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The BBC announced a new addition to its Maestro series of masterclasses, featuring its first posthumous teacher, Agatha Christie, presenting her writing tips in 4K video. The best-selling author of literature in human history teaches an 11-lesson course on writing mysteries, and the BBC seems very aware of the issues circling AI, which provokes a mix of intrigue and, honestly, wariness. Christie, who died in 1976, has had her likeness composited through a blend of licensed images, limited footage and past audio recordings. That data has been blended with actor Vivien Keene, who performs the words of Christie on video. This is a more cautious approach. During a Q&A event at the courses launch in London, Keene stated outright that this was a performance. It seems a particularly risky choice, too: a lot of writers, editors, and authors are facing AI tools that reduce job opportunities or absorb their writing (and IP) without permission to train AI models. Image by Mat Smith for Engadget The BBC says all the writing advice comes directly from her writings, authors notes and archival interviews, curated by leading Christie experts and scholars, including Dr Mark Aldridge, Michelle Kazmer, Gray Robert Brown and Jamie Bernthal-Hooker. One of the stipulations from the Christie estate was that all the writing tips and guidance come directly from her. The makers claim that AI hasn't filled in the gaps or made guesses about her writing style, or what advice she might give. The BBCs Maestro series is part of the companys business arm, offering over 40 courses in the style of Masterclass but with, obviously a lot more Brits, priced at $10 per month. (Dont let the fact that the Diary of a CEO guy is there put you off the Billy Connolly course is excellent.) However, for this course, the team ballooned to over 100 people, factoring AI rendering experts, sound engineers and more, to deliver a convincing portrayal of the author of Murder on the Orient Express, Mousetrap and, well, all the others. Image by Mat Smith for Engadget During the Q&A (at the glamorous Claridges hotel, of course), Dr. Mark Aldridge explained that in A Murders Announced, Christie had a different murderer in mind when she first began writing that book something vital if you're trying to convey her writing process. This could then be folded into the course guidance and content. At the launch event with almost enough champagne to fill the Nile I got to delve into the lessons. Im not ready to pen a 50,000-word page-turner, its a convincing facsimile. Theres still a glint of uncanny valley, of course, (I think its something to do with the eyes?), but even BBC Maestro CEO Michael Levine noted that since the projects inception a few years ago, the technology had evolved so quickly that the team was able to do even more than it first thought. Levine joked that the only books that rivaled sales of Christies body of work by sheer volume are the works of Shakespeare and The Bible. There are no plans yet to add further resurrected experts to the Maestro lineup.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/agatha-christie-ai-bbc-maestro-masterclass-writing-course-hands-on-120010944.html?src=rss
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Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has ruled that Apple violated her own ruling back in 2021 on the lawsuit Epic Games filed against Apple a year before. Now, it's ordering (PDF) Apple to stop collecting commissions on purchases that weren't paid through the App Store effective immediately. In 2021, Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple did not hold an App Store monopoly. However, she also said that the company must allow developers to direct users to other payment systems that would let them bypass the 30 percent commission fee it collects from App Store purchases. In a legal filing by Epic Games last year, it accused Apple of non-compliance, since it still took a 27 percent cut for purchases made outside the App Store and even showed users pop-up screens warning them that paying outside its own store may not be secure. For members of the iOS Small Business Program, it took a smaller 12 percent commission. But the judge explained in her new ruling that Apple wasn't supposed to collect any fee at all. "Apple sought to maintain a revenue stream worth billions in direct defiance of this courts injunction," she said. In addition to prohibiting Apple from collecting fees for external purchases, she also barred the company from showing users "scare screens" discouraging them from using third-party payment systems. She prohibited Apple from creating rules that would prevent developers from presenting customers with buttons and links for external payments, as well. Apple said it will pursue an appeal, but that it will comply with the court's orders. "We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court's order and we will appeal," an Apple spokesperson told The New York Times. In her ruling, Rogers said that the documents Apple submitted last year showed that App Store lead Phil Schiller advocated for the company to stop collecting fees on web links during a 2023 meeting. But Apple's former Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri convinced Tim Cook otherwise. Cook also asked his people to revise the scare screen for web links "to reference the fact that Apples privacy and security standards do not apply to purchases made on the web. Apple knew exactly what it was doing and "at every turn chose the most anticompetitive option," Gonzalez Rogers wrote. Further the company's Vice-President of Finance, Alex Roman, allegedly lied under oath to hide the truth. Thus, the judge has asked the US attorney for the Northern District of California to investigate Apple and Roman for criminal contempt. In a tweet, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney announced that it will bring back Fortnite for iOS in the US next week. He also promised to return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and to drop any lawsuit covering the issue if Apple applies a commission-free tax-free payment framework everywhere. We will return Fortnite to the US iOS App Store next week.Epic puts forth a peace proposal: If Apple extends the court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we'll return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop current and future litigation on the topic. https://t.co/bIRTePm0Tv Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) April 30, 2025 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/court-orders-apple-to-stop-collecting-fees-for-purchases-made-outside-the-app-store-110036376.html?src=rss
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Fusing healthcare and residential architecture, traditional herbal medicine brand Saishunkan Pharmaceutical has unveiled Positive Age House, a home designed to enhance the body's self-healing capabilities. Developed in collaboration with building company Lib Work, the concept stems from Saishunkan's observation that Japanese people spend approximately two-thirds of their lives at home, making living environments crucial determinants of health outcomes.Rather than relying on technology, Saishunkan has applied its expertise in traditional medicine to create living spaces that stimulate the body's innate recovery mechanisms. Key features include a circadian lighting system that adjusts color temperature throughout the day to maintain biological rhythms, textured 'ripple flooring' that stimulates foot pressure points, and deliberate floor height differences that compel residents to exercise their joints as they move from one space to the next.WHY A HEALING HOME?Healthspan over lifespanPeople increasingly care less about just living longer and more about living well for longer physically, mentally and emotionally.Post-pandemic revaluation of the homeAfter forced time indoors, people realize their immediate surroundings deeply impact their mental and physical well-being.Shift from passive to proactive healthHealth isn't just about medicine or hospitals; it's about everyday lifestyle choices, like movement, light exposure, diet, and now, one's home.More nature, less techWhile technology brands push smart homes, the Positive Age House represents a counter trend of returning to nature, focusing on sunlight, airflow, wooden floors, circadian lighting and natural materials. (Related: the ultrarich are unplugging from smart homes.)
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