Pelican Press

ADL’s report on ******* Steam Community posts prompts a letter from Virginia senator ADL’s report on ******* Steam Community posts prompts a letter from Virginia senator A damning report from the published Thursday on the “unprecedented” amount of ******* and violent content on Steam Community has prompted a US Senator to take action. In a letter spotted by , Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) asked Valve CEO Gabe Newell how he and his company are addressing the issue. “My concern is elevated by the fact that Steam is the largest single online gaming digital distribution and social networking platform in the world with over 100 million unique user accounts and a user base similar in scale to that of the ‘traditional social media and social network platforms,’” Warner wrote. The senator also cited Steam’s online conduct policy that states users may not “upload or post ******** or inappropriate content [including] [real] or disturbing depictions of *********” or “harass other users or Steam personnel.” “Valve must bring its content moderation practices in line with industry standards or face more intense scrutiny from the federal government for its complicity in allowing hate groups to congregate and engage in activities that undoubtedly puts Americans at risk,” Warner writes. Congress doesn’t have the ability to take action on Valve or any platform except to shine light on the problem through letters and committee hearings. overturned two state laws in June that prevented government officials from communicating with social media companies about objectionable content. This also isn’t the first time that Congress has raised concerns with Valve about extremist and ******* content created by users or players in one of its products. sent a letter to Newell in 2023 to express concerns about players posting and spouting ******* language in Valve’s multiplayer online arena game Dota 2. We reached out to Valve for comment. We will update this story if we receive a statement or reactions from Valve. Source link #ADLs #report #******* #Steam #Community #posts #prompts #letter #Virginia #senator Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Who’s To Say That The $17 Billion Chain Might Not Eventually Make Its Way To Chipotle’s Levels’ ‘Who’s To Say That The $17 Billion Chain Might Not Eventually Make Its Way To Chipotle’s Levels’ We recently compiled a list of the Jim Cramer’s Best Performers List: Top 10 Stocks. In this article, we are going to take a look at where CAVA Group, Inc. (NYSE:CAVA) stands against the other stocks on Jim Cramer’s list of best performers list. On Wednesday’s **** Money episode, Jim Cramer took a deep ***** into ten stocks, each worth over $1 billion, that have seen significant growth this year. While acknowledging that many of these stocks are speculative, he emphasized that they still hold potential as smart investments. Cramer suggested that when looking back on this year, two trends will stand out: a steady rise in the S&P 500, and a series of moves that initially seemed almost magical, but were grounded in reality. Cramer also reflected on the common investment approach of sticking with index funds, noting that it is a popular strategy because it requires minimal effort. But, according to him, simply parking your money in an index fund might not be the best way to maximize returns. Instead, he argued that investors should consider individual stocks with unique characteristics, many of which are speculative since they offer opportunities for much larger gains. Cramer criticized the tendency among experts to dismiss individual stock investments beyond index funds, saying: “Far too often we become snobs when we talk stocks. So many experts think that if you venture past the index, you could fall off some sort of intellectual cliff. It makes any gains null and void. It’s as if the huge swath of points you could have gained simply don’t count. But that, people, is nonsense.” READ ALSO Jim Cramer on Microsoft and Other Stocks and 10 Stocks on Jim Cramer’s Radar During Wednesday’s episode, Cramer highlighted several stocks that have surged by over 200% this year, choosing to focus only on those with a market cap of more than $1 billion. He did clarify, however, that he was not endorsing these stocks, especially given how much they have already appreciated. Instead, his point was that speculative stocks, despite their volatility, have a valid place in an investment portfolio. While they come with risks, a small stake in one of these stocks could outperform a much larger investment in an index fund. For Cramer, it is not about avoiding speculative stocks altogether, but recognizing their potential when balanced alongside more stable investments like index funds. Cramer wrapped up by stressing the importance of considering these high-flying, speculative stocks and said: “The bottom line: Let’s remember this list of frothy stocks and think of them the next time you’re about to ignore a stock for being too speculative because these names are often the epitome of speculating wisely, which can be the key for terrific long-term performance, of course, only when melded with index funds.” Story Continues Our Methodology For this article, we compiled a list of 10 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of **** Money on November 13 and listed the stocks in the order that Cramer mentioned them. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here). A close-up image of a colorful salad platter with toppings and dressings. On Wednesday, Cramer discussed CAVA Group, Inc. (NYSE:CAVA) being accessible and its recently released third-quarter earnings report. “The second smallest gainer in this group of just hallowed stocks is the most salient and that’s Cava Group, which reported last night. This casual dining chain aspires to be the Mediterranean version of Chipotle. It’s up over 242% for the year, including today’s 1.5% gain. At one point, it was up so much more because the same-store sales were up 18% and Wall Street was only looking for 12.4%. The best thing about Cava is this one was indeed accessible. Many of you have eaten there and enjoyed it. CAVA Group (NYSE:CAVA) is a leading player in the fast-casual dining sector, operating a growing network of Mediterranean-inspired restaurants across the ******* States. The company has made significant strides in expanding its footprint, as evidenced by its impressive financial performance for the third quarter. During the quarter, its same-store sales surged by 18%, driven largely by a nearly 13% increase in customer traffic. This growth contributed to a 39% rise in total revenue, which reached $241.5 million for the quarter. The success at the unit level is also noteworthy, with average unit volumes improving from $2.6 million to $2.8 million, reflecting a rise in the amount of business individual restaurants are generating. At the same time, the restaurant-level profit margin stood at 25.6%. The company saw a substantial increase in net income, which nearly tripled from $6.8 million to $18 million. Diluted EPS also saw a significant jump, rising from $0.06 to $0.15. CAVA Group’s (NYSE:CAVA) expansion strategy continues to gain momentum, with CEO Brett Schulman emphasizing the company’s growth in both new and existing markets. During the earnings call, Schulman mentioned that the company added 11 new locations in Q3, marking a continuation of its nationwide expansion. Overall CAVA ranks 2nd on Jim Cramer’s list of the best performing stocks. While we acknowledge the potential of CAVA as an investment, our conviction ***** in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than CAVA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Source link #Whos #Billion #Chain #Eventually #Chipotles #Levels Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

You Can Buy Avowed With WoW Gold–Here’s How You Can Buy Avowed With WoW Gold–Here’s How Avowed, the upcoming RPG from Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds developer Obsidian, will launch on Battle.net, and players can buy it with World of Warcraft’s in-game currency, gold. Games on Battle.net can be purchased with Gold, and at the current rates, you’ll need around 1.4 million gold to buy Avowed’s $70 edition on Battle.net, according to PC Gamer. IGN explained the convoluted process of how it works, but it boils down to how WoW Tokens can be exchanged for a balance credit on Battle.net. WoW Tokens are available for $20, and these can be re-sold through WoW’s in-game auction house in exchange for gold. That gold can then be exchanged for $15 worth of Battle.net balance after Blizzard’s $5 cut. With the Battle.net balance, you can buy anything from the Battle.net store, including Avowed when it releases in February 2025. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. Avowed Refreshes The Fantasy Action Genre | GameSpot Preview | gamescom 2024 Size:640 × 360480 × 270 Want us to remember this setting for all your devices? Sign up or Sign in now! Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos. This video has an invalid file format. Sorry, but you can’t access this content! Please enter your date of birth to view this video JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter WoW Token prices fluctuate, but as of November 15, one WoW Token equals 269,433 gold. A total of five WoW Tokens would be necessary to buy the least-expensive version of Avowed, for a total of about 1.4 million gold. This is a pretty roundabout method of buying a game like Avowed, but it is possible, at least in theory. Avowed launching on Battle.net caught some people by surprise, but it isn’t totally strange, as Microsoft now owns Battle.net by way of its purchase of Activision Blizzard. The game’s $70 standard edition and $90 digital premium edition (which comes with five-day early access) will both be available on Battle.net. Alternatively, Avowed will launch on Xbox Game Pass for Ultimate subscribers. Avowed was originally set to launch in 2024 before being delayed to 2025. The delay wasn’t for quality reasons, however, but came down to scheduling it to help Game Pass. Source link #Buy #Avowed #WoW #GoldHeres Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Paul, Tyson ****** breaks record for biggest non-Vegas boxing gate Paul, Tyson ****** breaks record for biggest non-Vegas boxing gate (L-R) Mike Tyson, Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul pose onstage during the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Boxing match press conference at Texas Live! in Arlington, Texas, on May 16, 2024. Cooper Neill | Getty Images The highly anticipated boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson has already secured its place in the record books. The ******’s promoter, Most Valuable Promotions, which is co-owned by Paul, told CNBC it expects more than 70,000 people to be in attendance to the Friday night bout at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Dallas Cowboys’ stadium has a seating capacity of 80,000. The gate receipts alone have brought in $17.8 million in revenue, the promoter said. That makes it the biggest boxing gate in history outside of Nevada. The previous record was $9 million in gate receipts for the 2021 ****** between Canelo Álvarez and Billy Joe Saunders at AT&T Stadium. MVP said the gate is also higher than any non-Las Vegas UFC ******, other than Conor McGregor versus Eddie Alvarez in New York City in 2016. The ****** between Paul, a 27-year-old YouTube influencer-turned-boxer and Tyson, a 58-year-old boxing legend, will air Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Netflix, free to subscribers. The event will also feature one of the most anticipated women’s boxing rematches in history: undisputed super lightweight champion Katie Taylor versus unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano. Netflix has upward of 283 million paid memberships in more than 190 countries. The bout will also be a test for the streamer as it ventures deeper into the sports space and as boxing sidesteps the pay-per-view model. “Numbers don’t lie,” Paul said Wednesday at a press conference for the ******. “People want to see this and that’s an amazing accomplishment. … This is a statement that we had the biggest live gate outside of Vegas in U.S. boxing history.” Tickets for the ****** on Friday range on StubHub from about $58 to $1,500. MVP has also sold higher-end packages, including a $2 million VIP experience that comes with ringside seats. The promotions company says its 375 VIP seats have officially sold out. For comparison, Vegas’ biggest ****** in history took place in 2015 between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. That ****** took in more than $72 million in tickets, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO Source link #Paul #Tyson #****** #breaks #record #biggest #nonVegas #boxing #gate Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Elden Ring’s Brutally Gorgeous Unreal Engine 5 Remaster Proves a Potential Revival of Another Cursed Hidetaka Miyazaki Game is Possible Elden Ring’s Brutally Gorgeous Unreal Engine 5 Remaster Proves a Potential Revival of Another Cursed Hidetaka Miyazaki Game is Possible We’ll start this one by addressing what’s most obvious – Elden Ring is already one of the most visually breathtaking games of this generation that will not require a remake or remaster for at least a decade. The Tarnished entering the Ancient Ruins of Rauh – Image Credit: FromSoftware. However, when it comes to sheer fidelity, the game undoubtedly needs polish. So, when one fan decided to pay tribute to Hidetaka Miyazaki’s masterpiece in Unreal Engine 5, it simply left us mesmerized and wishing that one day, Bloodborne would receive treatment of a similar kind. Konariin’s Cerulean Sanctum Is a Stunning Tribute to Elden Ring’s Masterful World The Tarnished exploring the Gravesite Plain – Image Credit: FromSoftware. Now, we know how that Bloodborne bit sounds, but let’s focus on the UE5 tribute first. As such, Elden Ring’s world design stands as one of the most meticulously crafted, with its vast, sprawling topography balancing breathtaking scenery with unfathomable verticality and hidden pathways. Miyazaki’s level design genius, though, ***** in how it guides players without overwhelming them with markers, using only the Erdtree and distant landmarks to pull you in. Well, except for that one plateau in the southwest of Liurnia. That said, however, when up close and personal with everything in the game, you realize that Elden Ring isn’t absolutely perfect. Its visual brilliance relies on clever tricks to mask limitations, like low-resolution textures that are often hidden by the sheer scale of its environments and camera work. This, though, brings us to the work of an up-and-coming YouTuber, Konariin, who, with his tribute, showed us a version of Elden Ring that can stun even on a micro level. His rendition of the game, inspired primarily by Shadow of the Erdtree and aptly named the “Cerulean Sanctum,” manages to capture its ethereal beauty with painstaking attention to detail. Thanks to Nanite technology, enhanced lighting, richer textures, and UE5’s advanced rendering capabilities, this rendition reaches breathtaking new heights, giving us a glimpse of what Elden Ring could look like in a more future-proof engine. For the guy to spend hundreds of hours creating this, the dedication displayed by a single FromSoftware fan with this work isn’t just technically impressive—it’s a deeply passionate project that, for our money, channels the very essence of FromSoftware’s world design. So, keeping all that in mind, be sure to check out Konariin on Instagram and subscribe to their YouTube channel. His video goes much more in-depth on the process and is most certainly worth a watch. His next work inspired by Arcane should give you a solid enough reason to keep an eye on his growing YouTube channel. Bloodborne Deserves Better, and a Fan-Reimagining in Unreal Engine 5 Might Just Be What We Need The Hunter using the Holy Moonlight Sword – Image Credit: FromSoftware. Sigh—then there’s Bloodborne. Look, at this point, the game’s situation has become almost comical—stuck on the PS4, locked to 30 FPS, and entirely ignored by Sony despite its massive fanbase. It’s an IP with the potential to rake in serious cash, yet Sony refuses to move on it. There’s a stagnation within this game’s community that has already driven a few to the brink of insanity. We’ve seen a demake for the PS1, an entire emulator built just to run it on PC with countless unofficial patches, and even spin-offs like Nightmare Kart. Why are we mentioning all this? Well, if Sony doesn’t act now—get Bluepoint or some other developer on the case—it feels inevitable that someone else will. Specifically, what we envision is another fan like Konariin—just slightly more insane—taking Bloodborne into Unreal Engine 5. When you think about it, it’s not a project that’s too hard to envision either. For all we know, someone already has that running in some shape or form but simply refuses to show it to the world due to legal issues. Not only that, UE5’s tools could bring Yharnam’s Gothic architecture, eerie atmosphere, eldritch horrors and visceral combat to life in a way that even ShadPS4 is yet to be able to with its own mods and patches. Plus, with the game’s passionate community, a UE5 remake or remaster feels more like a “when” than an “if.” Would it be legally questionable? Yes. But would it be a step towards preserving and enhancing Bloodborne? Absolutely. More importantly, would we wholeheartedly support it? We **** on this hill. With all that said, what do you think about this and Konariin’s project? Should Sony finally give Bloodborne the love it deserves, or are fan projects the only way forward? Let us know in the comments below! Source link #Elden #Rings #Brutally #Gorgeous #Unreal #Engine #Remaster #Proves #Potential #Revival #Cursed #Hidetaka #Miyazaki #Game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NASA tests new AI chatbot to make sense of complex data NASA tests new AI chatbot to make sense of complex data Using its Earth-observing satellites, NASA has collected huge amounts of highly complex data about our planet over the years to track climate change, monitor wildfires, and plenty more besides. But making sense of it all, and bringing it to the masses, is a challenging endeavor. Until now, that is. Harnessing the power of generative AI, NASA has teamed up with Microsoft to create Earth Copilot, a new AI-powered chat tool specifically designed to simplify how users access complex geospatial satellite imagery and data, potentially unlocking new insights and discoveries. While only a limited number of researchers and scientists can currently make sense of the data, Earth Copilot will bring it to an almost unlimited audience, with curious folks able to probe the tool with questions for an exchange that’s conversational in tone, similar to how you might already use ChatGPT or other similar generative-AI chat tools. Microsoft suggests that users might simply ask questions like: “What was the impact of Hurricane Ian in Sanibel Island?” or, “How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect air quality in the U.S.?” Earth Copilot will then ***** into the relevant data sets before offering an answer that should be relatively easy to digest. “NASA’s Earth Science Data Systems Program is responsible for collecting an incredible variety of data from spaceborne sensors and instruments,” Microsoft said in an article introducing Earth Copilot. “This data spans everything from atmospheric conditions to land cover changes, ocean temperatures, and more. However, the sheer scale and complexity of this information can be overwhelming. For many, finding and extracting insights requires navigating technical interfaces, understanding data formats, and mastering the intricacies of geospatial analysis — specialized skills that very few nontechnical users possess. AI could streamline this process, reducing time to gain insights from Earth’s data to a matter of seconds.” Currently, Earth Copilot is being tested by NASA scientists and researchers to ensure its safety and reliability. The next step will be to integrate it into NASA’s Visualization, Exploration, and Data Analysis (VEDA) platform, which makes it easier for users to search, discover, and analyze data related to Earth science. Source link #NASA #tests #chatbot #sense #complex #data Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Space stocks rally on ‘Trump-Elon trade,’ analysts say Space stocks rally on ‘Trump-Elon trade,’ analysts say A hot ***** test of an Archimedes engine, which powers the company’s Neutron rocket. Rocket Lab This past week saw several pure-play space stocks rally, with leaders up as much as 20% or more, in part driven by what sector analysts said is a “Trump-Elon trade,” a nod to the relationship between President-elect Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. “I don’t think anyone can underplay the potential catalyst that I don’t think many people were talking about before: the most important human in the history of the space industry having the ear of the president-elect, who in his past term found space important enough to create a separate branch of the military,” Andrew Chanin, CEO of ProcureAM, which runs the UFO space-focused ETF, told CNBC. Just this week saw Rocket Lab up 41%, Intuitive Machines up 28%, Spire Global up 26%, Planet Labs up 16%, Redwire up 15% and AST SpaceMobile up 10%. Those gains were partly catalyzed by third-quarter results and individual updates, such as Rocket Lab’s progress on Neutron or Spire’s ***** of its maritime business to remove debt. But there’s a broader market sentiment that’s driving these stocks too, said Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Andres Sheppard, who has buy ratings on Rocket Lab, Redwire and Intuitive Machines. “I think there’s definitely a risk-on, post-Trump-win rally that’s being reflected in this industry,” Sheppard told CNBC. Back out even further to take a year-to-date perspective, and this week’s top-performing space stocks have broken out of a post-SPAC malaise to triple or even quadruple in 2024. “Space has been one of the been one of the best outperformers in the market this year for a handful of these names,” Sheppard said. “We’re seeing a big increase in investor inbounds,” he continued. “We’re getting calls and emails from institutional investors, which are finally starting to realize that this market is only going to continue to accelerate. It’s only going to continue to proliferate because of national security, because of the Artemis program to get the U.S. astronauts back on the moon, because of Elon [Musk]’s ambitious goals of getting to Mars.” Read more CNBC space news Sheppard emphasized that Musk’s company SpaceX being privately held means investors are turning to other companies to get exposure to the space sector. Similarly, ProcureAM’s Chanin believes SpaceX’s dominant position in rocket launches and satellite broadband actually helps companies that have spacecraft looking for a ride to orbit. “They all benefit from the lower cost of accessing space,” Chanin said. Notably, this week has also seen a bifurcation between pure-play space stocks. Newer companies that have gone public in the past few years climbed while older “legacy” players slid – such as EchoStar and Viasat, both down over 10% this week. Alex King, CEO of Cestrian Capital Research, said that gap represents a changing of the guard between the generations of space companies. “The need for any of those legacy businesses is declining. … What you’re seeing in space, I think, is a slower evolution of what happens in tech, where it happens really quickly, which is low cost always wins in the end,” King said. “I think there’s an element of the market working out which of these companies are here to stay and which aren’t,” King added. Despite the huge year-to-date gains by the top space performers, Sheppard doesn’t see the sector slowing down any time soon. “The overall sentiment has been very bullish and continues to be bullish, despite the outperformance,” Sheppard said. That aligns with the views of Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck, who said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call this week that he expects the incoming Trump administration’s “very strong focus on space” to keep up the industry’s momentum. “When space wins, Rocket Lab wins,” Beck said. Source link #Space #stocks #rally #TrumpElon #trade #analysts Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A Complete Guide to Maximize Your Dragon Quest III HD-2D Experience A Complete Guide to Maximize Your Dragon Quest III HD-2D Experience The Outerhaven writes: The iconic third entry in the Dragon Quest series has now been remade in the HD 2D engine. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is the best way to play Dragon Quest III. It looks beautiful, sounds amazing, and is an extremely satisfying game to complete. Source link #Complete #Guide #Maximize #Dragon #Quest #III #HD2D #Experience Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Corsair just spilled the beans on next-gen GPU requirements Corsair just spilled the beans on next-gen GPU requirements Sometimes, news about next-gen GPUs comes from unlikely sources — today is one of those days. Corsair just spoke about its power supply units (PSUs) and cooling solutions in relation to the future of some of the upcoming best graphics cards. It turns out that Nvidia’s RTX 50-series may not be that much more power-hungry than the current-gen cards, but there’s more than just Nvidia to consider here. Although unexpected, Corsair’s statement sounds like good news. The company doesn’t talk about any new solutions. In fact, Corsair seems to confirm that the power supply units (PSUs) we use today will still work fine for next-gen cards — provided the wattage is sufficient. “The latest graphics cards now require a 12V-2×6 GPU power connector, a standard we expect will continue with next-gen GPUs,” said Corsair. Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming On the other hand, the company admits that there could be a rise in power requirements: “Next-generation high-end graphics cards could demand even more power than current models, which can draw up to 450 watts. Factoring in high-end CPUs and other power-hungry components, this points to an increased need for higher wattage PSUs.” This means that we could see a more power-hungry RTX 5090, but still, the connector can only handle up to 600 watts — so that’s the limit. Corsair There’s been a lot of talk about the power requirements for next-gen GPUs, although that may be too broad a statement. In reality, the speculation is mostly centered around Nvidia, namely its flagship RTX 5090. AMD and Intel, while also set to launch RDNA 4 and Battlemage, are unlikely to release enthusiast-level cards that need serious cooling and consume lots of power. Nvidia, however, is almost certainly pushing for the high end. We’ve seen claims that the RTX 5090 will require 600 watts of power — that’s 150W more than its predecessor. We’ve also seen reputable leakers say that the entire lineup will see an increase in power consumption. However, some of the claims were a bit too wild to be real, such as the speculation that the RTX 5090 might use not one, but two 12V-2×6 power connectors. Corsair doesn’t seem to imply that any of these outlandish claims are true, which is good news. If Nvidia sticks to the 12V-2×6 power connector, then we’re guaranteed to have the RTX 5090 with a power requirement of under 600 watts. Although Corsair doesn’t mention Nvidia by name, it’s unlikely that either AMD or Intel will have cards that need nearly as much power. However, they might still use the same power connector — we’ll have to wait and see. Source link #Corsair #spilled #beans #nextgen #GPU #requirements Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

I felt enormous guilt, says ex-MP in honeytrap scandal I felt enormous guilt, says ex-MP in honeytrap scandal Watch: Ex-MP William Wragg on being a victim of catfishing Warning: This story contains references to ******** It was 4am one morning in April and William Wragg was at home in his cottage on the edge of the Peak District, unable to sleep. “I really was having very dark thoughts,” he tells me in his first broadcast interview about his involvement in Parliament’s “honeytrap” scandal. At the time, Wragg was a ************* MP and a few days earlier he had admitted to a journalist that he had shared the phone numbers of fellow politicians with someone he had met on a dating app. Since the story was published, photographers had been camping outside his parents’ home. “I drove around to my parents’ house and said to them: ‘I need to go to hospital’,” he recalls. That night his mother took him to the local accident and emergency unit. He was stooping as he leant on the front desk. “Have you got a bad back?” the receptionist asked cheerily. “No,” he replied. “I’m suicidal.” ‘Charlie’ Wragg had been one of dozens of victims of an individual who adopted the identities of ‘Charlie’ and ‘Abi’ and sent flirtatious texts to politicians, journalists and advisers. Unlike others who had received messages unsolicited, he had been the one to initiate contact with ‘Charlie’ on the gay dating app Grindr. “I was quite lonely to be honest,” Wragg says. “It was an evening at the end of January. I was back at my flat in London following a day at Westminster, and I was just on my blank online profile. And I saw his profile and messaged to say hello.” ‘Charlie’ seemed to know a lot about the world of *** politics and soon the conversation moved to WhatsApp. Wragg thought this might be the start of a relationship. “I was actually very flattered because he was an attractive guy,” Wragg says. “And he had a manner in the conversation that was assertive, but slightly ******. That’s an attractive quality too.” Within hours the men had exchanged ****** photos. “Was that wise?” I ask. “Obviously it wasn’t,” Wragg replies. “But when you’re in the moment it wasn’t a consideration. I know that might sound ridiculous, people think how ******* can you be? But we’re all human. We all have those desires. I’m as fallible as the next person.” The pair spoke on the phone two or three times but when they arranged a date at a pub near Parliament, Wragg was stood up. “It didn’t materialise obviously, because as it transpired he wasn’t real. But I didn’t know that at the time,” he says. “And I didn’t hear from him until the next day. He was incredibly apologetic. I thought OK, he’s just had a bad day at work.” ‘I felt a threat’ The nature of this apparently fledgling romantic relationship soon took a darker turn when ‘Charlie’ asked Wragg to send him the phone numbers of other men who worked in Parliament. “He said ‘you’ve got two minutes to send me these numbers’. And that’s when it, as far as I was concerned, turned a bit weird.” Was he being blackmailed? “I don’t know,” he says. “There was never anything that was explicit to say that, but I certainly felt a threat.” Wragg also concedes that amidst the intoxication of possible romance he felt “a sense of wanting to please” ‘Charlie’. He ended up handing over around a dozen phone numbers, including for a number of MPs. At the time, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Wragg was right to apologise, while minister Mel Stride called his actions “exceptionally inappropriate and ill-advised”. I point out his actions made the situation worse, resulting in others also becoming victims. “Yeah and that is why I felt guilt,” he replies. “That’s why I felt so, so sorry and shameful.” ‘Charlie’ also told a few of the men he messaged in Westminster that he was a former researcher for Wragg. He asked the MP to lie and say this was true. Wragg agreed. “That is what I feel the most regret for,” he tells me. “Because it’s deceitful.” Wragg started to have panic attacks. “I remember one evening getting back to my flat in London, waking my flatmates up because I was just in a complete state,” he says. “I was shouting, crying, swearing, had this anger, and I didn’t know why. They were concerned but I couldn’t explain to them what it was.” ‘My stomach dropped’ Police had first been made aware of a catfisher targeting people involved in *** politics in late 2023, but the news began to emerge more widely in April, after a story was published on the Politico news website. Catfishing involves setting up a fake online identity to trick and control others. Wragg was on a train when he saw the article. “My stomach just dropped,” he says. “I thought gosh this must have so much to do with the person I’ve been interacting with.” Approached by a journalist from the Times, Wragg admitted chatting with someone on an app who subsequently asked him for the numbers of others. He apologised for his “weakness”, resigned the ************* whip and stood down from his posts on two parliamentary committees. He had already announced he would not stand in the next general election. “When I found out some of the things that had been going on, I just felt enormous guilt, enormous remorse,” he tells me. “My mood just plummeted.” Wragg had struggled with his mental health in the past and had already stopped taking his antidepressants, which he considers a factor in the suicidal thoughts which led him to be admitted to hospital. The Westminster catfishing operation was sophisticated, and had been under way for many months before Wragg became involved. But he concedes that his actions led to friends and colleagues also becoming victims. Wragg says he feels “great regret” and has “sought to apologise”, adding: “I hope I can explain it in the context of the almost sense of control, the influence this person had over me.” However, one former MP who believes his number was passed on by Wragg told the BBC: “None of us to my recollection have ever received an apology from Will… It might be an idea for him to apologise to those he dropped in the dirt.” Contrary to some early speculation, police have said they do not think any other foreign state was involved. In June a member of the Labour Party in his mid-20s was arrested in London on suspicion of harassment and offences under the Online Safety Act. He has been bailed until late November. Getty Images William Wragg was the MP for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester Seven months on from the height of the scandal, Wragg has left the world of Westminster behind. He is much happier, he says, but still talks of the “shame” he feels and the “havoc” the catfisher wrought. “I have no bitterness or anger left in me,” he says, when I ask how he feels about the catfisher. “Because I felt so wretched and awful in myself.” He believes they were motivated by ******* kicks and by the power they held over others. “My only wish for them is not to do it any more,” he says. “And to understand that impersonating or pretending to be somebody… it’s not victimless. It is very real and its psychological impact is particularly strong.” Wragg hopes by speaking out he may help others to spot the signs of catfishing, and report it. ActionFraud has received almost 7,500 reports of dating scams so far this year. “It’s a source of great shame that my time in Parliament ended in this way,” he says. On his final day as an MP, Wragg had a consultation with a psychologist, which he jokes is “a fitting summation” of his nine years in the Commons. “They have two mental health beds available at any one time for members of Parliament. And it’s surprising how often they’re occupied.” The trauma of recent months has undoubtedly damaged his interest in dating. Does he think he’ll find love? “I hope so, yes,” he says. “But I’m being a bit more guarded at the moment.” If you’ve been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via BBC Action Line Source link #felt #enormous #guilt #exMP #honeytrap #scandal Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

*********’s Creed Infinity has a new name and no microtransactions *********’s Creed Infinity has a new name and no microtransactions Ubisoft Ubisoft quietly confirmed new details on *********’s Creed Infinity, a hub that’s set to launch alongside *********’s Creed Shadows, on the franchise’s official Reddit on Friday. It not only revealed that Animus Hub would be the official name, but that the rewards would be free. The post was in response to a datamined ***** (since taken down via DMCA request) that purportedly revealed a lot of information about the Animus Hub and how it would integrate with *********’s Creed Shadows. Along with revealing the new name, we learned that the Animus Hub would include a battle pass with cosmetics that can be purchased with Isu Coins, the in-game currency. This led to people assuming that there would be microtransactions involved. *********’s Creed Reddit community manager Ubi_Waldo called the rumors “inaccurate,” but did confirm the Animus Hub name. Ubi_Waldo clarified that while there will be rewards in the hub, they’d be “entirely free.” “There are no paid subscriptions or paid battle pass featured in the Animus Hub,” the post read. There’s been some confusion around what the Animus Hub would actually be. *********’s Creed Infinity was always a code name, so we expected that to change, but Ubisoft announced it as part of a “cross-studio, collaborative structure” between Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Quebec that’s led by veterans from the *********’s Creed franchise. Was it a new game? Was it just the name for the team? Either way, Ubisoft seemed to be putting the weight of *********’s Creed’s future on its shoulders. Then, a Bloomberg report claimed that Infinity would be a “massive online platform that evolves over time.” It would apparently contain multiple settings that would change as the franchise moved forward. That was also vague. Maybe it was a live-service title, but as we found out in a later IGN interview, it’s just a hub that will host all the *********’s Creed games starting with *********’s Creed Shadows. It’s like a launcher, but with an Animus interface that will tell its separate story — hence the new name. However, in 2022, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said that Animus Hub would not be free to play. We’ll have to wait to see the final result when Shadows launches on February 14, 2025. Source link #Assassins #Creed #Infinity #microtransactions Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apple hid one of the best features of the M4 MacBook Pro Apple hid one of the best features of the M4 MacBook Pro Apple’s new M4 MacBook Pro is great. It earned a rare Editors’ Choice badge in our M4 MacBook Pro review, and it’s cemented itself as one of the best laptops you can buy. Even with so much going for it, Apple hid one of the most exciting developments it made with its new range of laptops — the use of quantum dot technology. Like the last few generations of MacBook Pro displays, the M4 range is using a mini-LED backlight. There’s no tandem OLED like we saw on the iPad Pro earlier this year. However, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), Apple added a layer of quantum dots to the M4 MacBook Pro. This, according to the display expert, offers better ****** gamut and motion performance compared to the solution Apple previously used. Big Apple display news, they have adopted quantum dots for the first time. The latest MacBook Pro’s (M4) use a quantum dot (QD) film rather than a red KSF phosphor film. In the past, Apple went with the KSF solution due to better efficiency and lack of cadmium (Cd), but the… pic.twitter.com/5olq9lEHs9 — Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) November 14, 2024 We have a deep ***** on how quantum dot tech works, but in short, they’re a layer of phosphorescent crystals that sit between the backlight and the ****** filter of a display. This layer allows pure white light to hit the ****** filter — LED backlights don’t produce perfect white — by mixing blue, green, and red primaries that quantum dots produce when exposed to light. This not only gives you more accurate and vibrant colors, but it also improves brightness, as the ****** filter doesn’t need to correct the errors of the backlight. Young says Apple previously used a “KSF solution,” referring to KSF phosphor powder, which is used in wide-gamut displays like the MacBook Pro to help produce the wider gamut — see the sharp red spike in the post above. With quantum dots, the MacBook Pro is able to provide much more consistent ****** coverage. There are a lot of holdouts for an OLED MacBook Pro, and that was a point of contention we mentioned in our review. However, the inclusion of quantum dots significantly improves the ****** quality of the M4 MacBook Pro, even if it’s unable to match the heights of a true OLED display. In addition, Apple isn’t charging a premium for the new inclusion — you’ll find the quantum dots regardless of if you spend the extra $150 for the nano-texture display option. Source link #Apple #hid #features #MacBook #Pro Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Which car brands sponsor Australia’s sporting teams? Which car brands sponsor Australia’s sporting teams? Carmakers have been using sport to promote their brands for decades, but which marques are sponsoring which teams and codes? Source link #car #brands #sponsor #Australias #sporting #teams Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The suddenly hot Bluesky says it won’t train AI on your posts The suddenly hot Bluesky says it won’t train AI on your posts Bluesky, which has surged in the days following the US election, said on Friday that it won’t train on its users’ posts for generative AI. The declaration stands in stark contrast to the AI training policies of X (Twitter) and Meta’s Threads. Probably not coincidentally, Bluesky’s announcement came the same day X’s new terms of service, allowing third-party partners to train on user posts, went into effect. “A number of artists and creators have made their home on Bluesky, and we hear their concerns with other platforms training on their data,” Bluesky posted (via The Verge) on Friday. “We do not use any of your content to train generative AI, and have no intention of doing so.” In a follow-up post, the decentralized social platform clarified that it does use AI to help with content moderation. “Bluesky uses AI internally to assist in content moderation, which helps us triage posts and shield human moderators from harmful content,” the company posted. Bluesky also added that it uses AI in the algorithms powering its Discover feed. “None of these are Gen AI systems trained on user content,” Bluesky stressed. The Verge points out that Bluesky’s robots.txt (the policy that dictates what outside parties can scrape from a website) doesn’t prevent OpenAI, Google or other leading GenAI companies from crawling its data. The company justified that potential ***** by pointing to the platform’s open and public nature. “Just as robots.txt files don’t always prevent outside companies from crawling those sites, the same applies here,” spokesperson Emily Liu told The Verge. “That said, we’d like to do our part to ensure that outside orgs respect user consent and are actively discussing within the team on how to achieve this.” Although Bluesky is still the underdog in a race with X and Threads, the platform has picked up steam after the US election. It passed the 15 million user threshold on Wednesday after adding more than a million in the past week. A report from web analytics company SimilarWeb noted that the signup surge coincided with a spike in X deactivations. It found that “more than 115,000 US web visitors deactivated their [X] accounts” on November 7, “more than on any previous day of Elon Musk’s tenure.” In parallel, “web traffic and daily active users for Bluesky increased dramatically in the week before the election, and then again after election day.” Source link #suddenly #hot #Bluesky #wont #train #posts Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Wi-Fi 8 is coming, but it will not outperform Wi-Fi 7 speeds Wi-Fi 8 is coming, but it will not outperform Wi-Fi 7 speeds In a departure from the traditional pursuit of faster speeds, Wi-Fi 8 is expected to shift away from that aspect and more toward stability, reliability, and efficient spectrum usage. As per a white paper published by MediaTek, Wi-Fi 8 will be based on the IEEE 802.11bn standard, which introduces Ultra-High Reliability (UHR) as its defining feature. Unlike its predecessors, which emphasized peak throughput, Wi-Fi 8 is expected to prioritize effective throughput — the consistent speeds users experience in everyday environments. While the theoretical maximum bandwidth of Wi-Fi 8 ******** similar to that of Wi-Fi 7 at 23Gbps, actual performance will focus on maintaining stable connections in real-world scenarios. Wi-Fi 8 is also said to introduce several key technologies designed to improve coordination between devices and access points: • Coordinated Spatial Reuse (Co-SR): This feature enhances signal management by allowing access points (APs) to coordinate power output. MediaTek’s trials suggest Co-SR could increase system throughput by 15% to 25%, reducing interference and optimizing performance in mesh networks. • Coordinated Beamforming (Co-BF): Expanding on earlier Wi-Fi innovations, Co-BF enables APs to steer signals precisely toward intended devices while avoiding interference. This advancement is particularly beneficial in crowded environments and can improve throughput by 20% to 50% in mesh setups. • Dynamic Sub-Channel Operation (DSO): DSO dynamically assigns bandwidth to devices based on their capabilities and needs. This technology can push throughput up to 80% higher, ensuring faster data transfer for more advanced devices. • Improved Modulation Coding Schemes (MCS): By introducing finer gradations in MCS levels, Wi-Fi 8 reduces abrupt drops in speed as devices move, improving transmission rates by 5% to 30%. Wi-Fi 8 will also redefine how client devices, like laptops or smartphones, interact with multiple APs. Unlike earlier generations that operated on single channels, Wi-Fi 8 will optimize mesh networks to provide seamless connectivity across various frequencies and APs, improving overall user experience. Before we get too excited, it is important to know that Wi-Fi standards take years to develop, and Wi-Fi 8 is no exception. The first Wi-Fi 8 products are anticipated to launch in early 2028, with the final approval expected by the end of the same year. Many of the best laptops and best routers, for example, are just now beginning to integrate Wi-Fi 7, whereas some are still using Wi-Fi 6E. From what we can speculate, Wi-Fi 8 is going to represent a shift in wireless technology’s evolution, moving away from the race for ever-higher speeds to focus on consistent, reliable performance. Notably, this approach mirrors trends in other tech sectors, like CPUs prioritizing power efficiency over clock speeds. Source link #WiFi #coming #outperform #WiFi #speeds Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

McDonald’s to invest over $100 million in E.coli outbreak recovery McDonald’s to invest over $100 million in E.coli outbreak recovery A Quarter Pounder with cheese, fries and a drink arranged at a McDonald’s restaurant in El Sobrante, California, on Oct. 23, 2024. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images In the wake of last month’s E. coli outbreak tied to McDonald’s slivered onions, the fast food giant said it will invest over $100 million to boost restaurant sales and speed up the recovery at impacted franchisees. Of that total, $65 million will be invested into supporting owners who have lost business, targeting those in the hardest-hit states. Approximately $35 million will be invested traffic-driving programs, including marketing efforts, according to a memo to owners and employees viewed by CNBC. McDonald’s will also be driving “local recovery plans for highly impacted markets” with more details to come in the weeks ahead, the memo said. “We have navigated a complex and fast changing situation, moved at an unmatched pace, and showed the true character of our brand through unwavering dedication to the safety and well-being of our customers. As we enter the ‘Recovery’ phase, we will continue to uphold our commitment to do the right thing,” said the memo from McDonald’s Chief Impact Officer Michael Gonda and Chief Marketing & Customer Experience Officer Tariq Hassan. The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg earlier reported the recovery investments. During the company’s most recent earnings call last month, Chief Financial Officer Ian Borden told investors that daily sales and traffic turned negative immediately following a Centers for ******** Control and Prevention announcement that linked the E. coli outbreak to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. But the company doesn’t expect the situation to have a material impact on its business, executives said. This week the company completed the return of Quarter Pounder burgers, with slivered onions, to all restaurant menus nationwide after temporarily removing the menu item from some locations, according to the memo to franchisees. On Wednesday, the CDC issued its latest update on the outbreak, which now includes a total of 104 cases, 37 hospitalizations and one ****** across 14 states. The same day the Food and ***** Administration said in a statement that “there does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak at McDonald’s restaurants.” Source link #McDonalds #invest #million #E.coli #outbreak #recovery Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump Pentagon pick had been flagged by fellow service member as possible ‘Insider Threat’ Trump Pentagon pick had been flagged by fellow service member as possible ‘Insider Threat’ WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow service member due to a tattoo he has that’s associated with white supremacist groups. Hegseth, who has downplayed the role of military members and veterans in the Jan. 6, 2021, ******* and railed against the Pentagon’s subsequent efforts to address extremism in the ranks, has said he was pulled by his District of Columbia National Guard unit from guarding Joe Biden’s January 2021 inauguration. He’s said he was unfairly identified as an extremist due to a cross tattoo on his chest. This week, however, a fellow Guard member who was the unit’s security manager and on an anti-terrorism team at the time, shared with The Associated Press an email he sent to the unit’s leadership flagging a different tattoo that’s been used by white supremacists, concerned it was an indication of an “Insider Threat.” If Hegseth assumes office, it would mean that someone who has said it’s a sham that extremism is a problem in the military would oversee a sprawling department whose leadership reacted with alarm when people in tactical gear stormed up the U.S. Capitol steps on Jan. 6 in military-style stack formation. He’s also shown support for members of the military accused of war ******* and criticized the military’s justice system. Hegseth and the Trump transition team did not respond to emails seeking comment. As the AP reported in an investigation published last month, more than 480 people with a military background were accused of ideologically driven extremist ******* from 2017 through 2023, including the more than 230 arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to data collected and analyzed by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, or START, at the University of Maryland. Though those numbers reflect a small fraction of those who have served honorably in the military — and Lloyd Austin, the current defense secretary, has said that extremism is not widespread in the U.S. military — AP’s investigation found that plots involving people with military backgrounds were more likely to involve mass casualties. ‘People who love our country’ Since Jan. 6, Hegseth, like many Trump supporters, has minimized both the riot’s seriousness and the role of people with military training. Amid the widespread condemnation the day after the ********, Hegseth took a different approach. On a panel on Fox News, Hegseth portrayed the crowd as patriots, saying they “love freedom” and were “people who love our country” who had “been re-awoken to the reality of what the left has done” to their country. Of the 14 people convicted in the Capitol ******* of seditious ***********, the most serious charge resulting from Jan. 6, eight previously served in the military. While the majority of those with military backgrounds arrested after Jan. 6 were no longer serving, more than 20 were in the military at the time of the *******, according to START. Hegseth wrote in his book “The War on Warriors,” published earlier this year, that just “a few” or “a handful” of active-duty soldiers and reservists had been at the Capitol that day. He did not address the hundreds of military veterans who were arrested and charged. Hegseth has argued the Pentagon overreacted by taking steps to address extremism, and has taken leadership to task for the military’s efforts to remove people it deemed white supremacists and violent extremists from the ranks. Hegseth has written that the problem is “fake” and “manufactured” and characterized it as “peddling the lie of racism in the military.” He said efforts to root extremism out had pushed “rank-and-file patriots out of their formations.” “America is less safe, and our generals simply do not care about the oath that they swore to uphold. The generals are too busy assessing how domestic ‘extremists’ wearing Carhartt jackets will usurp our ‘democracy’ with gate barriers or flagpoles,” he wrote in “The War on Warriors.” In a segment on Fox News last year about Jacob Chansley, a Navy veteran known as the “QAnon Shaman” who walked through the Capitol while wearing a horned fur hat, Hegseth played a misleading video clip from his then-colleague Tucker Carlson that sought to portray Chansley as a passive sightseer. In fact, Chansley was among the first rioters to enter the building and pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstructing an official proceeding in 2021. Chansley acknowledged using a bullhorn to rile up the mob, offering thanks in a prayer while in the Senate chamber for having the chance to get rid of traitors and writing a threatening note to Vice President Mike Pence saying, “It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!” In a message on Facebook Hegseth posted with an excerpt of the video, he wrote the way Chansley had been treated by the justice system “is disgusting.” “Trump, Chansley, and many more… the Left wants us all locked up,” Hegseth wrote. Support for convicted war ********** Hegseth served for almost 20 years and deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. He has two Bronze Stars. In speaking about his service and advocating for other service members and veterans, he has taken actions to support convicted war ********** and recently said he had told his platoon they could ignore directives limiting when they can ******. In a podcast interview released earlier this month, Hegseth described getting a briefing from a military lawyer in 2005 in Baghdad on the rules of engagement. Hegseth said the lawyer told them they could not ****** someone carrying a rocket-propelled grenade unless it was pointed at them. “I remember walking out of that briefing, pulling my platoon together and being like, ‘Guys we’re not doing that. You know, like if you see an ****** and they, you know, engage before he’s able to point his ******* at you and ******, we’re going to have your back,’” Hegseth said. “All they do is take one incident and yell ‘war *********,’” he said, referring to The New York Times, the left and Democrats, adding, “Why wouldn’t we back these guys up even if they weren’t perfect?” He said he was proud of his role in securing pardons from Trump in 2019 for a former U.S. Army commando set to stand trial in the ******** of a suspected Afghan *****-maker, as well as a former Army lieutenant convicted of ******* for ordering his men to ***** upon three Afghans, ******** two. At Hegseth’s urging, Trump also ordered a promotion for Eddie Gallagher, a Navy SEAL convicted of posing with a ***** Islamic State captive in Iraq. Biden’s inauguration Hegseth has complained that he himself was labeled an extremist by the D.C. National Guard and said he was prevented from serving during Biden’s inauguration, a few weeks after the Jan. 6 Capitol *******, because of a cross tattoo on his chest. He said he decided to end his military service shortly after that in disgust. But a fellow Guard member who was working as a security officer ahead of the inauguration gave AP an email he sent that showed him raising concerns about a different tattoo. Retired Master Sgt. DeRicko Gaither, who was serving as the D.C. Army National Guard’s physical security manager and on its anti-terrorism force protection team in January 2021, told the AP that he received an email from a former D.C. Guard member that included a screenshot of a social media post that included two photos showing several of Hegseth’s tattoos. Gaither told AP he researched the tattoos — including one of a Jerusalem Cross and the context of the words “Deus Vult,” ****** for “**** wills it,” on his bicep — and determined they had sufficient connection to extremist groups to elevate the email to his commanding officers. Several of Hegseth’s tattoos are associated with an expression of religious ******, according to Heidi Beirich of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, but they have also been adopted by some far right groups and violent extremists. Their meaning depends on context, she said. Some extremists invoke their association with the ********** crusades to express anti-******* sentiment. The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism notes that in 2023 the words were in the notebooks of the Allen, Texas, shooter Mauricio Garcia. Anders Breivik, a right-wing extremist who ******* 77 people in 2011, had similar markings in his manifesto. In an email Gaither sent on Jan. 14, 2021, which he provided to the AP, he raised concerns about Hegseth, a major at the time, and mentioned only the “Deus Vult” tattoo. In the email addressed to then-Maj. Gen. William Walker, who was commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, Gauther raised concern that the phrase was associated with white supremacists who invoke the idea of a white ********** medieval past as well as the ********** crusades. “MG Walker, Sir, with the information provided this falls along the line of Insider Threat and this is what we as members of the U.S. Army, District of Columbia National Guard and the Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection Team strive to prevent,” Gaither wrote. “I said, ’you guys need to take a look at this,’” Gaither said in a phone interview with the AP on Thursday. “I later received an email that he was told to stay away.” Biden’s inauguration took place just two weeks after the insurrection, and the Army was taking no chances. More than 25,000 Guard members were pouring into the city and each was going through additional vetting, depending on how close they were going to be to Biden. A total of 12 National Guard members were told to stay home, former Pentagon press secretary Jonathan Hoffman told reporters in a briefing a day before the inauguration. At least two were flagged due to potential extremism concerns; the rest were due to other background check issues that were identified as concerning by either the Army, FBI or Secret Service. It was not clear whether Hegseth was among the 12 Hoffman referenced at the time. Hegseth has also speculated in podcast interviews that he was asked to stand down because of his political views, his role as a journalist covering Jan. 6 or because he works for Fox News. —- Smith reported from Providence, R.I., and Dearen reported from Los Angeles. —- Contact AP’s global investigative team at *****@*****.tld Source link #Trump #Pentagon #pick #flagged #fellow #service #member #Insider #Threat Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Wake Up, *****–The DK Rap Is Back And Better Than Ever Wake Up, *****–The DK Rap Is Back And Better Than Ever Donkey Kong 64 has a special place in a generation of gamers’ hearts and scooped up several awards the year of its release–for a quick nostalgia trip, you can read GameSpot’s review from 1999. The game brought Donkey Kong and his friends into the first 3D space after the Donkey Kong Country series had wrapped on the previous generation of consoles. While the gameplay is still iconic, even more so was the opening theme “The DK Rap”, which introduced players to the characters. In celebration of the game’s 25th anniversary, rapper Substantial, along with original composer Grant Kirkhope, teamed together for a remix album called Rare Treats: Donkey Kong 64 Revisited. The song–one of 14 tracks on the album–features new beats, and some new lyrics, but still has that funky DK vibe. “This isn’t just a nostalgia trip–it’s a full-blown, banana-fueled celebration, with revisited recordings and versions re-arranged by composer Grant Kirkhope. Track titles have also been updated to match their intended destiny,” the official song description reads. “Remade by the legend himself, Grant Kirkhope: The original composer and living legend who brought you the unforgettable tracks of Banjo-Kazooie and GoldenEye 007 has returned to remaster the DK64 soundtrack.” Kevin Bayliss, the designer of the original Donkey Kong 64 characters, even provided the cover album and inserts as well. DK Rap was featured in last year’s megahit The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but Kirkhope was not credited for the film, the only instance of that ever happening. The song has subsequently appeared in multiple games since then–most notably as stage music in multiple Super Smash Bros. games–and Kirkhope was credited as the original composer in every other use. Source link #Wake #BabeThe #Rap Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Australia wants to ban social media for under-16s, but it won't work Australia wants to ban social media for under-16s, but it won't work Attempts to prevent *********** children from accessing social media are likely to fail, and could do more harm than good Source link #Australia #ban #social #media #under16s #won039t #work Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Canon imageCLASS LBP674Cdw review: quick and compact ****** Canon imageCLASS LBP674Cdw review: quick and compact ****** Canon ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw MSRP $629.99 “Canon’s ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw offers excellent printing quality at incredible speeds.” ***** Extremely fast print speeds Excellent ****** document quality Two paper trays Easy setup and use Reliable operation ***** Tall for a print-only device No borderless printing ****** cost per page is just OK Canon’s ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw is a high-performance ****** laser printer that promises to be a great fit with your busy office thanks tovibrant documents that roll out in seconds. This sturdy printer can handle heavy workloads and has expansion options to grow with your business needs. While it’s built for work, you can also use the ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw in a home office, where it can serve as a superfast photo printer, label maker, and all-around printer for schoolwork and projects. Since a durable, high-quality ****** laser printer can be expensive, I researched costs and reviewed the ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw’s performance and usability to find out if it’s the best printer for your needs. Specs Canon ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw Dimensions 16.8 x 16.9 x 15.0 inches Weight 35.5 pounds Print speed 35 ppm (******), 35 ppm (******) Print resolution 1200 x 1200 dpi Ports Hi-Speed USB, 10/100/1000Base‐T/TX Ethernet Paper capacity 250 sheets (main), 50 sheets (media) Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, dual-band Design The ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw’s 50-sheet multipurpose tray is convenient for envelopes and labels. Photo by Tracey Truly / Digital Trends The Canon ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw is a ****** laser printer that’s built to last. It’s a print-only model that stands 15 inches high. The footprint is a fairly standard 16.8 by 16.9 inches. While the 35.5-pound weight is enough to keep this printer steady, it’s more manageable than heavier all-in-one units with an automatic document feeder (ADF). If you need an ADF, Canon’s ****** imageClass MF753Cdw is an excellent multifunction ****** laser printer that’s just as fast and matches the quality of the ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw. Canon reduced the boxy appearance, making the front a full inch shorter than the back, so the ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw looks sleeker and aerodynamic. The height difference is practical as well. It’s a little easier to see the top of this somewhat tall printer, even if it’s on a counter-height stand. A large, adjustable five-inch ****** touchscreen at the top right makes setup and maintenance easy. On the opposite side, Canon hid a USB-A port behind a tilt cover for walk-up printing. There’s a button on the left side that pops open the front panel so you can access toner cartridges, but Canon shipped the ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw with starter cartridges already installed. The main paper tray slides out from the bottom and holds 250 sheets. A 50-sheet multipurpose tray tilts forward and provides a convenient way to print envelopes and labels. Printing performance Canon’s ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw delivers speed without sacrificing quality. Photo by Tracey Truly / Digital Trends There’s no doubt that the ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw is fast. In fact, it’s one of the quickest ****** laser printers I’ve tested. The first page shoots out in just 7 seconds. Sustained print speeds for long documents reach up to 35 pages per minute (ppm), and ****** is just as fast as monochrome. The ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw has great photo quality for a ****** laser printer. Photo by Tracey Truly / Digital Trends Despite the blazing speed, ****** document quality is exceptional. There are no lines in ****** graphics and gradations are smooth. Photo prints look vibrant and have good detail, but there’s no borderless option. The only way to surpass this picture quality is by using an inkjet photo printer optimized for photographs. The ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw handles monochrome printing with ease, delivering razor-sharp graphics and crisp text even when using fine print. Technical documents, specifications, envelopes, and labels are top quality. Special features The ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw’s shows thumbnails to simplify flash drive access. Photo by Tracey Truly / Digital Trends The ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw has a convenient USB-A port to the left of the output bin to allow for walk-up printing. Canon includes security features with this business printer so only authorized users can access this feature. Since I’m testing the printer at home, I used settings to unlock the thumb drive port for quicker access. The content of the flash drive shows up in a list on the large ****** touchscreen, and I can even view thumbnails to help find photos visually. This feature lets me print to the ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw without installing an app on my phone. It’s also useful when you want to let a guest use the printer. Software and compatibility Canon’s ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw connected to Wi-Fi quickly for fast ****** prints from any device. Alan Truly / Digital Trends Canon’s quick-start guide instructed me to insert paper in the main tray, power on the ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw, and then follow instructions on the touchscreen to complete the setup. The toner was already installed, making everything quick and simple. Wi-Fi connected instantly and the Canon Print mobile app saw the printer within seconds. The only hiccup was when I skipped the option to set the Remote UI admin code and PIN. I soon regretted that decision since I needed that information for a firmware update. I scanned a QR code to get the manual and quickly found the default is 7654321 for each. Remote UI provides convenient access to printer settings from a web browser if you don’t want to install Canon software. If you want to manage printing with this security feature, it’s easiest to set the codes when the opportunity arises. Canon notes that the ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw is compatible with Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS computers, as well as iOS and Android phones. I connected via Wi-Fi. USB-B and Ethernet cables are supported for computer connection. Price Canon’s list price for the ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw is $630, but online retailers often discount it to $550 or less. It’s more expensive than HP’s equally fast ****** LaserJet Pro 4201dw, but has a few extras. While HP opted for a low-cost dial-based control scheme and monochrome display, Canon chose a large ****** touchscreen for printer setup and management. While the purchase price of a ****** laser printer must be considered, toner costs have the most significant impact on the total cost of ownership. You’ll get the best value from high-capacity toner cartridges. Canon’s 069H ****** yields 7,600 sheets and lists for $184, while the standard 069 cartridge costs $98 and prints up to 2,100 sheets. That makes the cost per page (cpp) for monochrome documents 2 cents and 4 cents, respectively. ****** toner always costs significantly more. Canon’s high-yield ****** cartridges cost $226 and supply up to 5,500 sheets, while a standard ****** cartridge is $116 and prints about 1,900 pages. That means each ****** page costs 12 cents and 18 cents, respectively. That’s fairly standard for a ****** laser printer. If you want to minimize ****** toner costs, Brother’s HL-L3295CDW reduces the cost of ****** pages to as low as 10 cents if you invest in super-high-yield ****** toner. Canon ships the ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw with starter cartridges with reduced capacity, so you’ll need to purchase toner relatively quickly. The yield is approximately 1,100 pages for cyan, magenta, and yellow cartridges and 1,200 pages for ******. Is this the printer for you? The Canon ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw is a high-performance printer with exceptional ****** document quality and impressive photo prints. The ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw feels quite sturdy and should last for many years. Since all-in-one models sell in higher volume, the ****** imageClass MF753Cdw is sometimes available at a lower cost than the print-only models. However, the ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdwyou is smaller and lighter and a large heavy unit is awkward to move. The ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw can handle a heavy workload and Canon recommends a monthly print volume of up to 4,000 pages. An optional paper cassette adds a lower tray that can hold 550 sheets. Expanding paper capacity to 800 sheets and installing high-yield toner cartridges can keep a busy office rolling instead of stopping frequently to replenish supplies. While the ****** imageCLASS LBP674Cdw is a fast, high-quality printer from one of the best brands, it’s worth shopping around. There are plenty of efficient and durable small business printers to choose from. Source link #Canon #imageCLASS #LBP674Cdw #review #quick #compact #****** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Democratic senators ask Pentagon and DOJ to investigate any Elon Musk contact with ****** and other top Russians Democratic senators ask Pentagon and DOJ to investigate any Elon Musk contact with ****** and other top Russians Two top Democratic senators are asking the Pentagon and the Justice Department to investigate billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk’s reported contacts with Russian President Vladimir ****** and other top Russian officials in recent years. Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a top member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, wrote a letter to Defense Department Inspector General Robert Storch and Attorney General Merrick Garland Friday, urging them to determine whether Musk’s reported contacts with the Russians should force a review of the federal government’s contracts with his company, SpaceX. Reuters was first to report the request. The Wall Street Journal reported in October that Musk has been in regular contact with ****** since late 2022, and that ****** asked Musk to activate his Starlink satellite internet program over Taiwan for ******** President Xi Jinping. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Shaheen and Reed expressed concern that giving a security clearance to someone with a reported history of Russian communications could pose a national security risk. “These relationships between a well-known U.S. adversary and Mr. Musk, a beneficiary of billions of dollars in U.S. government funding, pose serious questions regarding Mr. Musk’s reliability as a government contractor and a clearance holder,” the senators wrote. The world’s richest man has become a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump in recent months, giving over $130 million to help elect him, campaigning and traveling with him, and weighing in on Cabinet picks. Trump announced earlier this week that he’s tapping Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency. CBS News also reported Friday that Musk recently met with Iran’s ambassador to the U.N., Amir Saeid Iravani, at the ambassador’s residence in New York, according to two sources familiar with the meeting. The U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with Iran. The senators also sent a separate letter to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, expressing their concern that the Space Force’s reliance on SpaceX could also affect national security. Eleanor Watson, Camilla Schick and Margaret Brennan contributed to this report. Kathryn Watson Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Source link #Democratic #senators #Pentagon #DOJ #investigate #Elon #Musk #contact #****** #top #Russians Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Germany’s Scholz urges ****** in phone call to open talks with Ukraine Germany’s Scholz urges ****** in phone call to open talks with Ukraine ******* Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD, r) and Russian President Vladimir ****** look up after several hours of one-on-one talks at a ****** press conference. Scholz met the Russian president for talks on the situation on the Ukrainian-Russian border. Kay Nietfeld | picture alliance | Getty Images ******* Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Russian President Vladimir ****** in a rare phone call on Friday to begin talks with Ukraine that would open the way for a “just and lasting peace.” In a one-hour phone conversation, their first in almost two years, Scholz also demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and reaffirmed Germany’s continued support for Ukraine, a ******* government spokesman said. The call comes as Ukraine faces increasingly difficult conditions on the battlefield amid shortages of arms and personnel while Russian forces make steady advances. “The Chancellor urged Russia to show willingness to enter talks with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “He stressed Germany’s unbroken determination to back Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression for as long as necessary,” the spokesperson added. Scholz spoke with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ahead of his call with ****** and would brief the Ukrainian leader on the outcome afterwards, the spokesperson said. Germany is Ukraine’s largest financial backer and its largest provider of weapons after the ******* States, whose future support for Kyiv appears uncertain following Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election. Trump has repeatedly criticized the scale of Western financial and military aid to Ukraine and has suggested he can put a swift end to the war, without explaining how. Scholz and ****** last spoke in December 2022, 10 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, plunging relations with the West into their deepest freeze since the Cold War. Scholz, the most unpopular ******* chancellor on record, is preparing for a national election on Feb. 23 in which his Social Democrats face stiff competition from left-wing and far-right parties that are critical of Germany’s backing for Ukraine. Source link #Germanys #Scholz #urges #****** #phone #call #open #talks #Ukraine Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft is About to Abandon Every ********* Xbox Fanatic That Defended Them from PlayStation Microsoft is About to Abandon Every ********* Xbox Fanatic That Defended Them from PlayStation For a long time, Xbox enthusiasts have been defending their hardware in the console wars against Sony’s PlayStation in countless online debates. These users have always been praising how Xbox has unique offerings, from its exclusive titles to its game-changing services like the Game Pass. These fans are loyal supporters who believed the brand was the ultimate gaming platform. The loyal Users who have been defending the hardware are feeling frustrated after the recent marketing campaign. | Image Credit: Microsoft However, after the recent interview with Xbox CEO Phil Spencer and the new marketing campaign, it looks like Microsoft is trying to change its promises that have the potential to leave the same loyal fans feeling betrayed. While this shift might be great news for the future of the company, it leaves a bad taste for the ********* fans who have supported the console-first vision of the brand for nearly two decades. Xbox Shifting its Identity From A Box to A Platform Spencer’s interview has painted a clear picture of the future of the brand. | Image Credit: Microsoft In a recent interview, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer made it clear that the brand’s future ***** not in its traditional consoles, but in a broader vision of gaming. He wants to spread the brand far beyond just the confines of a living room. From the looks of it, the company is pivoting toward a future where the brand is a platform, not just a box. Spencer’s goal is to make the games that the brand offers accessible from nearly anywhere, be it on smart TVs, PCs, phones, and even cloud-connected devices. When asked about the console he said: Our biggest growth in Xbox players is on PC and cloud. The console space all up isn’t growing, across all of them. We love those customers, but in terms of continuing to expand and grow Xbox, it’s about PC, it’s about cloud, and it’s about making our games more available in more places. This statement shows that from his perspective, this is a natural shift and reflects the growing importance of accessibility in the gaming world. With the demand for cloud gaming and cross-platform support increasing and the recent studio acquisitions by the company, the brand now offers a plethora of games. To make these newly acquired games available to everyone, what’s better than to make them available on almost any device with an internet connection? In a way, he wants to break down the traditional barriers between consoles, PCs, and mobile devices. However, for the ********* Xbox fans who’ve always associated the brand with physical consoles and exclusive content, this shift must be very frustrating and even painful as they defended the very idea of it being exclusive hardware, for years. Is Microsoft Going to Abandon Its Consoles Altogether? The fans are looking forward to seeing how the company handles its hardware. | Image Credit: Microsoft While Spencer expressed great enthusiasm about expanding the brand’s accessibility to everyone, he was very quick to reassure the loyal fans that the company was not going to abandon the console’s hardware entirely. He even went ahead and said: We’ll definitely do more consoles in the future, and other devices. By saying this, he might be signaling that the company is looking to potentially enter the new gaming devices market. The recent trend of handheld consoles is certainly enticing as portable PCs/consoles like Valve’s Steam Deck and Asus’ ROG Ally become very popular. The unofficial member of the console war, Nintendo is also selling very well, despite still offering Switch. All these future plans are very exciting to hear about but the core issue still ********: will these new devices replace the Series X and S or coexist side by side? From the instant response to promising future hardware, it is clear that Microsoft wants to create successors to Series X and S but what about the next one after that? The future seems blurry, and the hardware fans can only hope. In the end, the “This is an Xbox” marketing campaign is both a blessing and a curse for the entire gaming community. While some are happy that there are fewer exclusive titles, others are worried that the efforts they put to defend the brand for years were a waste. Only time will tell what direction Microsoft will take. Will Microsoft continue to prioritize hardware, or fully embrace its service model? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. Source link #Microsoft #Abandon #********* #Xbox #Fanatic #Defended #PlayStation Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Bluesky has no intention to train its AI on user content Bluesky has no intention to train its AI on user content Cristina Alexander / Digital Trends After adding its 16 millionth user to the platform on Friday morning, social media platform Bluesky addressed concerns from the bevy of artists and content creators streaming over from X.com. The company has pledged that it has “no intention” of using their posted content to train generative AI. A number of artists and creators have made their home on Bluesky, and we hear their concerns with other platforms training on their data. We do not use any of your content to train generative AI, and have no intention of doing so. — Bluesky (@bsky.app) 2024-11-15T17:17:39.921Z “Bluesky uses AI internally to assist in content moderation, which helps us triage posts and shield human moderators from harmful content,” the Bluesky team explained in a subsequent post. “We also use AI in the Discover algorithmic feed to serve you posts that we think you’d like. None of these are Gen AI systems trained on user content.” Granted, Bluesky’s wording is not an outright denial that the platform could change course at some point in the future, as user Casey Johnston points out. However, it is a marked departure from the new rules being rolled out at X on Friday. The social media platform, run by billionaire Elon Musk, has announced that it has modified its privacy policy and will begin using its expansive archive of user posts to train the next generation of its Grok large language model. This isn’t the first time that X.com has attempted to cannibalize its users’ content for private gain. The company quietly changed its privacy policy in July to give the company access to user-based training data. In mid-October, the company tried it again, this time allowing third-party “collaborators” to train models on X data, unless users opt out: “Depending on your settings, or if you decide to share your data, we may share or disclose your information with third parties. If you do not opt out, in some instances the recipients of the information may use it for their own independent purposes in addition to those stated in X’s Privacy Policy, including, for example, to train their artificial intelligence models, whether generative or otherwise.” Those policy changes take effect today, Friday November 15. All public posts, including the text, images, and interactions, can be harvested for training Grok (and any other models that the company plans to pursue). If you’d prefer your content not be scraped, you may want to take a deep ***** into how to clean up your social media accounts. Source link #Bluesky #intention #train #user #content Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Elon Musk met Iran’s UN ambassador in New York Elon Musk met Iran’s UN ambassador in New York Elon Musk met Iran’s ambassador to the UN a day before he was made ****** head of Donald Trump’s new cost cutting department, the BBC’s US partner CBS has confirmed. The meeting took place at ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani ‘s residence in New York, with the aim of discussing how to ease tensions between the two nations, according to the New York Times which first reported the story. It is not clear if President-elect Trump or his national security team were aware of the meeting. Several of the recent appointees to Trump’s national security team, including Mike Waltz and Marco Rubio are known Iran hawks, believing the US should take a tough stance against Iran. The US does not have diplomatic relations with Tehran but a private meeting with Musk provided a workaround, allowing Iran to avoid a meeting with an ********* official, according to the New York Times. The newspaper also said that Musk requested the meeting with the ambassador, and that it was described by Iranian officials as “positive” and “good news”. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said “We do not comment on reports of private meetings that did or did not occur.” The Iranian mission to the UN and the White House declined a request for comment from CBS News. During his first term as president, Trump withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal, brokered in 2015 during Barack Obama’s presidency, and reinstated harsh economic sanctions which largely prohibit US companies from doing business in Iran. Trump also ordered the air strike which ******* Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020. The president-elect is also a strong supporter of *******, which has been at war with the Iranian-backed groups ****** and Hezbollah since ******’s 7 October ******* on ******* last year. Musk was recently appointed ****** head of Donald Trump’s new cost cutting department, which will advise on government cost cutting but will not be an official arm of the government. The tech billionaire and Tesla boss also joined Trump in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and has played a key role in providing communications to Ukraine’s military via his Starlink satellite internet system. Source link #Elon #Musk #met #Irans #ambassador #York Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]