

    • We’re expanding Play Console’s pre-review checks to make it easier for developers to build safer apps, right from the start.
    • We’re offering more policy support for developers and adding new features to help teams deal with emerging threats.
    • We’re making it harder for malicious actors to trick users into downloading harmful apps from Internet-sideloaded sources.

    You can read more on the Android Developers Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • This Arduino Nano Every-controlled machine automatically mixes acrylic paint of any color

    This Arduino Nano Every-controlled machine automatically mixes acrylic paint of any color

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    When you want to paint the walls in your bedroom that very specific shade of Misty Irish Green, all you have to do is head to your local hardware store and have them scan the corresponding card. The paint-mixing machine will then add the pigment to a white base and, a few minutes later, you have that exact color. So, shouldn’t you be able to do the same thing with acrylic paint for hobby purposes? Now you can, thanks to the “Color By Code” machine designed by Frida Moreno and her team.

    Moreno and her partners built Color By Code for a class project and it is, essentially, a hobby version of those hardware store paint-mixers intended for acrylic paint. As is the standard across many industries that deal with pigments, paint, and printing, this works using CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, key) color mixing. Here, the key is black and the machine takes an input color value for each component, then dispenses the paint in those ratios to achieve the desired hue.

    That all happens under the control of an Arduino Nano Every board. That operates peristaltic pumps, via L298N motor drivers, that dispense each color. Afterwards, a flushing procedure clears the lines before the next mix. The pumps fit into a 3D-printed stand, with the hoses dropping below to a waiting container.

    At this time, the user must set the color values through serial commands. But the team hopes to create a Bluetooth app in the future. They also plan to add a weight sensor, which would improve the machine’s accuracy.

    The post This Arduino Nano Every-controlled machine automatically mixes acrylic paint of any color appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Three ways to help students learn about the impact of technology

    Three ways to help students learn about the impact of technology

    Reading Time: 5 minutes

    As adults, it’s easy for us to see the impact technology has had on society and on our lives. Yet when I tell pupils that, within my lifetime, it wasn’t always illegal to hold your mobile phone to your ear and have a call while driving, they are horrified. They are living in the now and don’t yet have the perspective to allow them to see the change that has happened. 

    With the greater understanding we now have of technology and its impact, we can better learn from previous mistakes, make decisions around ethical behaviour (such as whether to use a phone while driving), and critically engage in real-world issues. 

    As teachers, allocating some time to this topic throughout the year can seem challenging, but by implementing a few small changes, the benefits might be more than you imagine. Here are three ways you can help your students explore the impact of technology.

    1. Change the format of your lessons by stepping away from devices 

    As teachers know, some computing lessons work best when students don’t use devices, whether it’s a matter of students designing programs before starting to code them, drawing  maps of their school network, or discussing the implications of bias in AI training models. It’s important that learners recognise that computers are tools — sometimes they allow us to do and achieve great things, but sometimes there are other approaches that are more suitable. 

    A group of young people investigate computer hardware together.

    Spending time discussing the impact of technology can help learners decide for themselves when technology is an asset, and when it is a burden. Another advantage of changing the format of your computing lessons away from device usage is that they may appeal to a wider range of students. While some students may not be interested in using technology, they may enjoy debating ethics, discussing world events, or finding solutions to real-world problems — all of which can take centre stage in a more discussion-focused computing lesson.     

    This approach can also demonstrate to your class that lots of different skill sets are needed in the computing industry, and inspire your learners to consider career paths they might have otherwise dismissed. In addition, open, discussion-based lessons can give your learners food for thought, encouraging them to approach tasks in subsequent lessons with a greater appreciation of broader issues — whether they’re designing a program, deciding what features to build into a website, or how to structure a database. 

    2. Connect your lessons to real-world events

    Young people exist in an interesting space when it comes to world events. Even if they’re not engaged in current affairs, they’ll probably still encounter a lot of content about what’s happening in the world. They may see snippets of news footage on television, hear adults talking about a big event, or — with so much of their lives now happening online — stumble across trending stories and associated opinions while using social media, apps, and websites.  

    Close up of two young people working at a computer.

    Young people will often try to make sense of all these bits of information, filling in the blanks. The problem is that if we don’t talk to young people about what they’re hearing, they may fill in the blanks incorrectly. Before you know it, they might be anxious that artificial intelligence will take over the world, or that adults hate TikTok for no reason. 

    It’s important to equip young people with the skills to think about real-world events — and developments related to technology — critically and calmly. 

    Headlines such as “Why the USA is banning TikTok” or self-help articles with titles like “Why muting people on social media will change your life” could make brilliant focus points for a lesson or activity about the impact of technology. Discussing these kinds of headlines and articles can help your learners consider their own opinions, apply what they know about how technology works, and gain a sense of grounding in our often turbulent world. 

    By encouraging your learners to articulate what they know and apply it to real-world situations, you’ll enrich their computing education while also nurturing responsible digital citizens.  

    3. Encourage students to have difficult conversations

    The role of a computing teacher is often broad. Beyond curriculum and teaching responsibilities, it will usually involve providing tech support (changing ink in printers, for instance) and dealing with safeguarding incidents that have happened between pupils at the weekend. 

    Safeguarding is a key part of teaching. Effective safeguarding should include teaching your learners about what to do in difficult scenarios, like when a WhatsApp group goes awry, when an image is shared on social media when it shouldn’t have been, or when a game becomes popular that your learners aren’t old enough to play. 

    Computing teachers often have to be prepared with a lesson to deal with safeguarding incidents, such as a WhatsApp group gone awry.
    Computing teachers often have to be prepared with a lesson to deal with safeguarding incidents, such as a WhatsApp group gone awry.

    Each of these scenarios is an example of technology’s impact on our lives. It’s important that your learners know how to deal with these scenarios and can have different opinions while talking and listening to each other. Also, if your learners can do these things, it will make things easier in the future if you need to talk to a particular learner about something inappropriate they’ve done.  

    By encouraging your learners to have difficult conversations, you’ll practise how to navigate the tension between legality, rules from home, and best-practice advice from external sources. You’ll also have lessons that you can refer back to: “Remember when we were discussing the TikTok ban? How might some of those conversations relate to this situation? What about when we discussed when to block people on games or on social media? Would that be appropriate here?” 

    Raising awareness that the impact of technology can enrich lessons

    Technology is going to continue to impact the lives of the pupils we work with, whether they can recognise that or not. Increasing their awareness of the impact technology is having, in both positive and negative ways, will enrich your lessons, show that content is relevant to your learners, and help protect them when they have to make their own critical decisions. 

    There are suggestions in this article to use with learners of all ages, but if you want more support on how to teach the topic with older learners, we have an online course for educators (helloworld.cc/impactoftech) and a unit of work for 14-year-olds (helloworld.cc/ks4impact).

    A version of this article also appears in Hello World issue 24.

    Website: LINK

  • SeaPerch II introduces students to underwater ROV exploration

    SeaPerch II introduces students to underwater ROV exploration

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    While professionals around the world take advantage of Arduino products and the extensive ecosystem, the core Arduino philosophy is to simplify complex technology. A bare microcontroller is intimidating to the uninitiated, but an Arduino development board is friendly and approachable. MIT’s Sea Grant is harnessing that in their new SeaPerch II underwater ROV (remotely operated vehicle) design that is perfect for students.

    The MIT Sea Grant program launched the original SeaPerch initiative way back in 2003 as a way to bring students into the underwater world of ROVs. That original SeaPerch was affordable to build with common parts, but technology has progressed a lot in the past couple of decades and the new SeaPerch II will make use of what the modern scene has to offer.

    In particular, SeaPerch II will take a new modular approach for sensors, manipulation, and data collection systems. Those modules are built around Arduino boards for maximum accessibility and flexibility.

    SeaPerch II is still in its infancy, but there are already a few modules available that are compatible with the new base ROV. 

    Module 1, for example, is a “robot whisker sensor” designed around the Arduino UNO family of boards. It is a flexible, waterproof sensor that relies on variable resistance to detect contact with physical objects.

    Module 2 is a pressure, depth, and temperature sensor. Once again, the core component is an Arduino board. That monitors an Adafruit LPS35HW pressure sensor sealed inside a balloon. As the depth increases, so does the water pressure outside the balloon. That, in turn, increases the air pressure inside the balloon and the sensor measures the change.

    Like the original SeaPerch, SeaPerch II will offer students the chance to become acquainted with underwater ROVs and gain valuable skills along the way.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTNzBFul4C8?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    The post SeaPerch II introduces students to underwater ROV exploration appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • How Google and NVIDIA are teaming up to solve real-world problems with AIHow Google and NVIDIA are teaming up to solve real-world problems with AI

    How Google and NVIDIA are teaming up to solve real-world problems with AIHow Google and NVIDIA are teaming up to solve real-world problems with AI

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    From Google DeepMind’s AI advancements, to Google Cloud’s AI-first infrastructure, to our Other Bets’ use of AI to tackle complex challenges in areas like healthcare, energy and robotics — every corner of our company is focused on pushing the frontier of AI and bringing its benefits to everyone.

    NVIDIA is a critical partner in this mission. As a world leader in AI and accelerated computing, NVIDIA has collaborated with Google and Alphabet for years on a wide variety of projects, including Android, advanced AI research, next-generation hardware and software optimizations, and beyond — all with the goal of making AI more accessible for developers.

    This week at the NVIDIA GTC global AI conference, we’re doubling down on our partnership with NVIDIA with announcements across Google and Alphabet:

    Google Cloud’s AI infrastructure will help transform businesses with NVIDIA’s latest GPUs

    Training large AI models requires serious computing power, and NVIDIA continues to raise the bar on GPU performance. We’re excited to announce our A4 VM is now generally available, based on NVIDIA HGX B200 GPU — and our A4X VMs based on NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 will be available soon, too. We’re committed to supporting the latest Blackwell GPUs, including the just-announced NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell and NVIDIA GB300. This means faster training times, smoother deployments and the ability to tackle even more complex AI challenges.

    Google DeepMind and NVIDIA will make the power of Gemini available to more people

    Google DeepMind’s Gemini is the result of decades of large language model research and is our most capable AI model. This week we’ll share how rapid advances in Gemini are designed to support more developers and end users — and how our collaboration with NVIDIA is helping to make that possible.

    The Google DeepMind team also released Gemma 3 last week, the latest in our collection of lightweight, state-of-the-art open models. NVIDIA played a key role in the development of these open models, working closely with our researchers to optimize Gemma to run on its vast accelerated computing ecosystem. This means developers can easily access the same technology that powers Gemini and implement it on any NVIDIA GPU available to them.

    Separately, NVIDIA also announced today that it has employed Google DeepMind’s SynthID watermarking tool on its Cosmos video generation platform. This marks our first external deployment of the technology, and we’re proud to help instill user trust in AI-generated content.

    Alphabet and NVIDIA will use AI to tackle the world’s most complex issues

    Our collaboration with NVIDIA isn’t just about building AI tools to help in daily life; it’s about fundamentally improving the quality of life for everyone. That means working together to apply AI to address some of the world’s most complex challenges. For starters, we’re teaming up to apply the most advanced frontier models to areas from energy to drug discovery.

    • Smarter energy grids. Tapestry, X’s moonshot for the electric grid, and NVIDIA are researching methods to increase the speed and accuracy of electric grid simulations.
    • Improved drug discovery. Isomorphic Labs and NVIDIA are advancing the development of new medicines using AI.
    • More capable robots. Intrinsic and NVIDIA are making robots more intelligent and capable, with the integration of NVIDIA’s Isaac foundation models for more adaptive grasp capabilities.
    • Advanced robotics simulation. Google DeepMind and NVIDIA are launching MuJoCo-Warp, a new open-source physics simulator that will accelerate robotics research.

    We’ve always believed that the value of technology lives in its capacity to benefit people everywhere. That’s been foundational to our mission and it’s what our growing collaboration with NVIDIA is built on. By combining Google’s expertise in AI research and infrastructure with NVIDIA’s leadership in accelerated computing, we’re committed to strengthening the foundation of AI, making AI more accessible and helpful to developers and users, and collaborating in ways that will drive innovation for years to come.

    If you’re attending GTC this week, swing by Google Cloud’s booth #914 and check out one of the many Google sessions to learn more about our work together.

    Website: LINK

  • This DIY experimental reactor harnesses the Birkeland-Eyde process

    This DIY experimental reactor harnesses the Birkeland-Eyde process

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Nitrogen is critical for farming at scale and without some form of nitrogen to enrich the soil, we couldn’t grow staple crops efficiently enough to feed our large global population. Serious science goes into the production of fertilizers and the Birkeland-Eyde process was one early example. It uses electrical arcs to turn nitrogen in the air into nitric acid. Marb is an enthusiastic citizen scientist and built his own experimental reactor to harness the Birkeland-Eyde process.

    The Birkeland-Eyde process was largely phased out a century ago, because it is inefficient due to the high energy requirements. It needs a lot of energy to create the electric arcs — too much energy to be practical at the scale necessary for modern industrial farming. But efficiency isn’t a major concern for Marb, who is more interested in the science than fertilizer production.

    Creating an electrical arc isn’t very difficult, but controlling it is more challenging. For that reason, Marb used an Arduino UNO Rev3 to oversee his DIY reactor. Through a breakout shield, the Arduino controls the flow of power to the arc electrodes. That requires a large power supply, transformers, and a boost converter. 

    The rest of the reactor is devoted to the containment, preparation, and flow of air. The Birkeland-Eyde process works best with dry air, so Marb’s design pumps air through a desiccant-packed tube and into the reaction chamber where the electrodes meet. Sensors, like a temperature sensor, help the Arduino gain feedback on the conditions. 

    Marb’s video ends with a demonstration, but he hasn’t yet refined the reaction process for maximum yields. If there is enough interest, Marb says that he’ll make a follow-up video with more detail.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9KpFKQ7brY?start=41&feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    The post This DIY experimental reactor harnesses the Birkeland-Eyde process appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Arduino Days 2025 is almost here!

    Arduino Days 2025 is almost here!

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    With just a few days to go, Arduino Days 2025 promises to be one of the biggest and most exciting events in our 20-year history! Join us for two days of live-streamed content on March 21st-22nd, featuring inspiring talks, major product announcements, and community showcases from makers, educators, and industry leaders worldwide.

    Big announcements and exclusive discounts

    We’ll be diving into some of our most exciting recent launches, including the Portenta Proto Kit ME, the E/E Starter Kit developed with Bosch, and Arduino UNO Ek R4 – made in India and available exclusively in the country. 

    But that’s just the beginning: tune in to be the first to hear about brand-new announcements, including exciting developments around Arduino Cloud!

    And because we’re celebrating 20 years of Arduino, we’ve got something special for you: exclusive discounts on the Arduino Store throughout the event.

    A packed lineup of speakers and topics

    This year’s live-streamed event brings together an incredible mix of voices, from Arduino users presenting their ideas to startups and multinational partners sharing their success stories. 

    Expect sessions covering robotics, generative AI, building automation, and K-12 education, with insights from some of the most influential figures in open-source hardware, IoT, and embedded technology. 

    Eben Upton (Raspberry Pi), Limor Fried (Adafruit), and Zach Shelby (Edge Impulse) will discuss the future of connected devices and how open-source platforms continue to shape innovation. 

    For those interested in IoT and connectivity, we’ll have key insights from Swee Ann Teo (Espressif Systems), Matt Johnson (Silicon Labs), and Jonhatan Beri (Golioth), covering how hardware, cloud, and AI are coming together to power the next generation of smart devices. 

    You’ll find plenty of inspiration for your projects thanks to guests that run the gamut from custom electric cars (Charly Bosch) to interactive art (Mónica Rikic). 

    Of course, you’ll also hear from Arduino’s own leaders, including CEO Fabio Violante, co-founders Massimo Banzi and David Cuartielles, and team members from Turin, Lugano, Malmö, Austin, and beyond.

    Check out the full program on the Arduino Days website to see the complete lineup of guest speakers!

    Celebrate with the global Arduino community

    Arduino Days isn’t just about us, it’s about you! Around the world, organizations and Arduino fans are hosting their own events to celebrate. Check out the map on the Arduino Days website to see what’s happening near you.

    Visit the Arduino Days website to find all the latest updates, the full schedule, and details on how to join the live stream. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

    The post Arduino Days 2025 is almost here! appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • A DIY sous vide cooker for making the perfect steak

    A DIY sous vide cooker for making the perfect steak

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    Sous vide (which means “under vacuum” in French) is a cooking technique in which food is sealed in a plastic bag (or another container) and immersed in warm water for a long period of time. It is great for meat, like steak, because it ensures the food is an even temperature throughout. For a steak, you would then quickly sear the outside for beefy perfection. If that intrigues you, Rob Cai has a guide that will walk you through the construction of a sous vide cooker.

    You can, of course, purchase a sous vide cooker and they’re quite affordable these days. But building your own is a fun project and it gives you complete control over the cooker’s functionality.

    Closed-loop feedback is critical for sous vide cooking. The cooker needs to keep the water at a precise temperature, which means it needs to monitor the temperature while heating. 

    In this case, an Arduino Nano oversees that process. An LCD screen and pair of potentiometers let the user set the temperature and cook time. All of those components go in a basic enclosure for protection. The Arduino then toggles AC power to an immersion heater via a relay and monitors the water with a DS18B20 temperature sensor.

    This doesn’t require any kind of tricky PID control that would need tuning, because water is relatively slow to change temperature. Therefore, the provided Arduino sketch is easy to understand and modify to get the exact performance you want.

    The post A DIY sous vide cooker for making the perfect steak appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK