On July 1, New Zealand launches its Depositor Compensation Scheme (DCS), a transformative policy aimed at protecting savers and rebalancing the financial sector Read...

The Attorney-General has challenged a decision allowing all three parents to be named. Read...

Microsoft has been bringing a number of new features to the Outlook email app lately. Just the other day, the tech giant announced that you’ll soon be able to switch freely between the new and classic Outlook apps, and now they’ve announced that soon you won’t need to be connected to the internet to manage your Outlook calendar. In the roadmap of upcoming Microsoft 365 features, there’s an entry for “Outlook: Offline Support for Calendar” that mentions “you’ll be able to create, edit, and delete events in your calendar when not connected to the internet.” The rollout is expected to start in June 2025 and will be for all users with general availability. However, this offline calendar support only seems to apply to the new Outlook app. If you want to keep using classic Outlook, note that you’ll still have to be always online to manage your calendar. Further reading: Useful tips for the new Outlook app Read...

Tired of complex image or video editing software? Need to produce quality image and video content at scale quickly? Frustrated by switching between multiple platforms? If any of this is true, then you may need Pollo AI! In this guide, you will learn how to create stunning AI-generated images and videos in one place using Pollo AI. You will also learn about its features, benefits, and more. Keep reading! Overview of Pollo AI Pollo AI is an all-in-one AI image and video generation platform that lets users create stunningly realistic content via simple text prompts or reference images. While most traditional AI generators function on single models, Pollo AI is a multifaceted tool. Aside from its proprietary model, Pollo 1.5, it’s integrated with several industry-leading platforms. For images, you can use models like GPT-4o, FLUX, Imagen, Recraft, and Dall-E. For videos, options include Kling AI, Hailuo, Runway, Pixverse, and Luma AI. This ecosystem makes Pollo AI incredibly versatile, catering to content creators, filmmakers, marketers, educators, and hobbyists alike. What makes Pollo AI stand out in AI video generation? Text to video & image to video Using descriptive text prompts, you can bring any imaginative concept to life. Powered by advanced algorithms and trained on vast visual datasets, Pollo AI can understand context and semantics to craft a tailored video that matches your instructions accurately. Pollo AI also lets users upload any static image and transform it into a realistic visual scene that looks and feels like real footage. This can open up new creative possibilities for your video content workflow, while also saving you a lot of time in the process. Video to video Ever wanted to restyle an existing video without needing professional video editing skills? Pollo AI’s video-to-video generator lets you convert any video to create new iterations across a wide range of visual styles in high resolution quality. Some of these styles include Anime, Pixar, Claymation, and several others. Best of all, Pollo AI does well to ensure every single movement is preserved in the new version. Plus, the tool even lets you choose between restyling just the subject or the whole video. Numerous AI video models Besides its flagship Pollo 1.5 AI video model, the platform comes integrated with several other industry-leading AI video models. This means you can generate multiple videos using different APIs to produce unique and varying outputs, all in one place. You can choose from Runway, Kling AI, Pixverse AI, Hailuo AI, Luma AI, and more. So, whether you prefer better motion dynamics, higher video quality, or even detailed visuals, there is an AI video model for every need. Unique AI video tools/effects With Pollo AI, you can edit your existing videos in just a few simple clicks to enhance or transform the output. Some of the AI video tools that are available on the platform include Video Upscaler, Lip Sync AI, and more. You can also access the AI video effects library to transform your uploads into entertaining novel videos. Some of the unique effects you can use include AI kissing. How to create AI videos with Pollo AI Step 1. Enter your prompt or upload an image: For text-to-video, type a descriptive prompt (e.g., “A red-haired girl walking through a field of flowers on a windy day”). Pollo AI For image-to-video, upload a static image to transform into a video. You can also enter a prompt to guide the generation. Pollo AI Step 2. Select an AI video model: Pick from models like Pollo 1.5, Kling AI, Runway, or Luma AI to match your desired style or quality. Step 3. Customize and generate: Adjust settings like resolution or style if needed, then hit “Create.” Wait a few minutes for your video to generate. Step 4. Download or share: Once satisfied, download your video or share it directly from the platform. What makes Pollo AI stand out in AI image generation? All-in-one AI image generator Pollo AI offers access to several top-class AI image generation models, all in one place. Naturally, this helps diversify your image creation experience by allowing you to experiment with various options and create the perfect output. You can choose between Recraft, Stable Diffusion, FLUX, Dall-E, GPT-4o, and more. Each of these AI models has a unique approach to image generation, so you can pick the one that best suits your needs, be it for cost-effectiveness, photorealism, general art, etc. Image-to-image generation With Pollo AI, you can convert any existing images and restyle them in new ways. Just upload the original image, and using the text prompt box, feel free to alter various aspects like color, art style, character expressions, etc. You won’t even need any advanced editing skills to get professional-grade results. For instance, you can direct the AI model to generate images in popular art styles like Ghibli, anime, surrealistic, isometric, abstract, fantasy, and so much more. Extensive AI image tools/effects Editing existing images has never been easier than with Pollo AI. The platform has numerous AI image tools that can be used to improve the quality of your photos. Some of these include an AI Image Enhancer, AI Art Generator, and so much more. You can also transform existing images into all sorts of unique and novel styles using various tools like an AI Polaroid Maker, Ghibli AI Generator, etc. With these AI tools, Pollo AI can help take your image editing to a whole new level. How to create AI images with Pollo AI Step 1. Enter your prompt or upload an image: For text-to-image, type a prompt (e.g., “Full stadium, daytime, with a large grassy field in the center”). For image-to-image, upload a photo to restyle. Step 2. Choose an AI image model: Pick from models like GPT-4o, FLUX, Recraft, Stable Diffusion, or Dall-E to suit your desired style or quality. Step 3. Customize and generate: Adjust settings like aspect ratio or style—options include Ghibli, Realism, Pixel Art, Anime, and more. Then, hit “Create.” Your image will be ready in seconds. Pollo AI Step 4. Download or share: Once you’re happy with the result, download your image or share it directly from Pollo AI. Conclusion Pollo AI is a powerful visual content generation AI solution that does well to mix simplicity with convenience. Having all these AI models in one place ensures that it can optimize any image or video creation task, with the platform delivering undeniably satisfying results. Read...

In its latest attempt to oust Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata`afa, Samoa`s FAST Party is taking legal action to try and secure an early general election. Read...

OpenAI, the company that develops ChatGPT, has decided to cancel its plans to transform the organization into a for-profit company. Instead, the non-profit organization that founded OpenAI will continue to run the business as before. The for-profit plans, announced in December 2024, were justified at the time by a need to secure sufficient capital to keep developing expensive artificial general intelligence (AGI). Now, instead of a full conversion to a for-profit company, OpenAI’s for-profit LLC will be transformed into a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), which is a type of US company that’s beholden to both its shareholders and its purpose-driven mission. The existing OpenAI non-profit organization will retain control of the PBC and become one of its largest shareholders. OpenAI says the decision was made after listening to community leaders and engaging in constructive dialogue with the Attorneys General of the states of Delaware and California. Founded in 2015 as a non-profit organization, OpenAI has been the subject of widespread criticism for wanting to transition to a for-profit structure. Critics include co-founder Elon Musk—who has sued OpenAI for abandoning its original mission to develop AI for the benefit of humanity—as well as former employees, other non-profit organizations, Nobel laureates, and law professors. According to TechCrunch, OpenAI reportedly needed to complete its for-profit transformation before the end of this or next year in order to not risk losing some of its recently raised capital. It’s still unclear what—if any—the consequences might be with OpenAI backing out of those plans. Further reading: OpenAI’s newest AI models hallucinate way more Read...

The RSAC Conference is a unique opportunity for speaking with worldwide cybersecurity experts. Many folks are so deep in the trenches that they casually toss out great tips whenever you chat with them. A great example: This acronym I picked up from Kelly Bissell, corporate vice president of fraud within Microsoft’s Security division. It focuses on how to avoid job scams—that is, phony listings and opportunities that might cross your path. But you can take away the general principles and apply them to other types of scams, too. Stay S-A-F-E Bissell says you should be: Sure of the company you’re applying with Able to apply for free Finding the job listing elsewhere online Examining job offers carefully and confirming the legitimacy of the companies Look into a company to be sure of them, especially if the offer is unsolicited. Is there a company website with contact info? How long has it been in business? Can you find employees on LinkedIn, and what do their backgrounds look like? Do you know anyone in your network who works there that you can speak to? Or at the very least, what’s the good word on Reddit and job forums? Job applications should never cost you a cent. That’s standard practice, no matter the industry and job level. Perhaps you may pay for necessary education (where you get to select the school or certification program) or a certification, but not to apply. A legitimate place does not ask for money—times haven’t changed on this point. Legitimate job offerings can be found on company sites or job listing sites—and usually more than one at a time.Monster.com / PCWorld The work opportunity should be findable elsewhere, not just in the message you were sent. Depending on the field and position, you may be able to verify online through job listing websites and the company’s official website. Or, you may instead have to go through walking in the business and speaking with an official contact, like a manager or the owner. Once you start finding info on the job and the company, also do a gut check, especially if you’re made an offer. Examine the facts you have for any red flags—do the hours seem strange? Does the wage match the usual industry standard for pay? In general, you want to confirm that the type of employment, schedule, wage or salary, location, and the manager you report to sound appropriate and fair. And again, be sure that you’re speaking to the actual company, not an impersonator. Dodge all the scams This advice is geared toward job scams, but you should check out other scams with this kind of thoroughness, too. Are you talking with a potential romantic partner or someone else online who is interested in getting to know you better? Is your kid on the phone or messaging you, begging you for help with a crashed car or posting bail? Has your bank texted you, saying your account has been frozen? In these sample scenarios, stop and ask yourself, How well do I trust that this contact is legitimate? Are they asking for money? Does this inquiry involve my financial accounts, or could they eventually lead up to requesting cash? Have I verified this situation, or is this person who they say they are? What do I really know about this situation they’ve outlined? Nope. Don’t respond to this person.Celia Ong Scammers want you to be emotionally off-balance so they can take advantage. Don’t let them play off the fully human need to be gainfully employed, seek companionship, protect your family, keep your bank accounts safe, and the like. Take inspiration from Bissell’s grandmother: When warned not to fall for any distressed child scams, she told Bissell she’d let him sit in jail. Her reasoning? He wouldn’t be there unless he’d been up to no good. Harsh, ma’am. But not a bad default while you’re verifying the situation independently. Read...

Associate Education Minister David Seymour says he`d like to offer the watchdog an example lunch `so he can audit them with his mouth`. Read...

There is a lot of flex in global rules about illicit drug use among athletes. Former WADA director-general David Howman explains why Read...

The re-vamped scheme has been plagued by concerns about late, inedible, repetitive or nutritionally lacking lunches this year. Read...