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Citizen scientists help explain magenta aurora over Japan Citizen scientists help explain magenta aurora over Japan a) Aurora photos taken from Aomori, b) from Hokkaido, c) from Chubu, and d) from Tohoku, Japan. Credit: a) 🄫KAGAYA b) ~d) @Courtesy of a citizen scientists Citizen scientists in Japan enabled researchers to learn why May 2024’s aurora appeared a magenta ****** over the country. This effort in extending research beyond academies and laboratories has greater consequences for humanity than explaining pretty lights. Around the world, the historic geomagnetic superstorm of late spring 2024 inspired millions of non-scientists around the world—many armed with highly sensitive smartphone cameras—to take a fantastic, unprecedented number of images of the aurora it produced. In Japan, this widespread popular uptake of what is now quite advanced imaging technology (even if it is kept in everyone’s pocket) proved to be a tremendous boon for atmospheric physicists and other scientists specializing in “space weather.” It allowed them to discover why the Northern Lights over Japan appeared as a mysterious magenta ****** this time instead of the typical red that is observed when aurorae are visible over that country. The researchers describe both their findings and what could be a model for the organization of future “citizen-science” operations in the journal Scientific Reports on October 28. In early May this year, one of the most extreme geomagnetic storms in the history of recording such events hit the Earth’s atmosphere. This great “storm” in space, composed of ionized particles, is what produces the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, in the northern hemisphere and the aurora australis, or Southern Lights, in the southern hemisphere. This time, however, the storm was so strong—the ninth most severe storm in the 110-year history of Japan’s Kakioka Magnetic Observatory, one of the oldest geomagnetic stations in the world—that the polar lights could be photographed at much lower latitudes than normal. The distribution of 179 auroral observations over Japan during the 11 May 2024 magnetic storm. Credit: National Institute of Polar Research In Japan, space weather researchers took advantage of ordinary people taking pictures of the aurora with their smartphones to organize one of the densest citizen science observation efforts anywhere, despite being a low-latitude country where the aurora was somewhat fainter than in places like Canada or northern Europe. The different colors of an aurora come from the emission of light from different atoms and molecules in the atmosphere when they are bombarded by the particles from space. The dramatic green hue seen in many photographs of the polar lights comes from atomic oxygen (single atoms of oxygen rather than molecular oxygen, or two oxygen atoms bound together) at the lower altitudes within the atmosphere that are visible to people. (The human eye is also just very sensitive to this ******). At even lower altitudes, where atomic oxygen is less common, blue is more visible, and this comes from the greater presence of nitrogen. At the very highest altitudes in the atmosphere, however, there is a lower concentration of atoms of any kind. The fewer collisions there result in a perception by humans of the excited atomic oxygen atoms as the ****** red. This is why the upper parts of the aurora curtains can appear as green fading into a scarlet hue. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matter—daily or weekly. At low latitudes, as in Japan, normally there is no green at all, only red because only the upper part of the aurora can be seen above the horizon. “Yet this time, weirdly, the images revealed a very clear and dominant magenta hue to the aurora ‘curtains’ over Japan, not red,” said Ryuho Kataoka, the lead author of the study and a specialist in extreme space weather. To solve the mystery, the researchers quickly took to social media to encourage people to observe and report their sightings of the auroras, as well as to input data into a questionnaire asking about observation locations, time, elevation angles and other details, allowing researchers to analyze the auroras’ characteristics in unprecedented detail. Estimated auroral emission altitude around the 11 May 2024 magnetic storm peak. Credit: National Institute of Polar Research The effort resulted in an impressive 775 grassroots submissions, which the researchers then combined with satellite observations and advanced modeling techniques to explore the conditions that had led to the magenta aurora. The elevation data from these citizen scientists proved to be particularly useful. The researchers used elevation angles to calculate the position of the aurora over time, and found that it was often a surprisingly high altitude of roughly 1,000 km above sea level—which should thus drive a red appearance. But on top of this, the time and season of year meant the atmosphere was more “preheated” ahead of the aurora, in turn driving an upwelling of ionized molecular nitrogen—what is usually responsible for a blue hue. “Blue plus red makes us see magenta,” added Professor Kataoka. “And the magenta was made all the more visible and vibrant by the sheer volume of solar activity, even though, ironically, the preheating would also have worked to reduce the peak brightness of the aurora.” Better understanding of magnetic storms goes beyond explaining why humans see the pretty colors of aurorae; these storms can have profound, negative impacts on satellite operations, GPS systems, power grids and even the safety of passengers and crews aboard high-altitude flights. And so ahead of the next magnetic storm, the researchers want to take an even more coordinated approach to citizen science and spread their efforts further afield. This particular study was limited to Japan and used only the ********* language, representing something of a proof of concept. But by using automated translation of their questionnaires and social media posts into local languages around the world, the researchers feel that they will be able to produce a global replication of this effort, with the ultimate aim of analyzing different phases of magnetic storms, to better protect humanity from the dangers posed by extreme space weather. More information: Ryuho Kataoka et al, Extended magenta aurora as revealed by citizen science, Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-75184-9 Provided by Research Organization of Information and Systems Citation: Citizen scientists help explain magenta aurora over Japan (2024, November 18) retrieved 18 November 2024 from This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. Source link #Citizen #scientists #explain #magenta #aurora #Japan Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Steam Deck OLED, step aside – the Lenovo Legion Go’s price is now closer to Valve’s handheld gaming PC, thanks to an early ****** Friday deal Steam Deck OLED, step aside – the Lenovo Legion Go’s price is now closer to Valve’s handheld gaming PC, thanks to an early ****** Friday deal The handheld gaming PC market is expanding rapidly with new chips from AMD (the rumored Ryzen Z2 series) and multiple new devices on the way. While we await the announcements of successors to gaming handhelds from Asus, Valve, and Lenovo, you’ll be glad to hear that the Lenovo Legion Go is now available for just $549 (was 699.99) at Amazon, while *** shoppers get an even better deal – it’s down to £499 (was £699) at Currys. Even if you’re not in the US or ***, it’ll be wise to keep an eye out for potential deals on the Legion Go in the coming weeks – early ****** Friday deals have been a treat so far, and if they’re any indication, we could see many more enticing price drops. Having tested the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and the Lenovo Legion Go, I can confirm that the latter leads in terms of display quality. Yes, I know the Steam Deck OLED creates a spectacle thanks to the great contrast available, but I’d rather not deal with babying my handheld to avoid potential *****-in. Not in the US or ***? Scroll down to see the best Lenovo Legion Go deals in your region! Today’s best Lenovo Legion Go deal in the US Today’s best Lenovo Legion Go deal in the *** While it might not be OLED, the Lenovo Legion Go provides an 8.8-inch 2560×1600 IPS display – this is fantastic for competitive handheld gaming in games like Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6. While using the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, I found that I couldn’t perform at the same level I would with my desktop PC – but the Legion Go gave me that advantage with a ******* screen. There are some downsides to this, as this leaves Lenovo’s handheld being pretty heavy to handle (especially noticeable during long gaming binges). It’s also important to note that the 1600p resolution is far too much for the Z1 Extreme chip – you will almost definitely find yourself dropping the resolution for smoother performance. Still, even at FHD resolutions, it’s certainly a treat. When you add in the Nintendo Switch-style detachable controllers for more ways to play, the Legion Go brings a lot to the table. This is one of the best deals for any handheld gaming PC you’ll see for a while, so don’t hesitate to get your hands on it at the £499 price. More of today’s ****** Friday sales in the US Amazon: TVs, smart home & air fryers from $12.99 Apple: AirPods, iPads, MacBooks from $89.99 Best Buy: $1,000 off 4K TVs, laptops & headphones Cheap TVs: smart TVs at Best Buy from $69.99 Christmas trees: top-rated trees from $54.99 Dell: best-selling Inspiron & XPS laptops from $279.99 Dreamcloud: mattress deals from $349 + free shipping Holiday: decor, lights, Christmas trees & PJs from $10.99 Home Depot: 40% off tools, appliances & furniture Lowe’s: holiday decor, appliances & tools from $17.31 Nectar: up to 50% off all mattresses Nordstrom: 46% off boots, coats, jeans & jewelry Samsung: $1,500+ off TVs, phones, watches & appliances Target: save on furniture, tech & clothing Walmart: cheap TVs, ****** vacs, furniture & appliances More of today’s ****** Friday sales in the *** Amazon: up to 68% off toothbrushes and TVs AO: savings on games consoles and appliances Argos: up to 50% off toys, Lego, TVs and gifts Boots: up to 50% off Dyson, *****-B and Philips Currys: early deals on TVs, appliances, laptops Dell: laptops, desktops, monitors from £299 Dyson: up to £150 off Ebay: up to 50% off refurbished tech EE: up to £600 off Samsung and Apple John Lewis: up to £300 off appliances and TVs LG: £1,000 or more off TVs and appliances Samsung: up to £600 off TVs, phones and tablets Very: up to 30% off phones, appliances & clothing Source link #Steam #Deck #OLED #step #Lenovo #Legion #Gos #price #closer #Valves #handheld #gaming #early #****** #Friday #deal Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Steve Bannon set for New York trial starting Feb. 25, judge rules Steve Bannon set for New York trial starting Feb. 25, judge rules Key Trump ally Steve Bannon released from prison Key Trump ally Steve Bannon released from prison 01:58 Steve Bannon, one of President-elect Donald Trump’s loudest supporters, is scheduled for trial in February in a case in which Trump once pardoned him — but this time a White House pardon isn’t on the table. A judge Tuesday set Feb. 25 as the start of Bannon’s trial on charges related to alleged money laundering, *********** and a scheme to defraud. The case stems from Bannon’s alleged role in an organization that raised millions on the promise — during Trump’s first term in office — that they would privately build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Bannon and the now-defunct group, called We Build the Wall, are accused of pocketing donations. He has entered a not guilty plea in the case and called the charges “nonsense,” accusing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of pursuing allegations out of political animus. Trial in the case was originally scheduled for November 2023, but has been delayed repeatedly. Bannon was indicted on federal charges in a similar case in August 2020, but Trump pardoned him as one of his last acts before leaving office in 2021 after his defeat to President Biden. Presidents cannot issue pardons for state charges. As Trump enters the second month of his new presidency, his former senior counsel and White House chief strategist will be in court. Bannon completed a four-month federal prison sentence just three weeks ago. He was incarcerated for defying a subpoena from a congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 ******* on the U.S. Capitol. Graham Kates Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering ********* justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at *****@*****.tld or *****@*****.tld Source link #Steve #Bannon #set #York #trial #starting #Feb #judge #rules Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

House ethics panel to meet House ethics panel to meet Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., leaves the House *********** Conference meeting at the Capitol Hill Club on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images The House Ethics Committee will meet Wednesday to discuss its report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who has been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be the next attorney general, NBC News reported Monday. Several key *********** senators want the report on Gaetz released to the Senate for their consideration on whether to confirm him for the AG post, if and when Trump formally nominates him. The Ethics Committee had been investigating Gaetz for alleged ******* misconduct and potential ******** ***** use, and other actions. The panel had been scheduled to meet last Friday on the report but postponed that session. Gaetz, who represented a Florida congressional district, resigned abruptly from the House last week after Trump said he would nominate him for AG. His resignation ended the Ethics panel’s jurisdiction over him. Read more CNBC politics coverage House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. has said he would “strongly request” that the committee not release its report on Gaetz, arguing that doing so would be “a terrible breach of protocol, tradition and spirit of the rule.” If Gaetz is confirmed as attorney general, he would lead the Department of Justice, which previously investigated him for possible **** trafficking of an underage girl. The DOJ did not file ********* charges against Gaetz in that case, and he has denied any wrongdoing. On Thursday, a lawyer who represents a woman who says she had **** with Gaetz when she was underage called for the Ethics report to be released. — NBC News’ Scott Wong contributed to this report. Source link #House #ethics #panel #meet Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Unreal Engine 5 Powered Zelda Ocarina of Time Game Looks Absolutely Stunning Unreal Engine 5 Powered Zelda Ocarina of Time Game Looks Absolutely Stunning Released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time paved the way for the evolution of 3D gaming. It’s a masterpiece that captured players’ hearts worldwide with its immersive world-building, innovative mechanics, and unforgettable story. More than two decades later, it still holds a special place in the hearts of fans, though its graphics show the passing of time. Players still enjoy the game’s exceptional music and captivating story. | Image Credit: Nintendo Recently, a fan has been working to recreate Ocarina of Time using Unreal Engine 5. The result is spectacular as the reimagined game has a high level of detail and immersion that makes fans long for a full-fledged next-gen experience. With Switch 2 on its way, players are asking Nintendo not to miss the opportunity and create a stunning, modernized version of its classics. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Meets Unreal Engine 5 Players are buzzing with excitement after seeing the fan-made version of Ocarina of Time in UE5. | Image Credit: Nintendo’s Tears of Kingdom The Nintendo Switch 2 is one of the most anticipated consoles in recent times. So, the idea of seeing a remastered version of Classic games like Zelda Ocarina of Time or Zelda: A Link to the Past is not bad. Modern technology like Unreal Engine 5 has showcased its incredible capabilities to transform old games into modern ones. Recently, one talented fan has done exactly that, they have taken the task of recreating Zelda Ocarina of Time within the Unreal Engine 5. The results are exceptional as it not only captured the breathtaking landscapes and iconic locations from the original N64 classic but also brought characters and combat sequences to life with a level of detail that feels both nostalgic and modern. The user, CryZENx, showcased the potential of UE5 as it managed to recapture the very essence of the classic adventure. Even the combat that was once pixelated (by today’s standards) is now fluid, dynamic, and far more visually engaging. Let’s not forget the iconic music that will elevate these new visuals and the entire experience to the next level. With the stunning visuals and realistic world-building that Unreal Engine 5 offers, a remake of this or any other iconic Zelda title would not only push the Switch 2’s hardware to its limits, delivering a modernized experience for both long-time fans and newcomers but also increase the appeal of the upcoming console as well. Remastering Zelda Games Would Be a Dream Come True Players want to see the remastered version of various classic titles in Switch 2. | Image Credit: Nintendo’s Tears of Kingdom Nintendo has always been known for its commitment to quality and ability to innovate. With the Switch 2 on the horizon, now might be the perfect time to reintroduce some of the company’s most beloved games to a new generation of players. By adopting cutting-edge technology like Unreal Engine 5, it could bring a new level of polish and immersion to its games that hasn’t been seen before. This would not only allow them to revisit the company’s rich history filled with innovation and brilliance but also convert the Classics into a modern title that appeals to both longtime and new audiences. As players look ahead to Switch 2, the possibility of experiencing Ocarina of Time in this new, visually stunning form is exciting. The fan-made Unreal Engine 5 remake is just a glimpse into what could be a reality if Nintendo decides to revisit its classic library with the power of next-gen technology. In the end, for fans of The Legend of Zelda series, remakes of all-time Classics like Ocarina of Time would be a dream come true. Many are also hoping that Nintendo looks to the fan-made remake as an inspiration, taking note of what’s possible when modern technology meets classic gaming. Source link #Unreal #Engine #Powered #Zelda #Ocarina #Time #Game #Absolutely #Stunning Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

No-frills US carrier Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy protection No-frills US carrier Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy protection US budget carrier Spirit Airlines has filed for bankruptcy protection after a long run of financial losses and a series of ******* merger attempts. On Monday, the Florida-based airline said it had arranged an agreement to restructure its debt and raise money during a bankruptcy process that is expected to last until early 2025. During that time, Spirit’s operations will continue as normal and passengers will be unaffected, it said. Spirit, which has not recorded a full-year profit since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, is the first US airline to file for bankruptcy in more than a decade. ********* Airlines declared bankruptcy in 2011 to cut labour costs during a ******* of high fuel prices. In a statement, Spirit said the bankruptcy process – known as Chapter 11 – will not impact employee pay or payments to aircraft leasing companies. The company will be de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange in the “near term” and stock shares will be cancelled, with no value, as part of its restructuring, Spirit said. Despite strong demand, the no-frills airline posted losses of approximately $360m (£285m) in the first half of this year. Competition in the budget travel market has been rising and Spirit has also been forced to ground aircraft as a result of mechanical issues with some engines, which drove up operating costs. Earlier this year, Spirit’s highly anticipated $3.8bn ($3bn) merger with another US carrier, JetBlue, collapsed. A Massachusetts judge blocked the deal, arguing that a merger would reduce competition in the market. Another attempt to merge, with Frontier Airlines in 2022, fell apart after Spirit was outbid by JetBlue. Originally a long-haul trucking company founded in 1964, which pivoted to aviation in the early 1980s, the firm rebranded as Spirit in 1992. It is considered a pioneer in budget flying, forgoing many amenities that are standard on other airlines in order to keep ticket prices low. Source link #Nofrills #carrier #Spirit #Airlines #files #bankruptcy #protection Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Is It Still Possible To Make A Sequel As Good As *********'s Creed 2? Is It Still Possible To Make A Sequel As Good As *********'s Creed 2? *********’s Creed 2 set the template for the series going forward, but it’s ******* to see it getting made today. Source link #Sequel #Good #Assassin039s #Creed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

I cloned my voice with AI and even my wife can’t tell the difference I cloned my voice with AI and even my wife can’t tell the difference Listening to your own voice saying words you’ve never said before is an unsettling experience, but in the AI future which we’re living through right now in 2024, it’s almost unsurprising. Of course, AI can now clone your voice and make it sound just like you! It’s almost expected, isn’t it? What is surprising, to me at least, is how easy it is to do. You can access an AI voice cloner for free online, and clone your voice, then get it to say anything you want in just a few minutes. The training takes just 30 seconds, then you’re good to go. There are no real security checks or restrictions on what you can do with that voice once you’ve trained it either. So, you could make it swear, or threaten somebody. There seem to be hardly any guardrails. Who’s that voice? If you type in ‘AI Voice Cloner’ into a Google search bar you’ll be spoiled for choice. A lot of the voice cloners require you to sign up for a monthly fee before they will clone your voice, but quite a few of them have a free option. I tried a few of the free choices and some of them, despite promising unparalleled accuracy, produced a robotic version of my voice that was going to fool nobody. No, I had a higher goal in mind: I wanted to produce a clone of my voice that would fool my wife. I eventually settled on Speechify to clone my voice, since it combined ease of use, full access to the voice cloner, and a 30-second training time. Once you’ve made a free account on Speechify you simply talk to your microphone for 30 seconds or longer to train your AI voice. Once you’ve done that you can type in some text and hit the Generate button to hear the words spoken back to you in your own voice. If you’re concerned about security, Speechify has a pretty detailed privacy statement, and it does say that it will never sell your information and is committed to protecting the privacy of your data. So, your uploaded voice should be for only you to use. I thought what I created was pretty convincing, but I needed to see what my wife thought. I crept up behind her and played a sample clip of ‘me’ and… well ok, she laughed because she could tell it was coming out of my MacBook’s speakers, but she was impressed. “Actually”, she said, “I think it sounds like you, but better”. And that is the benefit of cloning your voice. It doesn’t make mistakes when it talks. There are no ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ and it gets everything right the first time. If I think about how many times I’ve had to record and re-record the intros to my podcasts because I couldn’t get it quite right, I can see an obvious application for an AI voice cloner. But that’s also a danger in AI voice cloning because you can get the fake voice to say just about anything. Daisy, the AI granny, was an AI voice created to trap scammers into long and fruitless phone calls. (Image credit: O2 ******* Media) Voices from the beyond While scams that involve stealing your voice are one level of concern, the security implications have ramifications that go even beyond the grave. Recently the legendary late British talk show host, Michael Parkinson, surprised everybody by announcing that he was launching a new podcast called Virtually Parkinson. Thanks to the miracles of AI his voice would be interviewing people in real time once again. In Parkinson’s case, his estate is fully behind the podcast, but what if permission has not been given? David Attenborough, the grandfather of the BBC’s natural history programming recently expressed unease at an AI version of his voice, describing it as “disturbing“. We live in an age where AI can create podcasts without any human interaction and even AI sports presenters are starting to appear. So, in a way, we shouldn’t be surprised that it’s so easy for AI to clone our voices, but the implications could be profound. With AI giving celebrities (or rather, their estates) the option to continue working long after they have shuffled off this mortal coil, the future for both celebrities and individuals suddenly seems very uncertain. You might also like… Source link #cloned #voice #wife #difference Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Wall Street analysts explain why Tesla is booming postelection while other EV makers struggle Wall Street analysts explain why Tesla is booming postelection while other EV makers struggle Tesla has been on a tear since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, despite the president-elect’s plans to target key benefits that have supported electric vehicle makers. The stock has soared more than 37% since the election, while legacy automakers such as Ford and General Motors have have seen modest gains of more than 5%. Pure-play electric vehicle stocks like Rivian and Lucid are flat and down more than 3%, respectively, since Trump’s victory. So why is Tesla soaring even as a second Trump administration is expected to fundamentally disrupt the U.S. electric vehicle market? Trump is planning to ***** the $7,500 tax credit for people who buy electric vehicles and has vowed to rescind all unspent funds under the Inflation Reduction Act. And increased tariffs could make inputs for electric vehicles more expensive. These headwinds ignore the fact that Trump’s new best friend is Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi told clients in a Monday note. Musk spent around $200 million to help elect Trump, and is heading a new government efficiency group with former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. “As a result, Trump has turned more favorable towards electric cars, and to Elon’s interests more broadly,” Sacconaghi, who rates the stock as underperform, told clients. Legacy automakers Ford and General Motors, on the other hand, are in a difficult position with few positive narratives postelection. Once the EV tax credits are gone, they will face lower sales volume, hurting profitability, or will have to slash prices which will hurt their margins, according to a Friday UBS note. The biggest potential impact for Tesla is the acceleration of testing for self-driving cars, Sacconaghi said. Trump is planning to ease rules for self-driving vehicles, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News. Tesla’s stock gained around 8% on Monday in wake of the report. While regulation of self-driving vehicles largest resides with the states, Trump could at least pick someone to lead the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration who has a more favorable view of the technology and would put an end to investigations of Tesla, Sacconaghi said. Musk’s role within Trump’s inner circle also reinforces the “tough to bet against him thesis” driving option activity and retail buying postelection, Barclay’s analyst Dan Levy told clients in a Monday note. Some will argue that Tesla’s rally creates an even larger disconnect between the stock and the company’s actual fundamentals, Levy wrote. But Tesla’s fundamentals are largely steady postelection, while Musk’s relationship with Trump underlines how Tesla largely controls the self-driving vehicle narrative, the analyst said. “For now, so long as fundamentals are steady and the premium narrative is in place, it may be tough to ****** the stock,” Levy told clients. He rates the stock as equal weight. Despite the potential advantages Tesla has under Trump compared to competitors, Bernstein and Barclays still see downside for Tesla. Barclays raised its price target to $270, but that still suggests a nearly 16% pull back from Friday’s close of $320.72. Bernstein’s target is $120, implying downside of 63%. Source link #Wall #Street #analysts #explain #Tesla #booming #postelection #makers #struggle Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Electrical work’ carried out at home where boy ***** ‘Electrical work’ carried out at home where boy ***** Family picture Muhammad Esmael and his father ***** in the ***** Electrical alterations had been made in a house where a three-year-old boy and his father ***** in a *****, an inquest has heard. Muhammad Esmael was found in a bedroom at the house in West Cross, Swansea, at about 13:30 on 1 July last year. His father Naemat Lawa Esmael, 51, was found lying on the front lawn and ***** in hospital two days later. Muhammad’s mother, Sharmeen Ahmed, told the inquest at Swansea Guildhall that her husband had made home improvements in their council-owned house, including some electrical work. An inquest in Swansea heard Muhammad Esmael’s father had carried out some electrical work at the property Investigators found an extension lead had been wired into a socket in the room where the ***** started, where a storage unit contained items including a games console and a TV, the inquest was told. Jason Woodman of Mid and West Wales ***** and Rescue Service told the inquest that, “based on the balance of probabilities”, the ***** had started in that area. He said there were no other potential source of ***** found in the room. Mr Woodman said there was heat and ***** damage under the surface the TV and console were on, adding that “charring” was seen underneath the area, although there wasn’t photographic evidence. He said the smoke detector may not have sounded because the door of the bedroom was closed. A photo of the remnants of a TV and games console unit shown in the inquest revealed extensive damage. Forensic scientist Iain ***** told the inquest he found no evidence of a fault with any of the equipment, including extension cables, a TV and a games console, which had been taken from the first-floor bedroom. Assistant coroner Kirsten Heaven told the inquest it was “unfortunate” that there wasn’t more detailed evidence, photography and forensic analysis of the area. Muhammad ***** from exposure to the flames and things burning around him, the inquest was told. ‘The best dad’ Speaking through an interpreter, Ms Ahmed told the inquest she wanted to know the exact cause of the ***** so nobody else would have to go through what she had. “It would have been much easier for me to lose my life there and then, than go through all this sorrow now,” she said. She told the inquest that Muhammad and his father had a very loving relationship, adding that “he was the best dad”. Mrs Ahmed said her husband and Muhammad had been upstairs preparing to go to the mosque on the afternoon when the blaze broke out, but when she came upstairs she saw flames in a mirror reflection. She said Mr Esmael had come out of the shower and opened the door to a blaze in the front bedroom. She told the coroner she could hear “some noise” from the ***** alarm but that it was low-pitched and not continuous. Ms Ahmed suffered from smoke inhalation following the blaze, along with her teenage daughter. ‘Exposed electrical wire’ An electrical expert with South Wales Police, Barry Kelly, who assessed the electrical aftermath following a *****, told the inquest that items had been removed from the property before he arrived. He said there was exposed electrical wiring in the living room, which could have caused a serious electric shock if touched, and that there were alterations in other areas of the house too. In the room where the ***** started, he said that there were two cut cables coming out of the wall, where a socket would have been, and that electrical items had gone. He said he could not subsequently offer an opinion on a possible cause of the *****. The inquest also heard two statements from firefighters Leighton Brown and Gareth Davies who said the stairs banister, ceiling and the whole of the landing was “covered in smoke and *****” on their arrival. Mr Brown said he also heard “a few beeps” on the ***** alarm. Floral tributes and teddy bears were left outside the house following the ***** Siobhan Cooze from Swansea council said the family moved into the house in 2021, adding that smoke alarms were installed there in 2020. She said electrical works were not permitted in council properties and that this was made clear to tenants “at several points” in the tenancy sign-in. Swansea council electrician Thomas Mainwaring said the local authority’s homes were fitted with hard-wired smoke alarms and were connected to a lighting circuit. He said the alarms were all connected, so if one sounded, they all sounded, and a smoke alarm might bleep if the main power supply had been cut off and the battery power was low. The inquest continues. Source link #Electrical #work #carried #home #boy #***** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Save up to 40 percent on Star Wars, Super Mario sets Save up to 40 percent on Star Wars, Super Mario sets It’s not hard to understand why Lego sets are some of the most sought-after gifts for the holidays. We’re big fans of the building blocks here at Engadget, and we know they make particularly good gifts this time of year. Whether it’s a Super Mario starter set or a mammoth Star Wars collectible, there are dozens of Lego sets to consider shopping for right now — be it for yourself or for someone on your gift list. And no, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good set as some come in at $50 or less. These are the best ****** Friday deals on Lego sets you can get this year. The highlights for ****** Friday include a couple of Lego advent calendars: one for Disney fans and another that’s more general for all kids. Lego makes a bunch of other advent calendars in addition to these, and we expect to see more of them go on ***** in the coming days. There’s also the beautiful Insect Collection, which when completed, includes three life-size, posable models of a butterfly, Hercules beetle and ******** mantis. Even as someone who detests bun appreciate the elegance of this set and how striking they’d look sitting on a shelf. Star Wars, Super Mario and Harry Potter sets have been discounted as well. This Phantom Menace Mos ESPA Podrace Diorama set has brick models of Anakin Skywalker’s podracer and his rival Sebulba’s one as well, and this discount is a new low. This King Boo’s Haunted Mansion set is on ***** for the first time since launch, and in addition to the brick mansion that opens out for better play, it includes King Boo, Yellow Baby Yoshi, Dry Bones and Boo figurines. Finally, this Expecto Patronum set lets you build two different figures from the series, Harry Potter’s stag patronus or Professor Remus Lupin’s wolf patronus, with the same bricks. We’ll be updating this post through the entire ****** Friday and Cyber Monday time *******, so check back for the latest offers. ****** Friday Lego deals Check out all of the latest ****** Friday and Cyber Monday deals here. Source link #Save #percent #Star #Wars #Super #Mario #sets Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

ASRock launches almost 20 ATX 3.1 power supplies — capacities from 750W to 1,650W and 80 Plus certifications from Bronze to Titanium ASRock launches almost 20 ATX 3.1 power supplies — capacities from 750W to 1,650W and 80 Plus certifications from Bronze to Titanium ASRock releases new generations of power supplies in different capacities and wattages with varying specifications and features. All except its low-end series use the ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 standards. What’s common between all these variants is the inclusion of 12v-2×6 cable—some with two connectors—with dual colors on the connector to give a visual indication of a proper connection like MSI. There are nineteen power supplies spread over four series: Taichi, Phantom Gaming, Challenger, and Steel Legend. All except one have Cybenetics certification between A+ and A. The Taichi and Phantom Gaming series are the upper-end variants, with Steel Legend being a more mainstream option and labeled as a value series. The Taichi series appears to be its flagship series, with 80 Plus and Cybenetics Titanium certification along with Cybenetics LAMBDA A+ ultra-quiet certification. For now, two power supplies between 1300W and 1650W have been introduced within this series, all with dual 12v 2×6 connectors and modular cables. These power supplies use ********* capacitors, Infineon CoolMOS, and SIC SBD and are backed with a 10-year warranty. Cream of the Crop – Taichi and Phantom Gaming PSU Series Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: ASRock) The Phantom Gaming series is marketed towards gamers and offers fully modular 750W, 850W, 1,000W, 1,300W, and 1,600W variations—all with 80 Plus Gold and Cybenetics ratings between platinum and gold and an A rating for acoustics. Like Taichi, these also have a 10-year warranty and 12v-2×6 connectors. Both these series have a fan control switch behind the PSU. They also have a 5V boost mode switch next to the modular connectors, though ASRock didn’t explain the purpose or the situation in which it would need to be manually switched on. Mainstream and Budget Options – Steel Legend and Challenger PSU Series Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: ASRock) (Image credit: ASRock) (Image credit: ASRock) ASRock calls its Steel Legend series a more mainstream option with a choice between white and ****** casings. However, it has 80 Plus Gold and has Cybenetics certification varying between Platinum and Gold with LAMBDA A+, A, and A and acoustic certification between its 650W, 750W, 850W, and 1,000W units. It uses 150mm casing and flat modular cables for cable management. These also use ********* capacitors and have ten-year warranty coverage. Harukaze5719 gave more information on these power supplies’ Cybenetics scores—Taichi’s TC-1650T and TC-1300T scored the highest among their range at over 91 and 90, ASRock Phantom Gaming PG-1600G and PG-1300G scored over 89, and Steel Legend variants in 1,000W and 850W scored over 84, respectively. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. (Image credit: ASRock) The lower end is the Challenger series, the only one with no Cybenetics certification. It does have either 80 Plus Bronze and 80 Plus Gold certification (differentiated with G and B prefixes in its model number) depending on the unit you choose between 500W (only in bronze), 650W, 750W, and 850W, but with ATX 2.52 specification. These have a five-year warranty and are the only series with non-modular cables. The 24-pin cable is sleeved, while others are flat cables. Both the Steel Legend and Challenger series are advertised to have a ‘built-in’ 5V boost function. All these ASRock power supplies provide the 12v-2×6 cables in all of these variants, including the 650W with high-end and high-watt variations with two connectors. We can only speculate if AMD and Intel are also on board with 12v-2×6 connectors on its future releases like Nvidia. All these power supplies are also bundled with 6+2 PCIe connectors, with its flagship model having up to eight connectors and its budget 550W 80 Plus Bronze-rated non-modular units having up to two connectors. ASRock wanted its power supply available for PC users with different needs. We’ll only know how good these power supplies are once they’re tested. Source link #ASRock #launches #ATX #power #supplies #capacities #750W #1650W #certifications #Bronze #Titanium Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Warren Buffett, Cathie Wood Own This Stock, Should You Too? Warren Buffett, Cathie Wood Own This Stock, Should You Too? Nu Holdings (NYSE: NYSE:) is a Brazilian fintech company that’s quickly becoming a major player in the ****** ********* digital banking space. The company has been making headlines sending Nu Holdings’ stock price up over 90% this year, attracting the attention of some of the world’s most famous investors, including Warren Buffett and Cathie Wood. But with the stock experiencing significant volatility, investors are asking: is now the time to buy? A Look at Nu Holdings’ Stellar Q3 Earnings and Analyst Sentiment Nu Holdings earnings report for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 (Q3 FY2024) exceeded analysts’ expectations in several key areas. The company’s revenue grew by 38% year over year, reaching $2.94 billion, demonstrating the company’s rapid expansion and increasing market ************. Nu Holdings also reported a significant increase in GAAP net income, exceeding Nu Holdings’ analyst community estimates, which highlights its robust profitability. The company’s return on equity improved notably, driven by lower loan-loss provisions and a reduced effective tax rate, indicating efficient financial management. This strong financial performance underscores Nu Holdings’ commitment to growth and profitability, providing reassurance to investors. Beyond the impressive financials, Nu Holdings has also seen substantial growth in customer acquisition. The company added 5.2 million customers in Q3 2024, demonstrating its ability to attract new customers and expand its market reach. This customer growth is a key driver of Nu Holdings’ revenue growth, contributing to the company’s impressive 87.76% year-to-date and 77.12% year-over-year stock performance. Nu Holding’s analysts are reflecting the positive sentiment surrounding Nu Holdings and have been upgrading their price targets and reiterating their “buy” recommendations on the company. The new consensus price target is inching closer to the current high-side price target of $19.00, indicating a potential upside of approximately 20%. Expanding Horizons and Building a Robust Ecosystem Nu Holdings has a clear and well-defined growth strategy that involves organic growth through customer acquisition and cross-selling initiatives, as well as inorganic growth through geographic expansion. The company is planning to continue expanding its active customer base and market share in its core market of Brazil, where it boasts a customer base of 98.8 million. Nu Holdings is also aggressively pursuing a strategy of primary banking relationships, aiming to capture a larger share of wallets among its customers. A crucial aspect of Nu Holdings’ growth strategy is its commitment to customer engagement and revenue growth through cross-selling and up-selling initiatives. The company is focusing on enhancing its existing product offerings, such as credit cards and loans, and introducing new products that complement its core offerings. This strategy is designed to increase the average revenue per active customer, which is a crucial metric for the company’s long-term success. Nu Holdings is also expanding its geographic footprint, venturing into new markets such as Mexico and Colombia. This expansion is critical to the company’s long-term growth strategy, as it provides access to new customer segments and untapped markets. Nu Holdings is strategically investing in these new markets, focusing on building a solid foundation for long-term growth. The company is also actively investing in product innovation, developing new products and features that are designed to meet the evolving needs of its customers, further solidifying its position as a leader in the Fintech industry. A Unique Model in a Dynamic Industry Nu Holdings operates in a dynamic and rapidly evolving Fintech sector, where competition is fierce. The company differentiates itself by offering a unique business model that is characterized by several key factors: Customer-Centric Approach: Nu Holdings prioritizes customer acquisition and engagement, focusing on building a platform that offers a seamless and user-friendly experience. Low-Cost Operations: The company has a focus on efficiency, aiming to keep its operating costs low and maintain a high degree of profitability. Data-Driven Innovation: Nu Holdings leverages data and technology to develop innovative products and services that meet the specific needs of its customer base. Volatility and the Broader Macroeconomic Environment Nu Holdings has not been immune to market volatility, experiencing a 10% early drop in stock price before recovering throughout the day to ultimately close down around 3%. This volatility highlights the broader market challenges and uncertainties that investors face, especially in the current macroeconomic environment. One of the key factors that could impact Nu Holdings’ future performance is the rising interest rate environment in Brazil. The central bank has been raising interest rates to combat inflation, which could lead to higher funding costs for Nu Holdings. This could impact the company’s profitability, especially in its lending business. However, the company’s strong track record of navigating challenging market conditions, combined with its focus on building a robust ******** franchise and optimizing its asset quality, suggests that Nu Holdings is well-positioned to weather these challenges. Nu Holdings’ Path to Continued Success Despite the recent market volatility, Nu Holdings has a solid track record of growth and profitability. The company has seen impressive performance, with its stock price up over 87% year-to-date and 77% year-over-year. Nu Holdings’ financial metrics demonstrate the company’s commitment to efficiency, profitability, and sustainable growth. The company has consistently delivered a solid return on equity (ROE), demonstrating its efficient financial management. Beyond the financial performance, Nu Holdings has attracted the attention of some of the world’s most famous investors, including Warren Buffett and Cathie Wood. Their investment in Nu Holdings is a testament to the company’s fundamentals and its potential for growth. These high-profile investors have a keen eye for identifying companies with strong long-term potential, and their investments can often influence broader market sentiment. Is Now the Time to Buy Nu Holdings? Nu Holdings is a promising company with a clear growth strategy and a strong track record of performance. However, investors should be aware of the potential risks associated with investing in Nu Holdings, including macroeconomic volatility and competition in the Fintech industry. Ultimately, the decision of whether to buy Nu Holdings stock at its current price should be based on individual risk tolerance, investment objectives, and a thorough understanding of the company’s business model and future prospects. But if you are looking at the fintech sector and want to invest in a company with high growth potential and a strong track record, Nu Holdings is certainly worth considering. Original Post Source link #Warren #Buffett #Cathie #Wood #Stock Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

House ethics panel to meet House ethics panel to meet Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., leaves the House *********** Conference meeting at the Capitol Hill Club on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images The House Ethics Committee will meet Wednesday to discuss its report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who has been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be the next attorney general, NBC News reported Monday. Several key *********** senators want the report on Gaetz released to the Senate for their consideration on whether to confirm him for the AG post, if and when Trump formally nominates him. The Ethics Committee had been investigating Gaetz for alleged ******* misconduct and potential ******** ***** use, and other actions. The panel had been scheduled to meet last Friday on the report but postponed that session. Gaetz, who represented a Florida congressional district, resigned abruptly from the House last week after Trump said he would nominate him for AG. His resignation ended the Ethics panel’s jurisdiction over him. Read more CNBC politics coverage House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. has said he would “strongly request” that the committee not release its report on Gaetz, arguing that doing so would be “a terrible breach of protocol, tradition and spirit of the rule.” If Gaetz is confirmed as attorney general, he would lead the Department of Justice, which previously investigated him for possible **** trafficking of an underage girl. The DOJ did not file ********* charges against Gaetz in that case, and he has denied any wrongdoing. On Thursday, a lawyer who represents a woman who says she had **** with Gaetz when she was underage called for the Ethics report to be released. — NBC News’ Julie Tsirkin contributed to this report. Source link #House #ethics #panel #meet Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Wall Street opens mixed amid wait for Nvidia earnings Wall Street opens mixed amid wait for Nvidia earnings US stocks have opened mostly higher as investors prepare for the release of earnings from Nvidia. Source link #Wall #Street #opens #mixed #wait #Nvidia #earnings Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Horizon Adventures Will Soon Be An Actual Lego Set, And It’s Surprisingly Cheap Horizon Adventures Will Soon Be An Actual Lego Set, And It’s Surprisingly Cheap In case you thought the world could do with more Lego based on Sony’s Horizon series, good news! Lego has officially announced its first Horizon Adventures set, one that pits Aloy and Varl against fierce robotic enemies. Technically this is a Lego set based on a Lego game that is itself based on Horizon Zero Dawn, and if that sounds appealing to you, you can preorder this for $45 ahead of its March 1 release next year. Lego Horizon Adventures Aly and Varl set Inside the box, you’ll find two minifigures of Aloy and Varl and all the pieces you need to construct a menacing Sawtooth and Shell-walker. The set comes with extra pieces as well, like terrain and a safe haven camp, while the deadly robots have some extra features of their own. The Shell-Walker has a shield, energy pod, posable limbs, and opening claws, while the Sawtooth has opening jaws, a swiveling torso, and a posable neck, head, and legs. Fortunately, Aloy and Varl have a few tricks up their sleeves, as the pair come with bow and spear weapons to use. The entire set consists of 768 pieces and it doesn’t look too complicated, making for a nice afternoon build or a gift option for younger members of the family. If you’d like something a little more complex to pair this with, Amazon still has stock of the Lego Horizon Tallneck. This is a very detailed replica of one of the iconic machines of Horizon, and this set does a great job of capturing its disc-shaped head and giraffe-like features. At 1,222 pieces, it’s quite a big build, but it makes for a lovely diorama piece when fully constructed. Lego Tallneck Alternatively, you can also pick up the new Lego Horizon Adventures game on PS5 or Switch, if you feel like deconstructing Lego and not having to risk stepping on a rogue brick. There’s also the new remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn, in case you want to experience the original game in the series at its visual best. Lego Horizon Adventures Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered Source link #Horizon #Adventures #Actual #Lego #Set #Surprisingly #Cheap Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fibre to drive Asia-Pacific fixed broadband Fibre to drive Asia-Pacific fixed broadband The expansion of fibre-optic networks will see fibre broadband account for nearly 97% of all fixed broadband lines by 2029 in Asia-Pacific (APAC), according to analyst GlobalData. Moreover, GlobalData’s Fixed broadband trends and opportunities in Asia-Pacific report calculates that the expansion will see regional total fixed broadband service revenue increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.6% over the forecast *******, 2024-2029, to total $340.5bn in 2029. The study observed that APAC is a moderately developed region in terms of fixed broadband adoption, with account ************ of population expected to reach about 22% at the end of 2024, inching up to 24% by 2029. The key driver is said to be the ongoing broadband network expansion and growing service ************, especially in emerging countries where governments are infusing investments in fixed broadband network infrastructure development plans. An example cited by the analyst was the August 2020 introduction by the Malaysian government of the JENDELA plan to enhance broadband coverage and quality by 2025. By 2022, Phase 1 successfully connected 7.7 million premises with fibre, while Phase 2 targets reaching nine million premises by 2025. Rising demand for high-speed internet services and competitively priced fibre broadband bundled plans from operators with benefits like unlimited internet and access to subscription video on-demand (SVOD) platforms will be another driver for fibre broadband service adoption in the region. The study also predicted that China will lead the fixed broadband market in the APAC region, driven by growth in fibre-to-the-home/business (FTTH/B) subscriptions, because of the government’s efforts to expand and upgrade fibre-optic infrastructure. However, Singapore is set to have the highest share of FTTH/B lines as a percentage of total fixed broadband lines, reaching 99.7% in 2029. This will be driven by expected huge demand for high-speed connectivity and the continued rise in fibre broadband connections among residential and business customers backed by initiatives by the government and telcos to expand and upgrade fibre broadband connectivity in the country. Commenting on the research findings, Kantipudi Pradeepthi, a telecoms analyst at GlobalData, said: “The growth in the APAC fixed broadband services market will be led by fibre broadband segment. Fibre-optic access lines will account for about 97% of the total fixed broadband lines in the APAC region by 2029. For instance, China’s telecoms regulator, MIIT, announced that the country has expanded its gigabit optical fibre network, with 97 new cities achieving gigabit city status in 2023, and aims to ensure that all counties and townships along borders have gigabit fibre connectivity by the end of 2025.” Source link #Fibre #drive #AsiaPacific #fixed #broadband Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

This Costco competitor looks cheap. How to bet on it using options This Costco competitor looks cheap. How to bet on it using options The PEG Ratio is a valuation metric that helps investors assess the fairness of a stock’s price relative to its growth potential. It builds on the P/E ratio (price-earnings ratio) by incorporating the expected long term earnings growth rate, providing a more dynamic perspective. The ratio is calculated by taking its P/E ratio and dividing that by its anticipated annualized percentage growth in earnings, often expressed as a whole number (e.g., 15% growth is used as “15” in the calculation). Consider BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings (ticker BJ) , which reports earnings on Thursday. Marlborough, Massachusetts-based BJ’s operates membership warehouse clubs. Like its competitors, most revenues come from groceries (70%). With projected revenues of about $20.6 billion for fiscal 2025 (ending January 31st, 2026), BJ’s is a smaller version of Costco ($265 billion in projected revenues over the same *******) and Walmart-owned Sam’s Clubs ($90 billion projected). Using a two-axis growth of a similar relative scale, we can normalize and compare BJ’s revenue growth to Costco’s. Costco’s growth rate is better than that of its smaller competitors, but is the stock itself a better value? Over the past five years, Costco has experienced a growth rate of 11%, and BJ’s is a more modest but still respectable 7%. COST BJ 5Y mountain Costco vs. BJ’s, 5 years A prudent investor would prefer Costco to BJ’s if they could buy the companies for the same earnings multiple. Of course, the companies trade at significantly different multiples. BJ’s trades at 21 times forward earnings, a meaningful discount to the S & P 500, which trades at about 25 times forward profits, and Costco trades at an eye-watering 50 times forward earnings. This is where the PEG ratio comes in handy. BJ’s PEG ratio is 21/7 = 3. Costco’s PEG ratio is 50/11 = 4.5. All else equal, a lower PEG ratio is better, so by this metric, at least BJ’s appears to be the more attractive investment. Most investment metrics make some simplifying assumptions, not least of which is that we can reasonably estimate a company’s growth rate through time; in this case, I took past growth rates and extrapolated, which is probably okay for the near future but isn’t reasonable over the long-term. One would have reached some flawed conclusions if one extrapolated the growth rate of the railroads in the late 19th century or photographic film and typewriter companies in the mid-20th century. Other considerations: We’re comparing BJ’s relative value to similar (albeit larger) businesses. While the business model is identical, Costco does have the advantage of serving a more affluent clientele. Additionally, smaller BJs is regional, serving the East Coast, Midwest, and the South. The brutal truth for investors right now is that equity valuations are generally lofty from a historical perspective. While investors appear optimistic about Trump’s victory, the economic reality of some of the proposals that have been floated, such as massive government spending cuts and tariffs on imported goods, is hard to estimate if they’re even feasible. Buying companies at lower valuations provides a better margin of safety if investors become more skeptical. The trade Currently, the options market implies an 8.5% earnings-related implied move for BJ’s, which is larger than the average over the past eight quarters. One way to capitalize on this is with a “strangle swap,” selling a nearer-dated strangle and using the proceeds to help finance the purchase of a longer-dated one, in this case , the December/February 80/95, where I’ve selected strikes $7.50 from Friday’s closing price, which is consistent with the anticipated magnitude of the earnings move that typically follows. Sell BJ Dec. 20 $80 put Buy BJ Feb 21 $80 put Sell BJ Dec. 20 $95 call Buy BJ Jan. 17 $95 call DISCLOSURES: (None) All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium. THE ABOVE CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY . THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSITUTE FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY ANY SECURITY OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSET. THE CONTENT IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND DOES NOT REFLECT ANY INDIVIDUAL’S UNIQUE PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ABOVE CONTENT MIGHT NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. BEFORE MAKING ANY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, YOU SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER SEEKING ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. Click here for the full disclaimer. Source link #Costco #competitor #cheap #bet #options Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Russia is dropping millions on pay for up to 100,000 North Korean soldiers. They’re unlikely to see much of it. Russia is dropping millions on pay for up to 100,000 North Korean soldiers. They’re unlikely to see much of it. New reports say North Korea could send as many as 100,000 troops to ****** alongside Russia. Their pay is estimated at about $2,000 a month each, per South Korean intelligence. But experts say Kim Jong Un will likely pocket much of the money, using it to maintain loyalty. Russia is pouring cash into the deployment of up to 100,000 North Korean soldiers to help its war efforts — but the soldiers themselves are unlikely to receive any of it, according to North Korea experts. Instead, much of the money is likely being pocketed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and those close to him. Ukraine claims that up to 11,000 North Korean troops have been sent to help push back its forces in Kursk, and those numbers could rise. Ukraine’s ambassador to South Korea, Dimytro Ponomarenko, told Voice of America over the weekend that the number could reach 15,000, with troops rotated out potentially every 2-3 months. This could mean about 100,000 North Korean soldiers serving alongside Russia within a year, he said. Anonymous sources familiar with assessments of some G20 nations also used the 100,000 figure in conversation with Bloomberg. North Korean soldiers onscreen in South Korea.AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon For Russia, which South Korean intelligence estimates is paying about $2,000 a month per soldier (around $22 million for 11,000 troops), it could quickly add up. The money would be a life-changing amount for most North Koreans. Defectors say that the average salary for workers and soldiers there is less than $1 a month, according to the Associated Press. But there’s a catch: They’re unlikely to see much, or indeed any of it. “I suspect that money coming from Russia is going directly to the party and then on to the Kim family,” Bruce W Bennett, a defense researcher and North Korea specialist at RAND, told Business Insider by email. Bennett cautioned that his assessment was tentative, and “based upon their organization and past behavior.” There are many documented instances of the North Korean state keeping the earnings its citizens make abroad. “Perhaps only a small amount or even nothing” will go to the soldiers themselves, Bennett said. Where does the money go? Hyunseung Lee, a former soldier who defected from North Korea in the early 2000s, also offered a bleak assessment of the rewards North Korea’s soldiers would likely get by fighting against Ukraine. “They won’t be compensated,” he said in an interview with Radio Free Europe, adding that their families won’t be either. RAND’s Bennett said there’s another reason soldiers may not see much of the money. “Many of the soldiers will become fatalities and unable to use any money earned,” he said, though Kim may pass some of their earnings back to their families “in lieu of the loss of their sons.” However, the new cash flow could play an important role in North Korea, where GDP is estimated at just $40 billion. Kim Jong Un is known for his lavish tastes. In October, South Korean lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun said that North Korea had imported luxury goods worth almost $52 million in the first eight months of 2024 alone — including cosmetics, watches, and booze, the Korea Economic Daily reported. Yoon said that Kim gifts these luxury imports to the country’s elites to ensure their loyalty. Kim Jong Un at a lavish banquet to celebrate North Korea’s Navy Day last year.DPRK Carnegie Endowment Asia Program fellow Chung Min Lee wrote in April that “Kim, his family, and his closest advisers appear in public wearing very expensive watches, clothes, and handbags that are slowly becoming more available to the North Korean elite.” But he added that loyalty had waned significantly in recent years amid international sanctions and a marked economic decline resulting from Kim’s policy of plowing up to 30% of the country’s GDP into defense. Bennett estimates that some of the money received from Russia will go on military equipment and some on consumer goods such as food, “especially for the elites,” he said. Indeed, some of the payment may be directly in the form of food, he said. That’s important “because life is ********** in North Korea, creating a degree of public instability, and so Kim has tried to improve the availability of food and some other goods to avoid more open rebellion,” he said. Meanwhile, the North Korean soldiers heading to Russia face a worrying future. Ukraine’s allies have repeatedly said that North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine will become “cannon fodder” on the battlefield. Reports say that North Korea is sending its “Storm Corps,” an elite special-forces unit. But Lee, the former soldier, told Radio Free Europe that “they’re totally not ready.” He argued that the additional training they will get — reported to be just weeks, some of it done in live combat — is not enough to get familiar with the more high-tech equipment they will be expected to use. Read the original article on Business Insider Source link #Russia #dropping #millions #pay #North #Korean #soldiers #Theyre Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Can You Play Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on Xbox Game Pass? Can You Play Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on Xbox Game Pass? · · November 18, 2024 If you’re already paying monthly for Xbox Game Pass, then chances are you don’t want to spend $70 or $200 on the most expensive version of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Whether you’re keen on dabbling in the flight simulator or downright excited to jump in on day one while saving a little money, knowing is half the battle! Is Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 A Day One Xbox Game Pass Title? Fret not because Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available on Xbox Game Pass on November 19—launch day—for no additional cost beyond the price of your current subscription. It will be available for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Cloud. If you want to swap between platforms, you must buy the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate plan for $19.99/month, including both PC and console access for one price. Related: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 System Requirements. Can You Run It? What Platforms Is Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Launching On? Alongside its launch on Game Pass, you can buy a copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024—for those who prefer “owning” their games—on PC and Xbox Series X|S. Your best bet is to purchase a copy via Steam or the Xbox Store. Xbox Game Pass Titles for November 2024 Alongside Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can download and play the following titles this month: Metal Slug Tactics Goat Simulator Remastered Go Mecha Ball The Rewinder Turnip Boy Robs a Bank Harold Halibut I highly recommend checking out Turnip Boy Robs a Bank. It’s a whacky and entertaining game that should satisfy you for a few hours—a perfect Game Pass title for a quiet weekend or solo session after work. Do you intend to buy a copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator this year or download it from Game Pass? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to snap a few screenshots for the Insider Gaming community forum! Speaking of playing on Xbox consoles, Phil Spencer recently revealed why the Microsoft team won’t be releasing a mid-gen refresh! Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Play #Microsoft #Flight #Simulator #Xbox #Game #Pass Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AWS widening scope of MFA programme after early success AWS widening scope of MFA programme after early success Amazon Web Services (AWS) is to widen the scope of a mandatory multi-factor authentication (MFA) programme it introduced earlier this year, after seeing strong uptake among customers and a slump in password-related phishing attacks. The cloud giant made MFA compulsory for management account root users in the AWS Management Console beginning in May 2024, starting with its largest accounts. In June, it added support for FIDO2 passkeys as an MFA method to give users more options, and expanded the original requirement to include root users in standalone accounts, too. According to AWS principal product manager of account protection Arynn Crow, over 750,000 root users have enabled MFA since April, with customer registration rates more than doubling since the addition of FIDO2 passkeys to the mix. She claimed the policy change had prevented “greater than 99%” of password-related attacks. “At AWS, we’ve built our services with secure-by-design principles from day one, including features that set a high bar for our customers’ default security posture,” said Crow. “Strong authentication is a foundational component in overall account security, and the use of MFA is one of the simplest and most effective ways to help prevent unauthorised individuals from gaining access to systems or data.” Based on this early success, AWS will now be expanding MFA requirements to member accounts in AWS organisations from Spring 2025. “Customers who have not enabled central management of root access will be required to register MFA for their AWS Organizations member account root users in order to access the AWS Management Console,” said Crow. “As with our previous expansions to management and standalone accounts, we will roll this change out gradually and notify individual customers who are required to take action in advance, to help customers adhere to the new requirements while minimising impact to their day-to-day operations.” No more passwords anymore On the back of its early successes with an MFA mandate, Crow said AWS was keen to do more to shore up security for its customers, and had recognised another opportunity to try to eliminate unnecessary passwords for good. She said that on top of the run-of-the-mill security issues seen with standard passwords, attempting to secure password-based authentication was introducing too much operational overhead for AWS customers, especially those operating at scale or subject to regulatory requirements to rotate their credentials frequently. As such, AWS has now launched a new capability to centrally manage root access for accounts managed in AWS Organizations, enabling them to cut down on the number of passwords they need to manage while still keeping control over the use of root principals. Crow explained that customers can now turn on centralised root access with a quick configuration change – either in the identity and access management console or the AWS command line interface – and then remove the long-term credentials of member account root users. “This will improve the security posture of our customers while simultaneously reducing their operational effort,” she concluded. Source link #AWS #widening #scope #MFA #programme #early #success Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Corby residents react to investigation Corby residents react to investigation Northamptonshire Police Police are trying to piece together what happened to Ms Brella, who lived in Corby People have spoken of their sadness and confusion after the suspected ******* of a woman whose body was found in the boot of a car more than 100 miles from her home. Police believe Pankaj Lamba murdered his wife Harshita Brella in Northamptonshire earlier this month. The 24-year-old’s body was discovered in Ilford, east London, and the suspect is believed to have fled the country. “I don’t understand how people can do [something] like that,” said Aleksanders Nadejs, who lives in the same road as the couple in Corby. “I’m feeling sad – I don’t understand.” Kate Bradbrook/BBC Neighbour Aleksanders Nadejs said he was “feeling sad” at news of Ms Brella’s suspected ******* Prashant Odedara, who works at a nearby convenience store, said Ms Brella and Mr Lamba visited the shop “once or twice a week” and “didn’t talk much about themselves”. “Unlike other customers they were very friendly. We didn’t know much about them… they were just quiet,” he said. “They were like normal working people. What was happening in their personal private life we don’t know much about.” Kate Bradbrook/BBC Shopkeeper Prashant Odedara said Ms Brella and her husband were quiet but friendly people Officers said Ms Brella was found in the early hours of Thursday in the vehicle in Brisbane Road, Ilford, more than 100 miles from her home on the Lincoln estate in Corby. They believe Mr Lamba transported her there. Northamptonshire Police had been contacted on the Wednesday regarding concerns for her ********. Ms Brella’s body was found about 100 miles away from her home in Corby Northamptonshire Police Police have released a photo of Pankaj Lamba, who they believe has fled the country The force said it had made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct because there was previous contact with Ms Brella. The Northamptonshire Telegraph first reported she was the subject of a domestic ********* protection order, saying it was made in early September and lasted 28 days. Police have since confirmed the order had been in place before Ms Brella’s ******. Northamptonshire Police said a forensic post-mortem examination, which took place at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday, established Ms Brella was murdered. The inquest into the ****** of Ms Brella is due to open on Wednesday. Ant Saddington/BBC Ms Brella and her husband Pankaj Lamba lived at an address on the Lincoln estate in Corby Source link #Corby #residents #react #investigation Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Roblox to restrict messaging for under 13s, launches new safety measures Roblox to restrict messaging for under 13s, launches new safety measures Roblox has announced new safety measures designed to protect young players on the popular gaming platform. In a blog post, the company said that over the coming months it will begin restricting communication features for children under the of age 13, while new parental control features and content guidelines have launched today. When the changes come into effect, users under the age of 13 will no longer be able to directly message others on Roblox outside of games. “In addition, we are introducing a built-in setting that will limit users under age 13 to public broadcast messages only within a game or experience,” said chief safety officer Matt Kaufman. “By default, users younger than 13 will not be able to directly message others. Parents can change this setting in Parental Controls.” Roblox has today launched remote management of parental controls. Previously, parental controls like spending limits needed to be managed from the child’s account. “Part of our long-term vision is to give parents granular controls to monitor and limit how much time their child spends on Roblox, which is something we’ve heard is important to parents,” said Kaufman. “In the Parental Controls dashboard, parents can now see their child’s average screen time over the past week, as well as their child’s friends list. Parents and caregivers can also set daily screen-time limits. Once the limit is reached, their child cannot access Roblox until the next day.” Roblox has also launched new descriptions for the types of content available, with experiences labelled by the type of content users can expect to find in them rather than by age. By default, users under the age of nine can only access experiences with a content label of ‘Minimal’ or ‘Mild’, unless parental controls are used to let them access more mature content. ‘Mild’ content “may contain repeated mild *********, heavy unrealistic blood, mild crude humor, and/or repeated mild *****,” according to Roblox. Source link #Roblox #restrict #messaging #13s #launches #safety #measures Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Infinidat gets in on the RAG act with workflow architecture offer Infinidat gets in on the RAG act with workflow architecture offer Infinidat has launched a retrieval augmented generation (RAG) workflow architecture, deliverable as a consultancy service to its storage customers, which allows them to build in up-to-date, private data from multiple company data sources to artificial intelligence (AI) from any NFS storage in their organisation. The move reflects a trend that has seen multiple storage companies address AI workloads, and RAG issues – in particular in generative AI (GenAI) – that result when data used for training is incomplete, out of date or lacks the type of information that can only be gained from private data, such as within an organisation or from expert knowledge. When an organisation wants to develop GenAI, it puts a dataset through a training process in which the AI learns how to recognise particular attributes that can be used for information, or for triggers in applications. Those training processes are often built around datasets that are very general, can go out of date or perhaps initially lack specialised or private data. This is often the case with AI projects inside organisations that need to stay up to date over time, said Infinidat chief marketing officer Eric Herzog. “A lot of organisations are using generative AI as an internal project with private data,” said Herzog. “And as well as wanting to protect their IP, they have concerns about accuracy, avoiding hallucinations, etc. “For example, a large enterprise that generates vast amounts of data – in sales, support, operations – would want to boost the performance of what it is doing, and that’s very much tied to its storage performance. “The customer wants to see accurate data in near real time. It can use AI to understand the details – it might be screws in a component, the type, the supplier, any number of details – and be able to update that information on a continual basis.” What Infinidat now offers is professional services consulting to allow its customers to access data for RAG purposes from its own and other suppliers’ storage, as long as it is in NFS file storage format. According to Herzog, that comprises help with configuring the storage system to get at data and metadata rapidly for RAG purposes. He said Infinidat is well-positioned to do this because of the importance it places on metadata and the “neural cache” within its architecture and the InfuzeOS environment. Infinidat arrays can be all-flash or hybrid spinning disk and solid state, and are mostly targeted at high-end enterprise and service provider customers. Their hardware products feature triple-active controllers and use of a so-called neural cache that marshals data to the most appropriate media, with the bulk of I/O requests going via very fast DRAM, with a cache hit rate of more than 90% claimed. Infinidat’s focus here on RAG capabilities sees it join other storage suppliers that have recently made a push for customers embarking on AI projects. Pure Storage CEO Charlie Giancarlo was keen to highlight his company’s AI push at its Accelerate event in June, with storage write speed and availability emphasised. Meanwhile, NetApp launched a push towards data management for AI with the announcement of data classification for AI via its OnTap operating system at its annual Insight shindig in September. Source link #Infinidat #RAG #act #workflow #architecture #offer Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

What Q3 Earnings Say About Future Economic Conditions in Retail and Tech What Q3 Earnings Say About Future Economic Conditions in Retail and Tech Q3 S&P 500® EPS growth expected to come in at 5.4%, the fifth consecutive quarter of growth In focus earnings reports this week: Nvidia, Walmart, Lowe’s, TJX Companies, Target Large cap outlier earnings in the next two weeks: Bath & Body Works, Snowflake, Urban Outfitters​​ The Q3 earnings season is coming to a close in its usual fashion, with a word from retailers. With 93% of companies reporting at this point, YoY S&P 500 EPS growth has settled around 5.4%, while revenue growth increased 5.5% for the quarter. The retailers will offer some much needed insight on the state of the US consumer when they report this week. While consumers have remained relatively resilient in the face of inflation over the last year, uncertainty still abounds, and a more cautious consumer has been noted by certain companies. Last week the retail party started with results from Home Depot (NYSE:) and Dillards Inc (NYSE:). Home Depot beat expectations on both the top and bottom-line for Q3, but noted customers were deferring big ticket projects. Department store, Dillard’s, was also able to beat analyst expectations on EPS and revenues, but reported YoY declines for both metrics. Same store sales were also down 4% from the year-ago quarter. A slightly more positive look at consumer spending came from Disney’s Q3 report. The media giant’s entertainment segment came in with revenue growth that increased 14% YoY. This segment includes traditional TV networks, direct-to-consumer streaming and films, showing consumers are willing to spend on entertainment. Even Walt Disney Company (NYSE:) experiences segment which includes theme parks and consumer products saw 1% revenue growth after posting a downturn last quarter. One big detriment to the retail industry has of course been inflation, and while it has improved it ******** stubborn as seen in last week’s figures for October. The 12-month inflation rate moved up to 2.6%, from 2.4% in September. A major contributor to this increase was sticky shelter prices which continued higher. Another potential area of concern for retailers is the proposed tariff policies by President Elect Donald Trump. The proposal includes a universal 10 – 20% tariff on imports from all foreign countries and an additional 60 – 100% on imports specifically from China. The National Retail (NYSE:) Federation recently reported that such tariff proposals could cost ********* consumers up to $78B in annual spending power. NRF Vice President of Supply Chain and Customs Policy, Jonathan Gold said “This tax ultimately comes out of consumers’ pockets through higher prices.” On this week’s earnings calls we’ll likely hear retailers’ plans on how they may deal with these potential tariffs. Event Cluster for Nvidia This week also brings highly-anticipated results from Nvidia (NASDAQ:). The AI darling will report Q3 results on Wednesday, Nov 20.​ The stock has rallied 205% YTD on the back of AI demand. Last month Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told CNBC that its Blackwell chip is in full production and that demand was “insane.” Along with its upcoming earnings call, we’ve noticed Nvidia participating in a lot of prominent tech conferences in the last month, continuing to establish itself as a leader in the AI space. Wall Street Horizon has found that while a standalone event such as a company’s upcoming earnings release date may affect volatility, investigating multiple events closely in relationship to one another can give a more complete picture of a company’s financial health. Observing the information pre-event, during the event and post-event and how they interact can be critical to understand how events relate to trading and risk strategies. Just this month alone leaders at NVDA have spoken at six conferences, with two more slated for November 20. Source: Event Dates from Wall Street Horizon, Stock Prices from TMX Money Outlier Earnings Dates for the Rest of the Q3 Season Academic research shows that when a company confirms a quarterly earnings date that is later than when they have historically reported, it’s typically a sign that the company will share bad news on their upcoming call, while moving a release date earlier suggests the opposite. In the next two weeks we get results from a handful of companies that have pushed their Q3 2024 earnings dates outside of their historical norms. Three companies of note are Snowflake (NYSE:), Bath & Body Works (NYSE:) and Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ:). While Snowflake has pulled its earnings date forward, BBWI and URBN have later than usual and therefore have negative DateBreaks Factors*. * Wall Street Horizon DateBreaks Factor: statistical measurement of how an earnings date (confirmed or revised) compares to the reporting company’s 5-year trend for the same quarter. Negative means the earnings date is confirmed to be later than historical average while Positive is earlier. Snowflake Company Confirmed Report Date: November 20, AMC Projected Report Date (based on historical data): Wednesday, November 27, AMC DateBreaks Factor: 3* Snowflake is set to report Q3 2024 results on Wednesday November 20, a full week earlier than expected. SNOW has always reported on a Wednesday since its 2020 IPO, and is continuing with that trend. However, the cloud-based data storage company typically reports Q3 during the 48th or 49th week of the year, this year they have moved much earlier into the 47th week of the year. Bath & Body Works Company Confirmed Report Date: November 25, AMC Projected Report Date (based on historical data): Wednesday, November 20, AMC DateBreaks Factor: -3* Bath & Body Works is set to report Q3 2024 results on Monday, November 25, five days later than expected. This is the latest the retailer has reported Q3 results in at least the last ten years, and the first time they’ve reported in the 48th week of the year, typically announcing results in the 46th or 47th week of the year. Urban Outfitters Company Confirmed Report Date: November 26, AMC Projected Report Date (based on historical data): Tuesday, November 19, AMC DateBreaks Factor: -3* Urban Outfitters is set to report Q3 2024 results on Tuesday, November 26, one week later than expected. This move pushes the report into the 48th week of the year after reporting in the 47th week last year. This also denotes the latest Q3 earnings date for URBN in at least the last ten years. On Deck This Week This week all eyes will be on major retail reports, including results from Walmart (NYSE:) and Lowe’s (NYSE:) on Tuesday and Target (NYSE:) and TJX Companies (NYSE:) on Wednesday, as well as Nvidia’s much-awaited Q3 report also out on Tuesday. Source: Wall Street Horizon Q3 Earnings Wave Peak earnings season has concluded for Q3 2024, with 78% of companies having reported earnings (out of our universe of 11,000+ global names). The Q4 2024 earnings season will kick off on January 10 when big US banks begin to report. Source: Wall Street Horizon Source link #Earnings #Future #Economic #Conditions #Retail #Tech Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]