An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Spyware maker NSO Group will have to pay more than $167 million in damages to WhatsApp for a 2019 hacking campaign against more than 1,400 users. On Tuesday, after a five-year legal battle, a jury ruled that NSO Group must pay $167,256,000 in punitive damages and around $444,719 in compensatory damages. This is a huge legal win for WhatsApp, which had asked for more than $400,000 in compensatory damages, based on the time its employees had to dedicate to remediate the attacks, investigate them, and push fixes to patch the vulnerability abused by NSO Group, as well as unspecified punitive damages.
The trial, as well as the whole lawsuit, prompted a series of revelations, such as the location of the victims of the 2019 spyware campaign, as well as the names of some of NSO Group’s customers. The ruling marks the end — pending a potential appeal — of a legal battle that started in more than five years ago, when WhatsApp filed a lawsuit against the spyware maker. The Meta-owned company accused NSO Group of accessing WhatsApp servers and exploiting an audio-calling vulnerability in the chat app to target around 1,400 people, including dissidents, human rights activists, and journalists. NSO Group’s spokesperson Gil Lainer left the door open for an appeal. “We will carefully examine the verdict’s details and pursue appropriate legal remedies, including further proceedings and an appeal,” Lainer said in a statement.
All of us here at Tuesday Tips Headquarters love getting feedback from our readers. It may take the form of expanding on a tip or maybe explaining how they utilize it at their job. Of course, we get plenty of suggestions for tips (lots of great ideas have made their way into the blog.)
We also get a lot of readers looking for a solution to a particular problem they’re having. Much like Santa at the North Pole, we try to answer as many as we can, but there’s just not enough time. So, occasionally, we like to open up the old mailbag and pick out a few that deserve attention but may not warrant an entire blog post. We like to call it AutoCAD Potpourri because you never know just what you’ll get.
Murray from Minneapolis writes:
I have a co-worker who’s driving me crazy by forgetting to set their newly created Layout Viewports as being locked. Is there an automated lisp routine or something to help me with this? I don’t know how many times the zoom or scale has been messed up because of this.
Hi Murray, instead of that, how about you just make an easy change in your workflow? From the blue contextual Layout ribbon tab, you’ll find an Insert View tool in the Layer Viewports panel. This will let you insert any named view as a viewport. You don’t even have to use named views to use it. If you don’t have any views, it will go directly into New View mode, where you can select an area of your model. When you’re satisfied with the selection, hit enter, and you’ll return to your layout, where you can now drop in the viewport.
AutoCAD will do its best to scale it correctly for you, but you can always change it. And, best of all, it will automatically be locked after you insert it using this method. Viola! Problem solved.
Utilize Activity Insights
Emily from Chicago asks us:
Is there an easy way to know who did what in our drawings? In particular, who was working on it, who saved it, and who managed the Xrefs in it?
Emily – you didn’t mention what version of AutoCAD you are using, but if you’re on 2024.1 or higher, you sound like a perfect fit for the new Activity Insights palette. You’ll find it in the View tab of the ribbon. It’s the only icon in the History panel. Turn it on, and you’ll get a palette view of various activities, telling you who did what and when they did it. Click on any entry to get more info on it. Just follow this link to learn more about it.
Use Paste Special to Insert Image Files
Louie from New York wants to know:
We don’t use externally referenced drawing files in our work, but we do insert numerous images into our drawings. Of course, this references the image, which, in turn, creates problems for our users who aren’t used to working with the image paths. In other words, the path is often broken. Is there a way to attach an image so that it’s not externally referenced (thus pathed?)
Louie, in a word, yes! It’s a simple three-step process. First, open the image file in MS Paint® or pretty much any graphic software. Next, select “all” and perform a clipboard copy. Finally, in AutoCAD, do a “paste special” (not a regular paste) to place the image directly into your drawing. Baddabing! No more lost image files.
Reset Overridden Dimension Strings
Bailey from Cincinnati asks:
Let me start by saying that I work with that co-worker. The lazy drafter who prefers to override dimension text instead of just doing it right to begin with. Of course, there’s no way to know if it’s been overridden or not (I wish they would get flagged similar to Anno Monitor). Do you have any suggestions for me?
Yes, Bailey, I do! There’s an Express Tool called DIMREASSOC. You can type it into either the Dynamic Input Box or the Command Line. You can also find it as “Reset Text” in the Dimension panel of the Express Tools tab in the ribbon. To use it, select an area of dimensions or just type in ALL since the command filters out anything that’s not a dimension.
Any dimensions that have overridden text will immediately be highlighted for you. Just hit Enter to end object selection, and Boom! All the overridden dimensions now read accurately.
How’s that for an easy fix? I just wish we could do the same with your co-worker!
Coming Clean
If you were paying close attention, you may have noticed a pattern in our questions. They were all from fictional characters in classic TV sitcoms.
That’s right, there’s no actual mailbag full of letters that we pulled from. That’s shocking here in 2025, I know. But we do hear from a lot of you via emails or comments, so we also have plenty of shorter tips to share, so this is always a fun way to get them out there.
I hope to do another AutoCAD Potpourri post someday, so please make sure you keep those letters and questions coming!
Celebrity Guest Stars:
Murray Slaughter – The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Emily Hartley – The Bob Newhart Show
Louie De Palma – Taxi
Bailey Quarters – WKRP in Cincinnati
More Tuesday Tips
Check out our whole Tuesday Tips series for ideas on how to make AutoCAD work for you.
I’ve started receiving this warning at Visual Studio Code startup:
So I downloaded Git for Windows v2.27.0. Upon running the installer, I encountered this prompt:
I’d like to choose the same default behavior that Visual Studio did when it first installed Git for me, so as to keep everything working smoothly. I’m enough of a novice at Git that I wouldn’t want things to go awry.
I haven’t proceeded yet; I don’t want to risk mucking it up.
This Q&A discusses the concept but doesn’t quite get there on finding out what the default is. The official documentation comes up short here as well.
Is there a way to determine the current default?
If there isn’t, is it possible to change the default after the fact, in case I choose the wrong option?
FutureHouse, an Eric Schmidt-backed nonprofit that aims to build an “AI scientist” within the next decade, has released a new tool that it claims can help support “data-driven discovery” in biology. The new tool comes just a week after FutureHouse launched its API and platform.
The tool, called Finch, takes in biology data (primarily in the form of research papers) and a prompt (e.g. “What can you tell me about molecular drivers of cancer mataseses?”) and runs code before generating figures and inspecting the results. In a series of posts on X, FutureHouse co-founder and CEO Sam Rodriques compared it to a “first-year grad student.”
“[B]eing able to [do all] this in minutes is a superpower,” Rodriques wrote. “[Finch] actually ends up finding some really cool stuff […] For our own projects internally, we have found it to be pretty awesome.”
In addition to open-ended analysis, Finch can also do directed data analysis. In this example, we had it do a differential expression and functional enrichment analysis of some RNAseq data (GEO accession GSE87466). It identifies upregulated genes (e.g. inflammatory modulators,… pic.twitter.com/phRybhTVpb
FutureHouse’s proposition, like that of many, manystartups and tech giants, is that Finch and other AI tools will someday automate steps in the scientific process.
Biology, particularly on the drug discovery side, is an attractive target for AI companies. Precedence Research estimates the market was worth $65.88 billion in 2024 and could reach $160.31 billion by 2034.
While there have been some successes, AI hasn’t provided an immediate magical solution in the lab. Several firms employing AI for drug discovery, including Exscientia and BenevolentAI, have suffered high-profileclinical trial failures in recent years. Meanwhile, the accuracy of leading AI systems for drug discovery, like Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold 3, tends to vary widely.
Finch similarly makes “silly mistakes,” Rodriques said — which is why FutureHouse is recruiting bioinformaticians and computational biologists to help evaluate its accuracy and reliability and train it while it’s in closed beta.
Searching for a new job can often feel like a time-consuming and overwhelming endeavor. With so many steps involved, from crafting the perfect resume to networking and preparing for interviews, it’s easy to get bogged down. However, with the right strategies and a focused approach, you can streamline your job hunt and land your next opportunity faster.
In this blog, we’ll explore effective tips to help you speed up the job search process, ensuring you find the right fit for your career goals as quickly as possible.
10 Tips to Speed Up the Job Search Process
Job searching can often feel like a lengthy and daunting process. However, with the right strategies and a focused approach, you can significantly speed up your job search and land your next opportunity faster. Here are some effective tips to help you streamline your job hunt and secure a position that aligns with your career goals.
1. Set Clear Goals
Define Your Objectives: Know what type of job you’re looking for, including industry, role, and company size. Clear goals help you focus your search and avoid wasting time on irrelevant opportunities.
2. Optimize Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile
Tailor Your Resume: Customize your resume for each job application to highlight relevant skills and experiences.
Update LinkedIn: Ensure your LinkedIn profile is complete, professional, and aligned with your resume. Use keywords related to your desired job to improve visibility.
3. Leverage Job Search Engines and Apps
Use Multiple Platforms: Utilize job search engines like Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn to find job listings. Set up job alerts to receive notifications about new opportunities.
Download Job Apps: Use mobile apps to search for jobs on the go and apply quickly.
4. Network Effectively
Reach Out: Connect with industry professionals, former colleagues, and friends. Let them know you’re looking for a job and ask for referrals or recommendations.
Attend Events: Participate in industry events, webinars, and networking meetups to expand your connections.
5. Use Professional Services
Recruitment Agencies: Consider working with recruitment agencies that specialize in your industry. They can help match you with suitable job openings.
Career Coaches: Hire a career coach to provide personalized guidance, resume reviews, and interview preparation.
6. Apply Strategically
Quality Over Quantity: Focus on applying to jobs that closely match your skills and interests. Tailor each application to the specific job and company.
Follow Up: After applying, follow up with a polite email to express your continued interest and inquire about the status of your application.
7. Prepare for Interviews
Practice Common Questions: Prepare answers for common interview questions and practice with a friend or mentor.
Research Companies: Research potential employers thoroughly to understand their culture, values, and recent news. This will help you tailor your responses and ask insightful questions during interviews.
8. Stay Organized
Track Applications: Keep a spreadsheet or use a job search app to track your applications, including dates, contact information, and follow-up actions.
Set a Schedule: Dedicate specific times each day to job searching, networking, and skill development to stay consistent and focused.
9. Enhance Your Skills
Online Courses: Take online courses or certifications related to your field to improve your skills and make your resume more attractive to employers.
Volunteer or Freelance: Engage in volunteer work or freelance projects to gain experience and expand your portfolio.
10. Stay Positive and Persistent
Maintain a Positive Attitude: Job searching can be challenging, but staying positive and persistent will help you stay motivated.
Seek Support: Lean on friends, family, and professional networks for support and encouragement.
Conclusion
Speeding up the job search process requires a strategic and organized approach. By setting clear goals, optimizing your resume and LinkedIn profile, leveraging job search engines and networks, and preparing thoroughly for interviews, you can increase your chances of finding the right job more quickly.
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