Pelican Press

Body found in boot in Ilford after concerns for Corby woman Body found in boot in Ilford after concerns for Corby woman A ******* investigation has been launched after a woman’s body was found inside the boot of a vehicle. Northamptonshire Police was contacted regarding a ******** concern for a woman in Corby, Northamptonshire, which led to the discovery of a body in Ilford, east London. The ****** is being treated as suspicious and police activity will continue over the weekend in various locations, including Corby and Ilford, officers said. Supt Steve Freeman, from the force, said it was a targeted incident and there was no wider risk to members of the public. Northamptonshire Police was contacted on 13 November by a member of the public regarding a concern for the ******** of a woman. Further inquiries led to the discovery of the body. Supt Freeman said: “Detectives from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit Major ****** Team and the Metropolitan Police have been working at pace to establish the circumstances that led to the woman’s ******. “Although we believe that this was a targeted incident and there is no wider risk to members of the public, extra patrols will be taking place in Corby in the coming days for reassurance purposes.” Police have asked anyone who may have information to contact them. Source link #Body #boot #Ilford #concerns #Corby #woman Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The best outdoor gear for the fall The best outdoor gear for the fall While it’s nice to have the versatility of a multi-fuel pizza oven, there’s no denying that a gas-powered setup is easier to use. It allows you to quickly adjust the heat while also being able to focus on making pizza, instead of also having to manage a *****. Solo Stove’s pizza ovens, including the Pi Prime, have a circular, “panoramic” opening that makes launching and rotating pies a simpler task than it is on other models. Plus, the whole thing is built out of stainless steel like the company’s ***** pits, so it’s made to last. And like most outdoor pizza ovens, the Pi Prime is ready to cook in 15 minutes and bakes pies in as little as 90 seconds. Source link #outdoor #gear #fall Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Bagnaia wins Barcelona sprint, takes title race to wire Bagnaia wins Barcelona sprint, takes title race to wire Francesco Bagnaia has extended the MotoGP title race into the final day of the season as the reigning champion won the sprint at the Solidarity Grand Prix while championship leader Jorge Martin finished third. Martin held a 24-point lead going into the final grand prix but his advantage was cut to 19 points ahead of Sunday’s race, where polesitter Bagnaia can still clinch a third straight MotoGP riders championship. Martin had given Ducati’s Bagnaia chase for several laps in Saturday’s sprint but Ducati’s Enea Bastianini made a clean overtake on the final lap which forced the Pramac Racing rider to settle for third. The championship will now be decided in the final race for a third consecutive season. “Job done for today, but for tomorrow we need to repeat what we did. I think that doing more than this is impossible,” Bagnaia said. “Jorge again did a fantastic job, so it’s fantastic that it’s like this. But let’s see tomorrow. For today, I’m very happy.” Bagnaia’s teammate Bastianini had a scorching start off the line and the Ducati rider, who started eighth on the grid, took the lead going into turn one while Bagnaia and Martin slotted in behind him. But Bagnaia and Martin went past Bastianini and the battle for the title heated up with 10 laps to go, with Martin knowing a sprint victory would give him the MotoGP crown. Bagnaia needed help to retain his advantage and Bastianini duly obliged when he overtook Martin to move up to second to give the Spaniard a headache, slowing him down to allow the reigning champion to surge ahead. Martin, though, soon found a way past but the damage was done as Bagnaia had some breathing room with eight laps to go. Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro finished fourth in the final sprint of his career at his home grand prix before retirement and he celebrated by hopping onto his old 125cc bike for a lap around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Marc Marquez had started third on the grid but contact with Pedro Acosta, which led to severe damage on the Red Bull GasGas Tech3, on the opening lap saw the Gresini Racing rider lose several positions and he eventually finished seventh. *********** Jack Miller could only finish 19th on his Red Bull KTM. The final race is being held in Barcelona, which already hosted a grand prix in May, after catastrophic floods in Valencia forced organisers to move the season finale. Source link #Bagnaia #wins #Barcelona #sprint #takes #title #race #wire Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Biggest Video Game Releases of December 2024 The Biggest Video Game Releases of December 2024 It’s been a big year for video games, with countless hits, such as The Outlast Trials, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Elden Ring’s first and only expansion, and numerous indie titles that stole the show, but the year isn’t over yet. There’s still one month to go, and it’s often the big one. December is typically filled with a few significant releases to prepare for the holiday season and countless sales to capitalize on Christmas. For now, let’s focus on the games. Here are the biggest video game releases of December 2024! Every Major Video Game Release in December Honestly speaking, this December is a little more lackluster than usual. We don’t have as many high-profile releases to discuss, besides Delta Force, Marvel Rivals, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. While I’m excited to play all three, Caves of Qud steals the month for me, and I’ll probably lose myself to another few playthroughs of that one. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete (iOS / Android) – December 2 Delta Force (PC) – December 4 Caves of Qud (PC) – December 5 Fantasian Neo Dimension (PS4 / PS5) – December 5 Marvel Rivals (PC / PS5 / Xbox Series X|S) – December 6 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (PC / Xbox Series X|S) – December 9 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered (PC / Switch / PS4 / PS5 / Xbox Series X|S) – December 10 Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind (PC / PS4 / PS5 / Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S) – December 10 ****** Tail 2 (PC) – December 11 Alien: Rogue Incursion (PSVR2 / PC VR / Quest 3) – December 19 Related: A Look At The Most Wishlisted Upcoming Steam Games in November A Taste of What’s to Come in January Of course, as you start to get older, you’ll find that the months begin to blend as one moves into the next rapidly. Before you know it, the holidays end, and January and the new year begin, so there will be plenty of new video game releases! Here’s a taste of the upcoming game releases in January 2025: Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana (PS4 / PS5 / Switch) – January 7 Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Switch) – January 16 Tales of Graces f Remastered (PC / PS4 / PS5 / Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S) – January 17 Dynasty Warriors: Origins (PC / PS5 / Xbox Series X|S) – January 17 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (PC) – January 30 ******* Elite: Resistance (PC / PS4 / PS5 / Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S) – January 30 What upcoming games are you most excited about? Let us know in the Insider Gaming community forum! With so many upcoming PC games to explore, now’s an excellent time to scoop up the limited edition white Steam Deck OLED. You deserve it! Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Biggest #Video #Game #Releases #December Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Garbage truck driver finds a working 32-core Threadripper, RTX 2080 Ti gaming PC in the trash — the PC powered on after a good cleaning and a few days to dry Garbage truck driver finds a working 32-core Threadripper, RTX 2080 Ti gaming PC in the trash — the PC powered on after a good cleaning and a few days to dry If there ever was a PC gamer equivalent of the ‘One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure’ story, it doesn’t get any better than what Reddit user ‘Siezo’ had to say in the PC Master Race subreddit. Working as a garbage truck driver, the Redditor found a functioning gaming PC with an AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X, a stack of 32GB DDR4 RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. All it needed was to be rescued, some love, a PSU, a storage drive, and a good cleaning with isopropyl alcohol! The build has an ASUS Prime TRX 40-Pro motherboard, four sticks of Kingston’s HyperX Fury DDR4 DIMMs, a liquid cooler – possibly a Fractal Celsius+ S36 Dynamic, a Be Quiet Straight Power 11 series power supply, and two key components- an Asus ROG Strix 2080 Ti 11G graphics card and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X. All these components were inside a Fractal PC case. As any proper PC enthusiast would do in this situation, he dried up the components, as they were wet because of other garbage piled over them before they were rescued. To be understandably cautious, Siezo made a wise decision to change the power supply to prevent a potential working PC from being destroyed once powered on. The result is a working PC, with an exception being the display on the AIO liquid cooler. Remarkably, even the case fans are working perfectly. AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X was released in 2019, but it is still a capable processor for many purposes. Getting a brand new RTX 2080 Ti would also be tricky, though it fetches a reasonable price in the pre-used market. Regardless, one can’t complain about getting this ‘technically’ for free, and hence, one could say it has been a sweet find. Siezo admits this is a very rare situation where a perfectly good PC was found in the garbage as he mentions 99% of garbage is simply trash. Naturally, one will be curious about the reason for throwing a perfectly working PC- a story we can only speculate on for now. What’s also peculiar is that the PC did not have any storage drives, implying the original user took it out before setting its final destination in the recycle bin. The possibility of someone throwing it out of anger is somewhat minimized as someone took the effort to remove any drives in the system. Once again- we can only speculate. Though it is not every day you find something good in the garbage, Seizo mentions there were times he found people throwing perfectly working items in the garbage, such as a working power drill, ratchet sets, a chainsaw with a bad spark plug, and an unopened Bluetooth keyboard, which he uses on his TV. To make this an even sweeter experience, Seizo mentions he’s been doing it for three and a half years, and this is his first PC. Users should sell their PCs and components they no longer need or donate them to someone who needs them. Throwing anything that’s in good condition simply adds up to trash, which might take years to be recycled. Regardless, it is a happy story about a perfectly good PC finding a new home and someone finding a really good system from a pile of wet trash, and it has a story that goes with it. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Garbage #truck #driver #finds #working #32core #Threadripper #RTX #gaming #trash #powered #good #cleaning #days #dry Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mortgage and refinance rates today, November 16, 2024: Rates skyrocket Mortgage and refinance rates today, November 16, 2024: Rates skyrocket Mortgage rates have spiked today. According to Zillow, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate has increased by 10 basis points to 6.64%, the 15-year fixed rate is up by 10 basis points to 5.98%, and the 5/1 ARM rate has risen by 29 basis points to 7.27%. If you’re in no rush to buy, you may want to wait until the home-buying season starts in 2025. There’s no guarantee that mortgage rates will be lower by then, though — so if you’re itching to buy a house soon, you probably shouldn’t let today’s rates stop you from getting the ball rolling. It’s unlikely rates will plummet anytime soon. This embedded content is not available in your region. Read more: How are mortgage rates determined? It’s complicated. Here are the current mortgage rates, according to the latest Zillow data: 30-year fixed: 6.64% 20-year fixed: 6.54% 15-year fixed: 5.98% 5/1 ARM: 7.27% 7/1 ARM: 7.21% 30-year VA: 5.99% 15-year VA: 5.49% 5/1 VA: 6.25% 30-year FHA: 5.70% 15-year FHA: 5.69% 5/1 FHA: 4.88% Remember, these are the national averages and rounded to the nearest hundredth. Learn more: 5 strategies for getting the lowest mortgage rates These are today’s mortgage refinance rates, according to the latest Zillow data: 30-year fixed: 6.69% 20-year fixed: 6.40% 15-year fixed: 6.03% 5/1 ARM: 7.67% 7/1 ARM: 7.35% 30-year VA: 6.05% 15-year VA: 5.65% 5/1 VA: 5.58% Again, the numbers provided are national averages rounded to the nearest hundredth. Mortgage refinance rates are often higher than rates when you buy a house, although that’s not always the case. This embedded content is not available in your region. Use Yahoo Finance’s free mortgage calculator to see how various interest rates and term lengths will impact your monthly mortgage payment. It also shows how the home price and down payment amount play into things. Our calculator includes homeowners insurance and property taxes in your monthly payment estimate. You even have the option to enter costs for private mortgage insurance (PMI) and homeowners’ association dues if those apply to you. These details result in a more accurate monthly payment estimate than if you simply calculated your mortgage principal and interest. There are two main advantages to a 30-year fixed mortgage: Your payments are lower, and your monthly payments are predictable. A 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has relatively low monthly payments because you’re spreading your repayment out over a longer ******* of time than with, say, a 15-year mortgage. Your payments are predictable because, unlike with an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM), your rate isn’t going to change from year to year. Most years, the only things that might affect your monthly payment are any changes to your homeowners insurance or property taxes. The main disadvantage to 30-year fixed mortgage rates is mortgage interest — both in the short and long term. A 30-year fixed term comes with a higher rate than a shorter fixed term, and it’s higher than the intro rate to a 30-year ARM. The higher your rate, the higher your monthly payment. You’ll also pay much more in interest over the life of your loan due to both the higher rate and the longer term. The ***** and ***** of 15-year fixed mortgage rates are basically swapped from the 30-year rates. Yes, your monthly payments will still be predictable, but another advantage is that shorter terms come with lower interest rates. Not to mention, you’ll pay off your mortgage 15 years sooner. So you’ll save potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest over the course of your loan. However, because you’re paying off the same amount in half the time, your monthly payments will be higher than if you choose a 30-year term. Dig deeper: 15-year vs. 30-year mortgages Adjustable-rate mortgages lock in your rate for a predetermined amount of time, then change it periodically. For example, with a 5/1 ARM, your rate stays the same for the first five years and then goes up or down once per year for the remaining 25 years. The main advantage is that the introductory rate is usually lower than what you’ll get with a 30-year fixed rate, so your monthly payments will be lower. (Current average rates don’t necessarily reflect this, though — in some cases, fixed rates are actually lower. Talk to your lender before deciding between a fixed or adjustable rate.) With an ARM, you have no idea what mortgage rates will be like once the intro-rate ******* ends, so you risk your rate increasing later. This could ultimately end up costing more, and your monthly payments are unpredictable from year to year. But if you plan to move before the intro-rate ******* is over, you could reap the benefits of a low rate without risking a rate increase down the road. Learn more: Adjustable-rate vs. fixed-rate mortgage First of all, now is a relatively good time to buy a house compared to the last couple of years. Mortgage rates are lower than last November, and home prices aren’t spiking like they were during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, if you want or need to buy a house soon, you should feel pretty good about the current climate. On the other hand, rates have been increasing over the last couple of months. If you’re in no rush to buy, you may want to hold out until 2025 in case rates decrease. Just remember that no one has a crystal ball about what mortgage rates will do, so there is no guarantee that rates will plummet in 2025. Also, if rates do go down, you’ll likely face more competition and maybe even higher prices to meet the demand. Read more: Which is more important, your home price or mortgage rate? According to Zillow, the national average 30-year mortgage rate is 6.64% right now. But keep in mind that averages can vary depending on where you live. For example, if you’re buying in a city with a high cost of living, rates could be higher. Mortgage rates aren’t expected to go down in 2024. They might decrease in 2025, but it largely depends on the economy and political policies that arise next year. Overall, mortgage rates have dropped over the last year. However, they have been increasing over the last several weeks. Today, mortgage rates have risen. In many ways, securing a low mortgage refinance rate is similar to when you bought your home. Try to improve your credit score and lower your debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Refinancing into a shorter term will also land you a lower rate, though your monthly mortgage payments will be higher. Source link #Mortgage #refinance #rates #today #November #Rates #skyrocket Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why Disney Dreamlight Valleys Sally Update is a Game-Changer Why Disney Dreamlight Valleys Sally Update is a Game-Changer Disney Dreamlight Valley’s Sew Delightful update won’t just add Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas to the game, but some big new features too. Source link #Disney #Dreamlight #Valleys #Sally #Update #GameChanger Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Three Mile Island nuclear turning point as Big Tech influence grows Three Mile Island nuclear turning point as Big Tech influence grows Cooling towers at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024. Danielle DeVries | CNBC MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — The owner of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant is embarking on an ambitious plan to restart operations before the end of the decade, marking the latest chapter in the history of a plant that symbolizes the future promise, past struggles and lingering fears of nuclear energy in the ******* States. The twin cooling towers that stretch hundreds of feet above the Susquehanna River just south of Middletown, Pennsylvania, went dormant in 2019 after billowing water vapor into the sky for four decades. Its owner at the time, Exelon, permanently shut down the Unit 1 reactor, citing “severe economic challenges.” Unit 1 is one of a dozen reactors that closed in the U.S. over the past decade as nuclear industry struggled to compete against cheap and abundant natural gas. But the fortunes of the industry have shifted dramatically this year as deep-pocketed technology companies turn to nuclear power to meet the tremendous electricity consumption of their future business: artificial intelligence. Constellation Energy, the plant’s current owner, plans to restart Unit 1 in 2028, subject to monitoring and approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Constellation, headquartered in Baltimore, spun off from Exelon in 2022; it has the nation’s largest fleet, or group, of nuclear power plants, operating 21 of the 94 reactors in the U.S. “This is a plant that we ran and ran very well,” plant manager Trevor Orth told the NRC at an Oct. 25 meeting. “We shut it down. We understand how we shut it down, and we have a good idea of how we’re going to restart this.” The main control room of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024. Danielle DeVries | CNBC While Constellation will restore the plant, it will ditch the name Three Mile Island. The plant will be rechristened the Crane Clean Energy Center, after the late CEO of Exelon, Chris Crane. Constellation said the restart will cost $1.6 billion, financed by the company’s own funds. (Take a deeper look inside the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant here.) Microsoft has made the restart of Unit 1 possible through an agreement to purchase the full electricity output from the plant for 20 years, a sign of the growing role the tech sector is playing in shaping the future of the U.S. power industry. Microsoft said the agreement is part of its strategy of meeting the growing electricity needs of its data centers with power that is free of carbon dioxide emissions in an effort to mitigate the impact of its business on the climate. Part of a control panel at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024. Danielle DeVries | CNBC Those data centers are playing a critical role in the U.S. economy, housing servers that run the cloud computing that businesses and consumers now rely on for life’s digital daily tasks. They are also essential for the development of artificial intelligence, technology that is viewed as critical for the nation’s future economic competitiveness and national security. With four years until the planned restart, one of the big uncertainties is whether Constellation can deliver the power to Microsoft on time. Nuclear projects are notoriously plagued by long delays, big cost overruns and cancellations. But Unit 1 is in good condition and Constellation is confident the plant will restart on schedule, said Bryan Hanson, the company’s chief generation officer. Most of the restoration at Unit 1 will be normal maintenance work that Constellation conducts regularly on its fleet of nuclear plants, Hanson said during an Oct. 30 tour of the plant. “Not an ounce of concrete needs to be poured, not one piece of rebar needs to be tied, not one cable needs to be pulled. The infrastructure is here,” the executive said. “The challenge of delays — I don’t see it.” A control panel in the main control room of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024. Danielle DeVries | CNBC Constellation’s decision to restart Three Mile Island follows Holtec International’s decision to restart its Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. Palisades is poised to become the first reactor to restart operations in U.S. history in 2025 after shutting down. Holtec has plans to nearly double the power capacity of the facility in the 2030s by building two small modular reactors, next-generation technology that promises to make nuclear plants less costly and easier to deploy. Amazon and Alphabet’s Google recently announced investments in small modular reactors. While Constellation has not committed to building a small modular reactor at any of its plants yet, Hanson said the company is open to working with the tech sector to build new nuclear reactors in the U.S. “If our customers come to us again, like a Microsoft, and say ‘we want to help you build new nuclear’ — we’ll probably join hands and figure out a way to do that,” Hanson said. Lingering fears Unit 1 is a short walk from the site of the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history. The partial meltdown of the Unit 2 reactor at Three Mile Island in 1979 had a chilling effect on the development of new nuclear plants in the U.S. Unit 2 has not operated since the accident and is being decommissioned by its current owner, Energy Solutions, a private nuclear services company. Unit 1 operated safely and efficiently before it was shut down for economic reasons, said Mike Goff, acting assistant secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy at the Department of Energy. But Pennsylvania state Rep. Thomas Mehaffie said his constituents have mixed feelings about the restart of Unit 1, particularly those who are old enough to remember the accident at Unit 2. Pennsylvania state Rep. Tom Mehaffie speaks in front of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024. Danielle DeVries | CNBC “Of course people who were here during that time frame, who are older — there is concern. There always has been concern,” said Mehaffie, who represents the communities around Three Mile Island at the state legislature in Harrisburg. Mehaffie’s father was a union electrician who helped build the nuclear plants. Hanson said the nuclear industry has learned from this chapter of its history. “The 1979 accident taught us that our standards weren’t right at the time,” Hanson said. The U.S. nuclear industry today has the best safety, reliability and operational standards in the world, he said. While some constituents have concerns, others see the economic value that the restart will bring, Mehaffie said. The restart of Unit 1 will bring an estimated 3,400 jobs to the region, according to a study by the Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council. Grid reliability The planned restart of Three Mile Island is also a step to help ensure the region’s electric grid ******** reliable, Mehaffie said. Unit 1 will bring back 835 megawatts of carbon-free electricity, equivalent to the consumption of more than 600,000 homes, at a time when the grid is on the brink of faltering. Electricity demand is outpacing supply, as power plants, particularly those that run on coal, are retired faster than new capacity is built, grid operator PJM Interconnection warned in July. PJM operates the grid in Pennsylvania and 12 other states. “Grid reliability is everything,” Mehaffie said. PJM has forecast that electricity demand will surge nearly 40% by 2039 due to the expansion of data centers, manufacturing and the electrification of industry and transportation. Meanwhile, 40 gigawatts of power generation is at risk of retirement by 2030; that’s about 21% of PJM’s installed capacity. “We’re seeing potentially catastrophic early retirements of dispatchable resources,” Mark Christie, a commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said during a public hearing Nov. 1. A cooling tower at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024. Danielle DeVries | CNBC Federal energy regulators are worried that tech companies’ pursuit of deals that redirect power from the electric grid directly to their data centers could exacerbate supply shortages and threaten grid stability. Microsoft said the electricity it will be purchasing from Unit 1 will feed into the grid and will not directly power its data centers. Microsoft is committed to bolstering the grid as it secures power for its data centers, said Alistair Speirs, senior director of global infrastructure for Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. “When we operate in the community, if we’re not stabilizing, adding resiliency to the grid, then it’s hard for us to keep our social license to operate,” Speirs said. Microsoft is not involved in the physical restoration of the plant, Hanson said, but Constellation is providing status reports to the company. Restoration and restart timeline Constellation ***** out how it plans to restart the plant in the company’s first public meeting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Oct. 25. While Wall Street is generally bullish on the restart, Citi has cautioned that Constellation could face challenges in completing the project on schedule. “Given the regulatory and physical challenges, we assume that [Constellation] is likely to experience some delays and cost overruns to ******** on the restart,” Citi analyst Ryan Levine told clients in an Oct. 14 note. Citi initiated coverage of Constellation with a neutral rating in October on delay concerns. Constellation’s stock has gained more than 90% since the start of the year and 12% since the Three Mile Island restart was announced Sept. 20. Levine is an outlier. The vast majority of analysts rate the stock a buy or strong buy, with the average price target predicting more than 23% upside. The turbine deck of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024. Danielle DeVries | CNBC Hanson said crucial and expensive equipment such as the steam generators and main power generator have undergone inspection and maintenance by Constellation and are in good condition. The steam generators were replaced in 2009 and are ready for restart, he said. The internals of the main power generator, built by General Electric nearly 50 years ago, were replaced a little over a decade ago, he said. The main generator has been cleaned and needs some routine maintenance, he said. The plant’s main power transformers need to be replaced at a cost of $75 million to $100 million, Hanson said. The transformers are on order with delivery expected in late 2026, he said. One of the cooling towers has been gutted and will be refurbished. The analog control room will remain the same with the exception of some rewiring, Hanson said. The simulator that mimics the control room also needs to be restored so plant operators can be trained there. One of the most critical items for restoring plant operations is training operators for NRC certification, a process that takes about 18 months, Hanson said. The turbine deck of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024. Danielle DeVries | CNBC Constellation is currently prohibited from operating and loading fuel into the reactor vessel because the plant was permanently shut down. Constellation plans to file an exemption request in November that would remove these restrictions if approved by the NRC. “That will officially mark the start of our restart activities,” Dennis Moore, senior manager of licensing at Constellation, told the NRC. Constellation plans to file a request to change the plant’s name from Three Mile Island to the Crane Clean Energy Center in February. Later in 2025, Constellation will submit filings on the plant’s technical specifications, environmental impact, emergency plan, and site security plan for NRC review, the company said. Constellation intends to send an operational readiness letter to the NRC by July 2027. The company would then begin testing and return to power if the NRC determines that the plant is ready to operate and authorizes placing fuel in the reactor. In the meantime, Constellation does not need NRC permission to “start turning wrenches and doing restoration work” at the plant, said Scott Burnell, a spokesperson for the regulator. The NRC will be monitoring the work to make sure the regulator’s requirements are met, Burnell said. The restarts at Three Mile Island and Palisades will likely secure NRC approval, Goff said. “They are an independent agency, but I expect if the safety cases are presented, they’re going to approve it,” Goff told CNBC in September. Don’t miss these energy insights from CNBC PRO: Source link #Mile #Island #nuclear #turning #point #Big #Tech #influence #grows Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Molly-Mae Hague ‘shocked’ by Tommy Fury split Molly-Mae Hague ‘shocked’ by Tommy Fury split Getty Images Influencer Molly-Mae Hague has spoken of her “shock” at her recent split with her fiancé, professional boxer Tommy Fury. She said she had been counting down the days to their wedding next September, adding that her wanting to marry Fury “would never have changed”. They met in 2019 on ITV’s Love Island dating show and got engaged in 2023. They share daughter Bambi, born early last year. They announced their split in August, in separate social media posts, and this is the first interview Hague has given since. Both aged 25, they were arguably the most high-profile couple to have emerged from Love Island. Asked by British Vogue whether the break-up was sudden, she replied: “Yeah. I mean. It was a bit of a shock.” She said she “didn’t want what happened to happen” adding that she “wanted to get married to Tommy, 100%, and that would never have changed”. “I wanted to get married next September and it’s very hard when it’s kind of taken away. But I will always have a lot of love and respect for him,” she added. Getty Images Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague, both 25, met on ITV2’s Love Island in 2019 The pair took their legions of fans by surprise when they announced their split. “I am extremely upset to announce that mine and Tommy’s relationship has come to an end,” Hague told her 7.9 million Instagram followers. “After five years of being together I never imagined our story would end, especially not this way,” she wrote. In his own statement, Fury said he was “heartbroken” and asked fans for privacy. He also thanked Hague for “making me a dad”, adding: “Bambi is our priority.” Hague said that people at the time were saying “it’s Princess Diana and Charles”, in a reference to the separation of now King Charles III and the late Princess of Wales. But the impact on her was also clear. “ had a few days,” she said, “where I thought, ‘I don’t really know how I’m going to get through this.’” ‘No one will ever know’ In October, Fury put his side of the story across in an interview with the Daily Mail, in which he denied cheating on Hague. “All the allegations that were made of me recently are completely false,” he insisted. He also expressed hopes to reconcile with Hague, calling her “the woman of my dreams”. Hague, for her part, said “no one will ever really know what went down apart from Tommy and I, and that’s how we’d like to keep it, for Bambi’s sake”. But she indicated we may hear more from her ex in due course, saying: “I do think that he will talk about things eventually. I do think that when he’s ready, like, maybe more will be said. But I think that’s for him to do on his terms.” She added: “It’s not like it’s gossip, it’s real life and it’s, you know, it’s a really deep situation. It’s really sad.” Getty Images In the interview, Hague also confirmed that she is set to star in a new three-hour documentary series for Prime Video, set to air in early 2025. It is produced by the team behind Netflix’s At Home with the Furys, and is expected to give viewers access to all parts of her life. “So far, so good. I’ve not lost my mind with the cameras in my house all the time,” Hague told the magazine. She added that co-parenting was going really well, saying the pair were both being “really mature about it”, and opened up about how much she is enjoying motherhood, now that Bambi is a toddler. “I absolutely adore it,” she said. “If I could have a million more ******* that are at this stage, I would do it.” Source link #MollyMae #Hague #shocked #Tommy #Fury #split Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

CEO behind GTA Trilogy calls out Rockstar's "d*ck move" for removing his studio's name CEO behind GTA Trilogy calls out Rockstar's "d*ck move" for removing his studio's name Grove Street Games was removed from the GTA Trilogy collection’s splash screen in the latest update Source link #CEO #GTA #Trilogy #calls #Rockstar039s #quotdck #movequot #removing #studio039s Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Activist ValueAct is poised to trim ****, help boost profits at Meta. Here’s how Activist ValueAct is poised to trim ****, help boost profits at Meta. Here’s how Jonathan Raa | Nurphoto | Getty Images Company: Meta Platforms (META) Business: Meta Platforms builds technologies that help people find communities and grow businesses. The company’s products enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, wearables and in-home devices. The company operates through two segments: Family of Apps (FoA) and Reality Labs (RL). FoA includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and other services. RL includes augmented and virtual reality-related consumer hardware, software and content. Facebook enables people to connect, share, discover and communicate with each other on mobile devices and personal computers. Instagram is a place where people can express themselves through photos, videos and private messaging. Messenger is a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, groups and businesses across platforms and devices. Stock Market Value: $1.39T ($554.08 per share) Stock Chart IconStock chart icon Meta Platforms in 2024 Activist: ValueAct Capital Ownership: n/a Average Cost: n/a Activist Commentary: ValueAct has been a premier corporate governance investor for over 20 years. ValueAct principals are generally on the boards of half of ValueAct’s core portfolio positions and have had 56 public company board seats over 23 years. ValueAct has previously commenced activist campaigns at 26 information technology companies and has had an average return of 54.63% versus 30.16% for the Russell 2000 over the same *******. What’s happeningBehind the scenes ValueAct has extensive experience in mega-cap technology companies, most notably Microsoft and Salesforce. ValueAct CEO Mason Morfit was on the board of Microsoft from March 2014 through the end of 2017 as the tech giant transformed into a cloud-based enterprise software business and went from a $250 billion market cap company to more than $3 trillion today. At Salesforce, when a handful of activists were engaging, the company opted to add Morfit to its board on Jan. 27, 2023, and the stock has more than doubled since then. Now, ValueAct has engaged another titan of the market, Meta Platforms, announcing an approximately $1 billion dollar position in the company. Meta’s products enable people to connect and share through various platforms and devices, including mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, wearables, and in-home devices. The company operates through two segments: Family of Apps (FoA) and Reality Labs (RL). FoA includes social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, while RL includes augmented and virtual reality-related consumer hardware, software and content. This has been an extremely volatile year for Meta’s stock price — with dips below $400 per share and highs above $600 — giving ValueAct many opportunities to acquire its position at a favorable price. With the stock price up about 56% in 2024, ValueAct still sees significant untapped value in Meta. Meta is expected to deliver $30 in EPS by 2026, which at a 20-times multiple would put the company at approximately $600 per share. This EPS can be broken down into the company’s two segments: $40 EPS from its core FoA segment and -$10 EPS from the RL segment. This would place the valuation of Meta’s core FoA business at $800 per share, while its RL segment would be valued at -$200 per share, or a $400 billion drain on the company’s valuation. This -$10 EPS from the RL segment is made up of -$7 from the RL division and -$3 from AI spending. ValueAct has shown at Microsoft and Salesforce that it is very good in helping companies trim **** and build muscle. There is certainly some **** in the RL division that can be trimmed. The AI spending, while concerning to some in the market, can be the muscle that strengthens Meta’s core FoA business. AI will provide benefits to many companies, but one of its best uses is to create value in consumer internet and matching-based business models that are monetized by connecting their vast audiences to relevant content or services, such as such as Spotify, Indeed.com and Expedia. When AI and GPU computing power are applied to these business models, it can lead to significant improvements in matchmaking and monetization. This is because at the end of the day, AI – even generative AI – is just pattern spotting and pattern recognition, so its application can inherently enhance user-product matching and preference alignment. Meta can be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this market in its core FoA business with respect to delivering content and optimizing advertising. The second lever for AI growth for Meta is the impact of how developers are using large language models (LLMs) to create technologies. Developers are increasingly using multiple LLMs within the same project, so they rely on tools that enable different models to work together. Currently led by OpenAI and Microsoft, companies are competing to control the tools used to layer these LLMs, which are necessary to run and develop new technologies. To enter this market, Mark Zuckerberg has open-sourced Meta’s “LLaMA” model, a high-performance AI model designed to compete with OpenAI’s GPT and Microsoft’s Copilot. The decision to open-source LLaMa has helped build Meta’s role in the AI ecosystem by driving LLaMA adoption. It should more than justify Meta’s AI spend. So, if Meta continues to bleed the RL division at the same pace and gets absolutely no value from its AI spend, it will have a $600 stock in 2026. However, if ValueAct can do what it has been able to do at Microsoft, Salesforce, Adobe and others – help grow the muscle and trim the **** – RL’s -$7 should decline substantially and AI’s -$3 will be money well spent and be a significant value creator, as opposed to a drain on value as the market attributes today. Even a neutral valuation ($0 EPS) for RL/AI would place Meta at $800 per share, implying 40% growth from its current price. And if AI prospects become positive, which seems very plausible given these potential avenues of growth, RL/AI should actually contribute to EPS growth. Thus, 40% growth almost becomes a floor that underscores the significant upside for Meta. This is not ValueAct taking a “flyer” on AI. First of all, ValueAct is a very thoughtful and diligent investor and doesn’t take “flyers.” Second, ValueAct has extensive experience from both sides of AI. The firm has been in the boardroom at companies like Microsoft and Salesforce, two of the largest developers of AI. And the firm has been an active shareholder at companies like Spotify, The New York Times, Expedia and Recruit (Indeed.com) some of the largest users and beneficiaries of AI. So, when ValueAct invests in AI, it isn’t just ***** balling. The firm thoroughly understands AI and how its customers can use it. When thinking about how ValueAct will approach this engagement going forward, we must address the elephant in the room: Meta is a controlled company, with Mark Zuckerberg holding approximately 61% of the company’s voting power. While most activists would never bother with a controlled company for obvious reasons, ValueAct actually has a strong track record of creating value at controlled or quasi-controlled companies, including engagements at Martha Stewart Living, The New York Times, 21st Century Fox, Spotify and KKR. In these situations, ValueAct averaged a return of 124.12% compared to an average of 30.79% for the relevant market benchmark. This is because ValueAct understands that activism is about the power of the idea; the power of the argument; the power of persuasion. As such, even in its investments in non-controlled companies, the firm almost always only takes one board seat because it is confident that its ideas will resonate. However, given Meta’s controlled structure, we don’t expect ValueAct to push as hard for a board seat here as it might at other portfolio companies. In a controlled company you can almost be as effective as an active shareholder as you can as a director. That being said, given ValueAct’s track record of board success, particularly at other mega-cap technology companies, shareholders would be well served if Meta added a ValueAct representative to the board. Ken Squire is the founder and president of 13D Monitor, an institutional research service on shareholder activism, and the founder and portfolio manager of the 13D Activist Fund, a mutual fund that invests in a portfolio of activist 13D investments. Source link #Activist #ValueAct #poised #trim #**** #boost #profits #Meta #Heres Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Smacked me in the face with its potential consequences’ ‘Smacked me in the face with its potential consequences’ The recent revelation of the cancelation of Tom Hardy’s Splinter Cell movie is another ***** to fans hoping to see their favorite ******-ops agent come to life on the big screen. Originally announced in 2012, Tom Hardy was to play Sam Fisher, the iconic stealth agent of Third Echelon. The franchise could’ve really used a live action adaptation. | Image Credit: Ubisoft Despite years of development and high anticipation, the project crumbled due to budget and script issues. Producer Basil Iwanyk confirmed its demise saying that it was “one of the ones that got away.” It’s such a pity because the Splinter Cell franchise has some storylines that could’ve truly shined. Tom Hardy Could’ve Done Justice To Some Of Splinter Cell‘s Storylines Richard Dansky, a longtime writer for the Splinter Cell series, knows the weight of Sam Fisher’s choices better than anyone. Dansky has overseen the series’ narrative since his early days at Red Storm Entertainment. Speaking to Game Developer, he previously described a story moment that “smacked [him] in the face with its potential consequences.” The story moment I like best from the most recent round of Clancy games is in Double Agent, when Sam is given the choice of letting the terrorists take out the cruise ship – and a lot of innocent people with it – or stopping them, and risk getting someone he’s got a personal attachment to *******. In Double Agent, Sam Fisher faces a crucial choice on a cruise ship mission: he must decide whether to let a **********-planted ***** explode, ******** hundreds of innocent people, or to risk his life and loyalty to prevent the *******. #SplinterCell live-action movie starring Tom Hardy is officially ***** (via @Thedirect) pic.twitter.com/O7WBXzV1lI — Culture Crave (@CultureCrave) November 14, 2024 Announced in 2012, the hype for the Splinter Cell movie was ignited by Tom Hardy’s casting as Sam Fisher, the ******-ops operative at the heart of the Splinter Cell series. Hardy’s intense and shadowy persona seemed a perfect fit for Fisher’s morally gray missions and covert operations. According to Dansky this narrative delivered high emotional stakes and moral complexity. Such a storyline could have captured the essence of Fisher’s duality in a live action adaptation. It would’ve given Hardy a compelling character arc filled with weighty decisions. Now That It’s Cancelled All Hope Is Lost So many stories could’ve been told. | Image Credit: Ubisoft The project has ultimately been cancelled, as confirmed by Basil Iwanyk, who was the movie’s producer. Iwanyk signed up to produce the movie in 2013 and recently talked to The Direct about the cancelled project. That movie would have been awesome… Just couldn’t get it right, script-wise, budget-wise. But it was going to be great. We had a million different versions of it, but it was going to be ********* and awesome. That’s one of the ones that got away, which is really sad. Hollywood’s track record with video game adaptations has been mixed at best. Unlike colorful franchises like Super Mario, Splinter Cell’s themes of espionage, betrayal, and moral conflict are ******* to translate for mainstream audiences. For now, Splinter Cell’s cinematic future ******** uncertain. However, Ubisoft has not entirely forgotten its stealth-action property. A Netflix animated series titled Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, starring Liev Schreiber as Fisher, is set for release in 2025. The ******** to launch this film isn’t the only setback for the franchise. Ubisoft’s treatment of the action franchise has frustrated fans for years, as no new mainline games have been released since 2013’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist. While a remake of the original game was announced in 2021, it ******** in development limbo. Source link #Smacked #face #potential #consequences Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Ravenous Wolves Trying to ******** Us’: Joel Rosenberg Points to ******* and Biblical Prophecy ‘Ravenous Wolves Trying to ******** Us’: Joel Rosenberg Points to ******* and Biblical Prophecy Author Joel Rosenberg believes some of the events unfolding around us hold biblical significance, particularly when it comes to ******* and the Middle East. Listen to the latest episode of “Quick Start” Rosenberg, an expert on biblical prophecy who now lives in *******, recently spoke with CBN News about ******, the war in Gaza, and how current events might play into what the ****** says about future happenings and the end of days. “That is the No. 1 question I’m getting asked … ‘Can you put this [current moment] in a prophetic context?’” Rosenberg said. “I would say, No. 1, we’re definitely in a birth pang, right? ****** speaks in Matthew 24 that there’s going to be contractions and releases, moments of wars and rumors of wars, and kingdom against kingdom, nation against nation, as well as earthquakes and famines and other disasters.” He continued, “Those are contractions and, just like when your wife gets close to delivering, … the contractions are longer and more painful, and the release moments are shorter.” Watch Rosenberg break it all down: Rosenberg said Israelis were living in a time of release on Oct. 6, 2023, as it was safe, prosperous, and secure — the safest it had been in modern history. “You’d have to go back to the days of Solomon and David when the kingdom was peaceful and secure,” he said, noting ******* had just come off making four *****-******** peace treaties and normalization treaties via the Abraham Accords. “We were just about to finalize another deal — the biggest peace and normalization deal in ******** history — and that would be with the Saudi government.” But all of that peace was obliterated by ******’ horrific ******* ******* on Oct. 7, 2023, an event he said was the “longest contraction” modern ******* has faced. “I would add that, just in context, I believe COVID was a biblical Matthew 24 contraction where … a lot of people *****. But the other part was … not only was there this terrible health pandemic, plague, a biblical plague, but even the ********* government could say in an instant, ‘You can’t go to *******. You can’t leave your house. You can’t go see your friends, but the strip clubs could stay open. The casinos could stay open. The bars could stay open — the ******* stores, but not churches. That was a contraction.” Another contraction, he said, is Russia’s elongated war in Ukraine, a chaotic and deadly ongoing event further creating international stability. Rosenberg cited Amos 9:9 while discussing *******’s current war after the ****** invasion. That verse reads (NIV): “For I will give the command, and I will shake the people of ******* among all the nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground.” He believes Amos 9:9 is a recurring prophecy, but that the current war in ******* is another “shaking” that falls under its umbrella. “I don’t believe *******’s under judgment … in other words, **** didn’t send this ******, but **** … allowed it,” Rosenberg said. “Why? To shake us, to help us realize that most Israelis either haven’t read, don’t remember, or don’t care about Psalm 23, in which David, our greatest king, told us the Lord is our shepherd.” He said some Israelis forgot, due to security, the realities inherent in this Scripture. “We forgot as a nation that there are ravenous wolves trying to ******** us,” he said. “It shows what a moment of release of security we felt like we were in. But I think this is a wake-up call.” As for the Palestinians of Gaza, Rosenberg said he believes they are facing a “biblical judgment,” appealing to Genesis 12:1-3 (NIV) to make his case. Those Scriptures read: The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Rosenberg said the Abrahamic Covenant makes it clear **** will bless those who bless ******* and curse those who do not. “If you curse ******* every day for 76 years, and you want to … elect a genocidal government, even if later you don’t want that, but what are you going to do now?” he said. “I believe we’re seeing a judgment. Doesn’t mean **** doesn’t want to show mercy. Also, we need to pray as Christians. Who else is praying for the Palestinians? We need to be. We need to show compassion. But there’s a judgment going on from 76 years of hatred, hostility, cursing, and now, you know, an attempt at genocide against ******* and the ******* people.” Considering the prophetic verses in ****** books like Ezekiel — particularly the Gog and Magog prophecy — Rosenberg broke down his beliefs on what’s happening now and how it might relate. “In terms of watching where we are going, there’s no question in my mind that we’re seeing the chess pieces on the board align in a manner that’s consistent with the prerequisites of Ezekiel 38-39 happening, the war of Gog and Magog,” Rosenberg said, referring to the ****** chapters that purportedly predict Russia, Iran and Turkey attempting to invade *******. But Rosenberg was also careful in addressing these issues, reminding Christians not to read too closely into what’s happening. He said dynamics can and do quickly shift. “I just want to caution people who are interested in those prophecies … don’t try to jump to a fast conclusion,” he said. “The data doesn’t support yet a conclusion, but it definitely supports [the premise], ‘Isn’t this interesting?” Watch above for more from Rosenberg on these topics. Source link #Ravenous #Wolves #******** #Joel #Rosenberg #Points #******* #Biblical #Prophecy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Professor Finds First Physical Evidence Egyptians Drank Hallucinogenic Cocktails Professor Finds First Physical Evidence Egyptians Drank Hallucinogenic Cocktails By Cassidy Delamarter A University of South Florida professor found the first-ever physical evidence of hallucinogens in an Egyptian mug, validating written records and centuries-old myths of ancient Egyptian rituals and practices. Through advanced chemical analyses, Davide Tanasi examined one of the world’s few remaining Egyptian Bes mugs. Such mugs, including the one donated to the Tampa Museum of Art in 1984, are decorated with the head of Bes, an ancient Egyptian **** or guardian ****** worshiped for protection, fertility, medicinal healing and magical purification. Published in Nature’s Scientific Reports, the study sheds light on an ancient Egyptian mystery: The secret of how Bes mugs were used about 2,000 years ago. “There’s no research out there that has ever found what we found in this study,” Tanasi said. “For the first time, we were able to identify all the chemical signatures of the components of the liquid concoction contained in the Tampa Museum of Art’s Bes mug, including the plants used by Egyptians, all of which have psychotropic and medicinal properties.” The presence of Bes mugs in different contexts over a long ******* of time made it extremely difficult to speculate on their contents or roles in ancient Egyptian culture. “For a very long time now, Egyptologists have been speculating what mugs with the head of Bes could have been used for, and for what kind of beverage, like sacred water, milk, wine or *****,” said Branko van Oppen, curator of Greek and Roman art at the Tampa Museum of Art. “Experts did not know if these mugs were used in daily life, for religious purposes or in magic rituals.” Tanasi using technology in the USF Institute for Digital Exploration to create a 3D digital model of the mug. (USF Communications) Several theories about the mugs and vases were formulated on myths, but few of them were ever tested to reveal their exact ingredients until the truth was extracted layer by layer. Tanasi, who developed this study as part of the Mediterranean Diet Archaeology project promoted by the USF Institute for the Advanced Study of Culture and the Environment, collaborated with several USF researchers and partners in Italy at the University of Trieste and the University of Milan to perform chemical and DNA analyses. With a pulverized sample from scraping the inner walls of the vase, the team combined numerous analytical techniques for the first time to uncover what the mug last held. The new tactic was successful and revealed the vase had a ********* of psychedelic drugs, bodily fluids and alcohol – a combination that Tanasi believes was used in a magical ritual reenacting an Egyptian myth, likely for fertility. The concoction was flavored with honey, sesame seeds, pine nuts, licorice and grapes, which were commonly used to make the beverage look like blood. The original mug next to the successfully created 3D digital version. (USF Communications) “This research teaches us about magic rituals in the Greco-Roman ******* in Egypt,” Van Oppen said. “Egyptologists believe that people visited the so-called Bes Chambers at Saqqara when they wished to confirm a successful pregnancy because pregnancies in the ancient world were fraught with dangers. So, this combination of ingredients may have been used in a dream-vision inducing magic ritual within the context of this dangerous ******* of childbirth.” “Religion is one of the most fascinating and puzzling aspects of ancient civilizations,” Tanasi said. “With this study, we’ve found scientific proof that the Egyptian myths have some kind of truth and it helps us shed light on the poorly understood rituals that were likely carried out in the Bes Chambers in Saqqara, near the Great Pyramids at Giza.” The Bes mug is on display now at the Tampa Museum of Art and can be viewed in the exhibition, “Prelude: An Introduction to the Permanent Collection.” View a 3D model of the Bes mug produced by the USF Institute for Digital Exploration. This article was originally published under the title, ‘USF professor confirms Egyptians drank hallucinogenic cocktails in ancient rituals’ by University of South Florida as a press release. Top image: Left; Drinking vessel in shape of Bes head; El-Fayūm Oasis, Egypt. Right; Prof. Tanasi with the 3D digital model of the mug. Source: Left; courtesy of the Tampa Museum of Art, Florida. Right; USF Communications References Tanasi, D., van Oppen de Ruiter, B.F., Florian, F. et al. Multianalytical investigation reveals psychotropic substances in a ptolemaic Egyptian vase. Sci Rep 14, 27891 (2024). Source link #Professor #Finds #Physical #Evidence #Egyptians #Drank #Hallucinogenic #Cocktails Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Photo Mode returns in Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered, launching February 14 Photo Mode returns in Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered, launching February 14 25 years ago, we were shocked with the image of Lara Croft hanging from a cliff inside an Egyptian tomb, as the credits rolled on Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation. It’s time for Tomb Raider players to re-experience the next remastered chapters of Lara Croft’s darkest adventures. Source link #Photo #Mode #returns #Tomb #Raider #IVVI #Remastered #launching #February Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Raspberry Pi 5 teams up with Radeon GPU to run ***** Eternal with RTX on at 4K — the combo also tackles Crysis Remastered, Red ***** Redemption 2, and Forza Horizon 4 Raspberry Pi 5 teams up with Radeon GPU to run ***** Eternal with RTX on at 4K — the combo also tackles Crysis Remastered, Red ***** Redemption 2, and Forza Horizon 4 A leading Raspberry Pi torchbearer has demonstrated relatively modern AAA games like ***** Eternal, Crysis Remastered, Red ***** Redemption 2, and Forza Horizon 4, running at 4K on the humble $50 SBC. Pi wizard Jeff Geerling shared a video of his latest attempts to boost the credit card-sized computer’s GPU muscle. Things have progressed since the ***** 3 4K demo he shared a few weeks ago. The most important developments since October are getting newer generation AMD Radeon GPUs to work with the Pi, potentially delivering massive performance uplifts. To swiftly recap Geerling’s recent progress, he demoed 4K gaming on his Raspberry Pi 5 in October with the help of an eGPU setup featuring a modest Radeon RX 460. With this setup, some less demanding 3D titles like SuperTuxKart and ***** 3 (2004) could achieve 4K60 nirvana. Now, thanks to Pi fanatics working on RX 6000 and RX 7000 series drivers, Geerling has been able to run some far newer AAA PC titles at 4K. However, we must warn that newer PC games aren’t hitting 4K60 even with the best RX 7000 card Geerling could get – primarily due to his latest test setup’s underpowered CPU, restricted bandwidth, and max 8GB RAM. He tested with a Radeon RX 6700 XT. My Raspberry Pi has a better GPU than Apple’s M4 Pro – YouTube Watch On In addition to these gaming advances, the newest Radeon drivers and patches enable hardware video transcoding. LLM acceleration is still unavailable, and Geerling confirmed that AMD ROCm support isn’t coming to Arm soon. How ***** Eternal (2000) fares on the Pi with a powerful eGPU setup using the Radeon RX 6700XT. Geerling admits this title is a little frustrating at 4K on his new setup, with an average of 20 FPS just too low for the fun factor. Typically, reducing the resolution can do wonders for frame rates. Still, the Pi enthusiast commented that the CPU is such a bottleneck that it is only inches above 30 FPS when reducing screen res to 720p. At 4K with RTX On, the frame rate plummeted to around 12 FPS. A system utility revealed that the GPU utilization was below 50%, as the rest of the Pi system bottlenecked it so comprehensively. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. (Image credit: Jeff Geerling) Geerling also checked the benefits of overclocking the Pi 5 CPU from 2.4 to 3.0 GHz. However, for the new average 4K at 25 FPS performance observed, there was too much system instability to make it enjoyable. If you care to digest the Pi enthusiasts video, you will see similar observations playing titles like Crysis Remastered, Red ***** Redemption 2, and Forza Horizon 4. Better experiences were seen in the Obduction adventure title and Halo 3. Geerling seemed most pleased with how well his Pi eGPU system handled Portal 2“”“” (2011), enjoying a “flawless… butter smooth” 4K gaming session. The same game was “extremely choppy” on the Pi’s iGPU at 720p. Before the video wrapped up, Geerling turned his attention to serious application and content creation shenanigans with the eGPU. He plugged in the Radeon Pro W7700Pi’s workstation graphics card for this video part. Again, the Pi’s CPU, bandwidth, and meager 8GB of RAM decreased the system’s performance. Nevertheless, the Pi enthusiast enjoyed pushing this powerful GPU in the Gravitymark outer-space visuals rendering benchmark and creating a ‘Battlestation Pi’ with six external 60 Hz monitors. Source link #Raspberry #teams #Radeon #GPU #run #***** #Eternal #RTX #combo #tackles #Crysis #Remastered #Red #***** #Redemption #Forza #Horizon Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Russo gives Arsenal 'dream start' in north London derby Russo gives Arsenal 'dream start' in north London derby Alessio Russo scores for Arsenal after just two minutes in the north London derby to put them 1-0 up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Source link #Russo #Arsenal #039dream #start039 #north #London #derby Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Baldur’s Gate 3 Is an Anomaly in Many Ways, and a Stable Player Count Is Proof of It Baldur’s Gate 3 Is an Anomaly in Many Ways, and a Stable Player Count Is Proof of It Baldur’s Gate 3 was launched in 2023 and went on to become one of the greatest games of all time. The previous year was jam-packed with huge titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Diablo 4, Alan Wake 2, Starfield, and many more. But still, the Larian Studios title won the Game of the Year award. Baldur’s Gate 3 was released on August 3, 2023. | Credit: Larian Studios. Now, there is a major difference between this RPG title and other great titles in the past. A game gets a huge reception upon its release with huge player counts, but slowly that fades away as time passes by. However, that’s not the case with Baldur’s Gate 3. Baldur’s Gate 3 is Still Spiking 50,000 Players ⛶ ⛶ Baldur’s Gate 3’s many characters are among its strengths. Image Credit: Larian Studios. ⛶ ⛶ ⛶ Despite being released over a year ago, there’s no stopping of Baldur’s Gate 3. This RPG title still soars with more than 50,000 concurrent players (according to SteamDB) with a 24-hour peak of 77,298 (at the time of writing this article). The Sales are higher but also AVG playtime. Players are spending more time in Baldur’s Gate 3. 30% of the player base has 100-500h in Baldur’s Gate 3. pic.twitter.com/WrX4Gb5MEO — Lakrix (@Lakrixx) November 15, 2024 With no DLC, these figures place the game above other popular titles that came out this year and show a higher player retention rate than games like Elden Ring. Rather, what draws and retains players in Baldur’s Gate 3 is an inconceivably vast world with so many options that exploring it all would take hundreds of hours. It would be an understatement to say that Baldur’s Gate 3 had an impact at launch. Baldur’s Gate 3‘s continued development was significantly impacted by the quantity of award shows Larian Studios had to attend due to the game’s immense popularity. Due to Larian’s careful consideration of user feedback and the addition of much-desired features, the game has remained captivating for a considerable amount of time. Larian’s team has been working tirelessly on the game, always trying to improve the game’s experience for players, whether they are Dungeons & Dragons combat experts or simply want to experience the story. What Is the Reason for This Huge Success? Baldur’s Gate 3 has recently added official mod support. | Credit: Larian Studios. Larian Studios has kept fans entertained by introducing tiny bursts of new content, such as new dialogue options, epilogues, and a brand-new difficulty mode called Honor mode, even though Baldur’s Gate 3 hasn’t received any meaningful DLC. More such aspects were added in September’s Patch 7 for Baldur’s Gate 3, which includes an integrated mod manager, improved Honor mode actions, and an expanded “evil” ending. It won’t be shocking to see the player count rise once more as a result of the significant additions, as gamers return to try their hand at a modified playthrough and see the expanded endings. Since community-generated content will be available at the touch of a button, the addition of an official mod manager is certain to keep game enthusiasts interested for a very long time. There are plenty of amazing mods for Baldur’s Gate 3, and mods themselves are a great way for players to improve their experience. Considering all of this, it is not surprising that Baldur’s Gate 3 is still sweeping the gaming industry. Source link #Baldurs #Gate #Anomaly #Ways #Stable #Player #Count #Proof Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

GPU cooling supplier claims Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs will “seize the whole market starting in December” — Auras says key components like cold plates and manifolds already adopted by Nvidia and its AIB partners GPU cooling supplier claims Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs will “seize the whole market starting in December” — Auras says key components like cold plates and manifolds already adopted by Nvidia and its AIB partners According to DigiTimes Asia, some of Auras’ crucial cooling components, like cold plates and manifolds, have already been included in Nvidia’s recommended supplier list and are already being adopted by some AIB partners for the upcoming GeForce RTX 50-series (codenamed Blackwell) GPUs, which will rival the best graphics cards. Taiwan-based cooling company Auras Technology Co., Ltd., one of the manufacturers that supply cooling components for discrete graphics cards, claims that Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs may “seize the whole market starting in December.” Its chairman, Yu-Shen Lin, made this statement during its earning call last November 13, and they said that the company expects demand for its cooling products to grow across the PC, GPU, and server markets next year. This news might be exciting for those looking forward to Nvidia’s latest graphics cards, which reportedly consume over 450 watts. If that power demand is genuine, the 50-series GPUs will likely run hotter than the previous-generation GPUs, requiring more robust cooling solutions. However, despite Auras’ (and some hardware leakers) December prediction, most indicators still point to a January 2025 launch. It is especially likely, given that Jensen Huang will be the CES 2025 keynote speaker, and there’s no better place to launch your next-generation product than at one of the world’s biggest consumer electronics trade shows. Aside from the launch date of Nvidia’s next-generation GPUs, the company also made some healthy predictions about the state of the PC and server market next year. The company says that server-related revenue is expected to grow by 130% due to increasing sales of water-cooling systems designed for AI servers. It also expects the demand for display card cooling to grow by double digits with the launch of the RTX 50 series, while the PC sector is expected to see more ************* numbers. Overall, Auras expects to grow by over 50% in 2025, so it’s considering expanding its presence in Mexico, adding to its existing manufacturing facilities in China, Taiwan, and Thailand. As for its December prediction, we think Lin made this statement as the company will likely deliver cooling components for cards that month. It will help ensure that there will be enough supply for the market when Nvidia reportedly launches its latest line of graphics cards in January 2025. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #GPU #cooling #supplier #claims #Nvidia #RTX #50series #GPUs #seize #market #starting #December #Auras #key #components #cold #plates #manifolds #adopted #Nvidia #AIB #partners Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Hatton dubbed 'terrible influence' after Dubai strop Hatton dubbed 'terrible influence' after Dubai strop Star English golfer Tyrrell Hatton has been labelled a “terrible influence” after his foul-mouthed petulance during the 2024 ********* tour finale in Dubai. Source link #Hatton #dubbed #039terrible #influence039 #Dubai #strop Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia is giving away a custom Half-Life 2 RTX 4080 Super to celebrate the HL2 RTX announcement Nvidia is giving away a custom Half-Life 2 RTX 4080 Super to celebrate the HL2 RTX announcement As Half-Life 2 celebrates its 20th anniversary, we see the announcement of Half-Life 2 RTX and Nvidia’s custom RTX 4080 Super giveaway. Source link #Nvidia #giving #custom #HalfLife #RTX #Super #celebrate #HL2 #RTX #announcement Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Philippines warns of ‘potentially catastrophic’ Super Typhoon Man-yi Philippines warns of ‘potentially catastrophic’ Super Typhoon Man-yi A super typhoon sweeping towards the Philippines on Saturday was intensifying and could have a “potentially catastrophic” impact, the state weather forecaster warned, with millions of people at risk from storm surges. More than 650,000 people have fled their homes ahead of Super Typhoon Man-yi, which is expected to make landfall later Saturday or early Sunday, becoming the sixth major storm to pummel the archipelago nation in the past month. With wind gusts of up to 240 kilometres per hour (about 149 miles per hour), Man-yi was on track to slam into the sparsely populated island province of Catanduanes as a super typhoon or “near peak intensity”, the weather service said. “Potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation looms for northeastern Bicol region as Super Typhoon ‘Pepito’ further intensifies,” the forecaster said, using the local name for the storm and referring to the southern part of the main island of Luzon. Up to 14-metre (46-feet) high seas were expected around Catanduanes, while more than 7.6 million people were at risk from storm surges of one to three metres, the forecaster said. At least 163 people ***** in the five storms that pounded the Philippines in recent weeks, leaving thousands homeless and wiping out crops and livestock. The government urged people Saturday to heed warnings to flee to safety. “If preemptive evacuation is required, let us do so and not wait for the hour of peril before evacuating or seeking help, because if we did that we will be putting in danger not only our lives but also those of our rescuers,” Interior Undersecretary Marlo Iringan said. In Albay province, Legazpi City grocer Myrna Perea was sheltering with her husband and their three children in a school classroom with nine other families after they were ordered to leave their shanty. Conditions were hot and cramped — the family spent Friday night sleeping together on a mat under the classroom’s single ceiling fan — but Perea said it was better to be safe. “I think our house will be wrecked when we get back because it’s made of light materials — just two gusts are required to knock it down,” Perea, 44, told AFP. “That’s why we evacuated. Even if the house is destroyed, the important thing is we do not lose a family member.” Scientists have warned climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and stronger gusts. About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Southeast ****** nation or its surrounding waters each year, ******** scores of people, but it is rare for multiple such weather events to take place in a small window. – Forced evacuations, curfew – Evacuation centres were filling up on Catanduanes island in the typhoon-prone Bicol region, with the weather forecaster warning of “widespread incidents of severe flooding and landslides”. Power was shut down ahead of the storm, with shelters and the command centre using generators for electricity. More than 400 people were squeezed into the provincial government building in the capital Virac, with new arrivals being sent to a gymnasium, provincial disaster officer Roberto Monterola told AFP. Monterola said he had dispatched soldiers to force about 100 households in two coastal villages near Virac to move inland due to fears storm surges could swamp their homes. “Regardless of the exact landfall point, heavy rainfall, severe winds, and storm surges may occur in areas outside the predicted landfall zone,” the forecaster said. The mayor of Naga city in Camarines Sur province imposed a curfew from midday on Saturday in a bid to force residents indoors. – Back to ‘square one’ – In Northern Samar province, disaster officer Rei Josiah Echano lamented that damage caused by typhoons was the root cause of ******** in the region. “Whenever there’s a typhoon like this, it brings us back to the medieval era, we go (back) to square one,” Echano told AFP, as the province prepared for the onslaught of Man-yi. All vessels — from fishing boats to oil tankers — have been ordered to stay in port or return to shore. Nearly 4,000 people were stranded after the coast guard shut 55 ports. The volcanology agency also warned heavy rain dumped by Man-yi could trigger flows of volcanic sediment, or lahars, from three volcanos, including Taal, south of Manila. Man-yi will hit the Philippines late in the typhoon season — most cyclones develop between July and October. Earlier this month, four storms were clustered simultaneously in the Pacific basin, which the Japan Meteorological Agency told AFP on Saturday was the first time such an occurrence had been observed in November since its records began in 1951. cgm/amj/sco Source link #Philippines #warns #potentially #catastrophic #Super #Typhoon #Manyi Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apex Legends Players Pay the Ultimate Price After Respawn Bug Causes Matches to Lag Until a New Match Begins Apex Legends Players Pay the Ultimate Price After Respawn Bug Causes Matches to Lag Until a New Match Begins Apex Legends has seen its fair share of challenges and beatdowns lately, from the somewhat controversial ban on Linux OS affecting Steam Deck users to the massive backlash caused by the Battle Pass Changes. Wraith in Apex Legends – Image Credit: Respawn Entertainment. But while the game continues to maintain its familiar cadence still, a new bug, supposedly only on Ranked Matches, has now begun to frustrate players to no end. Those who are already skeptical of Respawn’s ability to maintain this game are going to have a field day with this one. Careful – a new respawn bug might just ruin your ranked matches in Apex Legends A player being revived in Apex Legends – Image Credit: Respawn Entertainment. So, what’s the deal with this new issue? Well, the thing is that in certain ranked matches, upon receiving a respawn by a teammate, the respawned player begins to experience severe lag, to the point of simply becoming useless in the game. What’s interesting is that this horrible rubber-banding, for a lot of cases, doesn’t seem to go away even after restarting the system itself and jumping back in, leading to, as lag always does, significant packet loss, wonky animations, and just overall unresponsiveness. Interestingly, players not engaging with ranked matches don’t seem to have encountered the problem so far, leading many to believe that the problem is tied to the game mode itself. What’s worse is that no one is able to identify the root cause of the problem. While a few players have suggested that this sometimes happens when you get respawned at one of the default respawns on the map, there hasn’t been any confirmation of the same either. Naturally, and as one might expect, most players are disappointed with Respawn and the game once again, especially since this is happening only two weeks after the start of Season 23, as they should be. Respawn needs to work fast on fixing Apex Legends’ growing list of problems Lifeline in Apex Legends – Image Credit: Respawn Entertainment. When you put this newfound bug aside from the already frustrating respawn and revive meta of the game, it’s easy to see why people would once again feel appalled by Respawn’s mishandling of the game. The mere fact that this one bug is now probably the biggest counter to the Respawn meta says a lot about the game. It is symptomatic of its current state, which has already endured 23 seasons of ups and downs. Comment byu/SarkHD from discussion inapexlegends Competitive players are, of course, particularly vocal. With ranked play being their bread and butter, they express unbridled frustration that a game with Apex’s pedigree is still struggling with these kinds of bugs years into its lifecycle. The point is that, after all this time, such problems just shouldn’t be happening in the game, and yet the developers continue to find some way of messing it up. Is Apex Legends’ code running on duct tape and stitches? Only the dev team knows the answer to that. While Respawn hasn’t implemented a hotfix yet, many within the community hope the issue is addressed swiftly. This still doesn’t change the fact that this game’s problems are starting to run a little deeper than what a simple patch or nerf can fix. But with all that said, what do you think of Apex’s current state? Should Respawn prioritize fixing bugs like this, or are these inevitable in a live-service game? Let us know in the comments below! Source link #Apex #Legends #Players #Pay #Ultimate #Price #Respawn #Bug #Matches #Lag #Match #Begins Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

30-year-old took a pay cut to work for herself—and doesn’t regret it 30-year-old took a pay cut to work for herself—and doesn’t regret it In 2023, Anna-Marie Ortiz worked remotely for a fintech startup, where she earned $60,000 a year. She liked the job well enough, but wasn’t sure what her future at the company would look like. “I realized I can’t wait around for other people’s dreams, and that’s when I decided to go all in on mine,” she tells CNBC Make It. That July, Ortiz used the last of her $2,000 in savings to start a cleaning company on the side. By November, she took the business, Cool Aunt Cleaners, full-time. Although she’s only able to pay herself around $29,000 this year — a significant pay cut from her last position — she’s happy with her choice to strike out on her own. “I love being my own boss,” she says. “It allows me the flexibility to make my own decisions and create a work environment that reflects my values.” Becoming an entrepreneur in her 20s Cool Aunt Cleaners isn’t Ortiz’s first experience with entrepreneurship. After working at a series of tech startups in her early 20s, she opened a plant store in Wichita, Kansas, in 2020. Although the store closed in early 2021, it taught her about managing inventory, customer service and budgeting — key lessons she later applied to launching Cool Aunt Cleaners. Ortiz decided to start a cleaning business instead of another retail store because of the low startup costs and solid return on investment, she says. Low overhead gave her the flexibility to start solo and gradually expand, hiring employees as demand increased. She also liked that cleaning is a “tried and true” service that’s been “around forever,” giving her hope that the business would offer stability for her future. Anna-Marie Ortiz cleaning an apartment. Matt Wolcott | CNBC Make It In its first month, Cool Aunt Cleaners brought in about $2,600 in revenue. That has steadily grown over time, and the business has brought in about $10,000 per month so far in 2024. After taking Cool Aunt Cleaners full time in November 2023, Ortiz was eager to scale it up. She hired four employees, but quickly realized the challenges of expanding too fast. She decided to scale back her team to the point where she was running the business solo during the summer of 2024. “When you start a business, you have no idea how it’s gonna go,” she says. “But you keep going because you believe in what you’re building.” The future of the business The business has since stabilized, with about 15 to 20 recurring clients. And in August, Ortiz hired a part-time worker using a commission-based pay structure. She plans to continue expanding as she secures more cleanings, eventually growing Cool Aunt Cleaners into a seven-figure business. “When you have a vision for your business, it is a long-term investment, it’s not something that can be rushed,” she says. Although Ortiz’s $29,000 salary is less than she’s earned in previous roles, she sees it as a small sacrifice for the long-term independence her business will bring. “I think people have a false sense of security with their 9-to-5 jobs,” she says. They can get “used to being told what to do every single day,” which can be “dangerous” and lead to staying in a place where “they’re no longer happy.” While Ortiz has taken on more risk to be a small business owner, she finds fulfillment in creating her own path: “I’d rather put in the work now to build something that lasts.” Want to earn more money at work? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Negotiate a Higher Salary. Expert instructors will teach you the skills you need to get a ******* paycheck, including how to prepare and build your confidence, what to do and say, and how to craft a counteroffer. Start today and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 50% off through November 26, 2024. Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life. Source link #30yearold #pay #cut #work #herselfand #doesnt #regret Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

War Thunder Shows Graphics Upgrade Coming With Firebirds Update: Ray Tracing & More War Thunder Shows Graphics Upgrade Coming With Firebirds Update: Ray Tracing & More Einhander19726d ago @Cacabunga “PS4 Pro made sense!!! Made 4K gaming possible” PS5 Pro actually has 4k that often looks even better than native when PSSR is used unlike PS4 Pro which had checkerboard but often made the image more blurry. “enhanced computing power for PSVR” PS5 Pro offers the same type of improvement for both PSVR and PSVR 2. “had 1GB dedicated memory for UI” PS5 Pro has an additional 2GB. “and of course the constant flow of all the amazing 1st party titles helped” PS5 Pro has more than double (almost 3x) the number of supported games at launch. And of course every first party will support it going forward and the list of third party support is already better than PS4 Pro. Source link #War #Thunder #Shows #Graphics #Upgrade #Coming #Firebirds #Update #Ray #Tracing Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]