Category: 4. Technology

Makeup by Mario’s Longwear Cream Eyeshadow collection, “Master Mattes,” is the latest innovation by the makeup-artist-led brand. The weightless, crease-proof line launches today.

Makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic, the brand’s founder, says the new eyeshadow collection features buildable, blendable color with an innovative soft matte finish. “My cream shadows deliver a diffused and softly sculpted eye with a single swipe. It’s my signature eye…an effortless, elevated eye look that lasts all day,” Dedivanovic says.

Packaged in a tube with a doe foot applicator, the line includes colors ranging from nudes to deeper grays and browns, which are perfect for a smoky eye look.

Related: Sephora Collaborates with Makeup By Mario on Exclusive Content

More About Makeup by Mario’s Longwear Cream Eyeshadow

Makeup by Mario’s “Master Mattes” collection includes 10 skus. Apply one shade to the entire eyelid, or build a look by layering multiple shades.

The formula includes smoothing amino acids with spherical powders to ensure a smooth, silky finish, with staying power. 

A Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette

“Master Mattes” is not only the name of the new eyeshadow line—it’s the name of a palette called “Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette: The Original.”

Inspired by skin tones and ranging from light to deep, the colors are all Mario’s “ride or die mattes.”

More About Mario Dedivanovic

Dedivanovic is a master makeup artist, known for his “intuitive and architectural approach to the human face,” states Makeup by Mario’s website. “Mario creates balance, symmetry, and harmony using tones observed in nature,” his bio says.

Electrons play many roles in solid materials. When they are weakly bound and able to travel – i.e., mobile – they can enable electrical conduction. When they are bound, or “heavy,” they can act as insulators. However, in certain solid materials, this behavior can be markedly different, raising questions about how these different types of electrons interact.

In a study just published in Nature Physics, researchers working with Professor of Physics and Applied Physics Amir Yacoby at Harvard examined the interplay between both types of electrons in this material, shedding new light on how they may help form novel quantum states.

“Before our work, people could only ask ‘What is the overall ground state’?” said Andrew T. Pierce, one of the paper’s lead authors., Pierce, currently a fellow at Cornell University, was a graduate student in Yacoby’s lab when they began to study this question. What wasn’t clear was the true nature of these different states and how the separate light and heavy electrons joined forces to form them.

Additionally, because of the more obvious role of heavy electrons to drive insulators, light electrons have often been dismissed as “doing nothing” or “being spectators,” said Yonglong Xie, one of the paper’s lead authors. A former Harvard Quantum Initiative Prize postdoctoral fellow in Yacoby’s lab, Xie, now an assistant professor at Rice University, noted that the effect of these light electrons on the overall system was hard to detect.

The interplay between electrons with different masses is believed to drive intricate quantum phenomena. In the novel material known as magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene (MATTG), where three layers of graphene are stacked together with the middle sheet rotated slightly, electrons with small and large masses coexist. This material supports a plethora of exotic quantum phenomena including superconductivity (i.e. electrical conduction without heating), thereby providing a new setting to address this question.

To understand what was going on in these cases, the researchers used a specialized form of microscopy, known as scanning single-electron transistor (scanning SET), pioneered by Yacoby, to examine tiny “puddles” in the MATTG where electrons are trapped when the MATTG enters an insulating state. The scanning SET indicated that while the heavy electrons enable insulating states, the light electrons remain mobile, suggesting that they should participate in forming the novel states, including superconductivity.

“The heavy electrons form an insulator among themselves, creating the illusion of an overall insulating state, but in reality the light electrons remain free,” clarified Pierce. “This raises the possibility that the light electrons can mediate interactions between heavy electrons.”

This surprising finding underscores how complex the interplay between light and heavy electrons in MATTG can be, the researchers said. They suggested that exploring further methods of “tuning” the ratio of heavy and light electrons in two-dimensional materials will lead to exciting new discoveries. “The problem of coexisting light and heavy electrons in solids is a long-standing one, and we hope our scheme for disentangling their roles gives a new approach to these intriguing materials,” said Pierce.

The research was supported, in part, by the Army Research Office, the National Science Foundation, and the CIFAR Quantum Materials Program, and the Welch Foundation.

Established in 2022, previous winners include Martin James Bartlett and Ariel Lanyi

The 2025 Prix Serdang Swiss Piano Prize was awarded to 18-year-old German pianist Colin Pütz at the Villa Serdang in Feldbrunnen near Solothurn, Switzerland. Established in 2022, the Prix Serdang is a 50,000 CHF award that supports and invests in the career of a young artist. Previous award winners include Martin James Bartlett, Ariel Lanyi, and Alexandra Dovgan.

Austrian Pianist Rudolf Buchbinder was appointed as the head of the selection process alongside international organizers, festival directors, conductors, and soloists.

Winners of the competition are given performance and recording opportunities, with an upcoming event in August 2025 with pianist Alexandra Dovgan, the 2024 winner, who will perform with the Tonkünstler Orchestra in Austria.

Upon receiving the award, Colin shared, “When I first heard about the award, I could hardly believe it. There are so many outstanding young pianists – many of them are already much better known than I am. The fact that I am the recipient of the Prix Serdang is a great honor and an even greater incentive. It gives me confidence that I might actually be able to realize my dream of becoming a concert pianist.”

The Villa Serdang in Switzerland was built in 1644 and converted into an Art Nouveau villa in 1892. Since 2012, it has operated as a cultural center and home for the Prix Serdang.

“Villa Serdang stands for cultural encounters, artistic exchange, and the promotion of young talent—a special place where promising careers can begin. In this inspiring environment, we are delighted to award Colin Pütz the Prix Serdang. His exceptional musical maturity and expressiveness make him one of the most exciting pianistic personalities of his generation. The fact that he has received this award—which simultaneously represents recognition, encouragement, and support—is thanks in no small part to the expertise of our curator, Rudolf Buchbinder, who has a sure instinct for recognizing outstanding talent. It is an honor for us to accompany Colin Pütz on his journey,” shared Adrian Flury, the initiator of the award.

Born in 2007, Colin Pütz currently studies with Florence Millet at the Cologne University of Music and Dance and holds a scholarship from the International Academy of Music Liechtenstein. He made his debut at festivals such as the Beethovenfest Bonn and the Ruhr Piano Festival. In 2024, he gave solo recitals at the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn and at the Monte Carlo Opera. Recently, Colin signed with Dorn Music, where he will be represented worldwide by Tanja Dorn.

 

Google on Monday announced a series of updates intended to bring its Gemini AI and other AI-powered tools deeper into the classroom. At the ISTE edtech conference, the tech giant introduced more than 30 AI tools for educators, a version of the Gemini app built for education, expanded access to its collaborative video creation app Google Vids, and other tools for managed Chromebooks.

The updates represent a major AI push in the edtech space, where educators are already struggling to adapt to how AI tools, like AI chatbots and startups that promise to help you “cheat on everything,” are making their way into the learning environment.

School-aged kids and teens today are more likely to ask ChatGPT for help with their homework (or to even do it for them) than they are to ask a teacher to explain the concepts again. In higher ed, meanwhile, colleges are wrestling with whether or not plagiarism detectors can even identify AI-written content.

Amid this disruption, Google is charging ahead with AI tools, saying it thinks that “responsible AI” can help drive “more engaging and personalized learning experiences,” when used in conjunction with human-led teaching.

Since announcing its plans to bring Gemini to the classroom last year, Google on Monday said that its Gemini AI suite for educators is now available for free to all Google Workspace for Education accounts.

This includes over 30 new features, like the ability for teachers to brainstorm ideas, generate lesson plans, and personalize content for students using AI technology.

Over the next several months, Google will give teachers the ability to create interactive study guides using the AI research tool Notebook LM, along with their classroom materials.

Teachers can also create custom versions of the Gemini AI called “Gems,” which will work as AI experts that help students who need extra support or want to better understand the subject.

This is essentially just taking an activity that students are already doing — asking an AI chatbot to explain a topic or answer questions — and redirecting that activity back to Google’s own AI technology, where it’s specifically been trained on the teacher’s own classroom materials.

Soon, teachers will also be able to offer students real-time support for the AI-powered reading buddy when using the Read Along in Classroom tool.

Google is expanding basic access to its AI-powered video creator, Google Vids, as well, to make it available to all Google Workspace for Education users. Teachers can use the tool to make instructional videos, while students can use Vids for things like book reports or other assignments.

The company is also rolling out a series of new features designed to track student progress against learning standards and skills, view analytics on student performance and engagement, better secure Gemini user data and data in Gmail, manage who has access to AI tools like Gemini and Notebook LM, have better control over Google Meet waiting rooms, and more.

Plus, along with a handful of updates for managed Chromebooks, Google introduced new teaching mode called Class Tools. This allows teachers to connect directly with their students via Google Classroom and share content to the kids’ screens, like videos, articles, slides, and quizzes. These tools can be adapted to the student’s own language, if need be, and are designed to keep kids focused on learning by restricting browsing to specific tabs.

New York, NY, June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a global nonprofit that activates the entrepreneurial mindset in young people, is proud to announce the launch of Next Level Startup: Make AI Your Cofounder, a groundbreaking new online learning experience debuting this fall. Designed specifically for the rapidly growing homeschool and school choice community, Next Level Startup brings NFTE’s proven entrepreneurship education to learners seeking flexible, project-based learning with real-world outcomes.

Amid a national surge in school choice and a shifting educational landscape, Next Level Startup meets the moment—delivering a personalized learning experience designed for independent learners to take the spark of an idea and turn it into a viable business venture. The program combines concierge-style guidance with the latest in generative and agentic AI tools, positioning students to use technology as a creative collaborator from day one.

“With Next Level Startup, we’re blending the best of entrepreneurship education with the power of emerging AI technologies, all in a flexible format that meets the needs of today’s learners,” said Dr. J.D. LaRock, President and CEO of NFTE. “Whether a student wants to launch a business, build career readiness, or gain a competitive edge in a changing world, this program is designed to help them thrive.”

Key features of the program include:

• Concierge Learning Experience: Personalized support as students work through an online, dynamic, project-based curriculum with a virtual instructor.
• AI Integration: Real-time use of generative and agentic AI tools as business development partners.
• Add-On Enhancements:
  • Access to industry coaches and mentors.
  • A “competition in a box” toolkit, culminating in the opportunity to participate in person at NFTE’s acclaimed National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge.
  • Eligibility for the Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) certification.

Beyond entrepreneurship, this innovative new program supports critical upskilling for the future of work. Students will learn how to use AI to accelerate idea generation, build robust business models, and gain essential skills in communication, strategy, and innovation.

By offering direct access to national networks, credentials, and competitions, Next Level Startup gives homeschool and school choice students a launchpad for both entrepreneurial and career success—on their own terms.

For more information about Next Level Startup, email getstarted@nfte.com.

For media inquiries, please contact Denise Berkhalter, APR, 917-281-4362, at mediainquiries@nfte.com.

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About NFTE:

Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) ignites the entrepreneurial mindset with unique learning experiences that empower students to own their futures. A global nonprofit founded in 1987, NFTE provides high-quality entrepreneurship education to middle school, high school and postsecondary students. NFTE brings the power of entrepreneurship to students, regardless of family income, community resources, special needs, gender identity, race, or ethnicity. NFTE has educated more than a million students, delivering our programs in school, out of school, in-person, online, or through hybrid models. Visit nfte.com to learn more.

Solos has launched the next generation of its smart glasses in the AirGo A5 and AirGo V2, both of which offer seamless voice control and advanced video capabilities.

The Solos AirGo A5 are everyday glasses with intelligent features. They offer automatic power-on/off and hands-free wake-up word functionality, so you can simply say “Hey Solos” to engage AI tools like SolosChat without reaching for a phone. You can jump in with follow-up questions as well.

Upgraded directional audio minimizes sound leakage for a more private listening experience, while enhanced bass delivers richer, deeper sound quality across music, calls, and voice responses.

Compatible with all frame fronts in the existing AirGo 3 lineup, the AirGo A5 offers an easy upgrade path for current users. They will be available starting in Q3 2025, with presales beginning in August, starting at US$249.

Meanwhile, the Solos AirGo V2 are slim smart glasses that combine a camera, AI, and real-time connectivity features in a slim, feather-light design made for all-day comfort. Equipped with a slim 16MP camera featuring advanced Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS), wearers can capture high-resolution images and Full HD video, even during movement.

New to this model is live video streaming powered by ultra-low-power Wi-Fi, enabling real-time sharing without sacrificing battery life. The AirGo V2 also introduces SolosChat 3.0, a multi-modal AI platform that combines image, video, audio, and text for deeper, more dynamic interactions. You can do things like identify objects, translate signs, and get quick answers from multiple AI models, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and DeepSeek.

The AirGo V2 retains all the intuitive user features introduced in the A5, including auto power-on/off, wake-up word activation, natural, interruptible conversation, and enhanced directional audio for private listening. It continues Solos’ signature modular system equipped with SmartHinge so you can easily swap out frame fronts to match your style.

A swappable battery also provides added flexibility if you’re looking to extend video recording time and power through longer days. Enjoy adjustable nose pads and temple tips.

The Solos AirGo V2 is expected to launch in Q4 2025 and will start at US$299.

As part of its open platform approach for design and software, Solos is working with select SDK partners to explore new AI-driven applications across accessibility, consumer technology, and healthcare. Initial collaborations include Envision, Deutsche Telekom, and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, which is piloting speech therapy use cases. These partnerships highlight the growing potential for smartglasses to support real-world needs across industries and Solos’ open architecture to work with partners for smart glasses development.

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition has recently been rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. With the ESRB finalizing its review of the game, it could mean the Elden Ring Switch 2 edition could be launching sooner than some expected.

‘Elden Ring’ Switch 2 Release Date Could be hinted at with ESRB Rating completed

Although Elden Ring Tarnished Edition was initially revealed during the Switch 2 Direct in April, no release date was given at the time. However, the popular FromSoftware RPG was recently rated by the ESRB for Nintendo’s console on June 30. This could actually give us an idea when we can expect the much-anticipated port.

Once a title is rated by ESRB, they sometimes release 4 to 6 months after it. “Sometimes” being the important keyword here, as this isn’t always the case. But it’s true for a lot of games. With FromSoftware stating that Elden Ring Switch 2 was set to launch “sometime in 2025”, it could launch on Switch 2 anytime between August through December. So while there is no guarantee, it looks like the game isn’t going to be delayed into 2026, as some fans had worried.

As a side note, I can’t help but be amused reading ESRB’s rating of Elden Ring Switch 2 edition. “ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition is rated M for Mature 17+ by the ESRB with Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, and Violence. During the course of the game, a humanoid monster is depicted partially nude, with scales/scars covering its breast and pelvic regions. The word “sh*t” appears in the dialogue.” I sometimes forget how weird Elden Ring gets. The fact that we can play it on a Nintendo console is just kind of mind-blowing, as a 90s kid.

‘Tarnished Edition’ to be featured during July Nintendo Direct?

With a Nintendo Switch 2 Direct rumored to be happening in July, some have theorized that the release date for Elden Ring Tarnished Edition could be announced then. Although the “leaked” Direct also claims a Metaphor: ReFantazio port is also going to be revealed at the event. Maybe it’s just me, but this is starting to sound a little too good to be true. But hey, you never know!

Another thing I’m curious about is how Elden Ring will actually perform on Switch 2. There is no way that it actually runs at 60 FPS, as it struggles to maintain that on PS5. But if FromSoftware is able to keep it locked at 30 FPS with decent graphics, it could be the best way to play the open-world RPG on the go. I’ve actually beaten the game on my Asus ROG, and it’s far from perfect.

FromSoftware is teaming up with Nintendo again, with the release of The Duskbloods. The exclusive multiplayer is scheduled to launch sometime in 2026. So Elden Ring releasing in 2025 would be a good warm-up for players diving into FromSoftware for the first time. Then again, you can play Dark Souls right now on Nintendo Switch 2. Even if it doesn’t have an upgraded version, it still runs decently!

Xbox is in a weird place right now, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. In fact, people with more important opinions on the subject than myself seem to agree: if Microsoft doesn’t get its shit together on hardware, the box as we know it is cooked. Laura Fryer, the former director of the Xbox Advanced Technology Group for the original Xbox project back in May 2000 and former executive producer for Microsoft Games Studios up until the Xbox 360 days, put it bluntly in a recent video.

“Obviously, as one of the founding members of the Xbox team, I’m not pleased with where things are today. I don’t love watching all of the value that I helped create slowly get eroded away,” Fryer said in a video on YouTube. “I’m sad because, from my perspective, it looks like Xbox has no desire—or literally can’t—ship hardware anymore. So, this partnership is about a slow exit from the hardware business completely. Personally, I think Xbox hardware is dead.”

The partnership that Fryer is referring to is, of course, the Xbox and Asus team-up that will see the release of the ROG Xbox Ally handheld that was announced at Computex earlier this month. The criticism from within the games industry and fans is that Microsoft didn’t design the handheld device, instead outsourcing the work to Asus, which modified its existing ROG Ally X handheld PCs, and then slapped Xbox software onto it. Was it laziness on Microsoft and Xbox’s part? Or is it afraid to commit to Xbox hardware?

Ouch. As rough as those words may be, it’s hard not to agree. Out of the gate, Xbox’s current generation of consoles, the Series S and X, were all but trounced by Sony and the PS5, the latter of which snatched a commanding 70 percent of the market share in the first five years of both consoles’ lives. There are a lot of reasons for that, and arguably the biggest is that PlayStation had the exclusive titles that made people actually want to buy a console. But pinning it on game exclusives doesn’t paint the full picture. Part of the problem is that Xbox, for all its past Gamer with a capital “G” glory, got boring. So yes, Xbox is in a weird place right now, but people still want consoles, which means it’s time for them to get even weirder—yes, I’m talking hardware, too.

First, let’s start with the boring box that Xbox houses all of that X in. It sucks. It’s a snooze that makes year-over-year smartphone design feel innovative. Sure, it’s sterile and can mesh with your new-build city-dwelling decor, but it’s also—on the downside—half-assed. If you’re selling people hardware that plays games, they ought to know that it’s a console and not a VCR you forgot to sell in 1997. Say what you will about the PS5 (it’s ugly; that’s the only correct opinion), but Sony took a swing with it. It made sure that everyone who bought one felt like they were buying a console, and like it or not, you eat with your eyes. If you want to give people a reason to buy your console, maybe try giving them a reason. Nintendo did that with the Switch in 2017, and as far as I can tell, that’s going (checks watch) really f*cking well.

Speaking of the Switch, Xbox should probably find a way to differentiate its hardware functionality-wise. As dominant as the PS5 has been in the console business, it’s still fundamentally the same machine as the Xbox. That’s a shame, considering Xbox had ample opportunities to bring hardware in exciting new directions over the years. Not to be the Kinect guy, but damn did Microsoft bungle XR big time—and then again, it bungled XR with the HoloLens. In the multiverse, there’s a timeline where Xbox used its experiments with XR via the Kinect and HoloLens to snatch value from the trembling hands of Sony and Meta’s Quest headsets. That is not this timeline, as we all know, but if it really wants to give Xbox a future worth financing, maybe there’s still room to take those more daring expeditions into gaming and refresh them for today’s age.

The last thing Xbox needs to do to get weird is a little more nebulous—it needs a new identity. Sure, Game Pass has been a ray of light in an otherwise dim outlook for Xbox, but turning the consoles into subscription machines doesn’t exactly scream, “We see you gamers, and we hear you.” Xbox can still continue to sell Game Pass subscriptions, don’t get me wrong—I love Game Pass, and being able to stream games on devices like the Quest 3 feels like a revelation to me. But the emphasis on Xbox being the thing that gets you to the thing makes hardware feel like an afterthought. Gaming on a console that you’ve spent $500 on should feel native; it should feel complete; it should feel like an Xbox, not a PC. That goes back to game exclusives, partly. Sony has had no issues getting weird with its exclusives—Death Stranding, for example, is one of the weirdest games you can play, and now Death Stranding 2 is a PS5 exclusive, which is apparently devastating some gamers. Sucks for them, but it’s kind of a huge win for PlayStation. It’s also more proof that Xbox doesn’t need to be the Netflix of gaming; it needs weird, magnetic titles that make its console feel experiential.

As you may have gathered, this would all be kind of a huge shift for Xbox, and it’s debatable whether Microsoft even has the will to make any of it work. I know the last few years have been lackluster for Xbox, but people still want consoles, and the recent success of the Switch 2 all but proves that. Nintendo, for its part, didn’t earn that success the easy way. It took a gamble with the Switch by redefining its hardware, pivoting inward towards games, and ended up releasing the defining console of our generation. That’s all to say, the ball is in your court, Microsoft. Are you going to go out with a bland, forgettable box? Or get weird and, at the very least, go down swinging?