Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More A centuries-old technology — pen and paper — is getting a dramatic digital upgrade. Google Research has developed an artificial intelligence system that can accurately convert photographs of handwritten notes into editable digital text, potentially transforming how millions of people capture and preserve their thoughts. The new system, called InkSight, represents a significant breakthrough in the long-running effort to bridge the divide between traditional handwriting and digital text. While digital note-taking has offered clear advantages for decades — searchability, cloud storage, easy editing, and integration with other digital tools — traditional pen-and-paper note-taking remains widely preferred, according to the researchers. A page from “Alice in Wonderland” shown in its original form (left) and after digital conversion by Google’s InkSight AI (right), demonstrating the system’s ability to preserve the natural character of handwritten text while making it digital. (Credit: Google) How Google’s new AI system understands human handwriting better than ever before “Digital note-taking is gaining popularity, offering a durable, editable, and easily indexable way of storing notes in the vectorized form,” Andrii Maksai, the project lead at Google Research, explained in the paper. “However, a substantial gap remains between this way of note-taking and traditional pen-and-paper note-taking, a practice still favored by a vast majority.” What makes InkSight revolutionary is its approach to understanding handwriting. Previous attempts to convert handwritten text to digital format relied heavily on analyzing the geometric properties of written strokes — essentially trying to trace the lines on the page. InkSight instead combines two sophisticated AI capabilities: the ability to read and understand text, and the ability to reproduce it naturally. The results are remarkable. In human evaluations, 87% of the samples produced by InkSight were considered valid tracings of the input text, and 67% were indistinguishable from human-generated digital handwriting. The system can handle real-world scenarios that would confound earlier systems: poor lighting, messy backgrounds, even partially obscured text. “To our knowledge, this is the first work that effectively de-renders handwritten text in arbitrary photos with diverse visual characteristics and backgrounds,” the researchers explain in their paper published on arXiv. The system can even handle simple sketches and drawings, though with some limitations. The same multilingual birthday note shown in three stages: the original handwriting (left), InkSight’s word-level analysis with color-coded processing (center), and the final digitized version with preserved character strokes (right). The system maintains the personal style of handwriting across Chinese, English and French text. (Credit: Google) Why handwriting still matters in our digital age, and how AI could help preserve it The technology arrives at a crucial moment in the evolution of human-computer interaction. Despite decades of digital advancement, handwriting remains deeply ingrained in human cognition and learning. Studies have consistently shown that writing by hand improves memory retention and understanding compared to typing. This has created a persistent challenge for technology adoption in education and professional settings. “Our work aims to make physical notes, particularly handwritten text, available in the form of digital ink, capturing the stroke-level trajectory details of handwriting,” Maksai says. “This allows paper note-takers to enjoy the benefits of digital medium without the need to use a stylus.” The implications extend far beyond simple convenience. In academic settings, students could maintain their preferred handwritten note-taking style while gaining the ability to search, share, and organize their notes digitally. Professionals who sketch ideas or take meeting notes by hand could seamlessly integrate them into digital workflows. Researchers and historians could more easily digitize and analyze handwritten documents. Perhaps most significantly, InkSight could help preserve and digitize handwritten content in languages that historically have limited digital representation. “Our work could allow access to the digital ink underlying the physical notes, potentially enabling the training of better online handwriting recognizers for languages that are historically low-resource in the digital ink domain,” notes Dr. Claudiu Musat, one of the project’s researchers. From breakthrough to real-world application: The technical architecture and future of digital note-taking The technology’s architecture is notably elegant. Built using widely available components, including Google’s Vision Transformer (ViT) and mT5 language model, InkSight demonstrates how sophisticated AI capabilities can be achieved through clever combination of existing tools rather than building everything from scratch. Google has released a public version of the model, though with important ethical safeguards. The system cannot generate handwriting from scratch — a crucial limitation that prevents potential misuse for forgery or impersonation. Current limitations do exist. The system processes text word by word rather than handling entire pages at once, and occasionally struggles with very wide stroke widths or significant variations in stroke width. However, these limitations seem minor compared to the system’s achievements. The technology is available for public testing through a Hugging Face demo, allowing users to experience firsthand how their handwritten notes might translate to digital form. Early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with users particularly noting the system’s ability to maintain the personal character of handwriting while providing digital benefits. While most AI systems seek to automate human tasks, InkSight takes a different path. It preserves the cognitive benefits and personal intimacy of handwriting while adding the power of digital tools. This subtle but crucial distinction points to a future where technology amplifies rather than replaces human capabilities. In the end, InkSight’s greatest innovation might be its restraint — showing how AI can advance human practices without erasing what makes them human in the first place. source

越捷航空和阿聯酋航空於日前簽署了諒解備忘錄，以加強越南、杜拜、阿聯酋等地主要城市之間的聯繫。簽約儀式在越南總理 Pham Minh Chinh 出席越南–阿聯酋商業論壇時舉行。備忘錄旨在加強兩國之間的旅遊和貿易聯繫，並創造更多經濟和商貿交流機會。 這次協議將增強阿聯酋航空經河內、胡志明市和峴港與其他越南國內熱門目的地的連結， 同時方便越捷乘客透過杜拜這個國際交通樞紐接軌選用阿聯酋航空全球網絡的服務。兩家航空公司也積極探索新技術開發和航空業數碼化發展。最近，越捷已經向空中巴士訂購 20 架新世代寬型機身的 A330neo (A330-900)航機，價值高達美元 74 億。旅客很快就能在這批航機上，享受在安全、舒適度和設計感三方面皆達最高等級的長途旅程。 阿聯酋航空的副總裁兼首席商務官 Adnan Kazim 表示:「越南這個市場具有大量旅遊及商貿機會。我們期待能與越捷繼續在越南發展，擴闊我們未來的夥伴關係。」 越捷行政總裁 Dinh Viet Phuong 則說:「我們感謝阿聯酋航空對越捷的信任，與我們一同鞏固航空網絡及旅客連繫。有了阿聯酋航空的頂級服務，越捷旅客能以優惠價格前往全球目的地，兩國的經濟及文化交流亦會得以增加。」 越捷作為越南領先業界的航空公司，正積極擴展其航空網絡及國際夥伴關係，以迎合旅客 的需求及推廣可持續發展。為促進香港與越南之間的旅遊發展，越捷定期提供航票優惠， 香港旅客現在規劃旅程時，可選擇以直航飛到越南，或以越南作為中轉站前往不同的亞洲 國家，享受優惠機票飛多個地點。 自 10 月 27 日起，香港至峴港航線已提升為每日運營，由原本的每週四班增加至每日一班;而香港至富國航線也同樣轉為每日服務，從每週三班增至每日一班。越捷是 首家從香港直飛富國的航空公司，香港市民可享有 30 天免簽證待遇。這兩條航線頻率將 越捷往返香港和越南的總數由每週 11 班增加至 18 班。 始創於 1985 年，阿聯酋航空是世界上其中一間最受認可的航空公司，航點橫跨六大洲， 超過 140 個目的地。 LinkedIn Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp The post 越捷航空夥阿聯酋航空促進國際貿易及旅遊 appeared first on VeriMedia. source

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If you use both Microsoft Outlook and an iPhone, you may have two separate sets of contacts on each platform. That’s a hassle to maintain, especially if the contacts are virtually the same across the board. Instead of trying to juggle each list separately, your best bet is to synchronize the two lists, so any changes you make in one are propagated to the other. To achieve that goal, you can turn to a few different options. What you’ll need An iPhone A Windows computer 1. Exchange synchronization If you or your organization uses Microsoft Exchange for your mail server, you can sync your contacts between Outlook and your iPhone. From your phone, go to Settings, then select Contacts. Tap the entry for Accounts, and then select your Exchange or Microsoft 365 account. Turn on the switch for Contacts. Sync your iPhone contacts with Microsoft 365. Check your contacts in Outlook and on your iPhone to confirm that they’re in sync. 2. iCloud for Windows synchronization A second option is to use iCloud for Windows. On your iPhone, go to Settings and tap your name at the top of the screen. At your Apple ID screen, tap the entry for iCloud. At the iCloud screen, tap Show All and then turn on the switch for Contacts. In your iPhone’s iCloud settings, turn on the switch for Contacts. Next, you’ll need to get iCloud for Windows, which you download and install from the Microsoft Store. After installation, click the Start button. In Windows 10, click the iCloud shortcut in the Apps list. In Windows 11, go to the All Apps screen and then click the iCloud shortcut. After you open the iCloud app, click the Get Started button, then sign in with your Apple ID and password. Proceed through each screen of the setup process. At the fifth and final setup screen for Sync Calendars and Contacts, click the button for Sync Calendars And Contacts. In iCloud for Windows, choose the option to sync calendars and contacts. Click the button for Finish Setup. The iCloud for Windows screen opens to show which content is being synced. Confirm that the setting for Calendars and Contacts is on. You can now close the iCloud for Windows app. When the setup is finished, close iCloud for Windows. Open Outlook and click the Contacts icon. You’ll now find a contact list for iCloud that will remain in sync between Outlook and your iPhone. Open Outlook to view your synced iCloud contacts. 3. iTunes synchronization If you don’t use Exchange, then iTunes is a third option. The downside is that iTunes is a resource-intensive and often buggy program, and your organization may not allow or support its use. Outlook synchronization through iTunes is technically deprecated, with Apple recommending iCloud instead. But this technique may work for some older versions of iTunes, especially for a home or personal computer. SEE: How to use multiple Apple IDs on the same Mac. To download and install iTunes on your Windows PC, browse through Apple’s support document, “Download iTunes for Windows.” From there: Connect your iPhone to your PC. Open iTunes, then click the icon for your phone. Under Settings, select the option for Info. Check the box for Sync Contacts With, and change the source to Outlook. If a message appears confirming that you want to switch the sync provider, click the Switch button. Sync your contacts using iTunes. If you maintain more than one contact group, click the box for Selected Groups and choose a specific group. Otherwise, keep the selection set to All Contacts. Select a specific group or opt to sync all contacts. Click the Apply or Sync button at the bottom to synchronize your contacts. 4. Third-party synchronization If you can’t or don’t want to use any of the above methods to sync your contacts, one other option is to use a third-party program. One such product is Sync2 Cloud from 4Team, which normally costs $49.95 for a single full version license. With this utility, you can sync your contacts among iOS and iPadOS, Exchange, iCloud, Google, and other cloud-based services. 4Team’s Sync2 Cloud is an effective tool for syncing contacts across different services. What is the best method to sync Outlook contacts with an iPhone? The best method is the one that best meets your needs. Try the options above and see which works for your use case. In general, exchange synchronization is likely to be the most straightforward method for most people, as it does not require downloading any new applications or paying for a service. Do I need to use iTunes to sync Outlook contacts? No. There are several other methods we detailed above. In fact, using iTunes is no longer recommended. What should I do if my Outlook contacts are not syncing with my iPhone? If your Outlook contacts are not syncing with your iPhone, Apple recommends checking for service outages or network connection issues first. Next, make sure all devices involved are running the latest version of their operating systems, both Apple and Windows (if you’re using iCloud for Windows). Make sure the iCloud Outlook Add-in is active and that you’re using your default account for Outlook and the same Apple account you use across devices. source

A hacker on Tuesday managed to briefly commandeer a National Press Club-hosted zoom broadcast featuring Ukrainian officials and others about Russian disinformation — broadcasting explicit pornographic videos. The Institute for Democracy and Development (PolitA) and the Coalition Against Disinformation organized the event, featuring Ukrainian officials, religious leaders, cybersecurity experts, and political experts discussing the ongoing and escalating Russian disinformation targeting the West and other parts of the world. An extremely graphic pornographic video with the words “CCP ON TOP” was shown on the main presentation screen for a couple of minutes before event organizers regained control. One attendee commented in the chat, “the hand of Moscow.” Live attendees at the Washington, D.C. National Press Club were also exposed to the video. Russia is pouring millions of dollars into a broad disinformation campaign meant to destabilize western governments, stoking partisan fires using fake images and stories attractive to political extremists and conspiracy theorists, the panels said. While this effort has been active for decades, it has gained significant momentum and sophistication in the past several years. Kateryna Odarchenko, president of PolitA and a political consultant, said Russia’s disinformation attempts are at an all-time high as the US elections draw near and the two-year Ukraine war rages on. “I have a background in election organizing and direct consulting, and we worked in Ukraine, we worked in Georgia, we worked in Bulgaria and with the European Parliament a lot,” she said. “From a practical point of view, we saw that Russian intervention in elections and disinformation is horrible … and it’s very effective.” Related:2024 Cyber Resilience Strategy Report: CISOs Battle Attacks, Disasters, AI … and Dust Panelists said Russia is targeting religious communities and western governments with operatives using social engineering and active cyberattack campaigns to promote chaos and is particularly active during election cycles, with the US presidential election just days away. Russia is believed to be behind the massive hack of the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. ‘Zoom-Bombing’ As more and more organizations turned to video chats during the COVID-19 pandemic, the “zoom-bombing” phenomenon gained traction. The term refers to the unwanted takeover of the main presentation screen, sometimes used to display offensive or pornographic images or videos. While the culprits have ranged from internet trolls to so-called “hacktivists,” nation-state actors may be getting in on the action. Related:Juliet Okafor Highlights Ways to Maintain Cyber Resiliency In 2020, a Zoom-bombing attack targeted a US government meeting, according to a blog post by cybersecurity firm Bitdefender. “The FBI issued a stark warning … regarding the use of Zoom and dangers of Zoom-bombing, followed by advice to avoid using the platform for government affairs,” according to the blog. Zoom in 2022 agreed to a massive $85 million payout for a class-action lawsuit over Zoom-bombings. The FBI recommends the follow steps to avoid being zoom-bombed: Do not make meetings or classrooms public. In Zoom, there are two options to make a meeting private: require a meeting password, or use the waiting room feature and control the admittance of guests. Do not share a link to a teleconference or classroom on an unrestricted publicly available social media post. Provide the link directly to specific people. Manage screensharing options. In Zoom, change screensharing to “Host Only.” Ensure users are using the updated version of remote access/meeting applications. In January 2020, Zoom updated their software. In their security update, the teleconference software provider added passwords by default for meetings and disabled the ability to randomly scan for meetings to join. Lastly, ensure that your organization’s telework policy or guide addresses requirements for physical and information security. Related:Beyond the Election: The Long Cybersecurity Fight vs Bad Actors source

During my career I have developed a few mottos. For example, my change management motto is, “Humans prefer the familiar to the comfortable and the comfortable to the better.” Thus, to help humans embrace the better, I need to make the better both familiar and comfortable. To recognize technical debt, my smart aleck motto is, “Technical debt is something I did more than five years ago or something that someone else did more than six months ago.” The topics of technical debt recognition and technology modernization have become more important as the pace of technology change – first driven by social, mobile, analytics, and cloud (SMAC) and now driven by artificial intelligence (AI) – increases. At a time when technology innovation cycles are getting shorter, we will struggle to keep pace if we have to navigate around legacy systems that act as barriers to speed and agility. I once inherited a legacy ERP system that was so old that anytime we attempted to upgrade one of the systems that communicated with the ERP system, the ERP would break. Over time the speed and agility barriers associated with the ERP spread to other systems as they, in turn, formed an expanding wave of technical debt. I suspect that most organizations have some level of technical debt, but how do we deal with and modernize our legacy systems? This is the process I use: Build an inventory of existing systems: Scan, survey, search for, and document what is in your technology portfolio. Assess the existing systems: On the basis of degree of difficulty, which are the potential candidates for modernization? Which are obsolete? Which are not longer an architectural fit? Which are a nightmare to support? Which require rare skills? Prioritize the list of candidates based on the potential value of the modernization: To what extent does each modernization candidate get in the way of technology and organizational speed, agility and innovation? Evaluate the level of effort to modernize the systems: Before building your modernization plans and road map, you need to understand what modernization each candidate will require. Determine the best approach to modernization: For each prioritized modernization candidate, you need to understand which approach makes the most sense. This step introduces the concept of the “R” and “D” approach of modernization. The “R” Approach The “D” Approach Replace (with something new) Decouple/decompose and replace the decoupled/decomposed elements Retire (but do not replace) Decouple/decompose and retire the decoupled/decomposed elements Retain but contain (no enhancements or improvements) Decouple/decompose and retain but contain the decoupled/decomposed elements Retain but fix (just enough to keep it alive) Decouple/decompose and fix the decoupled/decomposed elements Retain but refactor/enhance Decouple/decompose and refactor/enhance the decoupled/decomposed elements The “Ds” of modernization can be important if the modernization candidate is complex. The “Ds” define ways to “divide and conquer” the modernization candidate. For example, a legacy, expensive, and difficult-to-support system runs on proprietary hardware that runs a proprietary operating system, database, and application. The application leverages functionality in the database so it is difficult to decouple the application and database. However, it is possible to run the database and application on an open source operating system and commodity hardware. By decoupling the database and application from the operating system, the company can modernize the rest of the stack, reduce operating costs, and avoid the challenge of the increasingly rare skills needed to support the operating system and hardware. Define, communicate, and implement a modernization road map: It is common for modernization to require an ongoing commitment. Remember my definition of technical debt: something I did more than five years ago or something someone else did more than six months ago. The evolution of technology (and providers) requires a modernization road map that shows not only what is needed now but the ongoing, longer-range modernization needs. This shifts the organization’s thinking for modernization as an event — or a crisis — to an activity that keeps the organization’s technology fresh and never a barrier to speed and agility. We are entering a new phase of digital transformation — this one driven by AI in all its forms. This phase brings with it rapid changes in technologies, processes, and roles. In this environment it is critical that technology leaders reduce the footprint of and remove the legacy systems that are difficult to change, do not fit with future architectures, and that trend toward obsolescence. Legacy modernization is a strategic imperative, and technology leaders must persistently allocate resources, attention, and plans to enable it. In addition, technology leaders must exert the influence needed to ensure that the entire organization understands and supports the delivery of the modernization road map. Learn more about IDC’s research for technology leaders OR subscribe today to receive industry-leading research directly to your inbox. International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the technology markets. IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG Inc.), the world’s leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. Recently voted Analyst Firm of the Year for the third consecutive time, IDC’s Technology Leader Solutions provide you with expert guidance backed by our industry-leading research and advisory services, robust leadership and development programs, and best-in-class benchmarking and sourcing intelligence data from the industry’s most experienced advisors. Contact us today to learn more. Niel Nickolaisen is an adjunct research advisor for IDC’s IT Executive Programs (IEP). He is considered a thought leader in the use of Agile principles to improve IT delivery. And he has a passion for helping others deliver on what he considers to be the three roles of IT leadership: enabling strategy, achieving operational excellence, and creating a culture of trust and ownership. source

Developer productivity depends on more than just how quickly code is written. Communication, collaboration, and achieving the “flow state” — where developers feel fully focused and energized — are equally important to maximizing efficiency.  Technologies such as AI-augmented software, cloud-native platforms, and GitOps streamline development, automating workflows, and boosting collaboration for higher productivity.  Esteban Garcia, managing director, Microsoft Services Americas at Xebia, explains via email that it’s easy to assume developer productivity tools exist simply to help developers write more code, but he considers that a narrow view. “True productivity isn’t about producing more lines of code but about creating value efficiently, with a focus on quality and innovation,” he says.  He adds that productivity tools should simplify workflows, reduce friction and enhance collaboration — not just push developers to output more. “These tools can help improve focus, automate repetitive tasks, and facilitate smoother communication, all of which reduce stress and prevent burnout.”  Boosting (and Measuring) Productivity   Stephen Franchetti, CIO of Samsara, explains via email that GenAI is already paying dividends in the productivity space — with copiloting, code generation, quality assurance (QA) and documentation — easing the burden of the repeatable aspects of these tasks.  Related:2024 InformationWeek US IT Salary Report: Profits, Layoffs, and the Continued Rise of AI “It’s also a leadership challenge,” he says. “How do you ensure that developers not only have the right tools, but also the space to work on the most important priorities?”  He adds that developer productivity can be hard to measure as no single metric provides a complete view of performance. “Instead, tracking various indicators can reveal trends over time, whether improving or declining, but these should be viewed as individual data points rather than a holistic measure of team performance.”   When used alongside metrics that assess business impact — such as whether the projects are driving the intended outcomes — IT leaders can gain a better understanding of developer contributions.   Metrics like cycle time, lead time for changes, deployment frequency, and change failure rates reflect efficiency and code reliability, while code quality, and technical debt help assess long-term maintainability.  “Tracking these metrics in conjunction with the business value being delivered ensures that productivity isn’t just about output, but about meaningful results that support organizational goals,” Franchetti says.   Related:Curtail Cloud Spend With These Strategies Garcia notes that qualitative measures such as developer satisfaction surveys and feedback sessions provide a human-centered view of productivity, highlighting areas that might need improvement in the workflow.   “In our work with clients, we’ve found that organizations that focus on both quantitative and qualitative measures, while fostering continuous feedback, consistently see higher productivity and engagement,” he says.   Enable Collaboration, Communication   Franchetti says it’s important to incorporate the development processes into modern collaboration tools. “With an increasingly dispersed workforce, it’s more essential than ever that these team-oriented tools become the backbone of the development process. If done well, these can be great productivity enablers.”  Steve Persch, director of developer relations at Pantheon, says that IT leaders should stay conscious of the analog predecessors of modern digital collaboration tools. “Chat tools like Slack can feel to any given employee like they are in countless, endless in-person meetings at once,” he cautions. “It’s bad for productivity and communication if everyone is constantly moving between tables of conversation.”  Instead, Persch suggests modern tools be paired with decidedly old-school conventions like weekly or monthly meetings in which decisions are made.  Related:Forrester Speaker Sneak Peek: Analyst Jayesh Chaurasia to Talk AI Data Readiness Helping Devs Attain Flow State   Developers reach “flow state” by immersing themselves in problem solving with code and technology during focused sessions with minimal interruption.  “Creating and fostering the kind of deep work sessions that lead to that flow state requires IT leaders to embrace a flexible work environment, flexible schedules, access to an effective set of tools that keeps developers within that state,” Garcia explains.   Most importantly, leaders should support and empower teams to experiment and iterate through new processes. Providing autonomy, setting clear goals, fostering open communication, and ensuring psychological safety for risk-taking without fear of failure are key to keeping developers focused and productive.  “Reducing external pressures, such as unnecessary meetings and administrative tasks, allows developers to maintain concentration and stay in the flow,” he says.   Persch says developers are more likely to stay in a flow state when they can easily see that the concerns beyond their work are getting handled.  Bug reports, stray product feedback, and other communication can come in through email, chat, and an uncountable number of other channels. “Rarely is the best option for a developer to break their focus and immediately jump on the new bug report,” he says.   Modes of Motivation   Franchetti says companies should foster a culture of continuous learning and experimentation to keep developers current and motivated, offering them flexible and personalized training paths.   Hands-on learning, mentorship programs, and cross-functional collaboration help solidify new skills, while knowledge-sharing sessions and dedicated time for both learning and experimentation encourage ongoing development.   “Supporting certifications, contributing to open-source projects, and ensuring access to modern tools can further enhance engagement,” he says. “Companies should also track and recognize upskilling achievements to boost motivation.”  Garcia thinks that leaders should promote a work culture that encourages regular breaks, flexible hours, and setting boundaries to avoid overwork. “By fostering an environment of psychological safety, where developers can freely express concerns or suggest improvements without fear of criticism, organizations can maintain a high level of engagement and creativity.”  source

Find out what regulatory changes the U.K. government’s Data (Use and Access) bill has made and how your business can comply. source