Pelican Press

Airbus could prioritise non-U.S. deliveries if tariffs impede trade Airbus could prioritise non-U.S. deliveries if tariffs impede trade The logo of Airbus is pictured outside the Airbus facility in Saint-Nazaire, France, November 7, 2023. Stephane Mahe | Reuters Airbus could prioritize deliveries to its non-U.S. customers if tariffs disrupt the European planemaker’s imports stateside, CEO Guillaume Faury said Thursday. “We have a large demand from the rest of the world, so [if] we face very significant difficulties to deliver to the U.S., we can also adapt by bringing forward deliveries to other customers which are very eager to get planes,” Faury told CNBC’s Charlotte Reed, in an interview discussing the company’s full-year results. “Those tariffs are looming, and we don’t know what they will be, [and], if and when we would have tariffs come in, what they would impact. So we stand ready to adapt accordingly,” Faury said, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging tariff threats which have already been ramped up against China. Faury nevertheless stressed that Airbus had made moves in recent years to not only buy more from the U.S. and sell a significant number of aircraft and helicopters in the U.S., but also to base part of its production locally. That includes a large output site in Mobile, Alabama, as well as two final assembly lines for the company’s A220 and A320 family jets, with another U.S. line under construction to build A320 and A321s for the domestic market. A host of large U.S. carriers are Airbus customers, including American Airlines, Delta, United and JetBlue. “So we have a lot of potential flexibilities,” Faury said regarding the potential imposition of duties, whose details remain uncertain. “Bottom lime, we believe in this industry — that is very much a North American ecosystem with a lot of interdependencies — tariffs would hurt both sides. So I hope, I believe, we will not be significantly impacted by tariffs,” Faury said. The European planemaker’s target for around 820 aircraft deliveries in 2025 was issued “in spite of uncertainties, to clarify what we think we can deliver this year absent tariffs,” Faury said. Airbus meanwhile remains stymied by a host of supply chain issues which are limiting its ability to ramp up production and work through its order backlog of more than 8,000 jets, Faury told CNBC. His comments come after the company earlier on Thursday reported a 6% rise in annual revenue, but an 8% fall in adjusted operating profit to 5.35 billion euros ($5.59 billion) across 2024. Profit at the company’s defense and space unit swung to a loss of 656 million euros for the full year. Faury told CNBC that space was the “area where we are suffering,” amid competition from players such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX and past investment in technologies that had proven difficult. “We underestimated the risk compared to the reality,” Faury said, adding that the company was restructuring the unit and working to solve existing issues. Despite challenges, Airbus’s annual results served to highlight its strength over its crisis-hit U.S. rival Boeing, which reported an annual loss of $11.83 billion for 2024. Source link #Airbus #prioritise #nonU.S #deliveries #tariffs #impede #trade Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Palworld Achieves Over 32 Million Players Across PC, Xbox, and PS5 Palworld Achieves Over 32 Million Players Across PC, Xbox, and PS5 Today Palworld developer Pocketpair announced that the popular survival crafting game achieved over 32 million players across all platforms. Source link #Palworld #Achieves #Million #Players #Xbox #PS5 Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The many ways AI can empower XR The many ways AI can empower XR The incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications is going to affect practically every company, although the speed at which such applications are rolled out will vary by industry. In spring 2023, the World Economic Forum’s Kelly Ommundsen, head of digital inclusion, and Jaci Eisenberg, head of alumni relations, noted that the integration of GenAI and the metaverse could create dynamic virtual environments, where AI-generated content can adapt and respond to users’ actions, creating personalised and engaging experiences. “It can also enable new forms of art, entertainment and communication, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the virtual realm,” they added. AI, in its many forms – from machine and deep learning to generative AI (GenAI) and its large language models (LLMs) – will support the creation of interactive, immersive virtual environments, make sense of sensor data for digital twins, create content for the metaverse and gaming applications, and allow users to interact in many ways. It will enable interactive storylines and reactions of systems, facilitate the creation of responsive avatars, fill in backgrounds and empty spaces in gaming landscapes and digital twin environments, and allow developers to scale virtual worlds quickly. Use cases for AI in extended reality (XR) applications are truly limitless. AI and XR build on architecture and construction AI can support visualisations of natural phenomena by pre-processing data. For example, a research team from the University of Arizona and Purdue University is developing an application to make sense of the large amount of data that agricultural sensors can gather. The researchers are leveraging AI and VR to develop VR-Bio-Talk, a platform that will enable users to create advanced visualisations and analyse the data to better understand biological systems and agricultural practices. “The goal of the project is to create a virtual reality environment that mirrors real-world agricultural environments and is paired with an artificial intelligence program,” says the University of Arizona. AI will process and condense collected data and then transfer the information to virtual representations. The National Science Foundation is supporting the project with funding of more than $2m. According to Duke Pauli, director of the Center for Agroecosystems Research at the University of Arizona, the platform’s benefits could translate to most applications in which sensor data and virtual representation will play a role. “Extracting information from data has always required programming expertise, but having the ability to break down technical barriers and let users converse natively with their data will enable researchers to focus more on their science and generate greater societal impact,” says Pauli. In industrial applications, the combination of AI and XR is already changing processes. In architecture and construction, building information modelling (BIM) and computer-aided design (CAD) have seen use for decades. Related information has therefore existed for a long time in a digital format. Leading design software provider Autodesk offers solutions for construction, engineering, product design and entertainment applications. Its portfolio is based on the core AutoCAD platform for computer-aided design, Revit design software and Tandem to create digital twins. The company increasingly integrates AI applications. Autodesk’s chief marketing officer, Dara Treseder, points out that this integration allows users to “automate menial tasks, augment creativity and analyse complex information”. Autodesk also is working on an experimental research effort to create GenAI applications for designing and manufacturing purposes. Project Bernini is using AI to generate functional three-dimensional shapes from various types of input such as two-dimensional images, text, voxels or point clouds. The application hails back to a scientific research effort to create 3D shapes. The company expects AI to redefine architecture as algorithms will drive efficiency, innovation and sustainability in the industry. “From automated drafting to real-time updates in building information modelling to energy consumption analysis, AI streamlines workflows, allowing architects to focus on creating visionary designs,” it says. AI and XR change design Design applications are set to benefit tremendously by combining AI and XR well beyond architecture and construction. Adobe has integrated the AI features Generative Fill and Generative Expand in its Photoshop design software to enable customers to use text prompts to add design elements and expand image dimensions, respectively. The company’s graphics software Illustrator and stock image database also offer AI functions. To further the use of AI-based applications to create visuals, AI computing firm Nvidia and Shutterstock, a provider of stock photography and footage, have entered a partnership to build a model for AI-created imagery for industrial and entertainment applications. Other applications look at ways to enhance digital twins with photorealistic environments that instantly respond to users’ actions. Younite AI, for example, is leveraging AI’s capabilities to “create virtual reality projects that range from cultural and historical experiences to future-focused simulations and training”. Such advanced environments can find use for scenario simulations and decision-making support, as well as a consumer-facing applications, including marketing materials or product manuals. AI, XR and intelligent agents AI agents are another consideration for entertainment and consumer-facing commercial applications. GenAI has a very natural place in gaming applications, where it has the potential to create an entire support industry. Artificial Agency has deployed AI to develop generative behaviour for gaming applications. The founders target game developers that will use their company’s product to create sophisticated game mechanics that support interactive storytelling. Similarly, Inworld AI is developing an AI engine for media and gaming applications to create “experiences with autonomous behaviour, evolving narratives and worlds that respond to each action”. NTT Docomo also has been working on a GenAI model to create non-player characters for virtual environments – developers can use text description to create these characters. Josh Rush, founder and CEO of Surreal Events, says: “AI-powered agents will inevitably play a huge role at scale…. On the development side, it will allow for quicker, cheaper, and higher-fidelity art creation and deployment cycles. And on the channel management front, it will reduce long-term operating costs.” In sales applications, Walmart is working on an Adaptive Retail campaign that promises to provide personal shopping experiences. The effort will leverage AI, AR and an immersive commerce platform. To that end, the company created an AI-enabled Customer Support Assistant and Wallaby, which comprises several retail-focused LLMs to provide customer-facing experiences. The efforts attempt to bring retail to situations in which shopping can attach to other activities consumers are engaged in, such as embedding offers in gaming environments. Walmart also created Retina, an AR platform that uses AI to create virtual 3D products. The application allows consumers to access product information when viewing these objects. Another effort is exploring the use of headsets to visualise furniture in various settings, for example. AI and XR combine real-world and virtual elements Finally, there are also applications that highlight AI’s ability to connect virtual applications with objects and aspects of the real world. For example, in automotive applications, two Finnish companies are looking at leveraging AI to create AR-enhanced vision for automotive and aerospace applications. Basemark is developing a toolkit to enable developers of automotive applications to create AR experiences via its AI-based computer vision technology. The company’s product Rocksolid AR is designed to enable immersive augmented reality experiences on any in-vehicle display. Similarly, Distance Technologies is using contextual AI to create glasses-free mixed reality experiences. Alphabet’s venture arm, GV, has invested in the company, whose applications can project street signs onto a car’s windscreen or maps in a pilot’s cockpit. The company is working on a solution that can allow any transparent surface to become an AR display, with initial target markets the automotive and aerospace industries. It is also creating advanced XR experiences by using, in the founders’ words, “contextual AI”, which should have immediate application opportunities in other industries as well. More experimental, but potentially truly powerful in augmented applications, AI also can render real-world objects as interactive elements. Google has developed a prototype system that can transform physical objects into virtually augmented objects. The project, XR-Objects, employs multimodal LLMs to create the effect. The researchers provide an example of an apple and an orange that are on a table. The system identifies the fruits and then provides a virtual menu that mentions the type of fruit and offers information about the fruits, lets users compare these fruits, share the information with a friend, or add them to a shopping list. The researchers note that XR applications for the most part treat real-world environments as a passive backdrop while only the digital elements have interactive features. XR-Objects intends to remedy that limitation by merging physical objects and virtual elements seamlessly. There are concerns associated with the indiscriminate use of AI to create XR environments and related processes – as a previous article, The irresistible marriage of AI and XR, notes – but the benefits of embedding AI applications are manifold, and productivity will increase substantially with AI-generated visualisations and AI-complemented data use. AI and XR combine to create powerful solutions for practically every industry and, over time, for every company. Martin Schwirn is the author of “Small data, big disruptions: How to spot signals of change and manage uncertainty” (ISBN 9781632651921). He is also senior advisor for strategic foresight at Business Finland, helping startups and incumbents find their position in tomorrow’s marketplace. Source link #ways #empower Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Teen Andreeva dumps Swiatek out of Dubai Championships Teen Andreeva dumps Swiatek out of Dubai Championships An inspired Mirra Andreeva has beaten world No.2 Iga Swiatek for the first time in her career with a dominant 6-3 6-3 victory as the Russian 17-year-old marched into the semi-finals of the Dubai Championships. With her victory on Thursday, 12th seed Andreeva moved into the first WTA 1000 semi-final of her career while Swiatek became another luminary to exit the tournament after world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka was knocked out on Wednesday. Andreeva is also the youngest semi-finalist in Dubai since the tournament was first held in 2001 — a significant improvement from her last visit when she was knocked out in the first round last year. “Honestly, I was really nervous before the match and we played in Cincinnati last year (where Swiatek won their quarter-final match) and it was pretty intense,” Andreeva said. “So I just told myself that I played great and I just need to continue to play aggressive and go for my shots. It was also not easy with all the fans (supporting Swiatek) but I think we were even. I had a lot of people supporting me. Andreeva found herself on the ropes early as she struggled to hold serve in her first service game of the opening set but eventually held on to make it 1-1. Andreeva then broke the Pole and continued to impress, covering the court well while also reading Swiatek’s shots to set up winners and the Russian broke once more, firing a forehand return down the line on set point. The 17-year-old trailed 3-1 in the second set but corrected course after a quick chat with her coach — former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez — to win five games in a row. The determined teenager broke Swiatek in the penultimate game to serve for the set, eventually sealing victory when the Pole’s return on match point went wide. “I think she didn’t tell me anything new. She told me everything I knew already,” Andreeva added of Martinez’s input. “She just told me to keep going because I played good and she just told me to go for my shots, that I don’t have to change anything.” Source link #Teen #Andreeva #dumps #Swiatek #Dubai #Championships Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders review [SideQuesting] Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders review [SideQuesting] “Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders is a sequel to Lonely Mountains: Downhill brought to you by Megagon Industries which now sets your time challenges within a snowy mountainscape. Bring your skis and your friends and embark on time challenges while you avoid trees, rocks and other hazards racing down the mountain.” Kat @ Thumb Culture Source link #LonelyMountains #Snow #Riders #review #SideQuesting Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Oppo Find N5 folding phone: Specs, price, availability Oppo Find N5 folding phone: Specs, price, availability Oppo’s new Find N5 folding smartphone on display at a press briefing in London. Ryan Browne | CNBC ******** smartphone firm Oppo has unveiled its new flagship folding phone Thursday, touting a slimmer body and artificial intelligence-focused features in a bid to compete with high-end foldable devices from the likes of Samsung and Huawei. The company’s Find N5 phone that can fold in half, will retail at a starting price of 2,499 Singapore dollars ($1,867.70). When it’s folded shut, the Find N5 looks like a normal bar-shaped phone with a 6.62-inch display. The device can then be folded outward to show a larger, 8.12-inch tablet. Most notably, the phone has an ultra-thin design. When closed, it measures 8.93 millimeters thick, while when opened out in tablet form, the Find N5 has a depth of 4.21 millimeters. That’s slimmer than Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 6, which the South Korean tech giant released last year. Inside the device is a razer-thin 5,600 milliampere-hour (mAh) battery that’s no ******* than a credit card. Oppo said the battery incorporates a silicon-carbon material, which enables high battery capacity despite its small size. Oppo is hoping it can win business from the likes of Samsung and ******** tech giant Huawei, both major smartphone players seeking to shake the market out of an innovation slowdown with flashy new models that can bend. AI assistant features Like many other smartphone makers, Oppo is investing more into artificial intelligence-focused features on the device. The Oppo Find N5 has a triple-camera setup that includes a telephoto lens that can zoom in up to 30x thanks to assistance from an AI-powered image enhancement feature, dubbed AI Telescope Zoom. It also comes with a personal AI assistant that can interpret and summarize documents, generate summaries of phone calls and translate video calls and other content displayed on the screen. Addressing concerns around privacy, Oppo said that some data is processed directly on the device while other information is stored in the cloud. In international markets, Oppo is using Google as its AI and cloud computing technology partner. An Oppo spokesman told CNBC the company “strictly abides by local laws, regulations and privacy security protection requirements.” Samsung recently launched additional AI capabilities on its new flagship Galaxy S25 series, including the ability to carry out tasks across multiple apps when prompted and integration of Google’s Gemini AI assistant. Controlling a Mac with an Android phone Oppo also talked up a new feature that enables users to connect their phone to a Mac computer. Using an app called O+ Connect, users can link the Find N5 to any Mac desktop machine and instantly transfer photos and other files between devices — so long as they’re connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Users can also choose to remotely control a Mac from the Find N5. The Mac’s display can shut off and then reappear on the Find N5’s screen. The remote control feature only requires mobile internet or Wi-Fi to sync up a Mac device’s data with the Find N5 in real-time. The feature uses public macOS application programming interfaces, which enable two different apps to communicate with each other. Oppo said O+ Connect “fully complies with macOS platform and software regulations.” Ben Wood, chief analyst at market research firm CCS Insight, told CNBC the Find N5 “shows the art of the possible when engineering a product with flexible display technology.” Wood added that, while Huawei’s triple-screened Mate XT led to some fanfare, “commercially I think the smart money is still on the book-like form factor already offered by Samsung, Honor, Google and now Oppo.” Samsung teased a trifold smartphone prototype at its January Unpacked event for the launch of the Galaxy S25. It’s not clear yet if the phone is a product Samsung will launch commercially anytime soon. Source link #Oppo #Find #folding #phone #Specs #price #availability Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

What Nvidia bulls are whispering about before its big earnings report What Nvidia bulls are whispering about before its big earnings report The Street is sticking with Nvidia (NVDA) into its market-moving earnings report next week. Despite china-based DeepSeek coming out to rock the super bullish AI thesis earlier this year, Wall Street still sees Nvidia cleaning up from the buildout of AI infrastructure globally. Aggressive 2025 capex assumptions by hyperscalers such as Amazon (AMZN) and Meta (META) shared during this earnings season underscore the point. “Over the coming decades the investment [in AI] is happening,” Russell Investments CIO Kate El-Hillow tells me. However, that’s not to say there aren’t signs of caution going into Nvidia’s earnings report. Yahoo Finance data shows Nvidia’s first quarter earnings per share trend has drifted modestly lower over the past 30 days. The Street has also not pushed up its 2025 EPS estimates on Nvidia for more than 60 days. Nvidia is also among the most cheaply valued AI stocks at the moment. On a forward price to earnings (PE) multiple basis, Yahoo Finance data shows Nvidia trading at 32 times. Broadcom (AVGO) and Marvell Technology (MRVL) are valued at 35 times and 41 times, respectively. Arm Holdings (ARM) clocks in at 76 times. “I would say I wouldn’t want to be Jensen [Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang] necessarily because wow, other people are working on the same things,” Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates told me on Yahoo Finance’s Opening Bid podcast (listen in below). This embedded content is not available in your region. Here are the vibes on the Street a few days ahead of Nvidia’s earnings on February 26. “Despite recent concerns over the long-term demand impact from DeepSeek’s lower cost approach, most of the hyperscalers have actually revised up 2025 capex by 4%-26% during the earnings season, supporting our thesis that overall AI GPU demand outlook remains strong. Nevertheless, we are lowering our FY26 estimate for data center revenue by 11% to $209 billion on the back of lower NVL rack [Nvidia data center product] assumptions, but our FY26 data center revenue forecast still remains 14% above consensus of $184 billion. However, we believe there remains greater pressure for Nvidia to deliver stronger second half fiscal year momentum on the back of its B300/GB300 roadmap to see if there is potential room for further upside.” Rating: Reiterated Overweight Price Target: $190, up from $180 “While we do believe that manufacturing constraints are limiting shipments of GB200 NVL server racks, we believe this will be more than offset by the following: 1) given the lower initial manufacturing yields of GB200 NVL, we believe customers have been able to push out orders of GB200 and backfill with HGX-based B200 servers with x86 head nodes; 2) DeepSeek, as well as limited supply of Huawei’s Ascend AI ASIC [custom chip], has created a surge in demand for H20 GPUs from China CSPs; 3) we believe Nvidia’s customers, especially communications service providers, are financing its inventory at EMS providers, so effectively sell-in shipments from Nvidi to EMS are recognized as revenues. As such, we are raising estimates and our price target and believe Nvidia’s strong results should alleviate any concerns that DeepSeek could derail near-term AI capex intensity.” Story Continues “Big picture we believe that two to three year Street numbers remain low as our work with both customers and the Nvidia build ecosystem points [to] … Nvidia GPU reaching 10 million to 12 million as hyperscalers look to increase their percentage on non-CPU compute to 50% plus in coming years (from ~10% currently). Remember … for Nvidia the story is accelerated compute + Gen AI, which means it is facing two $1.0 trillion compute market opportunities ahead of it in coming years, each of which is just at the very start.” “We expect a modest fourth quarter beat but the first quarter outlook could face headwinds from Blackwell transition, Hopper declines and China restrictions,” BofA analyst Vivek Arya wrote in a note on Tuesday. “The stock could be volatile post results, but we expect positive momentum to resume as investors look forward to Nvidia’s leading new product pipeline (GB300, Rubin) and total addressable market expansion into robotics and quantum technologies at upcoming GTC conference (March 17).” Rating: Reiterated Outperform Price Target: $190, reiterated “Nvidia remains the platform of choice for hyperscalers’ customers, the robustness of its software ecosystem and breadth of its development community put it 5 -10 years ahead of anything else in the market. AMD (AMD) and Amazon (AMZN) AWS ecosystems are a distant #2 and #3.” Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance’s Executive Editor. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email *****@*****.tld. Click here for the latest stock market news and in-depth analysis, including events that move stocks Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Source link #Nvidia #bulls #whispering #big #earnings #report Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

BMO downgrades SolarEdge, says rally is ‘overdone’ as earnings power remains limited BMO downgrades SolarEdge, says rally is ‘overdone’ as earnings power remains limited SolarEdge Technologies’ post-earnings rally is overdone and headwinds for the company have not gone away, according to BMO Capital Markets. Downgrading shares to underperform, analyst Ameet Thakkar said he is now “turning [the] page from short-term liquidity to longer-term earnings power” with his outlook on SolarEdge. He increased his price target by $2 to $15, but that still suggests shares could decline more than 23%. The “narrative now shifts from near-term liquidity risks towards the trajectory of the company’s operating earnings power that we think that has been negatively impacted not only due to current demand (company estimates implied current quarterly demand of $400MM) and pricing but also its cost structure,” Thakkar wrote in a Thursday note to clients, adding that his estimates suggest the “current rally and valuation premium is not sustainable.” SolarEdge’s recent outperformance has been largely driven by short-covering around the company’s fourth-quarter results, which suggested the company has enough liquidity, the analyst noted. SolarEdge’s quarterly financial report released on Wednesday reflected a loss for the ******* but a beat on revenue expectations, as well as positive free cash flow, that led shares to rally about 20% during the session. The stock is now up 44.3% this year, but down more than 76% over the past year. SEDG 1Y mountain SolarEdge stock performance. Looking ahead, Thakkar said that SolarEdge’s core inverter and battery business appears to remain significantly below his firm’s estimates and consensus forecasts. It’s “several quarters away from achieving break-even operating income which in our view will now dominate the narrative from here,” he said. Source link #BMO #downgrades #SolarEdge #rally #overdone #earnings #power #remains #limited Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Oppo Find N5 folding phone: Specs, price, availability Oppo Find N5 folding phone: Specs, price, availability Oppo’s new Find N5 folding smartphone on display at a press briefing in London. Ryan Browne | CNBC ******** smartphone firm Oppo has unveiled its new flagship folding phone Thursday, touting a slimmer body and artificial intelligence-focused features in a bid to compete with high-end foldable devices from the likes of Samsung and Huawei. The company’s Find N5 phone that can fold in half, will retail at a starting price of 2,499 Singapore dollars ($1,867.70). When it’s folded shut, the Find N5 looks like a normal bar-shaped phone with a 6.62-inch display. The device can then be folded outward to show a larger, 8.12-inch tablet. Most notably, the phone has an ultra-thin design. When closed, it measures 8.93 millimeters thick, while when opened out in tablet form, the Find N5 has a depth of 4.21 millimeters. That’s slimmer than Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 6, which the South Korean tech giant released last year. Inside the device is a razer-thin 5,600 milliampere-hour (mAh) battery that’s no ******* than a credit card. Oppo said the battery incorporates a silicon-carbon material, which enables high battery capacity despite its small size. Oppo is hoping it can win business from the likes of Samsung and ******** tech giant Huawei, both major smartphone players seeking to shake the market out of an innovation slowdown with flashy new models that can bend. AI assistant features Like many other smartphone makers, Oppo is investing more into artificial intelligence-focused features on the device. The Oppo Find N5 has a triple-camera setup that includes a telephoto lens that can zoom in up to 30x thanks to assistance from an AI-powered image enhancement feature, dubbed AI Telescope Zoom. It also comes with a personal AI assistant that can interpret and summarize documents, generate summaries of phone calls and translate video calls and other content displayed on the screen. Addressing concerns around privacy, Oppo said that some data is processed directly on the device while other information is stored in the cloud. In international markets, Oppo is using Google as its AI and cloud computing technology partner. An Oppo spokesman told CNBC the company “strictly abides by local laws, regulations and privacy security protection requirements.” Samsung recently launched additional AI capabilities on its new flagship Galaxy S25 series, including the ability to carry out tasks across multiple apps when prompted and integration of Google’s Gemini AI assistant. Controlling a Mac with an Android phone Oppo also talked up a new feature that enables users to connect their phone to a Mac computer. Using an app called O+ Connect, users can link the Find N5 to any Mac desktop machine and instantly transfer photos and other files between devices — so long as they’re connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Users can also choose to remotely control a Mac from the Find N5. The Mac’s display can shut off and then reappear on the Find N5’s screen. The remote control feature only requires mobile internet or Wi-Fi to sync up a Mac device’s data with the Find N5 in real-time. The feature uses public macOS application programming interfaces, which enable two different apps to communicate with each other. Oppo said O+ Connect “fully complies with macOS platform and software regulations.” Ben Wood, chief analyst at market research firm CCS Insight, told CNBC the Find N5 “shows the art of the possible when engineering a product with flexible display technology.” Wood added that, while Huawei’s triple-screened Mate XT led to some fanfare, “commercially I think the smart money is still on the book-like form factor already offered by Samsung, Honor, Google and now Oppo.” Samsung teased a trifold smartphone prototype at its January Unpacked event for the launch of the Galaxy S25. It’s not clear yet if the phone is a product Samsung will launch commercially anytime soon. Source link #Oppo #Find #folding #phone #Specs #price #availability Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

“The writing for this game was unreal”: Despite Being 22 Years Older, Max Payne’s Writing Continues to Outshine Dragon Age: The Veilguard “The writing for this game was unreal”: Despite Being 22 Years Older, Max Payne’s Writing Continues to Outshine Dragon Age: The Veilguard Despite being Remedy Entertainment’s second game, Max Payne is an immensely ambitious action game that combines mature storytelling with themes from John Woo films to produce a timeless masterpiece. Similar to bullet-time in The Matrix films, the slowdown function in this third-person action game is available to the game’s protagonist, a former NYPD investigator. Max Payne was released in 2001. | Credit: Remedy Entertainment. Like Neo, Max can make slow-motion leaps while holding his reliable weapons in both hands to eliminate opponents in front of him. It’s been over two decades since this game’s release, but the immaculate writing of the game even beats the monologues of recently released titles like Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Max Payne‘s writing is a timeless classic That “Noooo!” still haunts many Max Payne fans. | Credit: Remedy Entertainment. Max Payne was released in 2001and quite naturally graphics was not a big deal at that time. Hence, developers had to heavily rely on the title’s gameplay and writing. We are all aware of how fantastic Max Payne was as far as its gameplay was concerned. But we often forget the game featured one of the best dialogues the video game world has ever seen. Needless to say, the creative director at Remedy Entertainment, Sam Lake, did it all on his own – writing the stories and dialogues, becoming the face of Mr. Payne, and even voicing him as well. Max Payne offers a unique action experience that skillfully combines gameplay and story with its captivating narrative and immersive atmosphere. Crime, treachery, and loss are all interwoven into the game’s plot, which takes place in a gloomy, noir-inspired setting. Comment byu/Rodeo4613 from discussion inpcmasterrace The game’s gloomy atmosphere is further enhanced by a few scathing monologues made by the main character himself, thanks to Lake. Each and every line of Payne’s dialogue used to inflict sheer pain, which added to the noir aesthetic of the game. For example, at the very beginning of the game, Payne stated, “But dreams have a ****** habit of going bad when you’re not looking.” This was his depiction of dreams as it was shattered completely after the ******* of his child and wife. Another fascinating aspect of the game is its story is told through stunning comic book pages narrated by Payne himself, and with his deep dialogues in his gravelly voice, everything felt more mesmerizing. With games like Dragon Age: The Veilguard being ostracized for having mediocre dialogue and an underwhelming narrative, it’s high time for players to experience the intricacies of gems like Max Payne. Is Max Payne worth playing in 2025? Max Payne well and truly stands out, even today. | Credit: Remedy Entertainment. These slick comic book cutscenes still hold up and captivate players, despite the fact that the story may seem a little too simple and cliched in comparison to the complex video game narratives of today. A timeless presentation is produced by combining comic panels with outstanding voice acting and a powerful soundtrack. For a game that is only 20 years old, it is genuinely amazing. Fortunately, gameplay maintains an elegant presentation. There are firefights inside squalid New York sewers, warehouses, and apartments in this third-person shooter game. Despite not having the standard accessories of contemporary shooters, like a cover system, shooting feels fluid and fast-paced. It hasn’t gotten old in twenty years to use bullet time to dive headfirst into enemy fire and to pepper enemies with dual berettas just before they ****** to the ground. The current push for shooters to offer greater mobility options during combat is well-suited to this movement system. Since short and sweet third-person shooters like this aren’t as popular these days, playing Max Payne again is novel and refreshing. Remedy is also gearing up for a Max Payne 1 & 3 Remake, but the OG one will forever be something different. Source link #writing #game #unreal #Years #Older #Max #Paynes #Writing #Continues #Outshine #Dragon #Age #Veilguard Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

JWST Identifies Cooling Gas in Phoenix Cluster, Unlocking Star Formation Process JWST Identifies Cooling Gas in Phoenix Cluster, Unlocking Star Formation Process Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed missing cooling gas in the Phoenix Cluster, a galaxy cluster located 5.8 billion light-years away. The discovery provides insights into how stars form despite the presence of a supermassive ****** hole at its core. Researchers have confirmed that the cluster contains the largest known reservoir of hot gas cooling at different rates. JWST’s Role in Identifying the Missing Cooling Gas According to a study published in Nature, data from JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) has allowed researchers to locate gas cooling at 540,000 degrees Fahrenheit (300,000 degrees Celsius). This gas was found trapped in cavities within the cluster, an area previously unobservable. Michael McDonald, an astrophysicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and principal investigator of the study, told Space.com that earlier studies failed to detect this gas because only the extreme temperature ends of the spectrum were measurable. Supermassive ****** Hole and Star Formation in Phoenix Cluster Despite a central ****** hole over 10 billion times the mass of the Sun, the Phoenix Cluster continues forming stars at an unprecedented rate. The discovery of trapped cooling gas helps explain this paradox. The findings challenge previous assumptions about galaxy cluster cooling processes and suggest that similar techniques could be used to study other clusters. The researchers aim to apply these methods to further understand cooling mechanisms in space. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Exoplanet WASP-121 b’s Atmosphere Features Iron Rains, Jet Streams, and More Huawei Band 10 With SpO2 Sensor, 100 Workout Modes, Up to 14 Days Battery Life Launched Source link #JWST #Identifies #Cooling #Gas #Phoenix #Cluster #Unlocking #Star #Formation #Process Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Passengers on crashed Toronto plane offered $30,000 each Passengers on crashed Toronto plane offered $30,000 each Watch: Toronto plane ****** analysed by aviation experts Delta Air Lines is offering US$30,000 (£23,792) to each person on board a plane that ******-landed in Toronto on Monday – all of whom survived. As it landed in the ********* city, the plane skidded along the runway in flames before flipping over and coming to a halt upside down. Passengers described their amazement as most of them walked away without injuries. It remains unclear what caused the incident, which is under investigation. There were 76 passengers and four crew on the flight, which had travelled from the US city of Minneapolis before making its ******-landing in Canada. A spokesperson for Delta said the money offer had no strings attached and did not affect customers’ rights. The plane crew and emergency responders were praised for their quick work in removing people from the wrecked vehicle. The plane’s various safety features have also been credited for ensuring no loss of life. All but one of the 21 passengers who were taken to hospital had been released by Wednesday morning, the airline said. Delta’s chief told BBC’s US partner CBS News that the flight crew were experienced and trained for any condition. The airline’s head Ed Bastian told CBS the plane crew had “performed heroically, but also as expected”, given that “safety is embedded into our system”. He said Delta was continuing to support those affected. Several theories about what caused the ****** have been suggested to the BBC by experts who reviewed footage, including that harsh winter weather and a rapid rate of descent played a role. One passenger recalled “a very forceful event”, and the sound of “concrete and metal” at the moment of impact. Another said passengers were left hanging upside down in their seats “like bats”. Watch: Passenger films his escape from upside down crashed plane The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered from the wreckage. The investigation is being led by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB), supported by US officials. The accident was the fourth major air incident in North America in a space of three weeks – and was followed on Wednesday by a ****** in Arizona in which two people lost their lives when their small planes collided. Experts continue to insist that air travel is overwhelmingly safe – more so than other forms of transport, in fact. That message was emphasised by US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who told CBS on Wednesday there was no pattern behind the incidents, each of which he said was “very unique”. Source link #Passengers #crashed #Toronto #plane #offered Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Two dead after a knife attack in Czech shopping centre Two dead after a knife attack in Czech shopping centre Two women have been killed following a knife attack at a shopping centre in the Czech city of Hradec Kralove. Police say they detained a suspect who stabbed the two women in a store in the city, some 100km east of Prague. A 16-year-old Czech citizen was detained by police about 1km from the scene, shortly after Thursday’s attack. A knife was found nearby. Police said in a post on X: “Although we were on the scene within a few minutes of the report, both victims suffered injuries so serious that they could not be saved despite all efforts of responders.” According to Czech News Agency (CTK), Thursday’s attack occurred in a shopping area on Akademik Bedrna Street. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala offered his condolences to the relatives of the dead. “What has happened in Hradec Kralove today is an absolutely incomprehensible and horrible act,” he posted on X. The motive for the attack was not immediately known. Police say the situation was under control and there was no danger to the public. with Reuters Source link #dead #knife #attack #Czech #shopping #centre Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump reveals he has removed the Resolute Desk used by Biden and Obama from the Oval Office Trump reveals he has removed the Resolute Desk used by Biden and Obama from the Oval Office Donald Trump has temporarily removed the iconic Resolute Desk used by his Democratic predecessors Joe Biden and Barack Obama from the Oval Office and replaced with the C&O desk. Crafted from the once-abandoned British arctic exploration ship the HMS Resolute and gifted to President Rutherford Haye by Queen Victoria in 1880, the Resolute Desk has been used by almost every U.S. leader in West Wing. The Resolute Desk marks one of six – along with the C&O, Theodor Roosevelt, Hoover, Johnson, and Wilson – that have been placed in the Oval Office since the room’s construction in 1909 as a symbol of one’s presidency, along with providing a practical workspace. Now, Trump has revealed that the Resolute Desk needs to be refurbished, and has instead opted to bring in a “beautiful,” albeit “temporary,” replacement. “A President, after election, gets a choice of 1 in 7 desks,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday, appearing to skew his figures. C&O stands for Chesapeake and Ohio Railway as the desk was originally built for the company’s owners. It was donated by the GSX corporation, a mass rail transit company, to the White House in 1987. Donald Trump, pictyured seated at the Resolute Desk last month, announcded that the Oval Office is due to have a temporary makeover (Getty Images) “This desk, the ‘C&O,’ which is also very well-known and was used by President George H.W. Bush and others, has been temporarily installed in the White House while the Resolute Desk is being lightly refinished—a very important job. This is a beautiful, but temporary replacement!” Since 1977, the Resolute Desk has remained a firm fixture in the Oval Office and used by every president bar Georgie W. H. Bush, who opted for the C&O Desk. Bush Sr is the only president to use the C&O Desk, marking it as the shortest-serving desk to date. Other incumbents, such as Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan used the C&O desk in the West Wing Study. Only three presidents are believed to have not used the Resolute Desk at all in the West Wing: Lydon B Johnson, Richard Nixon and Ford, according to the White House Historical Association. Preident George W. H. Bush meets with Secretary ***** Cheney among others while seated at the C&O desk (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration) The Resolute Desk was first used in the Oval Office by John F Kennedy in 1961. After JFK’s assassination in 1963, which saw Johnson ascend to the Oval Office, he selected the Johnson Desk. After being retired, the Resolute Desk was then displayed in the Smithsonian between 1966 and 1977, when Jimmy Carter returned the Resolute Desk to the Oval Office. Most recently, the Resolute Desk was used by Democratic former presidents Biden between 2021 and 2025 and Obama between 2009 and 2017. Trump also used the desk in his first term between 2017 and 2021. The Independent has contacted the White House for more information. Source link #Trump #reveals #removed #Resolute #Desk #Biden #Obama #Oval #Office Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump signs orders curbing funding for migrants, eliminating regulations – Reuters Trump signs orders curbing funding for migrants, eliminating regulations – Reuters Trump signs orders curbing funding for migrants, eliminating regulations ReutersTrump signs executive order ending use of taxpayer money to ‘incentivize or support’ ******** immigration Fox NewsTrump Signs Executive Order Ending Federal Funds for Undocumented Migrants The New York TimesLive updates: Trump to sign order terminating federal benefits for migrants BBC.comTrump signs executive order cutting all taxpayer-funded benefits for ******** immigrants New York Post Source link #Trump #signs #orders #curbing #funding #migrants #eliminating #regulations #Reuters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AI cracks superbug problem in two days that took scientists years AI cracks superbug problem in two days that took scientists years Tom Gerken Technology reporter Getty Images Cases of tuberculosis (pictured) have increased in the *** and worldwide as the disease increases its resistance to antibiotics A complex problem that took microbiologists a decade to get to the bottom of has been solved in just two days by a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool. Professor José R Penadés and his team at Imperial College London had spent years working out and proving why some superbugs are immune to antibiotics. He gave “co-scientist” – a tool made by Google – a short prompt asking it about the core problem he had been investigating and it reached the same conclusion in 48 hours. He told the BBC of his shock when he found what it had done, given his research was not published so could not have been found by the AI system in the public domain. “I was shopping with somebody, I said, ‘please leave me alone for an hour, I need to digest this thing,'” he told the Today programme, on BBC Radio Four. “I wrote an email to Google to say, ‘you have access to my computer, is that right?'”, he added. The tech giant confirmed it had not. The full decade spent by the scientists also includes the time it took to prove the research, which itself was multiple years. But they say, had they had the hypothesis at the start of the project, it would have saved years of work. Prof Penadés’ said the tool had in fact done more than successfully replicating his research. “It’s not just that the top hypothesis they provide was the right one,” he said. “It’s that they provide another four, and all of them made sense. “And for one of them, we never thought about it, and we’re now working on that.” Bugged by superbugs The researchers have been trying trying to find out how some superbugs – dangerous germs that are resistant to antibiotics – get created. Their hypothesis is that the superbugs can form a tail from different viruses which allows them to spread between species. Prof Penadés likened it to the superbugs having “keys” which enabled them to move from home to home, or host species to host species. Critically, this hypothesis was unique to the research team and had not been published anywhere else. Nobody in the team had shared their findings. So Mr Penadés was happy to use this to test Google’s new AI tool. Just two days later, the AI returned a few hypotheses – and its first thought, the top answer provided, suggested superbugs may take tails in exactly the way his research described. ‘This will change science’ The impact of AI is hotly contested. Its advocates say it will enable scientific advances – while others worry it will eliminate jobs. Prof Penadés said he understood why fears about the impact on jobs such as his was the “first reaction” people had but added “when you think about it it’s more that you have an extremely powerful tool.” He said the researchers on the project were convinced that it would prove very useful in the future. “I feel this will change science, definitely,” Mr Penadés said. “I’m in front of something that is spectacular, and I’m very happy to be part of that. “It’s like you have the opportunity to be playing a big match – I feel like I’m finally playing a Champions League match with this thing.” Source link #cracks #superbug #problem #days #scientists #years Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Marvel Rivals Likely to Cash In on X-Men as Leaks Unveil a Map That’s Straight Out Ark’s Dinosaur Infested World Marvel Rivals Likely to Cash In on X-Men as Leaks Unveil a Map That’s Straight Out Ark’s Dinosaur Infested World The excitement surrounding Marvel Rivals’ current season has been palpable, with players thoroughly enjoying the introduction of the Fantastic Four. And the recent mid-season addition of Human Torch and The Thing has added to the hype. However, players are also excited about what’s next. Players are excited for the upcoming seasons. | Image Credit: NetEase Games Many are beginning to wonder which new character or location from the vast Marvel Universe the developers will choose to highlight next. If dataminers are to be believed, it appears the next inspiration may come from the world of the X-Men, as they have discovered hints about a new map. A new area to conquer for Marvel Rivals players The X-Men storyline might be taking over the game. | Image Credit: NetEase Games Recently, dedicated data miners found references to the Savage Lands in game files. These leaks have created a buzz within the gaming community, and fans of both Marvel Rivals and the X-Men are eagerly speculating what to expect from this supposed map. For those unfamiliar, the Savage Lands, first introduced in X-Men comics in 1966, is one of Marvel’s most unique and dangerous locations. Situated in Antarctica, this prehistoric jungle is home to dinosaurs, ancient beasts, and mutant creatures alike. It has been the site of countless battles between the X-Men and various foes, including Magneto, the Skrulls, and many others. It is known for its lush, dangerous terrain, filled with towering trees, winding rivers, and treacherous mountains. Many players are speculating the map might be similar to Ark’s world. (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) Newly found map SAVAGE LAND “LevelPath”: “/Game/Marvel/Maps/Test/SavageLandH01/SavageLandH01”, pic.twitter.com/43JIzrjCt7 — X0XLEAK (@X0X_LEAK) February 19, 2025 Dino/ reptile themed season please — FallingSwitch (@FallingSwitch) February 19, 2025 Me when I add two raptors to each side of this location — Acid (Kosaku) (@Raddkann) February 19, 2025 Oh the x-men are definitely coming in seasonn2 — 𝙈𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙂𝙖𝙮 (@XpectHonesty) February 19, 2025 In terms of gameplay, this new map, if it is the Savage Lands, could bring all of that excitement to life. Given the map’s inspiration, we can expect the map to feature massive trees and rugged terrain, where players might encounter dinosaurs and destroy trees to make a favorable situation. Just imagine a map filled with environmental hazards and wild animals that require new strategies to overcome while also dealing with other players. Players are eager to see how this map will balance exploration, combat, and strategic play. When can we expect the map to arrive? players are looking forward to what’s in store for them in the future. | Image Credit: NetEase Games Given the recent datamines, the Savage Lands map may very well be added to Marvel Rivals in the upcoming season. Currently, the Fantastic Four battling against Dracula, and while it has been exciting, it seems to be reaching its natural conclusion. Once this arc wraps up, it would make perfect sense for the next season to explore the X-Men universe. Even if we may have to wait a little while for the new map to make its official debut, it has already created enough excitement among the players. It seems that similar to how the MCU has slowly begun to incorporate mutants and the X-Men into its larger narrative, Marvel Rivals seems poised to follow suit by diving deep into the rich history of the X-Men in the game. In the end, as the game continues to evolve, the inclusion of the Savage Lands and its unique history promises to be a game-changer for fans and players alike. Source link #Marvel #Rivals #Cash #XMen #Leaks #Unveil #Map #Straight #Arks #Dinosaur #Infested #World Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Asteroid 2024 YR4: Odds of collision with Earth in 2032 have fallen again Asteroid 2024 YR4: Odds of collision with Earth in 2032 have fallen again An artist’s impression of what asteroid 2024 YR4 could look like as it approaches Earth in December 2032 NASA NASA has downgraded the risk of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth in 2032 to 1.5 per cent, or 1-in-67, down from a high of a 1-in-32 chance, which was the highest odds yet of collision. Astronomers discovered that the asteroid was barrelling towards Earth in December and it has been a focus of the world’s telescopes and space agencies ever since. As they gather more data on the asteroid’s precise orbit, astronomers have been able to calculate the likelihood of it hitting Earth with greater precision. The asteroid is thought to be between 40 and 90 metres wide and has the potential to release energy equivalent to 7.7 megatonnes of **** should it hit Earth – enough to destroy a city. According to NASA, the odds of collision in 2032 have been edging up from a 1-in-83 chance since it was first spotted. It has since moved to 1-in-67, to 1-in-53, to 1-in-43, to 1-in-38, to 1-in-32 and now falling back to 1-in-67. The European Space Agency has slightly different odds, currently giving the asteroid a 1.38 per cent chance of collision. These changes reflect our growing understanding of the asteroid’s path, rather than necessarily meaning it is any more or less likely to hit Earth. But we are running out of time to forecast the asteroid’s risk. One issue is that 2024 YR4 will fly behind the sun in April, placing it out of the view of most Earth-based telescopes. That limits how much astronomers can refine their predictions, says Hugh Lewis at the University of Southampton, ***.. “Any observations we can make between now and when it’s out of view will obviously help us to refine the orbit and to make better predictions. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it will go down before April. It could continue to go up, but still ultimately miss us.” Once the asteroid does fly out of view, it is unlikely that we will gain any more information before it comes into view again in 2028. However, astronomers could comb through past data to uncover previously overlooked observations of the asteroid, which would help refine its trajectory. That process is already being undertaken by the world’s space agencies, says Lewis. Crucial information on the asteroid’s size and composition will hopefully be gathered by the James Webb Space Telescope in the coming months, says Lewis. This will help us understand whether the asteroid could make it through Earth’s atmosphere intact and how large an explosion it could cause if it does make impact. “That will help us determine what we need to do about it, because if it’s a stony asteroid, that’s very different from a high proportion of iron-metal asteroid,” says Lewis. An iron-rich asteroid would be worse, as a stony asteroid would potentially break up during impact. “The mass makes a huge difference in terms of the energy and whether or not the atmosphere has an effect on it.” Topics: Source link #Asteroid #YR4 #Odds #collision #Earth #fallen Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Backlash over energy standing charges shake-up Backlash over energy standing charges shake-up Kevin Peachey Cost of living correspondent, BBC News Getty Images Charities and energy providers have criticised plans to change the way standing charges on bills are paid. All households pay the fixed daily charges covering the costs of connecting to a gas and electricity supply. Many billpayers consider them to be unfair as they have no control over how much is charged, prompting the review by the energy regulator Ofgem. But the regulator’s plans to offer a choice of tariffs that shift these fees elsewhere on people’s bills have been described as complicated and misplaced. Billing plans When Ofgem asked for the public’s views on standing charges it received an unprecedented response of 30,000 submissions. The majority were against standing charges – fixed fees, typically totalling more than £300 a year, that are paid irrespective of how much energy households use. Under Ofgem’s price cap, standing charges have risen by 43% since 2019. The regulator said these fees still needed to be paid, but in December announced plans to offer a no standing charge solution. Ofgem’s proposal is to force energy firms to make a dual pricing offer – with, or without, a standing charge. The tariff without a standing charge would have a higher price for each unit of energy. Both would fall under the existing price cap system. Now, as it launches a month-long consultation on its proposals, it has explained the no standing charge option could work by: Increasing the price of each unit of energyCharging in blocks – so customers pay a higher unit rate until a certain amount of energy is used, then a lower price thereafterA block system in which customers pay a lower unit rate until a certain amount of energy is used, and a higher price thereafter The options would give customers “choice and more control” over how they choose to pay for their gas and electricity, according to Charlotte Friel, from Ofgem. “We’re looking closely at how these tariffs will work in practice, but everyone will need to carefully consider which option best suits their needs,” she said. ‘Vulnerable will not benefit’ But a string of charities, and the energy suppliers’ trade body, have criticised the plans as failing to address the basic cost of standing charges and creating a much more complicated picture for billpayers. Concerns about the proposals include: A failure to reduce standing charges to make them more affordable – the plans simply shift them to another part of the billConcern that vulnerable customers will unwittingly make the wrong choice, meaning they will pay more for their gas and electricityNo changes to the postcode lottery element of standing charges, where customers pay different standing charges based on where they live in the countryAdded complexity to the system of billing, when the price cap was supposed to act as a backstop to avoid customers who do not switch tariffs being ripped off “What Ofgem is proposing is more to hide standing charges within the unit rates, even allowing energy firms to charge more for the first units of energy which is completely the opposite from what we actually need,” said Jonathan Bean, from campaign group Fuel Poverty Action. Peter Smith, from charity National Energy Action, said the system would still be unfair and impact on the most vulnerable. “We are particularly worried pre-payment meter customers may be left racking up increasingly unaffordable charges, which will continue to need to be repaid in full before they can turn on the lights or run a warm bath for their children,” he said. Betty says the standing charge is too high Billpayers, charities and suppliers say the proposals also fail to tackle the high cost of energy. Seventy-six-year-old Betty, who attends a knitting group at a community centre in Islington, said: “It’s just too much. You turn off your heating and you’re cold but the standing charge is still there. “When I got my bill recently, it was £300 and we’re just two pensioners. It’s too high. You just worry about it. It’s depressing.” And suppliers’ trade body, Energy ***, agrees that the overall cost should be central to the regulator’s focus. Customers are collectively £3.8bn in debt to suppliers. “Right now we’re in record levels of debt. We’ve got huge concerns about affordability and I don’t think the standing charges proposal and new price cap is the way to tackle those big concerns,” said Dhara Vyas, chief executive of Energy ***. Source link #Backlash #energy #standing #charges #shakeup Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Jack the Ripper and the case of the missing DNA evidence Jack the Ripper and the case of the missing DNA evidence Feedback is New Scientist’s popular sideways look at the latest science and technology news. You can submit items you believe may amuse readers to Feedback by emailing *****@*****.tld Solved! Or not Feedback is as fond of true crime as the next morbidly curious ghoul, so we have occasionally dipped our toes into the never-ending well of speculation about the Whitechapel murders of 1888-91 and the near-mythical Jack the Ripper. Although frankly, we didn’t get much further than Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell, which (spoiler!) ties the killings to the British establishment and the Freemasons, who supposedly arranged the murders to create an evil psychic force that would perpetuate the patriarchy. But the field of “Ripperology” extends far beyond one eccentric graphic novel. So our attention was drawn to recent news stories reporting calls for a fresh inquest – backed by Karen Miller, a distant descendant of Catherine Eddowes, one of the case’s five murdered women. It all hinges on a shawl that supposedly belonged to Eddowes, which was collected by a police officer at the time and kept in his family for over a century. The shawl came up at auction in 2007 and was bought by Ripperologist Russell Edwards. He arranged for the shawl to undergo DNA testing, the results of which were published in 2019. Geneticists Jari Louhelainen and David Miller obtained mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from two people. One had genetic markers in common with Karen Miller, suggesting it came from Eddowes. The other matched a distant relative of Aaron Kosminski, a barber who was a suspect at the time of the killings. For Edwards, this is proof that Kosminski was the ********* – a scenario he has promoted in his book Naming Jack the Ripper. Other Ripperologists are sceptical: social scientist Katie Charlwood points out there is no reliable chain of custody for the shawl, and no evidence the five murders were all committed by the same person. Feedback is in no doubt this story will rumble on forever, but we do want to add something – something not one of the recent news stories picked up on. We looked at the 2019 study and discovered that the editors had added an “expression of concern” in August 2024. It mentions “concerns raised by third parties after publication”, as well as letters to the editor. And then comes the bombshell: “During the investigation, the publisher and Editor-in-Chief made every effort to obtain from the authors the original raw data from the mtDNA analysis. However, the authors stated that the data were no longer available, due to instrument data failure and other complications.” Yes, you read that right – the crucial mtDNA evidence can never be verified, because the authors have lost it. Maybe Moore was right about the evil psychic force after all. The equation for love Here’s a romantic tale. News editor Alexandra Thompson draws our attention to a preprint entitled, “A Formula for Love: Partner merit and appreciation beget actor significance“. The authors argue that romantic love is “a means to the end of feeling significant and worthy”. Feedback isn’t sure about that, but let’s go with it. This leads them to “a multiplicative tri-factor model” that determines “the likelihood of the actor falling in love with the partner”. Specifically: “Love for a partner depends on the actor’s perceptions that (1) the partner possesses meritorious characteristics, and (2) that they appreciate the actor and view them as significant. We assume that these two factors multiplicatively combine with the magnitude of actor’s quest for significance to determine the likelihood of the actor becoming enamored with partner.” In other words, the likelihood of you falling for someone is a combination of how good you think they are, how much you think they appreciate you and how much you care about finding meaning in your life. Feedback tried to extrapolate this into dating advice. The frequent suggestion that one should play hard to get seems counterproductive, if the amount of appreciation you show your partner is a predictor of whether they fall for you. Instead, it seems like a good idea to seek out a partner who is engaged in a desperate quest for significance in life, because they are more prone to falling in love. However, this might have its own downsides, not least the distinct possibility that such a partner might join a cult. Good luck out there, folks. Biting the hand that bit Via news editor Jacob Aron and the Financial Times, Feedback learns that AI company Anthropic doesn’t want potential employees to use AI when writing job applications. Their job ads say: “While we encourage people to use AI systems during their role… we also want to evaluate your non-AI-assisted communication skills.” But why, Anthropic? Could it be that the AI letters are full of guff that is unbearably tedious to sift through? By curious coincidence, Feedback learned of this just days after news broke that ******** AI firm DeepSeek has outperformed US tech giants. OpenAI promptly complained, saying it was “reviewing indications that DeepSeek may have inappropriately distilled our models” – that is, engaged in copyright theft. To sum up, these AI companies don’t like being bombarded with AI-written slop and they don’t like it if their work is used to train an AI without permission. As a writer whose work has almost certainly been scraped by AI companies, and who has not seen a penny in return, Feedback can only say: “Bwahahaha, sucks to be you.” Got a story for Feedback? You can send stories to Feedback by email at *****@*****.tld. Please include your home address. This week’s and past Feedbacks can be seen on our website. Source link #Jack #Ripper #case #missing #DNA #evidence Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AMD’s powerful Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D CPUs rumored to arrive on March 12 – but gamers will still be better off with the 9800X3D AMD’s powerful Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D CPUs rumored to arrive on March 12 – but gamers will still be better off with the 9800X3D Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D are purportedly arriving on March 12 Reviews are apparently going to be published the day before We’re still waiting for a key detail here, and that’s the asking prices of these high-end X3D chips AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D processors are rumored to be hitting the shelves on March 12. VideoCardz claims that its sources indicate that this is the on-***** date for the next 3D V-Cache processors for this current Zen 5 generation. On top of that, a regular leaker on Weibo, Golden Pig Upgrade, reckons that the review embargoes on these two Ryzen 9 X3D chips will be lifted on March 11. That fits with the scenario outlined, as typically reviews will be aired the day before the hardware goes on ***** (but not always, mind). There’s been a fair old gap (and a lot of rumor-mongering) between the announcement of the 9950X3D and 9900X3D at CES 2025, and the (purported) release of the chips. Rumors circulating late on last year suggested we might get these CPUs towards the end of January 2025, but that obviously didn’t happen. These two Ryzen 9 spins on 3D V-Cache follow the existing Ryzen 7 9800X3D which was released last November and is an 8-core powerhouse processor for gaming. Analysis: Will the Ryzen 9950X3D be worth it? (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler) The Ryzen 9950X3D is the 16-core flagship for AMD’s 3D V-Cache chips, which are configured with a special kind of cache that’s particularly beneficial when it comes to PC gaming. The 9900X3D is its lesser 12-core sibling, and don’t expect these processors to come cheap – they most certainly won’t. Pricing was bumped up slightly for the 9800X3D, compared to the MSRP of the 7800X3D before it, and rumor has it that the 9950X3D might tip the scales at $699 in the US (around £550 / AU$1100), with the 9900X3D possibly launching at $599. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Also, if you’re thinking that the Ryzen 9950X3D will be some kind of total gaming champ, well don’t be led astray by that notion. As AMD has already told us, we can expect this flagship to be roughly equivalent to the Ryzen 9800X3D in gaming, with a bit of give and take – the 9950X3D may be slightly faster for certain games, and the 9800X3D could win out narrowly in others. Expect roughly the same experience with PC gaming, essentially. Why pay a good deal more for the 9950X3D, then? Because it’s going to be a lot peppier for other tasks away from gaming, so if you use your PC for more serious workloads – and still want a great gaming chip – then this is the CPU to spring for. If it’s mainly gaming that you’re into, stick with the Ryzen 9800X3D, although this is a popular processor that still remains tricky to buy at its MSRP. Indeed, the price some third-party resellers are currently asking for the 9800X3D is not far off the rumored asking price of the 9900X3D. (And it’s all Intel’s fault, according to AMD). You might also like Source link #AMDs #powerful #Ryzen #9950X3D #9900X3D #CPUs #rumored #arrive #March #gamers #9800X3D Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Tripadvisor, Inc. Earnings Press Release Available on Company’s Investor Relations Site Tripadvisor, Inc. Earnings Press Release Available on Company’s Investor Relations Site NEEDHAM, Mass., Feb. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Tripadvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) issued its fourth quarter and full year 2024 earnings press release which is available now at ir.tripadvisor.com. This release is also available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. As announced previously, the company will host a conference call this morning, Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss the results. The live webcast and replay will be available to the public at ir.tripadvisor.com/events-and-presentations. Replays of the webcast will be accessible for at least three months following the conference call. About Tripadvisor, Inc. The Tripadvisor Group operates as a family of brands that connects people to experiences worth sharing, and aims to be the world’s most trusted source for travel and experiences. We leverage our brands, technology, and capabilities to connect our global audience with partners through rich content, travel guidance, and two-sided marketplaces for experiences, accommodations, restaurants, and other travel categories. The subsidiaries of Tripadvisor, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIP), own and operate a portfolio of travel media brands and businesses, including Tripadvisor, Viator, and TheFork. TRIP-G View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Tripadvisor Investor relations contact: *****@*****.tld; Media contact: *****@*****.tld Source link #Tripadvisor #Earnings #Press #Release #Companys #Investor #Relations #Site Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

The Best Pipeline Stock to Invest $2,000 in Right Now The Best Pipeline Stock to Invest $2,000 in Right Now Pipeline master limited partnerships (MLPs) have been on a solid run recently. The Alerian MLP Infrastructure Index, which tracks the sector, generated a total return of 26.7% in 2024 and is up nearly 10% year to date as of this writing. The MLP pipeline sector is drawing investor interest due to the stocks’ strong distribution payments, robust yields, historically low valuations, and increasing growth opportunities stemming from growing natural gas demand. However, one of my favorite stocks in the sector is Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET). Let’s look at why I think Energy Transfer is a solid investment option for investors looking to dip their toe into the sector with an investment of a couple thousand dollars. Energy Transfer owns one the largest integrated midstream systems in the country, with which it transports, stores, and processes various hydrocarbons. The company is very well situated in the Permian Basin in Western Texas, an oil basin that has some of the best drilling economics in the U.S. This area also has some of the cheapest associated natural gas in the country due to a lack of natural gas takeaway in the region. With growing energy needs stemming from artificial intelligence (AI) and natural gas exports, Energy Transfer is well-positioned given its access to cheap natural gas. Prices at the Waha hub near the Permian typically trade at a discount and even fell into negative territory at points last year. To take advantage of the growing opportunities it is seeing, Energy Transfer plans to significantly boost its growth capital expenditure (capex) this year, taking it to $5 billion in 2025 from $3 billion last year. Much of this spending will be directed toward projects in and around the Permian, including its new Hugh Brinson Pipeline, which will take residue natural gas away from the Permian to support increasing demand from power companies and data centers in Texas. Energy Transfer recently signed its first agreement to directly provide natural gas to data center developer CloudBurst in Central Texas, while it says it has had requests to connect to about 70 data centers in 12 states. It’s also seeing strong inbound inquiries from power plants, including more than 60 plants it doesn’t currently serve in 13 states and 15 plants it does. Energy Transfer is projecting mid-teens returns on its growth projects. Given that most of these projects won’t be complete until later 2025 or 2026, the increased capex should have a larger impact on the growth of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) in 2026 and 2027. Story Continues Image source: Getty Images. While Energy Transfer is set to ramp up growth, the company also has a robust and attractively growing distribution. Last quarter, it increased its distribution by 3.2% year over year to $0.325, good for a forward yield of about 6.5%. It is looking to grow its distribution by 3% to 5% per year from now on. The distribution is well covered by its distributable cash flow (DCF), which is operating cash flow minus maintenance capex. On that basis, it had a 1.8 distribution coverage ratio last quarter, generating $1.98 billion in DCF and paying out $1.12 billion in distributions. For the year, it produced DCF of $8.36 billion and paid out $4.39 billion in distributions. That allowed its cash flow to easily pay for its $3 billion growth capex. With the jump in growth capex to $5 billion in 2025, Energy Transfer should be able to pay out around $4.5 billion in distributions (assuming a 3% increase) and have it covered by its growing DCF. However, it will be very tight. That said, the company has really improved its balance sheet and leverage over the past few years, so it is in good shape to pursue these additional opportunities. Despite its strong performance and burgeoning growth opportunities, Energy Transfer continues to trade at both a relative and a historical discount. The most common way to value MLPs is on the basis of enterprise value (EV) to EBITDA, as this metric takes into account the net debt to build infrastructure and removes noncash costs such as depreciation to help capture the true current economics of an MLP’s assets. Enterprise trades at an EV/EBITDA multiple of 8.5 based on 2025 analyst estimates, which is toward the low end of valuations in the group. CQP EV to EBITDA (Forward) data by YCharts ET EV to EBITDA data by YCharts It’s also well below where the stock traded before the pandemic, when it often had an EV/EBITDA multiple above 15. Meanwhile, the midstream MLP group as a whole traded at an average EV/EBITDA multiple of 13.7 between 2011 and 2016. Overall, Energy Transfer is an inexpensive stock with an attractive yield that is seeing a lot of growth opportunities. This makes it a good stock for investors looking to start making an investment in the sector, as it offers solid distribution income and price appreciation potential. Before you buy stock in Energy Transfer, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Energy Transfer wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $854,317!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 952% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 178% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list. Learn more » *Stock Advisor returns as of February 7, 2025 Geoffrey Seiler has positions in Energy Transfer, Enterprise Products Partners, and Western Midstream Partners. The Motley Fool recommends Enterprise Products Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The Best Pipeline Stock to Invest $2,000 in Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool Source link #Pipeline #Stock #Invest Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Oppo Find N5 is an impressive, very thin foldable with a giant battery The Oppo Find N5 is an impressive, very thin foldable with a giant battery Oppo is back with a new foldable, and the Find N5 is a technically impressive balance of thinness and power. Skipping over the whole unlucky number four thing (this is technically the fourth iteration of the Find foldable), the company claims its latest book-style foldable is the world’s thinnest at 8.92mm. That’s not a lot thicker than a typical flagship phone. Despite that, the Find N5 has a 6.62-inch outer display and an 8.12-inch inner screen which, Oppo says, features multiple durability improvements, flanked by a new titanium hinge. For the sake of clarity: While you may not have bought, used or even seen an Oppo phone, this company is under the same corporate owner as OnePlus. Last year’s Find N3 foldable ended up in the US as the OnePlus Open, so you may see the Find N5 similarly rebadged. If that’s the case, and this is eventually the Open 2, you won’t see it this year. OnePlus announced that its follow-up foldable will not land until 2025. At an early briefing, my first impression of the Find N5 was that it was a very thin, premium foldable. Unfolded, one side is just 4.21mm — thinner than a headphone jack. (That’s a great excuse for the lack of one.) It’s so slender that Oppo had to reinforce and beef up the edges of the Find N5’s USB-C port, which has only a razor-thin border around it. The ring camera array — which still looks a bit much — has also been shaved down 20 percent. Mat Smith for Engadget In addition to that thinner profile, which seems to be the 2025 trend for phones, the Find N5 weighs just 229 grams (8.07 ounces). That’s only two more grams than the single-screen iPhone 16 Pro Max and 10 grams less than the N5’s main rival — the Galaxy Z Fold 6. It’s even more impressive when you consider that the Find N5 has a ******* internal screen than all the other foldables. In fact, using its external screen when closed it feels like any other non-foldable phone, due to its sharp profile and light weight. A 6.62-inch screen is larger than most phones I use regularly, so browsing and watching things before I’ve even unfolded the N5 feels like a treat. Despite its thickness (or lack thereof), Oppo has ensured it is suitably powerful, with a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and a 5,600mAh battery. (For comparison, Samsung’s latest Galaxy Fold has a 4,400mAh cell.) Unlike the OnePlus Open, the Find N5 is compatible with wireless chargers and if you have Oppo’s own wireless fast charger, it tops out at 50W AIRVOOC. Using the included fast charger, you get an impressive and swift 80W wired charging speed. I could completely recharge the Find N5 in less than an hour. However, like many other recent Android phones, this device is not Qi2-ready. Oppo argued that its proprietary wireless charging tech is faster, and added that a magnetic case will be on ***** when the device launches. (Oppo does include a non-magnetic case to cover the device’s rear with the phone.) With its Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the Find N5 is the first foldable to pack Qualcomm’s most powerful mobile chip, with substantial power efficiency gains alongside performance boosts compared to older Snapdragon 8 silicon. We’ve been amazed by battery life improvements on Samsung and OnePlus devices with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and Oppo continues that trend. Combined with that massive battery, this foldable typically lasted almost two days in my testing before needing to charge. One of the biggest challenges to foldables is durability, and to address this, Oppo has upgraded the Find N5’s hinge and screen toughness. The hinge is now made from titanium alloy, 3D-printed to maintain the material strength while shrinking the hinge’s size by 26 percent. At a press briefing in London, the company decided to showcase the hinge strength by suspending a 44-pound kettlebell from its new foldable, which spanned two tables. I’m not sure this translates to real-world toughness, but it was an impressive spectacle. Next time, put your newest thousand-dollar-plus device somewhere near a three-year-old — let’s see how tough it really is. Mat Smith for Engadget Oppo says the smaller external screen is made of nanocrystal glass, which includes an outer layer of ceramic to improve scratch and drop resistance. The company also says the inner screen has been strengthened with a new anti-shock film that can absorb impact, improving shock resistance by 70 percent. The Find N5 also comes with a literal list of water resistances: IPX6 (resistant to powerful water jets), IPX8 (resistant to being submersed in water deeper than 1 meter) and IPX9 (resistant to powerful, high-temperature water jets). If you think at least one of those must be redundant, I agree. The Find N5 is the first foldable to claim all that protection. However, there’s no dust-resistance rating, which might concern existing foldable users who have been grappling with that lil’ bit of dust lodged in their years-old smartphone screen. Camera improvements are focused on the periscope telephoto shooter, which is upgraded to 50MP sensor from the 32MP one found on the Find N3. The Find N5 can now punch into 3X optical zoom, up from 2X on its predecessor. There’s a lossless 6X zoom that taps into AI to sharpen detail, but as usual, your mileage may vary here. I find the lossless options on most phones often a little too smooth (and turn most zoomed-in faces into nightmares), but at least it’s an option. The periscope telephoto camera can also utilize a macro mode, meaning you can zoom in closer and still maintain crisp focus and detail. Macro photography with a typical smartphone doesn’t always work. Your phone will cast a shadow on your subject, or perhaps you can’t get your camera close enough. On the Find N5, a four-inch focal distance makes this less of an issue, and early images are promising. It’s not the first time we’ve seen the feature (both the Huawei P60 Pro and vivo X100 Ultra have telephoto macros) but it’s rare in most devices that make it to the west. We usually have to make do with a macro mode on the ultrawide camera, and hope for the best. Mat Smith for Engadget The camera has many familiar features, too: portrait mode (with some Hasselblad assistance) and Lightning Snap burst shooting. The latter is augmented by Oppo’s take on AI unblurring and sharpening. Fold in an AI eraser and reflection remover and it goes toe-to-toe with recent Samsung and Google flagships. Multitasking is similar to the OnePlus Open, with some improvements. Oppo’s version is called Boundless View, with several features now accessible from a triple-dot icon, where you can shift second and even third apps into shrinkable windows. By tapping the top bar above one app, you can automatically widen it, but leave a sliver of the other app in view, making it easier to switch between them. One smart touch is that the Find N5 will gauge your multitasking, offering a prompt when switching between two apps to use them in split screen mode. As someone who doesn’t use book-style foldables, I find it a nice reminder of the utility of this form factor. Another software addition is the O+ app, where you can manage files on your phone and even sling them across to your Mac. At the briefing, an Oppo exec showed how easy it was to transfer a photo across devices, which was pretty unremarkable. (Think of all the cloud options we have in 2025) Mat Smith for Engadget But it was the Remote Mac Control that surprised me. With the Find N5 propped up and half-folded, the Oppo spokesperson used the onscreen trackpad and keyboard to interact with their Mac. This feature works with both Intel and Apple Silicon-based Macs, so I was able to test it out with my aging Intel MacBook Pro. Does anyone remember and pine for that VAIO laptop that could slip into your jeans pocket? No? Just me? Just me. Anyway, it felt like using that. You’re not going to work daily from it, but if there are files, or certain simple tasks you need to accomplish in Photoshop or other PC programs, it’s functional and impressive. It’s not quite as effortless or seamless as Apple’s own Continuity feature, since you have to install apps on the Find N6 and your Mac. Oppo promises a future update allowing you to transfer files to your Mac from Find N5’s native Files app without dabbling in Remote Mac Control. Wrap-up Mat Smith for Engadget With the Find N5, Oppo went to town on hardware. It feels and looks more premium than the company’s previous foldables but with substantial spec bumps at a time when many smartphones seem a little iterative. (Yes, Samsung, you.) The intriguing part is, if the OnePlus Open 2 isn’t happening in 2025, will this device make it to the US at all? And if it does appear next year, will all these upgrades be as impressive? The Find N5 launches globally today, with Oppo set to announce pricing just as this embargo breaks. You’ll be able to order directly from the company’s website – if you’re in the right country. Source link #Oppo #Find #impressive #thin #foldable #giant #battery Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

WOH G64: Gigantic star has gone through a rapid transformation and may explode WOH G64: Gigantic star has gone through a rapid transformation and may explode An artist’s impression of the star WOH G64 ESO/L. Calçada One of the largest stars in the known universe is undergoing a strangely rapid transformation and may soon explode as a supernova. First catalogued in 1981, WOH G64 sits some 160,000 light years from Earth in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. It is one of the biggest red supergiants, the largest stars we know of. These are massive, cool stars that have run out of hydrogen fuel in their core and instead burn an envelope of hydrogen gas that surrounds them.… Source link #WOH #G64 #Gigantic #star #rapid #transformation #explode Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]