Split Fiction Becomes EA’s First 90+ Metacritic Game In Over A Decade
Split Fiction Becomes EA’s First 90+ Metacritic Game In Over A Decade
We’re here to break it down, from story to gameplay and whether or not it’s worth your money…Split Fiction is the latest game from hazelight studios – a team that has put a unique focus on story-drive & co-op experiences over chasing the live service unicorn.
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Lasers can help detect radioactive materials from afar
Lasers can help detect radioactive materials from afar
There is a new application for lasers
laboratory/Alamy
Lasers could become an important tool for detecting radioactive materials, such as those in covert nuclear weapons, from a greater distance than ever before.
Conventional radioactivity sensing techniques involve waiting for particles produced during radioactive decay to hit a detector. The method can sense these particles from tens of metres away – but not much further. Howard Milchberg at the University of Maryland and his colleagues have now shown that a laser-based method could be effective from as far…
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MongoDB shares crater 20% as weak outlook overshadows strong results
MongoDB shares crater 20% as weak outlook overshadows strong results
Dev Ittycheria, CEO of MongoDB
Adam Jeffery | CNBC
MongoDB shares cratered more than 20% after the database software maker shared weak guidance that signaled a slowdown in growth.
For the fiscal 2026 year, the company said it expects adjusted earnings to range between $2.44 to $2.62 per share and revenue of $2.24 billion to $2.28. Analysts were expecting EPS of $3.34 and $2.32 billion in revenue.
The weak guidance stems from slower growth in the company’s Atlas cloud-based database service. The revenue projection would imply 12.7% growth, the slowest for the company going back to its 2017 stock market debut.
Finance chief Srdjan Tanjga said during an earnings call that the company is seeing slower-than-expected growth in new applications harnessing its Atlas cloud-based database service. However, MongoDB is beefing up hiring and going after deals with larger companies.
For the fiscal first quarter, MongoDB forecasted 63 cents to 67 cents in adjusted earnings per share on $524 million to $529 million in revenue. Analysts polled by LSEG had expected EPS of 62 cents and revenue of $526.8 million.
Citing MongoDB’s weak outlook and slowdown in growth, Wells Fargo analyst Andrew Nowinski downgraded shares to equal weight and lowered his price target.
“With a smaller pool of multi-year deals, we believe it will be difficult to significantly outperform expectations in FY26 and therefore expect shares to remain range-bound,” he wrote.
Read more of Nowinski’s analysis here.
MongoDB’s outlook offset stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings. The company reported earnings of $1.28 per share, excluding items, on $548 million in revenue. Analysts polled by LSEG had anticipated EPS of 66 cents and $520 million in sales. Revenues rose 20% from a year ago.
MongoDB gained 1,900 customers in the quarter, reflecting a total of 54,500.
— CNBC’s Jordan Novet contributed reporting.
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Wealth creation is booming as U.S. multimillionaire population jumps
Wealth creation is booming as U.S. multimillionaire population jumps
When it comes to the rise of multimillionaires, the United States is leading the charge, a new report found.
The number of high-net worth individuals — or those with assets worth more than $10 million — rose 4.4% worldwide in 2024, to 2,341,378, but jumped 5.2% in North America, according to the annual Wealth Report by global real estate consultancy Knight Frank.
The U.S. is now home to almost 40% of the world’s super rich, the report estimates — nearly double the share that resides in China, the region with the next highest contingent of wealthy individuals.
More from Personal Finance: Americans are suffering from ‘sticker shock’ The U.S. is appointing an ‘affordability czar’ Canada, Mexico tariffs create ‘ripple effects’ on consumer prices
“While the global economy slowed through 2024, the resilience of the U.S. helped prop up investor confidence,” Liam Bailey, global head of research at Knight Frank, said in a statement. “The trends powering wealth creation, including growth in financial markets led by equity markets and the bitcoin run, continued through 2024.”
Over the year, positive market conditions helped boost investors’ bottom line. The S&P 500 stock index gained 23% in 2024. The tech-heavy Nasdaq grew about 29% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 12%.
“And despite geopolitical tensions, resilient global trade further contributed to growth,” Bailey said.
The rich are getting richer
After increasing 4.2% in 2024, the population of global citizens worth at least $100 million surpassed the 100,000 mark for the first time, Knight Frank also found.
Meanwhile, the total number of billionaires jumped nearly 8% last year, according to a separate report by Oxfam from January.
“We’ve reached a new era now, we are in the era of the billionaire,” Jenny Ricks, general secretary of the human rights group Fight Inequality Alliance, recently told CNBC.
Roughly 204 new billionaires were minted in just 12 months, the Oxfam report found.
“Not only has the rate of billionaire wealth accumulation accelerated — by three times — but so too has their power,” Amitabh Behar, Oxfam International’s executive director, said in a statement after the report’s release.
The latest numbers also underscore a deepening divide between the world’s rich and poor.
Despite the fact that America ranks first as the richest nation, 36.8 million Americans live in poverty, accounting for 11.1% of the total population, according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Many middle-class Americans are also showing signs of strain amid the escalating trade war and increased inflationary fears.
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AMD’s upcoming 9950X3D might be surprisingly pricey at launch
AMD’s upcoming 9950X3D might be surprisingly pricey at launch
AMD is soon set to launch a couple of its best processors, including the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D. According to leakers, their launch date is merely a week away, as the CPUs are said to come out on March 12. Today, we got a peek at the pricing for the top chip in the lineup, the 9950X3D, and it looks like it might cost a hefty amount at launch.
The beastly gaming CPU was spotted by 9550pro on X (Twitter). The leaker used a price plugin to uncover how much it’ll cost. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D was shown with a 5599 RMB (******** yuan) price tag, which translates to roughly $772 at the time of writing. Meanwhile, the 9900X3D is said to cost 4599 RMB, which means $634 — nearly $140 less.
R9 9950X3D, R9 9900X3D Available on March 12 pic.twitter.com/jxw7oMFrq3
— 포시포시 (@harukaze5719) March 6, 2025
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Comparing these prices to the recommended list price (MSRP) for the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, which was the previous gen flagship, shows an increase. The CPU launched at $699 and it received multiple price cuts since then, dropping to as low as $530 at times. However, as production slowed down, it slowly became harder to come by and the price went up accordingly. It now costs $734, which is just under the upcoming 9950X3D. Needless to say, at that price and with a new version coming out soon, it’s no longer worth buying.
JD Pre-***** 9950X3D
9950X3D: 5599 RMB *7950X3D: 5299 RMB
— HXL (@9550pro) March 6, 2025
Circling back to that rumored $772 price tag for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, it is quite worrying — but keep a couple of things in mind. For one, this is just one leak from a ******** retailer that may or may not be true. Even if it is, prices in the U.S. might be different. We’ve seen the Ryzen 9 9950X3D briefly leaked on Newegg in February and the flagship cost $699, which is the same price as the 7950X3D at the time of release. So, it may not be as bad as all that after all.
AMD is yet to officially announce the release date or the price of the new Ryzen CPUs. It has, however, revealed their specs during its CES 2025 keynote.
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Lemonade’s Q4 Surge: Has This AI-Powered Insurer Turned a Corner?
Lemonade’s Q4 Surge: Has This AI-Powered Insurer Turned a Corner?
Lemonade’s (NYSE:) stock price has surged over 15% in the past five days following its strong Q4 2024 earnings report, continuing its upward trajectory with an 8% increase by midday on March 3, 2025. The artificial intelligence (AI)-driven insurtech company has been a topic of debate among investors, with rapid growth but elusive profitability.
However, the recent Q4 results, dubbed the “best quarter ever” by CEO Daniel Schreiber, have reignited investor interest. This brings us to a crucial question: Has Lemonade finally proven the profitability of its AI risk assessment model, transforming this once-uncertain AI stock into an attractive investment?
Lemonade’s Q4 Results Signal a Potential Shift
Lemonade’s earnings report for the fourth quarter of 2024 provided a wealth of data suggesting a potential turning point for the company. In-force premium (IFP), a key indicator of the total annualized value of active policies, reached $944 million, representing a 26% year-over-year growth. This marked the fifth consecutive quarter of accelerating IFP growth, signaling sustained momentum in customer acquisition and policy sales. This translated to a Gross Earned Premium (GEP) of $226 million, a 25% increase compared to the same ******* in the previous year.
Revenue also saw significant growth, reaching $148.8 million for the quarter, a 29% year-over-year increase, exceeding Lemonade’s analyst community’s expectations. Perhaps the most encouraging metric for investors was the significant improvement in Lemonade’s gross loss ratio, a crucial measure of underwriting profitability.
The company reported a gross loss ratio of 63% for Q4 2024, its best quarterly result to date. This represents a considerable improvement from 77% in Q4 2023 and 73% in Q3 2024. On a trailing twelve-month (TTM) basis, the gross loss ratio stood at 73%, reflecting a 12-percentage point improvement year-over-year.
These improvements in underwriting performance fueled substantial gains in adjusted gross profit, which reached $66 million in Q4, an impressive 88% year-over-year increase. For the full year of 2024, the adjusted gross profit reached $174.9 million, reflecting a remarkable 98% growth compared to the prior year.
While Lemonade still reported an adjusted EBITDA loss of -$23.8 million for Q4, this represented an 18% improvement year-over-year. Notably, the company achieved a positive adjusted EBITDA, excluding growth-related spending for the first time, a significant milestone on its path toward sustained profitability.
Another crucial development was Lemonade’s achievement of positive adjusted free cash flow (Adj. FCF). The company generated $26.5 million of Adj. FCF in Q4 and $48 million for the full year 2024, marking its first full year of positive Adj. FCF. This demonstrates Lemonade’s ability to generate cash from its operations after accounting for capital expenditures and adjustments related to its Synthetic Agents program.
Finally, Lemonade reported Q4 earnings per share (EPS) of -$0.42, beating the consensus analyst estimate of -$0.61.
Beyond the Bots: How AI Fuels Lemonade
Lemonade’s innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI) is key to its business model and potential for long-term success. The company’s proprietary AI technology platform is leveraged across various operations, including customer acquisition and service, claims processing, and underwriting. AI-powered chatbots, AI Maya and AI Jim, are central to customer interactions: AI Maya provides instant quotes and assists with policy acquisition, while AI Jim handles claims processing. Lemonade’s AI-driven systems enable the company to settle claims quickly, sometimes within minutes.
Beyond customer-facing applications, Lemonade utilizes AI for crucial behind-the-scenes functions. Its “Forensic Graph” technology aids in fraud detection, while “Blender” helps manage and automate internal workflows. “Cooper,” Lemonade’s internal AI-powered “brain,” facilitates operational tasks.
The company also employs advanced telematics, particularly for its car insurance product, to gather data and enable precision pricing and underwriting. The combination of behavioral economics and AI is implemented to align incentives, improve risk assessment, and minimize fraudulent claims.
The impact of this technology-driven approach is evident in Lemonade’s operational efficiency. Despite significant growth in its customer base and in-force premium, the company has managed to reduce its total headcount by 2% year-over-year. This indicates that Lemonade is achieving greater output with fewer resources, a testament to the scalability and efficiency of its AI-powered platform.
The relative stability of its Technology Development expenses, even as revenue and customer base expand, further highlights this trend.
Hitting the Gas: Lemonade’s Car Insurance Expansion Plan
Lemonade has identified car insurance as a significant growth engine and a key strategic priority for the future. The company plans to leverage its existing strengths, including its advanced telematics technology and large customer base, to gain market share in the potential of the car insurance market. Lemonade’s approach to car insurance is a gradual and focused rollout strategy.
Reality Check: Profitability Hurdles and Competitive Threats
Lemonade’s journey toward profitability is filled with challenges. The company faces intense competition in the insurance sector, which could impact its ability to attract and retain customers. Furthermore, Lemonade will need to continue investing in growth and expansion, which could strain its finances in the short term.
Additionally, as an insurance company, Lemonade is susceptible to external factors, such as catastrophic events, which could lead to significant losses and impact its profitability.
Investment-Ready or Still a Work in Progress?
Lemonade’s Q4 2024 results demonstrate significant progress and suggest a potential turnaround fueled by its AI-driven business model. The company’s improving financial metrics are encouraging signs. However, Lemonade is not yet consistently profitable, and it faces significant challenges in a competitive market.
Therefore, Lemonade may be attractive for growth-oriented investors with a higher risk tolerance and a long-term investment horizon who believe in the company’s disruptive potential. However, investors seeking immediate profitability and lower risk may want to exercise caution and closely monitor Lemonade’s progress in the coming quarters.
The question of whether Lemonade is “ripe for investment” remains open, with the answer dependent on individual investor risk profiles and investment timelines.
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Jonas vs Price: Joe Gallagher complains about ‘uncalibrated’ scales as champions weigh in
Jonas vs Price: Joe Gallagher complains about ‘uncalibrated’ scales as champions weigh in
Trainer Joe Gallagher complained about “uncalibrated” scales before world champions Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price successfully weighed in for Friday’s welterweight unification fight.
Just as WBA belt-holder Price was about to step on to the stage, Jonas’ trainer Gallagher questioned why the scales were missing a sticker of authenticity.
He claimed all undercard fighters were “about a pound lighter” than they should be, and demanded the weigh-in be postponed until the scales were calibrated.
“They’re the rules. I’m only playing by the rules,” Gallagher said.
But an official from promoter Boxxer directed the weigh-in to continue, before Wales’ Price weighed in at 10st 5lb – two pounds under the welterweight limit.
Liverpool’s WBA and IBF champion Jonas then tipped the scales at 10st 6lb.
“Isn’t boxing full of dramas? I was light, with my clothes on,” Jonas, 40, said.
Price, 30, won Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 and is unbeaten in eight pro fights.
“Gallagher is trying to make it about himself but it’s Jonas v Price,” she said.
The event ended with a cordial handshake between the two champions, who will headline the all-female card at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
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Complete WWE 2K25 DLC Release Dates & Roadmap—Season Pass Contents
Complete WWE 2K25 DLC Release Dates & Roadmap—Season Pass Contents
2K’s annual tradition of unveiling a ton of post-launch superstars continues. WWE 2K25’s sizable roster will grow thanks to the confirmed release dates for many DLC characters, and you can start your training right now.
WWE 2K25 offers a roster so big it would tower over Andre The Giant, Big Show, Omos, and The Great Khali combined. There’s a ton of hype for WWE 2K25, so much so that players are already grabbing their tickets through Early Access.
Getting your ticket to the dance is one thing, but what about the afterparty? The 2K25 Season Pass is the perfect remedy for those who want a rollicking Royal Rumble of talent to choose from.
What’s in The WWE 2K25 Season Pass?
The past and present. Credit to 2K
The WWE 2K25 Season Pass includes Five full Character Packs introducing new wrestlers and the Supercharger Pack to inject more content into WWE 2K25 after launch.
If you’re wondering why many of your favorite in-ring stalwarts are missing, there’s a good chance they’re being saved for the upcoming WWE 2K25 DLC. If you purchase the Season Pass, you are guaranteed all Character Packs and the Supercharger Pack.
WWE 2K25 DLC Release Dates & Roadmap
A new piece of DLC is arriving pretty much every month between now and the end of November 2025. The Supercharger Pack is available from launch, meaning you can jump into its contents straightaway.
You’ll have a brief gap in August of this year. Other than that, a new Character Pack is inbound in most months. It’s likely 2K will completely shift focus and turn its attention to WWE 2K26 after this.
Take a look at our table below showing you every pack name, who’s included, and its release date.
Character Pack Name
Superstars Included
Release Date
New Wave Pack
Alex Shelley Chris Sabin Giulia Stephanie Vaquer Special celebrity guest to be announced
May 2025
Dunk & Destruction Pack
Abyss Great Khali Three NBA stars to be announced
June 2025
Fearless Pack
New Jack Jordynne Grace Penta Bull Nakano Special celebrity guest to be announced
July 2025
Attitude Era Superstars Pack
D’Lo Brown Billy Gunn Road Dogg Victoria Mark Henry
September 2025
Saturday Night’s Main Event Pack
Jesse Ventura “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff Tito Santana Junkyard Dog Sid Justice
November 2025
Even though this is the biggest WWE 2K roster ever, is there anyone missing you’d love to see? Is it preposterous to think WWE 2K26 will go one better and have an even ******* roster? Smack your comments down below.
For more WWE 2K25 news and content, check out every match included in this year’s Showcase Mode, and find out if you can play WWE 2K25 through Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service.
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TSMC’s $100 billion U.S. deal shows Taiwan’s ruling party is ‘selling out Taiwan,’ say critics
TSMC’s $100 billion U.S. deal shows Taiwan’s ruling party is ‘selling out Taiwan,’ say critics
In the wake of TSMC announcing that it is making a $100 billion investment in the U.S., to expand its current $65-billion Arizona campus, some critics assert that the company “has become USMC,” and is an “example of the sitting Democratic Progress Party (DPP) selling out Taiwan.” The DPP is the current ruling party on the island nation, and it’s under this government that the company received the go-signal to make 2nm chips abroad. According to the Global Times, TSMC’s $100 billion announcement will largely cater to America’s strategic needs while negatively impacting Taiwan’s economy.
“The Taiwan chipmaker’s development trajectory and investment direction suggest it’s highly likely that TSMC will be gradually dismantled and absorbed by the U.S.,” said Professor Zhu Songling from the Beijing Union University. “At the core of this strategy lies America’s ambition for technological dominance, trying to gain control over key chip manufacturers and reduce reliance on the Asian supply chain.”
While it’s largely true that the U.S. wants TSMC and other chip manufacturers to build facilities within its borders, it’s unlikely that TSMC’s move will cause the company and Taiwan to lose international strategic value. For one, it’s reported that despite the massive investment, the company’s American expansion will only account for 5 to 7% of its total output. And even if TSMC builds manufacturing capacity in the U.S., it’s unlikely that those factories will be part-and-parceled to American institutions. This is unlike Intel, whose foundry and chip design wings are being considered for ***** to TSMC and Broadcom.
This isn’t the first time that Taiwan has been accused of giving away its semiconductor industry to the U.S. ******** authorities previously said this just last month, accusing the DPP of selling out to the West in exchange for support for independence. Nevertheless, this investment is unlikely to result in TSMC’s dismantling. Instead, it would likely give it an advantage in the U.S. market and could even make it stronger globally.
We can look at the Japanese carmakers during the 1980s as a parallel example. When Washington put restrictions on Japanese auto imports, carmakers like Toyota and Honda put up factories within the U.S., which helped them become some of the leading car brands across the globe. The same thing could potentially happen to the semiconductor industry, with TSMC gaining an advantage within the U.S. market due to its proximity. However, only time will tell if this will come to pass in the semiconductor business.
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2 Stocks Insiders Are Buying and 1 They’re Selling
2 Stocks Insiders Are Buying and 1 They’re Selling
Market signals are tough to follow because they often fail to deliver their promises. For example, despite their insider activity, the three stocks on this list are all quality buys. In two cases, the insiders are buying, as would be expected. However, in the third, the insiders are selling despite analysts and institutions indicating that its share price will soon skyrocket.
1. RLI Corporation Insiders Buy for the First Time in Years
RLI Corporation (NYSE:) is an E&S insurance carrier with a wide range of products for consumers and businesses. Its insider buying is noteworthy because Q1 2025 buying is the first significant activity since 2023 when they sold, and the buying volume is robust. Insiders, including numerous directors and the CEO, made sizeable purchases amounting to $800,000. The purchases are also significant because the insiders already owned nearly 5% of the stock and had considerable exposure to the business.
Coincidentally, institutional activity is also bullish for this market. The institutions bought on balance every quarter of 2024 and ramped activity in Q1 2025. Buying volume hit a record high, netting nearly $100 million in shares or roughly 1.4% of the stock, bringing the total interest to almost 80%. The institutions will likely continue to buy in 2025 because the stock trades near historically low levels and offers a relatively high-yielding dividend. The dividend is worth nearly 3.5%, with shares at $75 and is expected to grow annually. The company has increased its payout for 12 consecutive years, pays out only 20% of its earnings, and has a healthy balance sheet, so there is nothing to cloud the distribution outlook.
2. Harmonic Insiders Buy the Dip
Harmonic (NASDAQ:) is a global provider of small-cap broadband access solutions. Its stock price is under pressure in 2025 because of securities fraud allegations relating to misleading statements. The company’s 2024 are the reasons; they are better than expected, but strengths were offset by diminished guidance, which resulted in a 20% stock price plunge after the Q4 results were released. However, sell-siders, including the CEO, CFO, and two directors, stepped in to buy this stock on the dip, and they aren’t the only ones.
Institutional activity also ramped to a two-year high, netting about $30 million in the first two months of Q2 or about 2.45% of the stock. This is a strong tailwind for the price action because institutions and insiders own virtually 100% of the stock. Analysts are another tailwind, rating the stock at Moderate Buy and forecasting a 20% upside at the consensus.
A move to the consensus target would be significant because it is above the cluster of moving averages, including the 150-day EMA, and a signal of shifting market sentiment.
Insiders Sell Drug Discovery Firm Inotiv
Inotiv (NASDAQ:) is a small drug discovery firm whose insiders are selling. The selling is noteworthy because the sales in Q1 2025 are the first in years, reversing the buying trend that began in early 2023. Insiders selling include the CEO, CFO, and an SVP, reducing their holding to a still-solid 7.8%. Institutions, conversely, are buying this stock and ramping their activity to a multiyear high. They own a slight 18% of the company but can significantly lift the market if the buying frenzy continues.
Analysts sentiment is equally bullish. InsiderTrades.com tracks only a handful of analysts covering this stock, but they rate it as a Moderate Buy and see it advancing 35% in the low-end range and more than 100% in the high range.
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50th Ireland cap for Aussie Bealham but Hansen is out
50th Ireland cap for Aussie Bealham but Hansen is out
Mixed fortunes for Ireland’s Canberra connection will see Finlay Bealham win his 50th cap in the Six Nations blockbuster against France while Mack Hansen will have to sit out the huge Six Nations clash with injury.
The *********** pair, who have become key cogs as Ireland shoot for an unprecedented third-straight European title, had both been hoping to play in Saturday’s big match in Dublin, but winger Hansen is out with a quad injury.
Bealham, though, has been brought back as starting tight-head prop while Thomas Clarkson drops to the bench and is poised for an emotional day at the Aviva Stadium in front of his *********** friends and family.
The 33-year-old will be one of three Ireland stalwarts celebrating a landmark 50th appearance alongside captain Caelan Doris, who’s been passed fit to start, and replacement back-rower Jack Conan.
Bealham, who qualified to represent the green shirt through his Northern Irish grandmother from Enniskillen and who’s now been playing rugby in Ireland for 15 years, won his first cap in March 2016 against Italy.
Doris, who returns as part of four changes, had to sit out Ireland’s 27-18 round-three win over Wales with a knee injury but is now out to lead his team to a fourth-straight win in this year’s championship, but against a French side who’ve won two of their three matches, losing the other by just a point to England.
Peter O’Mahony is retained at blindside flanker for his last Test match in Dublin before retirement, while prop Cian Healy and scrumhalf Conor Murray, who will also end their international careers at the end of the tournament, are primed for farewell appearances from the bench.
Hansen’s injury means Jamie Osborne switches to the right wing after starting at full-back against Wales.
Meanwhile, in Scotland’s team to face winless Wales at Murrayfield on Saturday, former Wallaby Jack Dempsey retains his place at No.8.
The Scots’ only change from the side beaten 16-15 by England for the Calcutta Cup is the return of Darcy Graham, who suffered a concussion in the loss to Ireland almost four weeks ago.
Graham, Scotland’s second-highest try-scorer of all-time, replaces Kyle Rowe.
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Some The First Descendant Players Advocate For Two Void Abyss Bosses in Rotation
Some The First Descendant Players Advocate For Two Void Abyss Bosses in Rotation
N4G Unlocked: “If you check the Laderboard for Void Eroson Purge (the only one we currently have), you will notice that Gley, Ines, and Bunny have the best scores. But what is off is that a top-ranked Ultimate Ajax managed to clear Stage 30 faster than anyone (except the best-ranked Ultimate Gley players).”
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Corsair tells us only one of its prebuilt PCs with an RTX 5000 GPU has suffered from chip-level fault, suggesting it’s as rare as Nvidia claimed
Corsair tells us only one of its prebuilt PCs with an RTX 5000 GPU has suffered from chip-level fault, suggesting it’s as rare as Nvidia claimed
Corsair has said that only one of its prebuilt PCs has been affected by Nvidia’s hardware-level fault
That appears to back up Nvidia’s assertion that the problem, which slows down PC gaming performance, is indeed ‘rare’
Corsair also underlined that it’s thoroughly checking graphics cards to ensure they meet the official hardware spec going forward
Corsair has shed some further light on RTX 5000 GPUs, as used in its pre-built PCs, and how widespread the reported problems are with Nvidia’s new graphics cards falling short of their official hardware spec.
In case you missed it, there’s recently been some controversy over a ‘rare’ chip-level fault in some Blackwell graphics cards, whereby some rendering pipelines for 3D graphics are missing, slowing down performance in some PC games.
While this is a serious issue – and definitely something that shouldn’t have happened – Corsair has assured us that the problem is as rare as Nvidia indicated (perhaps even rarer).
If you recall, Nvidia said that this issue could hit up to 0.5% of the potentially affected GPUs (RTX 5090 and 5080 boards, and Team Green later admitted that this fault can also be found with RTX 5070 Ti models, but not vanilla 5070 cards). However, according to Corsair, only one customer has run into trouble with a Blackwell GPU that’s short on its rendering pipeline (ROP) count.
Corsair informs us: “Initially, our testing procedures did not flag this specific ROP discrepancy during our production process. However, upon learning of this issue, we immediately implemented a thorough review of the detailed production reports for each system shipped to date. Matching the expected breadth of this issue, we have identified only one customer with an affected GPU and are actively working with them to provide a replacement.”
Corsair further adds that it has now implemented proactive measures regarding this potential problem with Nvidia’s graphics cards, and the company now has a “multi-stage testing protocol during system production to specifically validate the correct ROP count on all RTX 50-series GPUs.”
Corsair also says it’ll test all GPUs going forward to ensure they meet their official specs, observing that: “Every graphics card, including those in the RTX 50 series, undergoes rigorous testing to confirm it meets the manufacturer’s specifications, including the correct ROP count.”
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(Image credit: Corsair)
Analysis: Rarity and the blame game
On the face of it, what Corsair is saying here – that there’s just one case the firm has encountered – suggests the problem isn’t affecting many Blackwell GPUs at all. However, obviously this is a very limited sample, and we must be cautious about reading too much into the finding.
Or it could be the case that Corsair didn’t get all that many RTX 5000 GPUs through from Nvidia – theoretically a supply of a couple of hundred would see one faulty board. But as I said, there’s not much point trying to make too much out of this, save for that it seemingly backs up what Nvidia has claimed: that this is a ‘rare’ issue.
To address another point that’s come up here, on some online forums, I’ve seen something of a fuss about PC builders not testing these Nvidia GPUs and picking up on the ROP count being deficient, but I don’t think that’s entirely fair. By which I mean it’s reasonable to assume that a video card provided by Nvidia, or indeed AMD or Intel, lives up to the hardware spec. Should you really need to check that all cores, or rendering pipelines, or other hardware, are present? I’d argue not, though at the same time, given this incident, it’s now perhaps prudent to do so – exactly as Corsair has.
Really, though, a GPU, or CPU, or any PC component, should not ship from the production lines with some hardware-level fault present that impairs the experience for the end user (albeit not massively in some cases, but still – these Blackwell GPUs all cost a lot of money).
This is an issue that the chip maker – Nvidia – should’ve picked up on during QA testing, or indeed the board maker (Nvidia’s partners who take said chips, and make their graphics cards with them). A GPU with a glitch like this shouldn’t be reaching a PC builder (or consumers directly) in the first place.
At any rate, if you have purchased a PC from Corsair, the company notes it offers “lifetime tech support” and you are obviously free to check any Nvidia Blackwell graphics card to see if it has ROPs missing.
You can do that with CPU-Z Validator now – as we explained in a recent article, it will actively warn you in its latest version, which is useful – or as Corsair suggests you can use GPU-Z. The latter process is simple: just download and install GPU-Z, run the app, and go to the ‘Graphics Card’ tab where you can see the ROP count (it’s the seventh line down on the left-hand side). If it has 8 fewer ROPs than the official spec, the GPU in question has this hardware fault, sadly.
Quite why the Nvidia App doesn’t warn you in the same proactive way CPU-Z does, I’m not sure, as this would seem like an obvious move for Team Green to have made by now (given that this problem has been known about for the best part of two weeks at this point).
Via Tom’s Hardware
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2 Must-Have Stocks as Consumers Prioritize Needs Over Wants
2 Must-Have Stocks as Consumers Prioritize Needs Over Wants
Consumers are feeling the pinch from inflation every time they go to the grocery store. Money is a zero-sum game; as disposable income and buying power erodes, consumers are shifting funds for spending on discretionary items they want to spend on things they need. This is illustrated by the performance of the falling when the consumer staples sector rises.
The “No Buy” trend of 2025 further accents this point. Here are two stocks that also embrace this shift as Americans spend on things they need over things they want.
1. Procter & Gamble: Personal Hygiene and Cleaning Products Take Priority
Global consumer packaged products manufacturer Procter & Gamble (NYSE:) has a major market share in American households with a 98% penetration. When it comes to the term “household brands,”
Procter & Gamble has the most recognized portfolio of brands in the country, including its most popular brands like Pampers, Tide, Crest, Downy, Gillette, Charmin, Febreze, Joy, Luvs, Bounty, Always, Olay, Old Spice and Herbal Essence.
The market also recognizes this as reflected by the stock’s 3.69% year-to-date (YTD) performance compared to the 1.38% YTD performance as of Feb 28, 2025. PG stocks also pay a 2.32% dividend.
Baby, Feminine & Family Care Products Led Growth in Fiscal Q2
Proctor & Gamble’s products are categorized under five segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care and Baby, Feminine & Family Care (BFFC). In the fourth quarter of 2024, the BFFC segment was the leading volume driver at 4% YoY growth and the leading net sales drive up 3% YoY.
Organic volume rose 4%, and organic sales rose 4%. Within the segment, Family Care organic sales increased by double digits, driven by strong volume growth. This segment includes brands like Bounty paper towels, Charmin toilet paper and Puffs tissues.
The Stock Surged 6% After Reporting Fiscal Q2 Earnings
All of the 2025 stock price gains occurred after Proctor & Gamble reported their Q4 2024 earnings. The company posted Q4 earnings-per-share (EPS) of $1.88 versus $1.86 consensus analyst estimates, for a 2-cent beat.
Revenues rose 2.1% year-over-year (YoY) to $21.88 billion, beating consensus estimates of $21.54 billion by $340 million.
Proctor & Gamble Reaffirmed Their 2025 Forecasts
The company forecasted the full-year 2025 EPS of $6.91 to $7.05 versus $6.94, but if going by the midpoint of $6.98, then it technically beats consensus estimates.
Revenue growth is expected to be between 2% and 4% YoY, equating to $85.72 to $87.40 billion versus $85.01 billion consensus estimates. Again, if compared with the midpoint of $86.56 billion, then it’s a $1.55 billion beat.
2. Coca-Cola: More Than Just Soda
The Coca-Cola (NYSE:) brand is one of the most recognized brands in the world, and it is recognized by 94% of the world’s population and 97% of soft drink consumers in the United States. The iconic brand is a symbol of American culture.
While iconic Coke and Diet Coke soft drinks take the spotlight, its portfolio includes over 500 brands and over 3,500 products, including Dasani waters, Fanta, Honest Kids, AHA sparkling waters, Fresca, Minute Maid juices, Powerade sports drinks, Sprite, Schweppes, vitaminwater, smartwater, Vita and Gold Peak teas among others.
Coca-Cola Only Owns Just the Beverages, Not Snacks
Unlike competitor PepsiCo (NASDAQ:), Coca-Cola doesn’t own food brands or products. Coca-Cola is strictly beverage, whereas Pepsi has diversified its products to include food and snacks.
Through its acquisition of Frito-Lay, well-known brands like Doritos, Fritos, Tostitos and Quaker Oats are all under the Pepsi umbrella. Coca-Cola not only stays but dominates in its lane. The average American drinks 403 Coca-Cola products a year, up from 399 in 2009.
Coca-Cola Is Still Growing Even After 132 Years
After 132 years, it’s hard to believe that the brand is still growing.
In fact, Coca-Cola sales grew 6.4% YoY in its fourth quarter of 2024 to $11.54 billion, beating consensus estimates for $10.68 billion by $860 million.
It earned 55 cents per share, which also beat consensus analyst estimates by 2 cents.
Global case volume rose 2% YoY and 1% for 2024.
The company provided in-line guidance for 2025, with EPS growth expected between 2-3% YoY. As of Feb 28, 2025, the stock is up 14.38% YTD and even pays a 2.86% dividend yield.
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Chelsea: Millie Bright signs new contract until 2026
Chelsea: Millie Bright signs new contract until 2026
Chelsea captain Millie Bright has extended her contract until next summer, with the option of a further year.
The 31-year-old England defender is the Blues’ longest-serving player, having joined from Doncaster Belles in 2014.
Her current contract was due to expire at the end of this season.
‘Representing this club and continuing our journey together was never a question to me,” said Bright.
“This club is my home. Chelsea runs through me. The legacy continues.”
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NYT Strands today: hints, spangram and answers for Thursday, March 6
NYT Strands today: hints, spangram and answers for Thursday, March 6
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
How to play Strands
Hint for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s Strand answers
Strands is a brand new daily puzzle from the New York Times. A trickier take on the classic word search, you’ll need a keen eye to solve this puzzle.
Like Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword, Strands can be a bit difficult to solve some days. There’s no shame in needing a little help from time to time. If you’re stuck and need to know the answers to today’s Strands puzzle, check out the solved puzzle below.
How to play Strands
You start every Strands puzzle with the goal of finding the “theme words” hidden in the grid of letters. Manipulate letters by dragging or tapping to craft words; double-tap the final letter to confirm. If you find the correct word, the letters will be highlighted blue and will no longer be selectable.
If you find a word that isn’t a theme word, it still helps! For every three non-theme words you find that are at least four letters long, you’ll get a hint — the letters of one of the theme words will be revealed and you’ll just have to unscramble it.
Every single letter on the grid is used to spell out the theme words and there is no overlap. Every letter will be used once, and only once.
Each puzzle contains one “spangram,” a special theme word (or words) that describe the puzzle’s theme and touches two opposite sides of the board. When you find the spangram, it will be highlighted yellow.
The goal should be to complete the puzzle quickly without using too many hints.
Hint for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s theme is “Love is in the apps”
Here’s a hint that might help you: The most popular place to meet people today.
Today’s Strand answers
NYT
Today’s spanagram
We’ll start by giving you the spangram, which might help you figure out the theme and solve the rest of the puzzle on your own:
Today’s Strands answers
SWIPE
PROFILE
CHAT
LIKE
MATCH
MEETUP
GHOST
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Trump threats may cause ceasefire deal collapse: ******
Trump threats may cause ceasefire deal collapse: ******
****** says US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats against Palestinians constitute support for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to back out of the Gaza ceasefire and intensify the siege of Gazans.
Trump demanded in a social media post on Wednesday that ****** “release all of the hostages now, not later,” including the remains of dead hostages, “or it is OVER for you”.
His threats came on the day that a Trump envoy held secret talks with ******, according to sources who spoke to Reuters, a move that signaled a departure from a decades-long US policy of not negotiating with the Islamist ************ faction, which Washington deems a terrorist organisation.
Egyptian security officials confirmed to Reuters on Thursday that talks between the Trump envoy and ****** had taken place, and were also attended by Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
“Trump’s repeated threats against our people represent support to Netanyahu to evade the agreement and tightens the siege and starvation against our people,” ****** spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua said in a text message to Reuters.
“The best track to release the remaining Israeli prisoners is by… going into the second phase and compelling it (Israel) to adhere to the agreement signed under the sponsorship of mediators,.”
The Gaza ceasefire deal which came into effect in January calls for the remaining hostages to be freed in a second phase, during which final plans would be negotiated for an end to the war.
The first phase of the ceasefire ended on Saturday, and Israel has since imposed a total blockade on all goods entering Gaza, demanding that ****** release remaining hostages without beginning the negotiations to end the war.
Palestinians say the blockade could lead to starvation among the 2.3 million people living in Gaza’s ruins.
Trump made his new threats after a White House meeting on Wednesday with a group of hostages who had been released in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
“I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single ****** member will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” he said in his social media post.
“Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”
Gazans criticised Trump’s latest remarks on Thursday, which followed his call for ************ residents of the tiny coastal enclave to be resettled elsewhere and for the territory to be developed as a “Middle East Riviera”.
“(Trump’s) work (should be) more to spread peace… by exchanging hostages between the two parties, and not to throw around threats, blame and intimidation at the people of the Gaza Strip, who are suffering… as a result of this war,” said Ahmed, a resident of Khan Younis in the ************ enclave.
The United States broke a longstanding diplomatic taboo by holding secret talks with ****** on securing the release of US hostages held in Gaza, sources told Reuters on Wednesday.
US hostage affairs envoy Adam Boehler has the authority to talk directly with ******, the White House said when asked about the discussions.
Boehler and ****** officials met in Doha in recent weeks, two sources briefed on the negotiations said. It was not clear who represented ******.
The two Egyptian security officials who spoke to Reuters said ****** had insisted during the talks on sticking to the original phased ceasefire agreement.
The sides agreed the ceasefire should be maintained to give time to mediators to hammer out disagreements between ****** and Israel, which said it desired to extend the 42-day first phase of the deal. ****** has rejected Israel’s demand.
Egypt, according to the two Egyptian sources, stressed the need to uphold the ceasefire agreement till the end of the war, saying this would facilitate implementation of a Cairo reconstruction plan for Gaza that was endorsed by Arab leaders at a summit on Tuesday.
The Egyptian sources said talks ended in a positive sprit, indicating the sides may soon move towards negotiating the second phase of the deal.
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Ubisoft Showcases a Deep Dive Into Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Hideout Feature
Ubisoft Showcases a Deep Dive Into Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Hideout Feature
In a new Assassin’s Creed Shadows blog post, Ubisoft has released new information on the Hideout feature coming to the game.
As briefly explained in the introduction, the Hideout will be the players base of operations and a fully customizable sandbox allowing you to build your perfect home.
The Hideout will be located in the Izumi Settsu province and is surrounded by hills on all sides for protection. Its said that the Hideout will be a acre of fully customizable land, which players are able to place buildings, pavilions, pathways, bushes, trees, ponds, mossy rocks, local flora & fauna, and countless other Japanese cosmetic elements found or acquired throughout their journey.
“We really want players to make the Hideout their own” says Dany. “Throughout your adventure, most of the content for customization keeps unlocking as you progress, so your customization options will truly reflect your journey.” The building tools are simple enough for everyone to draw up a quick and easy layout, but there’s enough depth to sink hours into crafting your vision.”
In the Hideout, players will be able to create six main rooms, which are:
Main Rooms
Tomiko’s Hiroma Tomiko’s main house and gathering hall is already built when players first get their hands on the Hideout. This building is the cornerstone of the Hideout, granting quick access to most of the important functions of the Hideout. It can be changed cosmetically, but the Hiroma cannot be moved or removed.
Stables An important pillar of your Hideout, the stables unlock the ability to use your scouts for smuggling stockpiles in enemy camps or castles; doing this will allow you to receive extra resources at the end of a season.
Forge The Forge unlocks the ability to upgrade your weapons and gear to higher tiers, which is crucial for staying strong as you level up. It also allows you to dismantle unwanted armor and weapons into raw materials, engrave new perks on existing gear, and unlock the transmog feature for customizing your look and weapons, accessible in the inventory menu.
Kakurega This unlocks the ability to purchase and claim safehouses around Japan. These safehouses extend the Hideout’s functions to distant areas, as well as unlock safe fast travel points well outside enemy territory. Some features, like the regional contract boards, can be accessed from here as well. As mentioned in our exploration article, kakurega are also great to refill your tools, replenish your scouts, or manage the allies you want to bring on your next missions.
Study The Study increases the maximum number of scouts and refines the search zone when scouts locate an objective on the World Map, optimizing objective investigations.
Dojo The Dojo unlocks the ability to train Naoe and Yasuke’s allies that can be recruited and called in combat, elevating their ranks and increasing the power of each of their unique skills.
In addition, players can also create seven themed rooms which are:
Themed Rooms
Tera Adding a Tera (altar) in the Hideout boosts the amount of XP players can gain while venturing out in the world, effectively acting as a 10% XP booster.
Jinja Shinto shrines around the world allow players to pray and earn a small stat boost – called a boon – for a few minutes. The Jinja’s presence in the Hideout magnifies the effects of any shrine’s boon encountered in Japan.
Nando The Nando – a kind of barracks for sleeping and storing personal items – makes recalling scouts that have been used less costly – a function that extends to all Kakurega safehouses.
Zashiki Apart from the cool factor of owning your very own sake room, the Zashiki increases ration efficiency (health restoration) for both Naoe and Yasuke.
Tea Room This Tea Room also increases ration efficiency – an effect that can be compounded with the Zashiki bonus.
Gallery A place where players can display armor sets and weapons they’ve acquired, which unlocks the possibility of creating equipment loadouts.
Generic Rooms Players have access to a variety of rooms with varied layouts for showing off their earned cosmetics such as outfits, wall art and more.
For more customization options, players can also join rooms together and decorate them to their hearts content. The Hideout aaims to be the players safe place, where they can spend hours creating their perfect home.
“Once recruited, allies will spend a significant amount of their time in the Hideout, working, resting, training, and otherwise occupying themselves during their down time. Building new rooms will diversify the actions that they can perform there – allies with an inclination for martial training might spend more time in the Dojo, while others with a taste for sake might enjoy spending time in the Zashiki,” the blog reads.
You can read more about the Assassin’s Creed Shadows Hideout feature on the official Ubisoft blog.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows officially launches March 20 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.
Will you be buying Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Let us know in the comments or on our community forum!
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This young Texas doctor only read about measles. Now she’s a leading expert amid outbreak.
This young Texas doctor only read about measles. Now she’s a leading expert amid outbreak.
Dr. Leila Myrick had only read about measles in medical school before a girl with the telltale rash turned up in her West Texas emergency room in late January.
The child, who had no immunity to the highly contagious disease but had an underlying respiratory condition, would become one of the first known cases in Gaines County, the epicenter of the nation’s largest outbreak, in six years. Nearly 160 known people have been infected since, including 22 people who have been hospitalized. And last week, a school-aged child with no underlying conditions died, marking the first measles death in a decade. The outbreak spread across rural counties and is now suspected to have caused an outbreak nearby in New Mexico.
Myrick, a 38-year-old family medicine and obstetrics physician in the tiny town of Seminole, looked back to medical texts to learn more about the disease, once thought to be nearing eradication in the U.S. Now, she’s treated nearly a dozen cases and counting. In just over a month’s time, the rural doctor has become one of the nation’s only doctors with firsthand experience of how infectious, and serious, measles is. And she is an unwitting expert in a disease she never thought she’d treat.
“Now we’re literally seeing when you don’t vaccinate, this is what happens,” Myrick said.
Since vaccination rates have dropped across the U.S., doctors and health staff across the country are rethinking preventable diseases such as measles that hadn’t been seen in generations.
The U.S. declared measles eliminated in 2000. But American immunization rates have decreased in schools — which normally require vaccines for attendance — below the 95% herd immunity threshold needed to prevent outbreaks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drops have been attributed to distrust and misinformation around public health and vaccination that led to increases in medical or religious exemptions.
“Measles is the tip of the iceberg,” said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of the infectious diseases division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School. “There are other vaccine-preventable illness that we could see recurring, which could also have catastrophic consequences.”
In Gaines County, just over 80% kindergartners were vaccinated against measles last school year. In the county, Loop Independent School District, with about 150 students, had less than half of students vaccinated.
As of Tuesday, over 100 of Texas’ 159 cases were in Gaines County. Most cases are in children, predominantly among those who are school-aged. All but five cases were among people who weren’t vaccinated or had no known vaccination status.
Dr. Leila Myrick, a family medicine and obstetrics physician in Seminole, Texas, is on the frontlines of the country’s largest measles outbreak in six years.
From Atlanta to rural health
Five years ago, Myrick moved from her hometown of Atlanta — after studying at Emory School of Medicine and earning a doctorate in neuroscience in addition to her medical degree — to Seminole, where peanuts, oil, natural gas and cotton dominate the Texas plains. Instead of Atlanta’s famed research institutions, including CDC headquarters, Myrick sought to practice treating families as a rural doctor. She moved her family to Seminole, population 7,231, where she liked the diversity. It is a mix of white, ******** and Mennonite families and sits about 80 miles southwest of Lubbock.
She and her husband are raising two children, ages 5 and 8, who attend local schools. Her in-laws live across the street. Seminole is like a village, she said. People look out for each other and their children.
Her commute to work is a 3-minute drive with one traffic light − short enough that she doesn’t even bother to turn on the radio. At her local grocery store, people stop her in the aisles with medical questions. She urges them to schedule an appointment so she can examine them.
Before the outbreak, Myrick heard many concerns about vaccines, including in Gaines County’s Mennonite community, where the measles first appeared in late January. At the family clinic, parents told Myrick that no one got measles anymore, so there was no need to vaccinate their children. And it only caused mild illness, they said. Others argued vaccines cause harm, despite the vaccine showing decades of safety. As their family doctor, she recommended they get the vaccine, which is safe and effective.
Hesitancy, misinformation on measles vaccine
Such claims have helped to allow measles to return with force. Health experts cite statements made by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who previously advocated against the measles vaccine for years and has contradicted guidance from his own health agencies.
In the current outbreak, Kennedy has downplayed measles outbreaks and the severity of disease and has made incorrect statements about the current outbreak, said Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of the CDC who is now president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. A recent op-ed by Kennedy called for parents to consult with health providers about vaccination, adding the decision to vaccinate is a “personal one.”
“We have conditions here that are so, so highly preventable that we’re going to see come back because we have some leaders who don’t believe in science,” Besser said.
Pediatricians and family doctors now should learn about diseases relegated to history, Besser added. They should ensure they know what measles, polio and different types of meningitis look like. They should also understand isolation protocols for these illnesses.
Around a fifth of unvaccinated people who get infected with measles end up hospitalized. Children who contract measles can develop pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles, or brain inflammation that can lead to hearing loss or developmental delays. Death occurs in around 1 to 3 in 1,000 infected children.
The best defense against measles, by far, is vaccination, said Besser, a trained pediatrician. The full two-dose series, first administered around a year old, is 97% effective against measles. Just one shot provides 93% protection.
Measles is highly infectious, spreading through contact with droplets released from coughing, sneezing or talking. Measles can stay in a room or on surfaces two hours after a sick person has left. One contagious person can infect 18 others around them who aren’t immunized.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addresses a Cabinet meeting held by President Donald Trump at the White House on Feb. 26, 2025.
With a measles diagnosis, timing is critical
A fever, cough or a rash can be a variety of different issues. But doctors can’t afford to miss a measles diagnosis, said Dr. James Cutrell, an associate professor at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas.
Given how contagious measles is, he said, the importance of identifying it early in order to isolate the patient, test them and confirm if it’s measles is crucial to stopping the spread. Another concern is that symptoms develop typically a week or two after exposure. People can spread measles even when they’re not showing symptoms.
Myrick saw this firsthand. In late January, the infected girl arrived in the emergency room with an underlying respiratory condition that put her at increased risk from the potentially deadly virus. After an emergency physician diagnosed her with measles, Myrick went to her medical texts to look up the disease to treat the girl.
She recalled the blotchy, red spots covering the girl’s body from head to toe. The child was placed in isolation, with hospital staff in full gowns and masks. Through the course of the child’s stay, her rash changed to smaller red dots. Myrick thought she would be the only case.
Dr. Leila Myrick, a family medicine and obstetrics physician in Seminole, Texas, treated one of the first known measles cases in an ongoing outbreak that’s the largest in the U.S. in six years.
“We took every precaution we could to try to contain it and keep it isolated to just that one patient,” she said. “And it didn’t work. It didn’t work at all.”
At first, the outbreak centered in the region’s Mennonite community, which had been under-vaccinated with entire families infected. Myrick and staff have now seen cases among Latino infants too young to be vaccinated but facing serious illness. Pregnant women, who are at particular risk of miscarriage or premature birth from infection, are also at risk.
She expects more cases in the community. Many families call describing measles symptoms, but they won’t get tested, and they won’t get treatment unless infections worsen.
Outside of Gaines, the outbreak has spread in eight other counties, with exposures hundreds of miles away in and around San Antonio. Officials in New Mexico suspect their outbreak, among nine people infected, is linked to the Texas outbreak just across state lines.
A sign reading “measles testing” is seen as an outbreak in Gaines County, Texas, has raised concerns over its spread to other parts of the state, in Seminole, Texas, U.S., February 25, 2025.
‘Hope and prayer’ won’t end outbreak
Beyond Texas and New Mexico, nearby states have much lower vaccination rates than herd immunity needed to prevent outbreaks. By comparison, Texas and New Mexico had two-dose vaccination rates among kindergartners at 94.3% and 95%, respectively. But surrounding states — including Arizona, Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma — had immunization rates below 90%, CDC data from last school year showed.
“A hope and a prayer doesn’t just make it go away,” said Dr. Kisha Davis, a board member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a health officer in Maryland. Her health department, in Montgomery County, saw one measles case a year ago in an unvaccinated person. Thanks to high immunization rates, an outbreak didn’t occur, she said. “We need to continue to be vigilant.”
In Seminole, a wooden sign read “MEASLES TESTING” across from the local health department. In addition to testing, officials have expanded vaccination sites. More people are showing up to get vaccinated, including those that once swore off the shots, said Myrick, who recently became chief medical officer for the town’s hospital. Others still don’t believe in vaccines.
Myrick said her children worry about catching measles. Their classmates have contracted the disease, and her children are scared about getting a rash. Both of her children are vaccinated, she reminds them. They don’t need to be afraid.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas measles outbreak: Young doctor quickly becomes’ nation’s expert
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DeepSeek has a new rival, and you can try it out right now
DeepSeek has a new rival, and you can try it out right now
Alibaba has just unveiled its latest reasoning model, and it seems that DeepSeek and OpenAI might have something to worry about — at least if all of Alibaba’s promises turn out to be true. It’s open-source, so I checked it out. You can try it out for free, too, although unsurprisingly, you’ll find that there are some things it won’t talk to you about.
The new model, dubbed QwQ-32b (Quan-with-Questions) runs on much fewer parameters, meaning that it requires less resources, but Alibaba claims that it performs at the same level as DeepSeek or OpenAI’s o1-mini.
DeepSeek’s R1 large language model (LLM) was all the rage earlier in February when it came out, suddenly capable of rivaling the golden standard set by ChatGPT and other alternatives, but at a much lower cost. It seems that Alibaba might be pushing the envelope even further here.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
As explained by VentureBeat, DeepSeek-R1 requires 671 billion parameters to run, 37 billion of which are activated. Meanwhile, Alibaba’s new QwQ-32b can get by with 32 billion parameters. Those numbers are totally abstract to many, but there’s a huge difference in compute power; while DeepSeek R1 requires 1600GB of VRAM to run, QwQ-32b can get by with just 24GB of VRAM. In most cases, this will mean Nvidia’s H100 or equivalents, but even the gaming-focused RTX 4090 sports 24GB. The latest RTX 5090 ups that to 32GB.
Alibaba’s QwQ-32b is available under an Apache 2.0 license, meaning that companies and researchers can use it. More importantly, we can use it by trying out Alibaba’s Qwen Chat. Like DeepSeek, it comes with some limitations, but also has a couple of immediate perks that I noticed quite quickly.
It seems to give quite in-depth answers even to quick, simple questions. This can be good, but in a way, it was mostly annoying as it gives you a lot of unnecessary context that you didn’t ask for. I like that it shows you its whole reasoning process, though, which is similar to ChatGPT’s Deep Thinking feature — but with much less depth.
When asked about political matters, Qwen Chat flags it as inappropriate. There might be ways to jailbreak it — it was possible with DeepSeek, after all — but I haven’t managed to just yet.
Whether Alibaba’s claims turn out to be true remains to be seen, but it looks like ChatGPT and DeepSeek now have a new rival.
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Metal Gear’s Solid Snake VA Wrote the Best Superhero Movie in All of Fiction That Predates Avengers: Endgame by 10 Years
Metal Gear’s Solid Snake VA Wrote the Best Superhero Movie in All of Fiction That Predates Avengers: Endgame by 10 Years
Imagine being so talented that voicing gaming’s gruffest super-soldier is just your side gig. That’s David Hayter for you—the man who’s been living rent-free in gamers’ heads as Solid Snake while secretly moonlighting as Hollywood’s superhero whisperer.
Gaming’s gruffest voice, Hollywood’s secret weapon. | Image Credit: Konami
But while you were busy sneaking around Shadow Moses Island, Hayter was quietly penning what some consider the greatest superhero movie ever made. And no, we’re not talking about some obscure indie flick that only “true cinema” snobs pretend to understand. We’re talking about a bona fide blockbuster that hit screens a full decade before Avengers: Endgame had us all ugly crying in theaters.
The man, the myth, the Snake charmer
The voice and brains behind legends. | Image Credit: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
David Hayter isn’t just the voice of Solid Snake; he’s a real-life superhero in the entertainment industry. This guy’s resume reads like a fever dream of every nerd’s wildest fantasies. Voice acting? Check. Screenwriting? Double check. Directing? Triple check. At this point, we wouldn’t be surprised if he moonlights as a costumed vigilante.
Let’s start with his claim to fame: Solid Snake. Hayter’s portrayal of the gruff, chain-smoking super-soldier is so iconic that fans nearly rioted when Kiefer Sutherland took over in Metal Gear Solid V.
But Hayter’s talents don’t stop at voice acting. Oh no, this overachiever decided to conquer Hollywood too. He’s the pen behind X-Men and X2, two films that helped kickstart the superhero movie craze we’re still riding today. And let’s not forget The Scorpion King, because even The Rock needs someone to make him sound cool.
But the crown jewel in Hayter’s writing career? That would be Watchmen, Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Alan Moore’s seminal graphic novel. This movie took the superhero genre and turned it on its head, giving us morally ambiguous characters and philosophical debates that make Tony Stark’s daddy issues look like child’s play.
Watchmen: The superhero movie that ended generic superhero movies
Superheroes, but make them existential. | Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
When Watchmen hit theaters in 2009, it was like an atom bomb went off in the superhero genre. This wasn’t your typical “good guys punch bad guys” fare. No, this was a deconstruction of the entire concept of superheroes, wrapped in a neo-noir package and tied with a bow of Cold War paranoia.
Hayter’s screenplay, co-written with Alex Tse, managed to distill Alan Moore’s dense graphic novel into a cinematic experience that was both faithful to its source and accessible to newcomers. It gave us complex characters grappling with moral dilemmas that would make Batman break out in a cold sweat.
And let’s talk about those iconic scenes. Remember this little exchange?
That’s the kind of dialogue that sticks with you long after the credits roll. It’s a testament to Hayter’s writing chops that he could create moments of such raw intensity while still keeping the larger-than-life superhero elements intact.
Watchmen may not have the box office numbers of Avengers: Endgame, but its impact on the superhero genre is undeniable. It paved the way for more mature, thought-provoking superhero stories, proving that men in tights could tackle heavy themes and still look cool doing it.
So the next time you’re sneaking through an enemy base as Solid Snake, remember: the guy voicing your stealthy shenanigans also wrote one of the most influential superhero movies of all time. If that doesn’t make David Hayter the ultimate nerd icon, we don’t know what does.
What’s your take on Hayter’s multifaceted career? Do you think Watchmen deserves the title of best superhero movie? Let us know in the comments!
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Dow Jones Futures Slide 450 Points As Tariff Woes Resurface; Nvidia, Tesla Sell Off – Investor's Business Daily
Dow Jones Futures Slide 450 Points As Tariff Woes Resurface; Nvidia, Tesla Sell Off – Investor's Business Daily
Dow Jones Futures Slide 450 Points As Tariff Woes Resurface; Nvidia, Tesla Sell Off Investor’s Business DailyDow futures drop nearly 400 points as selling returns to Wall Street on Trump tariff confusion: Live updates CNBCStock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq set to slide amid tariff turmoil, earnings misses Yahoo FinanceMacy’s, Marvell and MongoDB fall premarket; Wendy’s, Burlington rise, Investing.comStocks Drop as Tech Earnings, Bond Selloff Weigh: Markets Wrap Bloomberg
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#Dow #Jones #Futures #Slide #Points #Tariff #Woes #Resurface #Nvidia #Tesla #Sell #Investor039s #Business #Daily
Pelican News
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The Game Deflators E330 | Should Sony Release the PS6 Early? Pokémon News + Mega Man 4 NES Review
The Game Deflators E330 | Should Sony Release the PS6 Early? Pokémon News + Mega Man 4 NES Review
This week on the Game Deflators Podcast, John and Ryan dive into the hot topic of whether Sony should fast-track the release of the PS6 as PS5 sales show signs of cooling. Is it too soon, or is it a bold move to stay ahead of the curve?
Next, the duo breaks down the latest Pokémon announcements, sharing their thoughts on new game reveals, updates, and everything the Pokémon community is buzzing about.
To wrap things up, they hit you with a retro review of Mega Man 4 for the NES. Was this installment of the Blue Bomber’s saga a groundbreaking classic or just another notch in the series?
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#Game #Deflators #E330 #Sony #Release #PS6 #Early #Pokémon #News #Mega #Man #NES #Review
Pelican News
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