Pelican Press

The best smart LED light bulbs for 2025 The best smart LED light bulbs for 2025 Smart LED light bulbs are one of the easiest ways to upgrade your home with smart lighting solutions that are both practical and fun. These color-changing bulbs let you customize your space with vibrant RGB color options, cozy warm white or any light color you can imagine. They’re compatible with popular systems like Google Home and can work seamlessly with smart switches and other light switches, making them a key part of your home automation setup. With app control, you can adjust the brightness (no need for a separate dimmer), set schedules and even program the lights to turn on or off under certain conditions, like when you connect to your home network. Whether you’re setting lights for movie night, creating a relaxing atmosphere or adding a pop of color to your room, these smart lighting solutions are easy to install and surprisingly affordable. What to look for in smart light bulbs Connectivity (To hub or not to hub) One of the biggest appeals of smart lighting solutions is being able to control them from your phone. Most of them are able to do so by connecting to it via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, or via an external hub, which handles the connection for them. Bluetooth connectivity limits the range in which you’ll be able to control the light, so it’s only best for a limited number of bulbs and ones you don’t expect to control when you’re away. Wi-Fi color-changing bulbs are easy to set up and can be cheaper overall since they don’t require a hub to connect them. However, having something like a central Zigbee hub can make your whole system more reliable since its connection is separate from your home’s network. For that reason, hub-based bulbs tend to be more expandable, so we mainly recommend those if you want to eventually have dozens of smart lights around your home. White or color? Most color-changing bulbs you’ll find today are “white and color” bulbs, meaning they can glow in vibrant RGB color-options like blues, pinks, greens and everything in between, as well as shine with different temperatures of white. But there are some white-only bulbs out there, and they are often a bit more affordable than their color counterparts. While we recommend springing for the white-and-color devices, if you’d prefer white only, make sure you’re getting a bulb that can span the color temperature spectrum (typically from about 2000 to 5000 Kelvin), offering you various levels of cool and warm white light. App features One of the perks of smart lighting solutions is the amount of control you have over them thanks to their various app-control capabilities. Most companion apps let you do things like set lighting schedules and timers, group individual lights into room designations and create your own custom light “scenes” with different RGB options. But we have seen other features that aren’t as ubiquitous like vacation mode for automatically turning lights on and off to enhance your home security, and sync with media, which changes the colors of lights depending on the music you’re listening to or the game you’re currently live-streaming. Smart home compatibility If you use a smart assistant like Amazon’s Alexa or the Google Assistant regularly, make sure the smart lights or smart switches work with your favorite. All of the bulbs we tested supported both Amazon’s and Google’s virtual assistants, allowing you to use voice commands to turn lights on and off, dim them with a virtual dimmer and more. The wildcard here is Siri and Apple’s HomeKit; while numerous smart bulbs have added HomeKit support, not all lights are compatible with Apple’s smart home system. Expandability We alluded to this above, but you’ll want to consider how many smart lights you eventually want in your home. Some brands and lighting systems are easier to expand than others, and we generally recommend going for hub-based bulbs if you plan on putting smart lights in every room in your home. If you’re only looking to deck out your home office or living room with some fancy color-changing bulbs, Wi-Fi options should serve you well. Thankfully, these are some of the most affordable smart home devices you can get, so even if you don’t have a clear answer to this question now, you can reconsider your options down the line if you do decide to outfit your home with multiple smart bulbs. Philips Hue Connectivity: Bluetooth or hub | White or color? Both | App features: Light schedules and automations, home and away modes, syncing with movies and music | Smart home compatibility: Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri/HomeKit | Expandability: Includes outdoor lighting If you’ve done any research into smart lights, you’ve probably come across Philips Hue bulbs. The range is popular for a variety of reasons, and we agree they’re the best smart light bulbs you can get thanks to their wide compatibility, easy to use mobile app and their expandability. Particularly, if you know you want to outfit more than one room in your home with these IoT devices, Philips Hue is the way to go. The first thing that’s important to know about Hue bulbs is that they are now Bluetooth enabled. That means you can buy a few to try out first, then easily expand your system with a hub when you want to add more lights to your home. Previously, the hub was required for any and all lights, but now it’s much easier to dip your toe into the range before fully taking the plunge. Like all of the other smart lights we tested, you only need to ****** in a Philips Hue bulb, turn on your light, and follow the instructions in the mobile app to start using it. Even if you only have the lights in one room to start, we still recommend grouping them into their own “room” in the Hue app so you can easily control the entire space’s environment at once. Hue’s White + Color bulbs provide a range of warm to cool whites and millions of colors to experiment with in your smart home. Colors are rich and vibrant, and Philips’ pre-programmed scenes, such as Energize, Bright and Relax, let you quickly emulate your old “dumb” lights with different warmth levels of white light. You can pick from a number of color scenes in the app, too, but it’s also easy to create your own color temperature. So if you’ve always wanted to flood your office with a rainbow of vibrant colors while you’re live-streaming on Twitch, you can find the precise presets you want, save them and then turn them on with just a few taps in the app. The Hue app is pretty easy to use, and the bulbs support voice commands from Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant. That means you don’t even have to open the app to control your lights; you can simply use voice control and say “Alexa, turn off the bedroom lights” and only the lights in that designated room will extinguish. You’ll be able to add up to 10 bulbs to your system using Bluetooth alone – at which point you’ll have to add a Philips Hue hub into the mix to support up to 50 lights. The hub also enables things like HomeKit connectivity, light schedules and automations, home and away modes and syncing with movies and music. Arguably the most useful of those features is automations, which lets you set on/off schedules for your lights, including automatically turning the lights off when you leave the house. It’s understandable why Philips would make these few features exclusive to those with Hue hubs – adding a hub into the mix makes the system more reliable, allowing you to do more with increasing numbers of connected lights, plus it will encourage many to invest in a hub and more Hue bulbs over time. We like Hue’s hub not only for its reliability, but also because it allows finer and more flexible control over your devices. So if you’re on vacation and want to turn on your living room lights to see what’s going on, you can do that. Expandability goes beyond the number of lights you have in your smart home: It also includes multiple smart bulbs you can install outside, too. The Hue range has a ton of indoor and outdoor light bulbs to choose from, including recessed lights, outdoor pedestal and flood lights, light strips and more. It’s one of the few ranges available today that gives you a ton of options to make every bulb in and out of your home smart, which is important to consider if you know you want to go all in on the smart light front. But that brings us to the biggest downside of Philips Hue, which is the price. Hue bulbs are on the expensive side, with a two-pack of White + Color Ambiance bulbs costing $80. If you’re looking for cheap bulbs to test out smart lighting, some of our other top picks below, like the Kasa smart light bulb, will be better choices since most of them have lower prices per bulb. However, if smart lighting is something you want to invest in going forward, we recommend going with one of Philips’ Hue starter kits: the White + Color Ambiance starter kit, including three bulbs, a hub and a smart button, comes in at $180, which is cheaper than if you were to buy all of those components separately. Pros Bluetooth/Wi-Fi connectivity with hub support Lovely color options Schedule and automation support Easy to use mobile app $90 at Amazon LIFX Connectivity: Wi-Fi only | White or color? Both | App features: Group by room, pre-made scenes or presets (including “spooky” and strobe lights), scheduling | Smart home compatibility: Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri/HomeKit | Expandability: Not as many options as Philips Hue Overall, LIFX’s color smart lights are similar to Hue’s White + Ambiance bulbs in that they’re easy to set up, they offer striking, saturated colors and work with three major platforms: Alexa, Google Assistant and HomeKit. But the main difference is the LIFX bulbs are Wi-Fi only, so you can’t connect them to a hub even if you wanted to, and some are slightly more expensive than Hue devices. The Color A19 bulb, which supports 1100 lumens, normally costs $50, but there’s an 800-lumen equivalent that’s a bit cheaper, coming in at $35 per bulb. LIFX’s mobile app is also undoubtedly the slickest we tested. While that may not mean much to you, it’s worth mentioning because mobile apps are the way most people interact with their smart lights on a daily basis. The homepage features all of the room groups in your household, along with the names of the lights in each room. You can easily turn a whole room, or a specific light, on with just a tap, and do the same for all of the lights in your smart home. LIFX lights support scheduling, so you can program lights to work for you so you rarely (if ever) have to control them manually, plus there are a plethora of scenes and effects to choose from. While all of the color lights we tried had pre-made scenes or presets ready to go in the app, Philips Hue and LIFX clearly had the most out of them all. Personally, I found LIFX’s scenes and additional effects to be a bit more fun and engaging than Hue’s. You can pick from scenes like “spooky” or “pastel” and use effects like “strobe” if you want to make your living room feel a bit more like a nightclub. While most people probably won’t use these niche scenes and effects on a regular basis, they’re great perks to have when you’re entertaining or just want to set the right vibe for your next movie night or game-streaming session. LIFX has a number of products in its ecosystem, from standard A19 bulbs to lightstrips to candles. It has switches, too, so you can physically control your smart lights if you wish. But Philips Hue has all of those options too and more, including not just switches, but standalone floor lamps, outdoor spotlights, downlights, light bars and motion sensors. You’ll have more options with Hue if you want to convert all of your home’s lights to smart ones, and have multiple ways to control them, too. Pros Easy setup with convenient mobile app Lovely color options Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri/HomeKit Cons No as many expansion options as Philips Hue $35 at Amazon Kasa Smart Connectivity: Wi-Fi | White or color? Color | App features: Presets, lighting schedules, grouping by room, energy usage meter | Smart home compatibility: Alexa, Google Assistant | Expandability: Unlimited, but there’s no hub option TP-Link’s Kasa brand is known for its solid yet affordable smart home devices and its smart lights are no different. We tested out the Wi-Fi-only multicolor smart light bulbs and found them easy to install and use, and they provide a bunch of features at an affordable price; a four-pack of multicolor bulbs will only set you back $40, making them the best budget bulbs you can get right now. Besides having a simple installation process, Kasa’s multicolor smart lights stayed reliably connected the whole time we tested them and the companion mobile app is simple and clean. All of the main functions for each light live in that bulb’s dedicated page in the app, allowing you to change brightness, white levels, color, schedules and more without navigating through a bunch of different menus. Changing colors is nearly instantaneous, and the light changes as you drag your finger across the color wheel in the app. Editing the four presets you’re able to save takes only a few taps, as does grouping multiple bulbs into rooms and creating lighting schedules. For the latter, if you do set on/off schedules, the app will show you the next step in that schedule (i.e., off at 8:35pm) next to each individual light. There’s also a handy “usage” section in each light’s page that shows you the bulb’s energy use over time, plus an estimate of how much energy you’re saving by using a smart light instead of a regular one. This is something that would be fun to observe over many weeks and months of using these bulbs, especially if conserving energy is one of the main reasons you invested in smart lights in the first place. TP-Link claims you can connect “unlimited” smart devices to its mobile app, which technically means you can have as many Kasa smart lights in your home as you’d like. We only tested a few together, so we can’t say for sure how dozens of connected devices would affect app speed and light response time. These are Wi-Fi-only bulbs, which means connecting them to a Zigbee hub isn’t an option, so keep that in mind before deciding to invest in a house-full of these gadgets. It’s also worth noting that these lights aren’t compatible with Apple’s HomeKit, although you can control them using Alexa and Google Assistant commands. Pros Strong Wi-Fi connectivity Easy to use mobile app with energy usage details Affordable $33 at Amazon LIFX Connectivity: Wi-Fi | White or color? White | App features: Presets, lighting schedules, grouping by room, energy usage meter | Smart home compatibility: Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri/HomeKit | Expandability: Unlimited, but there’s no hub option Maybe you don’t want to bother with colored lights. If that’s the case, LIFX’s White E26 is your best bet. You get all of the non-color features in the mobile app that we explained above, including schedules and virtual assistant controls, but in a more basic LED light bulb that only costs $10. My biggest gripe is that it doesn’t span the cool-to-warm temperature range that other white bulbs do. Rather, you’re stuck with just one shade of white: 2700K, which is on the warmer side. This makes the LIFX bulb better for intimate settings like a bedroom or a living room, but since it’s not overly warm, it could work in a home office, too. It’s also dimmable, so you can control its brightness. If you have a specific use case in mind for your smart lights that doesn’t involve a rainbow of colors, then a LIFX bulb will more than suffice. They would work well in a child’s room, for instance, allowing you to set wake-up and sleep schedules that gradually turn on and off the lights, or in a home office where you just want a bit more control over your lights without extra frills. Pros Affordable Easy to install Cons No hub support Doesn’t span cool-to-warm temperature range $14 at Amazon Sengled Connectivity: Wi-Fi | White or color? Color | App features: Grouping, schedules and automations | Smart home compatibility: Alexa, Google Assistant | Expandability: Option to purchase a hub Sengled’s Smart Light Bulbs deserve a shout because they’re essentially more affordable versions of the best bulbs mentioned here, just with a few compromises. Key among those is that their colors are less nuanced than most others we tested and the mobile app is less polished. That said, you’re still getting millions of colors out of Sengled’s smart lights and the app is easy to use. It also provides all of the features you’d want from a smart light bulb, including grouping, schedules and automations. The fact that the Sengled mobile app isn’t as slick as Hue’s or LIFX’s may actually work in its favor with newbies – the basic controls and labels will be very easy for smart home novices to understand. The bulbs we tested were Wi-Fi-based, so they do not require a hub. However, Sengled has a bunch of other smart lights that work via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or hub connectivity. A pack of four Wi-Fi color bulbs will set you back $30, while a set of six Zigbee hub-based lights costs only $100. Overall, Sengled’s devices are much more affordable than Hue’s, making them a good budget option regardless of whether you want to stick to Wi-Fi or invest in a smart home hub like Sengled’s own or a smart device like Amazon’s Echo with a built-in hub. Pros Strong Wi-Fi connectivity Hub support Affordable Cons Less polished mobile app Less nuanced colors $29 at Amazon Philips Hue Connectivity: Bluetooth, Hue Bridge | White or color? Both | App features: Up to three colors at once, “candle” and “fireplace” effects | Smart home compatibility: Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri/HomeKit | Expandability: Option to purchase a hub Philips’ Signe table lamp is a slick way to add a wash of color into your living room, or a more controllable light source on your desk. The nearly two-foot tall lamp can be customized with up to three colors of light at once, plus it supports a full array of cool and warm hues as well. Shine it towards a wall to set the mood with colored lights during your game night, or use it to give yourself sufficient lighting during your next Zoom meeting – you can make it as fun or as practical as you need. It also supports effects like “candle” and “fireplace,” both of which produce moving light that emulates flickering flames. We also appreciate that the Signe lamp is a totally standalone device, like most of Philips’ new Hue bulbs: you don’t need a Hue bridge to use it. But if you have one, you’ll be able to do things like control the lamp when you’re away from home. The Signe lamp is a splurge, though, coming in at over $200. It’s certainly worth it if you need just one powerful light source, but a more affordable alternative would be the Philips Hue Go portable table lamp. It too supports millions of colors and a full spectrum of warm and cool light, but it runs on a rechargeable battery and can be used wirelessly. Depending on the setting you choose, you’ll get up to 18 hours of continuous use, making it a good option if you want a controllable light that can go anywhere you need it without fuss. Pros Slick design Lovely colors; supports color effects Doesn’t require a Hue bridge $190 at Amazon Govee The new Govee Floor Lamp Pro packs a lot of features into a svelte five-foot bar light. Not only can it glow in millions of colors and allows you to customize it by segment if you wish, but it also has a built-in Bluetooth speaker in its base. The speaker gets pretty loud, and the lights can dynamically change to match the rhythm and flow of the music it’s playing (and light can react to external audio as well, if you don’t want to use the speaker). And when you’re not having a total rager in your home office, you can program the floor lamp to your preferred temperature of white light. I was impressed by how bright the lamp was able to get (max 2,100 lumens) and I appreciate the physical remote control that comes with it, which made it easy to manually turn the thing on and off when I didn’t have my phone on me. Setup and installation was pretty easy, too, and even though the Govee mobile app is as chaotic as ever, most people will be able to familiarize themselves with it relatively quickly. The Floor Lamp Pro’s $220 price tag seems fair for the complete package, and it could be a good single-device solution for those who have a small space they want to revamp with multicolored lights. Pros 2,100 lumens of brightness Colored lights are vibrant Base includes built-in Bluetooth speaker Cons Govee app isn’t as polished as it could be On the expensive side $200 at Amazon Govee Connectivity: Wi-Fi | White or color? Color | App features: “Effects lab” with pre-made and customizable scenes | Smart home compatibility: Alexa, Google Assistant | Expandability: Works well with other products Light strips can bring illumination to hard-to-reach places, or give a whole new vibe to your living room or office. The latest light strip from Govee, the M1 RGBIC model, gets super bright and supports a wide range of colors. It’s Wi-Fi-connected but requires no central hub, so even if you have other smart lights throughout your home, this one will fit in easily. One strip measures nearly 16.5 feet long and it’s divided into 15 segments that you can control individually from within the Govee app. We’ll get into the app features, but it’s worth noting where the M1 sits in the smart light strip space. There are various different lengths out there and you can even find some two-packs that will cover up to 100 feet. The 16.4-foot length is pretty common in single packs, although you can find some that run up to 33 feet long. You can expect to pay $25 to $50 for a basic, multi-color, 16.4-foot light strip and the price will go up from there depending on how many segments the strip has, the color range it supports, if it’s Wi-Fi-connected and other additional features. Govee’s M1 Light Strip is on the higher end of the spectrum, coming in at $110 for 16.4 feet of light, but it still costs less than arguably its biggest competitor: Philips’ Hue Light Strips, which come in at $80 per 6-foot strip. I was impressed by not only the color spectrum the M1 Light Strip supports, but also how bright it is. This strip gets almost blinding, and I usually had it operating at just 75 percent of its full brightness. While you can’t control each individual light on the strip, you can customize all 15 segments in the Govee app. The sheer number of options and effects Govee provides is remarkable: the “effects lab” gives you pre-made basic colors, scenes that mimic sunrises, starry nights, different kinds of movies like thrillers and dramas, gaming genres and more. On top of that, you can make your own custom scenes (and choose to share them with others in Govee’s Explore page) as well as your favorite colors and hues that you can save for frequent use. The strip’s color is saturated and vibrant – combine that with the overall brightness and it was easily able to give my office an attractive, ambient glow when positioned around the periphery of my couch. Aside from the higher price tag, my only other complaint about the M1 light strip is actually Govee’s mobile app. It’s a bit chaotic and takes some getting used to, so it might not be the best choice for anyone that wants something basic. However, I was able to get the hang of all the controls, and then some, after about a half hour. And you can always default to using Alexa or Google Assistant voice commands to control your light strip if you prefer, or you can set automations in the app that can take care of all your most used controls. Pros Strong Wi-Fi connectivity; no hub required Bright, vibrant colors Individual light segments can be customized $100 at Amazon Other smart bulbs we’ve tested Nanoleaf Smarter Kit While we’ve recommended Nanoleaf’s Smarter Kits in guides in the past, they’re a bit more niche than other smart lights on this list. They’re best for adding flare to your living room or game-streaming setup as they come in different shapes like hexagons and triangles and can sync with music. In addition to different colors, light animations and schedules, Nanoleaf’s Smart Kits also support Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands. FAQs What’s the best smart light bulb for Alexa? There is no best smart light bulb for Alexa. Amazon doesn’t make its own smart bulbs (like it does for smart plugs and thermostats), but rather there are dozens of smart lights made by third-parties that work with Alexa — including all of the ones we tested. Before picking the best smart light bulb for you, make sure to check the voice assistants that the contenders support. You’ll find that most smart light bulbs available today work with Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant, and plenty of them also have support for Apple’s Siri and HomeKit. Can you put a smart bulb in any lamp? Smart light bulbs can go into most modern light fixtures — but just like regular bulbs, they need to be the right shape/size for the fixture. A standard A19 smart light bulb should work properly in most table, floor and other lamps. If you have a fixture that takes a specific type of bulb, look for smart bulbs that will fit properly. Do smart light bulbs use electricity when off? Smart light bulbs do use a negligible amount of electricity when their fixtures are turned off. This is due to the fact that the smart bulb needs to stay in constant contact with your home’s internet connection or Bluetooth in order to work properly. However, their energy-saving benefits usually outweigh the small amount of power they consume even while turned off. Source link #smart #LED #light #bulbs Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Five Horror Movies to Stream Now Five Horror Movies to Stream Now ‘Abruptio’ Rent or buy it on major platforms. Horror movies with puppets: It’s a nutty category with a better track record than you’d think, with “Magic” and “Saw” among its rewarding entries. But those films look like “Muppets Haunted Mansion” compared to the writer-director Evan Marlowe’s exceptional sociopolitical thriller that’s equal parts body horror exploitation flick, science-fiction survival drama and ultraviolent shoot-’em-up. Set in a dystopian, kill-or-be-killed America, the film follows a sad sack recovering alcoholic named Les (voiced by James Marsters) who wakes up with a bomb in his neck that’s controlled by a mysterious texter who orders Les on a killing spree. I never thought I’d gag watching rubber-faced, seemingly life-size puppets — the ones from Genesis’s “Land of Confusion” video come to mind — expire in ghastly ways. And talk about puppet masters: I don’t know what sorcery was called upon by the lead puppeteer, Danny Montooth, and the key puppet fabricator, Jeff Farley. But their uncannily humanoid creations possess extraordinary expressions of despair, anger and, most dynamically, fear and contrition. (Jordan Peele and Robert Englund are among the terrific voice cast.) A magnanimous ending posits the question: What does life mean when the world is stacked against you? Culture clashes meet gashes and slashes in Sasha Rainbow’s feature debut about a young woman who goes to sickening ends to fit in. After her father’s death, Wei (Joyena Sun) travels from China to New Zealand to live with family, including her cousin Angela (Jess Hong). The brainy Wei becomes an assistant to her unscrupulous professor, Paul (Jared Turner), in hopes of perfecting a magical skin graft that her father, a scientist, was developing. In a “Face/Off”-style twist, Wei commits a gruesome act that makes her the popular girl she never was. It’s no spoiler to say that Wei’s barbaric attempts at assimilation don’t end with just one corpse. Rainbow throws a lot at the screen — “Re-Animator”-inspired blood and guts, “Mean Girls” sass, Takashi Miike outlandishness — and most of it sticks like a glossy face peel. The result is a gruesome but compassionate cautionary tale about the burdens of beauty and the universal human need to feel seen, and loved. I wouldn’t say that Marielle Heller’s magical-realist film, which she directed and adapted from Rachel Yoder’s novel by the same name, is a werewolf story, even though it’s about a human who morphs into a dog. But it does share many werewolf movie conventions, including macabre physical transformations and a troubled protagonist struggling to understand their origin and purpose. What differs is the thing that makes this darkly comic parable worth watching: Our leading character is a mother — not the usual wolf man — who finds self-determination and a kind of liberation in her canine metamorphoses. In a beautifully focused performance, Amy Adams imbues this character with shifting measures of tenderness, anger and pathos, even when the script makes the subtexts obvious. The movie has divided audiences over its depiction of motherhood as a vampiric career sucker. I think it takes guts for a director to make a mommy a monster, even more so when the creature is a frolicsome, cutie-pie pooch who proudly answers to Nightbitch. In French, this film from the ********* writer-director Annick Blanc is called “Jour de chasse,” or “Hunting Day.” It’s a more precise name than the silly English title that makes this provocative and intensely entertaining thriller sound emptier than it is. Nina (Nahéma Ricci), a sex worker, gets stranded on a rural road on her way home from entertaining a bunch of bros at their hunting cabin. To her rescue comes Kevin (Frédéric Millaire-Zouvi), one of the nice guys, who takes her back to the men’s cabin, where she’s told she can ****** — if she gets hazed. The seen-it-all Nina powers through, but unexpectedly into the picture comes Doudos (Noubi Ndiaye), a ****** man who the dudes put through an even more life-threatening hazing. It’s then that Nina grasps that she and Doudos are not exactly welcome in this house of white guy horrors. While Blanc’s film takes place in a naturalistic setting, the action unfolds in a conceptual sphere that’s both a *********** play space and hellscape. Like the neo-Nazi dark comedy “Soft and Quiet,” this film’s message about hate and tribalism is far from subtle. Yet its violent thrills, ****** twists and moral quandaries kept me hooked, and guessing, throughout its brisk 79 minutes. ‘The Calendar Killer’ Stream it on Amazon Prime Video. I checked out this ******* psychological thriller after being surprised to learn that it recently made Amazon Prime Video’s list of most watched movies. If your idea of a fun winter night is to be under a blanket with a bottle of cheap wine and little need for a story that makes sense, make a date with this psychodrama. Jules (Sabin Tambrea) works the night shift at a Berlin help line that assists people who are walking alone. One night he receives a call from Klara (Luise Heyer), who says that she and her husband are targets of the Calendar Killer, a psychopath who alerts his victims to the dates they’ll die. That fateful conversation thrusts Jules and Klara into lurid and supernatural worlds of *******, revenge and violent sex. The director Adolfo J. Kolmerer and the writer Susanne Schneider (adapting Sebastian Fitzek’s novel) seemed to want to address serious issues like mental illness and domestic abuse through a horror lens. What they ended up with is sensationalism and melodrama in a Lifetime vein. To quote Dorian Corey in “Paris Is Burning”: That’s not a read, that’s just a fact. Source link #Horror #Movies #Stream Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

SailGP casts off with private 5G for 2025 ​races SailGP casts off with private 5G for 2025 ​races This year’s SailGP championship ​is​ set to benefit from what is claimed to be the fastest mobile connectivity possible, teaming up with Ericsson at ​venues across the globe​. SailGP features 10 teams with F50 catamarans racing head-to-head at 12 venues around the world, with vessels reaching speeds of up to 100km an hour. The competition claims to be at the forefront of technological innovation in sailing, and also has the ambition to be the world’s most sustainable and purpose-driven global sports and entertainment platform. Each boat is equipped with advanced systems that include 4K video cameras, sensors and other on-board technologies. Ericsson will look to provide the teams and personnel with enterprise wireless services to support high-quality 5G connectivity, improving fan experiences and race operations. To support the split-second human responses decisions, Ericsson said each team will have access to the fastest connectivity possible under some of the most challenging physical conditions. The offerings are said to deliver instant real-time data and statistical feedback, despite the 100km per hour speeds over open waters. Additionally, the services will support SailGP ​umpires​ to adjudicate on race protocol through the enhanced capabilities of 5G-enabled live camera streaming from competing ​F50s​, and insights into team locations, tactics and strategy. Key outcomes for the partnership include performance optimisation; enhanced tactical decision-making; increased fairness and transparency; and enhanced spectator engagement. The real-time transport of extensive data between off- and on-shore teammates on boat speed, wind conditions and other factors allows real-time data analysis to maximise speed and efficiency by adjusting sail settings and boat trim. The immediate availability of data on race position, course layout and wind direction enables teams to make informed tactical decisions during races, such as choosing optimal sailing angles, deciding when to tack or gybe, and strategising for mark roundings. Real-time transportation of data directly and securely into Oracle Cloud is designed to enable racers to share data with all teams, including boat speed, wind direction, course layout and race position. This is designed to help SailGP prevent any unfair advantages and promote fair competition. Data sharing and improved bandwidth is seen as enhancing the spectator experience by providing insights into the intricacies of sailing tactics and strategy, making races more engaging and understandable for viewers. In all, Ericsson’s Cradlepoint edge routers – installed in the wings of each F50 – are expected to handle more than 53 billion data points across the fleet per race day, including internet of things, video, and critical communications from competing boats connecting to the private 5G network during each race day. The deployment also demanded that 5G connectivity services were deployed across a diverse landscape and connected to multiple carriers. They also required a ruggedised edge router in each F50 that could withstand rough maritime conditions. For the safety of the athletes and the boat, neither may leave the dock until the F50 and its crew are fully connected and communicating. SailGP initially worked with Ericsson and T-Mobile to test and deploy the Ericsson private 5G service over T-Mobile’s 5G spectrum at US events in Season 4. The service will be installed and deployed in all F50s and rolled out globally for the 2025 season. Commenting on what is expected, SailGP chief technology officer Warren Jones said: “SailGP continues to innovate so we can provide the best experiences possible for our teams and fans, and this requires networking technology that can keep up with the speed and intricacies of the sport. “Ericsson Private 5G combined with its Cradlepoint edge routers not only matches the bandwidth and latency challenges of billions of data points during a race, but also addresses our need to quickly deploy networks at locations across the world. This reliable, scalable connectivity helps teams optimise performance and maintain fair competition while significantly enriching the fan experience through visibility into race analytics.” Source link #SailGP #casts #private #races Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mac Barnett on New Editions of Gianni Rodari’s ‘The Grammar of Fantasy’ and ‘Lamberto, Lamberto, Lamberto’ Mac Barnett on New Editions of Gianni Rodari’s ‘The Grammar of Fantasy’ and ‘Lamberto, Lamberto, Lamberto’ Rodari insists on literature and creative writing’s centrality to a child’s schooling, and urges us to approach the subjects with a sense of delight and an appreciation of beauty. In “The Goat of Mr. Séguin,” one of the book’s most exciting chapters, Rodari lays out the stakes: The decisive encounter between children and books takes place in the classroom. If it happens in a creative situation, where it is life that counts and not exercises, a taste for reading can arise, a pleasure with which one is not born, because it is not an instinct. If, on the other hand, the encounter happens in a bureaucratic situation, if the book is “humiliated” by being reduced to a tool for exercises (copying lines, summarizing the contents, analyzing the grammar, and so on), if it is suffocated by the traditional academic routines (“interrogation, evaluation”), the technique of reading can be developed, but not the taste for it. The children will know how to read, but they will read only out of a sense of obligation. “The Grammar of Fantasy” is a tonic for anyone disheartened by our current zeal for STEM — curriculums emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics — which often leaves little room for the unquantifiable benefits and innumerable joys of the humanities. A few years back, somebody had the idea to cram “art” into the mix, creating the new, much less substantial acronym STEAM. The whole thing was embarrassing, like when the office chips in to buy Jessica a cake for her birthday, a pretty one with “Happy Birthday, Jessica!” written on it, and then someone remembers that it’s also Carl’s birthday, so they scrawl “and Carl” in a different color. As anyone with a good arts education could have predicted, STEAM didn’t stick. Rodari proposes a truly integrated model of education with “no hierarchy of subjects whatsoever. And ultimately, there is only one single subject: real life, encountered from all points of view.” This isn’t just some grandiose theory. Rodari gets practical. Throughout “The Grammar of Fantasy,” he offers classroom games that puncture the barriers between academic disciplines. A section on teaching limericks to kids concludes with this endorsement of nonsense and the irrational: “With children, to serve their best interests, it is important not to limit the possibilities for absurdity. For I believe that such possibilities can only add to their scientific education. Besides, even in mathematics, there are proofs that ‘reduce to the absurd.’” Many of Rodari’s story prompts for students are ones the author used to generate his own famous stories. Most arise from his theory of the “fantastic binomial,” in which narrative energy is generated from the juxtaposition of two unlikely words, images or concepts. Whether other children’s writers find these prompts useful will depend on their taste for puns (a word game gives us “octomobile,” a car with eight wheels), topsy-turvyism (a silly gesture inspires a story about a man with a spoon for a nose who couldn’t eat his soup) and zany names. (“A character called ‘Pimpom,’” Rodari declares, “is certainly funnier than one called Carl.” On this point especially, Rodari and I could not more strenuously disagree.) Source link #Mac #Barnett #Editions #Gianni #Rodaris #Grammar #Fantasy #Lamberto #Lamberto #Lamberto Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

COMMENTARY: How could calling a snap election hinder or help Doug Ford’s re-election bid? COMMENTARY: How could calling a snap election hinder or help Doug Ford’s re-election bid? After months of rumours, Doug Ford met with Lt. Gov. Edith Dumont on Tuesday to trigger an election, a year and a half ahead of the date he was required to do so. But with 16 months left on his term as premier, and 64 percent of the seats in Ontario’s legislature, why would it make sense for Ford to call an election so far ahead of schedule? “I think the question he’s probably asking himself is, ‘Will things be any better in a year and a half or now for the government?’” said Darrell Bricker, global CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs. “And given what’s potentially pending from the United States relative to tariffs, there’s probably a chance that it won’t be a … lot better.” There are several benefits for the Progressive Conservatives to call an election now, including the fact that most polls show them well ahead of the opposition. Story continues below advertisement “He’s been looking for an opportunity to call it for a long time,” noted John Milloy, who is the director of the Centre for Public Ethics at Martin Luther University. “They’ve been ahead in the polls.” 2:43 Doug Ford too preoccupied with ‘booze, bike lanes, big spas’ to solve ‘basic issues’ for Ontarians: Crombie Since the last election in 2022, two other parties have also introduced new leaders into the mix, with the Liberals having chosen Bonnie Crombie and the NDP going with Marit Stiles. “Both opposition parties have relatively new leaders who are still finding their feet,” said Milloy, who served as a provincial Liberal cabinet minister in a previous life. Mike Schreiner remains the Ontario Green Party leader, with two seats when the legislature was dissolved. With the other two major parties having introduced new leadership, they may also have trouble matching the PC’s war chest as well. Story continues below advertisement “The other parties, I don’t think, have these same kinds of fundraising infrastructure situations,” noted Western University professor Laura Stephenson. While there are obvious benefits for Ford, voters in Ontario may be less impressed by his move. “The biggest **** is that people say, ‘Why are you calling it early?’ and they get suspicious or are unhappy with having to go to the polls,” Stephenson noted. 2:43 Doug Ford too preoccupied with ‘booze, bike lanes, big spas’ to solve ‘basic issues’ for Ontarians: Crombie But we are in a time when these are becoming much more commonplace so it remains a question mark as to whether it will be too divisive. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. “Breaking the fixed election law has become so commonplace that I’m not sure people are going to be purists about it and say, ‘You know, he didn’t wait his four years,’” he said. Story continues below advertisement Stephenson noted that his opponents will attempt to use this against him. “I think the opposition parties are trying to make those kinds of statements, saying this is a waste of taxpayer money, we should be focusing on other things, etc.,” she said. “But I’m not sure how effective they’re getting their message out into the public.” More on Toronto More videos In order to justify the early election call, Ford has tried to frame the election around whether he is the man to lead Ontario — and Canada — in the battle against Donald Trump and the U.S. president’s threat of tariffs on ********* products. “If something on that front doesn’t happen the way that Doug Ford said it was going to happen, he’s putting an awful lot in the hands of somebody else,” Bricker explained, noting that the U.S. president could decide to take things in a number of different directions. With Trump in the foreground, along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepping down, in effect becoming a lame duck, Ford’s election call creates a leadership void in the country’s biggest province at a time when he is painting a crisis. “There is a school of thought that says the premier should be being premier and he should be continuing his work, which I think everyone has said has been good work and not trying to muddy it with an election,” Milloy said. Story continues below advertisement “He is bound by the caretaker principle and although he’s going to try to insert himself into the national conversation, he’s a candidate for premier.” Ontario will also have to deal with a wild card in Trump who may force Ford to make some decisions at a time when that may not be in his best interest. “That’s going to mean that Ford is going to have to push forward and he’s going to have to make some decisions to the best of his judgment,” Stephenson said. “But any time you make tough decisions, you create people who aren’t going to be happy with those decisions.” Trending Now Egg prices soar in U.S. What’s keeping Canada’s prices stable? D.C. plane ****** victims include young figure skaters: ‘Horrific’ Some voters may also question why an election was needed to deal with tariffs when all party leaders appear to be on the same page with regard to keeping an eye on potential hostilities south of the border. “There seems to be a consensus that that’s drawn out from all political parties, that we need to have this kind of a measured approach that Doug Ford’s put forward,” Milloy said. “And I don’t think Bonnie Crombie or Marit would be that much different. So what’s the question?” It also may have been a tougher campaign for Ford if Trump were not around as his record would be more of a discussion than it is. Story continues below advertisement 5:10 Ontario election: Ford looking for ‘strong, stable, 4 year mandate’ amid threat of Trump tariffs If “we didn’t have this external threat that was so obvious, I think that it might have been a harder type of election because then it’s going. to be more about, you know, focusing on platforms and what has happened and hasn’t happened and what’s going to be done in the future,” Stephenson offered. That said, Ford remains the favourite to get re-elected by many but the road to retaining power was not made easier by the aforementioned decision by Trudeau to step aside His party has been running negative campaign ads for months, tying Crombie to Trudeau, but the Liberals could experience a resurgence federally with a new leader. “The Liberal brand in general in the country is not doing very well, although, you know, Mark Carney may be able to get or Chrystia Freeland may be able to turn that around a little bit,” Bricker explained. Story continues below advertisement “But it’s probably too late to have any effect on the Ontario provincial election campaign.” While Ford seems well ahead, at least by polling numbers, one of the most memorable elections in Ontario saw Liberal premier David Peterson call a snap election only to be ousted by Bob Rae. “Back in 1990 when in a very similar type of circumstance, David Peterson thinking that the economy was going to get a lot worse, said it would be better to go early and see if he could secure a mandate and ended up electing an NDP majority,” Bricker recalled. While Peterson’s political career came to an end that day, Ford does not appear to be facing quite the same calibre of opponent this year — at least as far as we know. “The difference at that time compared to this time was that the NDP had a new leader. They had Bob Rae and Bob Rae was a bit of a rock star in ********* politics,” Bricker offered. “Doug Ford isn’t facing a Bob Rae with Marit Styles or with Bonnie Crombie. Unless one of them comes out and really surprises.” Source link #COMMENTARY #calling #snap #election #hinder #Doug #Fords #reelection #bid Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

A groom-to-be pilot, daughter of Indian immigrants and figure skating champions are among DC air collision victims A groom-to-be pilot, daughter of Indian immigrants and figure skating champions are among DC air collision victims All 67 people on board the American Airlines regional jet and US Army ****** Hawk helicopter that collided midair Wednesday night are presumed dead – a grim tragedy that has left a heartbreaking trail of mourning families in its wake. The somber day will be remembered as the deadliest aviation disaster in the US since 2001. As details of the disturbing catastrophe emerge and additional bodies are identified, the full weight and impact of the lives lost grows heavier. Here are some of the victims of the tragedy identified so far. First Officer Sam Lilley and Capt. Jonathan Campos Pilot Samuel Lilley was killed in the collision. – Courtesy Timothy Lilley Sam Lilley, a young fiancé awaiting his fall wedding, was piloting the American Airlines flight that was minutes away from a safe landing when a collision with an Army helicopter plunged both aircrafts and everyone on board into Virginia’s Potomac River. “I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,” Lilley’s father, Timothy Lilley, said in a Facebook post Thursday. “Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep. I know I’ll see him again but my heart is breaking.” Lilley, 28, was the first officer on the flight, his father said in the post, and was “doing great in his career and his personal life.” “It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much,” Timothy Lilley said. “This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,” he told FOX 5 Atlanta. The grieving father, who served as a helicopter pilot in the Army for 20 years, said he believes the commercial jet involved in the incident was following proper procedures. “From what I can see, those guys turned right into the jet. I think the PSA jet was doing everything right,” Lilley told Fox 5 Atlanta. “The Army pilot made a grave error. It hurts me because those are my brothers, and now my son is dead.” The captain of the American Airlines flight involved in Wednesday’s mid-air collision was Jonathan Campos. – Hector Campos Jonathan Campos, the captain of the American Airlines flight, was also killed, according to a fellow pilot who knew Campos personally. The colleague said that Campos became a captain for the airline in 2022. “He was an amazing person,” Campos’ family member, Edward Campos, told CNN. “He loved flying. He loved his family.” Ian Epstein Ian Epstein, 53, was a flight attendant on the American Airlines flight involved in a deadly collision Wednesday night. – Robbie Bloom Ian Epstein, 53, was a flight attendant on the American Airlines flight involved in the deadly collision, his sister, Robbie Bloom, confirmed to CNN. “My brother was a wonderful, wonderful man. He loved life. He loved traveling. He loved his job. He loved his family. And he will be sorely missed,” Bloom said. Epstein, who had been a flight attendant for several years, leaves behind two children and two stepchildren, according to Bloom. “He made friends everywhere he went. He used to talk about the people he met on the plane as if they were all new friends,” Bloom said. Garrick McFadden, a friend and former colleague of Epstein, told CNN’s Laura Coates that Epstein was “a ball of vibrant, colorful energy.” McFadden also noted how tight-knit the flight attendant community is, and how the loss of Epstein hits home. “We love our job. We get up every day, a lot of us do it because we just love people, regardless of pay,” McFadden said. “But Ian definitely was one of the greatest examples of (that).” “I miss him,” McFadden said. Asra Hussain Raza Asra Hussain Raza was a passenger on the American Airlines plane involved in the helicopter collision. – Courtesy Dr. Hashim Raza Asra Hussain Raza, 26, was one of several victims killed, her father-in-law, Dr. Hashim Raza, told CNN. A daughter of Indian immigrants, Hussain Raza graduated with honors in 2020 from Indiana University and married her college sweetheart in August 2023, Raza said. Raza was a Washington, DC-based consultant who traveled to Wichita twice a month to work on a turnaround project for a hospital there, her father-in-law said. She would often call him at the end of his late emergency room shifts to make sure he stayed awake on the drive home, he told CNN. “She went out of her way for everybody,” Raza said. Friends on an annual hunting trip Michael “Mikey” Stovall and Jesse Pitcher, along with other friends, were returning home from their annual hunting trip to Kansas, according to family members. Stovall’s mother, Christina Stovall, told CNN affiliate WINK that he was an amazing father and son. “Mikey did not have one enemy,” she said. “He loved everybody. He’s the happiest person. He saw good in everybody, almost to a fault.” Seven friends were on the hunting trip, she said. Pitcher and Stovall worked together, Pitcher’s father Jameson Pitcher told The New York Times. Pitcher had been looking forward to the trip, his dad said, adding his son had been married for just over a year and was in the process of building a home. Stovall worked as a steamfitter, his cousin, Shawna Slarb, told the Times – a tradesperson who installs and maintains piping systems. Steamfitters UA Local 602 shared a statement on Facebook confirming four members of the union were among the victims of the plane ******. No names were released. It’s unclear if they were all on the hunting trip. A civil rights attorney and two young legal associates Kiah Duggins was a civil rights attorney and Harvard Law School graduate. – Civil Rights Corps A Harvard-trained civil rights attorney, Kiah Duggins, and two bright young law associates, Sarah Lee Best and Elizabeth Anne Keys, are also among the victims. Duggins, an attorney at the Civil Rights Corps in Washington, was returning home from visiting her family in Wichita when she died in the collision, according to CNN affiliate KWCH. “We are coming to terms with the grief associated with the loss of our beautiful and accomplished firstborn. Please respect our family’s privacy at this time,” her family said in a statement reported by KWCH. Duggins got her juris doctor from Harvard Law School in 2021 – where she served as president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau – and was set to become a professor at Howard University School of Law this fall, the university confirmed in a statement. “As a civil rights lawyer, she dedicated her career to fighting against unconstitutional policing and unjust money bail practices in Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C.,” the university said in a statement. Duggins served as a White House intern during the Obama administration and spent nearly a year in Taiwan on a Fulbright grant teaching English, according to her LinkedIn and information provided by Wichita State University, where she got her bachelor’s degree in economics. Best and Keys, associates of the law firm Wilkinson Stekloff, were also on the plane Wednesday, the firm confirmed in a statement. “Liz and Sarah were cherished members of our firm—wonderful attorneys, colleagues, and friends,” the firm said in a statement. Keys, a 33-year-old Cincinnati native was traveling aboard the flight from Wichita, Kansas, her family confirmed to CNN affiliate WXIX. The ****** occurred on her birthday, the station reported. “Words cannot express how de eply Elizabeth, my Bitsy, will be missed. We are filled with unbearable sorrow and despair at our loss,” her family wrote in a statement. A 2010 valedictorian of Madeira High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, Keys went on to graduate from Tufts University, where she was a standout member of the varsity sailing team. She earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, according to her social media. She was remembered as an exceptional lawyer who brought “fearlessness, humor, and sharp wit to work every day, no matter the setting or circumstances,” her family said. Best, who joined the firm last fall, was described as someone who “quickly energized us all with her boundless curiosity, kindness, and intelligence.” Six US Figure Skating athletes, coaches and family members The Skating Club of Boston identified figure skater Jinna Han as one of the victims of the DC plane ******. Her mother was also killed in the incident. – The Skating Club of Boston A married pair of skating champions, two young skaters and two of their parents were among those killed in the plane ******, the Skating Club of Boston said Thursday. Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, the 1994 world figure skating champions in pairs, lost their lives in the ******. They represented Russia but moved to the US, where they launched successful coaching careers. They are survived by their son, Maxim Naumov, who just won fourth place at the US men’s figure skating championships last weekend. Skater Jinna Han and her mother, Jin Han, were also killed, along with skater Spencer Lane and his mother, Christine Lane, the Skating Club of Boston said. Douglas Lane told CNN affiliate WCVB when he saw the news that a passenger plane had crashed near Reagan National Airport – where his wife and son were due to land – “my heart just started exploding out of my chest.” Lane described his late son Spencer as a “force of nature” who “had his eye on the Olympics.” His wife, Christine “just connected with everyone,” Lane told WCVB. “People were really drawn to her. The tragedy will have a profound impact on the World Figure Skating Championships in March, which will be held in Boston this year. Passengers aboard the American Airlines flight included athletes and others returning from a development camp that was held in conjunction with the US Figure Skating Championships, which had been held over several days in Wichita, according to the organization that oversees figure skating in the US. They were in Kansas participating in events related to the US Figure Skating Championships, the national governing body of the sport confirmed. US Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, who went to the Skating Club of Boston on Thursday to support the community she loves, said she had “never seen anyone love skating” as much as the athletes who died in the collision. “I’m not sure how to process it,” she said, crying. Kerrigan said she had been watching coverage of the tragedy all night, but then “when you find out you know some of the people on the plane, it’s even a ******* blow.” While Kerrigan said she didn’t know the coaches personally, she did remember seeing them over the years. She remembered that they always had a “smile on their face.” “To walk in here and not see that, I think would be very strange for everybody that comes here, especially those that are here day in and day out,” she said. “It’s going to be hard.” CNN’s Juan Carlos Lopez, Max Rego and Taylor Galgano contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Source link #groomtobe #pilot #daughter #Indian #immigrants #figure #skating #champions #among #air #collision #victims Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Horoscope for Friday, 1/31/25 by Christopher Renstrom – SFGATE Horoscope for Friday, 1/31/25 by Christopher Renstrom – SFGATE Horoscope for Friday, 1/31/25 by Christopher Renstrom SFGATEHoroscopes Today, January 31, 2025 USA TODAYAries, Daily Horoscope Today, January 31, 2025: Long journeys you may have planned could face cancellatio The Times of IndiaYour Daily Horoscope by Madame Clairevoyant: January 30, 2025 The CutYour Daily Couples Horoscope for January 31, 2025 Yahoo Life Source link #Horoscope #Friday #Christopher #Renstrom #SFGATE Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Forza Horizon 5 to Finally Hit PlayStation 5, Ready to Challenge Gran Turismo for Its Players Forza Horizon 5 to Finally Hit PlayStation 5, Ready to Challenge Gran Turismo for Its Players In a move that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago, Microsoft has announced that Forza Horizon 5 is racing onto PlayStation 5 this spring. This isn’t just another port announcement—it’s a seismic shift in the industry that could reshape how racing enthusiasts choose their platform of choice. Xbox and PlayStation logos sharing the same garage? | Image Credit: Playground Games The announcement comes as part of Xbox’s broader strategy shift, with Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer having declared that there are “no red lines” when it comes to which games can make the leap to rival platforms. But what makes this particular announcement so intriguing is how it positions two of gaming’s most prestigious racing franchises head-to-head on the same platform for the first time. For PlayStation loyalists who have only experienced the meticulous simulation of Gran Turismo, Forza Horizon’s arrival presents an entirely different flavor of automotive excellence—one that could either complement or compete with their longtime racing companion. A tale of two racing philosophies While both franchises share a passion for automobiles, Forza Horizon 5 and Gran Turismo 7 are as different as a Lamborghini is from a carefully tuned Toyota AE86. Polyphony Digital’s creation has always prided itself on being the “Real Driving Simulator,” with its deep focus on authentic physics, precise handling models, and photorealistic representations of vehicles. Gran Turismo players spend hours fine-tuning their machines, learning every nuance of each track, and mastering the art of clean racing. It’s a game where saving milliseconds off your lap time feels like winning the championship, and where the difference between victory and defeat often comes down to tire wear and brake temperature. In contrast, Forza Horizon 5 is more like the world’s greatest car festival crashed into an open-world playground. With nearly 900 cars at launch and all previous content included, PlayStation 5 players will have immediate access to a massive automotive sandbox where you’re just as likely to find yourself racing a plane in a modified Volkswagen Beetle as you are competing in a traditional circuit race. The port, being handled by Panic Button in collaboration with Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games, promises to maintain all the features that made the game a hit on Xbox (and PC), including full cross-play support. This means PlayStation racers won’t just be getting a new game—they’ll be joining an already thriving community of millions who’ve been perfecting their drift scores and barn-finding skills since 2021. The implications of Xbox’s boundary-erasing move Phil Spencer: Breaking down walls, one exclusive at a time. | Image Credit: Playground Games Phil Spencer‘s recent comments about Xbox’s multiplatform strategy aren’t just corporate speak—they’re a revolutionary approach to how we think about platform exclusivity. “There’s no reason to put a ring fence around any game,” Spencer stated in a recent interview with independent games journalist Dustin Legarie (via Eurogamer), emphasizing that Xbox wants to be the platform that enables “the world’s biggest games” to be available in “multiple places”. This philosophy extends beyond just Forza Horizon 5. With other major titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and DOOM: The Dark Ages also heading to PlayStation 5, Microsoft is clearly staging a friendly invasion of Sony’s territory. It’s less about platform wars now and more about ensuring everyone can play everything—a refreshing change from the “my console is better than yours” playground arguments of yesteryear. For racing game enthusiasts, this means having access to both Gran Turismo’s meticulous simulation and Forza Horizon’s exuberant festival atmosphere on the same console. It’s like having a track day at Nürburgring and a street racing festival in Mexico all in one garage. Each offers its own unique take on automotive excellence, and now PlayStation owners won’t have to choose between technical precision and pure, unbridled fun. What do you think about Forza Horizon 5 coming to PlayStation 5? Will you be picking it up alongside Gran Turismo 7, or do you prefer to stick with one racing franchise? Let us know in the comments below! Source link #Forza #Horizon #Finally #Hit #PlayStation #Ready #Challenge #Gran #Turismo #Players Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Norton Gold Fields sacks WA employee after claims of corruption ‘substantiated’ by investigation Norton Gold Fields sacks WA employee after claims of corruption ‘substantiated’ by investigation Norton Gold Fields has sacked a worker after an investigation, sparked by The West ***********, into a contractor and supplier kickback scheme. Source link #Norton #Gold #Fields #sacks #employee #claims #corruption #substantiated #investigation Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Billionaire Philippe Laffont Just Sold Top Artificial Intelligence Stocks Nvidia and AMD and Piled Into 2 Players Dominating Another High-Growth Billion-Dollar Industry Billionaire Philippe Laffont Just Sold Top Artificial Intelligence Stocks Nvidia and AMD and Piled Into 2 Players Dominating Another High-Growth Billion-Dollar Industry As founder of Coatue Management, Philippe Laffont oversees $26.9 billion invested in more than 80 stocks, and though he buys players across many sectors, one in particular stands out. The billionaire is known for his investments in innovative companies, and he’s generally found them in the area of technology. The sector consistently represented more than 40% of his holdings over the past five quarters, and four of his five most heavily weighted stocks — led by Meta Platforms and Amazon — are giants in the tech field. But in the third quarter, Laffont and his team cut their positions in two of the world’s most-watched tech stocks right now and increased positions in two stocks in a completely different high-growth area that’s generating billions of dollars these days. Laffont reduced artificial intelligence (AI) chip giants Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD), companies that have been growing data center sales in the triple digits, and increased investment in two companies dominating a market that may reach beyond $100 billion later this decade. Let’s find out more. Image source: Getty Images. So, first let’s talk about Laffont’s Nvidia and AMD holdings. He hasn’t exactly dropped them like a hot potato and still clearly believes in these companies’ futures. Nvidia is the leading AI chip designer, with more than 70% market share, and offers customers an entire portfolio of related products and services. This has helped the company generate record revenue in recent times — and the stock has followed, climbing 171% last year. AMD may be a far-behind rival to Nvidia in the AI chip market, with about 11% share, but the company still has delivered significant growth thanks to demand from AI customers. In the recent quarter, AMD reported a 122% increase in data center revenue to $3.5 billion and said it’s on track to report record full-year revenue. Laffont reduced his position in Nvidia by 26% in the quarter and now owns 10,138,161 shares, and he cut his AMD holding by 32% to 4,249,190 shares. So, Laffont is still betting on gains in these stocks, but he’s also turning to another area to benefit from innovation. In the quarter, Laffont boosted his holdings of Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO), two companies that are dominating the weight loss drug market. Analysts expect this market to reach $100 billion to $130 billion by 2030, so this could represent significant opportunity for these drugmakers and those who invest in them. Story Continues Laffont increased his position in Lilly by more than 19% and now holds 247,950 shares, and he lifted his position in Novo Nordisk by more than 800% and now owns 326,363 shares. Of course, these pharma players still represent a much smaller portion of Laffont’s portfolio than AI stocks, but his move shows he’s on the lookout for innovation and growth opportunities — and can find them — well beyond the tech industry. Lilly and Novo Nordisk both have demonstrated they could be the right stocks to add growth to a portfolio now and into the coming years. Lilly is the seller of Mounjaro and Zepbound, while Novo Nordisk sells Ozempic and Wegovy — names many of us have heard in the news due to high demand for these products. They act on hormone pathways involved in the management of blood sugar levels and appetite, and as a result, they’ve delivered great results to patients aiming to lose weight. (Mounjaro and Ozempic are approved for type 2 diabetes, but doctors have prescribed them off-label for weight loss. Zepbound and Wegovy are specifically approved for weight control.) These drugs have generated blockbuster revenue, and considering the level of demand and forecasts for market growth, this is likely to continue. On top of this, Lilly recently won approval for Zepbound in another indication — sleep apnea — opening the door to Medicare coverage. And Medicare covers Wegovy as a treatment to reduce heart attack or stroke risk. This is important because it increases the number of patients who can afford these drugs. (Medicare won’t reimburse drugs approved for weight loss alone.) All of this means buying shares of these two big pharma players right now may have been a genius move by Laffont — and other investors looking for growth might want to do the same. Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you’d have $320,756!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $45,331!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $527,508!* Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon. Learn more » *Stock Advisor returns as of January 27, 2025 Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Adria Cimino has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends Novo Nordisk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaire Philippe Laffont Just Sold Top Artificial Intelligence Stocks Nvidia and AMD and Piled Into 2 Players Dominating Another High-Growth Billion-Dollar Industry was originally published by The Motley Fool Source link #Billionaire #Philippe #Laffont #Sold #Top #Artificial #Intelligence #Stocks #Nvidia #AMD #Piled #Players #Dominating #HighGrowth #BillionDollar #Industry Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Victims of DC plane ****** – CNN Victims of DC plane ****** – CNN Victims of DC plane ****** CNND.C. Plane ****** Live Updates: ****** Boxes Found As More Details Emerge About Air Traffic Control Tower Staffing ForbesA ‘unfortunate chain of events’: Pilots share thoughts on DC plane ****** USA TODAYJanuary 30, 2025 – DC plane collision news CNNDC plane ****** disaster: Crew chief, 1 pilot of doomed Army ****** Hawk helicopter identified Fox News Source link #Victims #plane #****** #CNN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Oppo Find N5, Find X8 Ultra Tipped to Feature Telephoto Macro Lens Oppo Find N5, Find X8 Ultra Tipped to Feature Telephoto Macro Lens Oppo Find N5 will launch in China next month and the foldable could land in international markets as OnePlus Open 2. While Oppo is actively teasing the thin profile of its upcoming flagship, a new leak has emerged online revealing its camera and display details. The Oppo Find N5 and Oppo’s next Find X series phone — Find X8 Ultra — are said to feature periscope telephoto cameras. Both phones are expected to be powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. Tipster Smart Pikachu claimed on Weibo that the Oppo Find N5 will come with customised ultra-thin flat displays on both inner and outer screens. The Oppo Find N5 and the purported Oppo Find X8 Ultra are tipped to feature a telephoto macro camera. This isn’t the first time a leak about the Oppo Find X8 Ultra’s telephoto macro camera has surfaced on Weibo. Tipster Digital Chat Station previously made a similar claim. The launch of Oppo Find N5 is set to take place in February. It is confirmed to offer 50W wireless charging support and an IPX9 rating for water resistance. In markets outside China, the handset could debut as the OnePlus Open 2. Oppo Find N5, Oppo Find X8 Ultra Key Specifications (Expected) The Oppo Find N5 is expected to feature a 6.85-inch LTPO display with a 2K resolution. It could run on the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and is said to pack a 6,000mAh battery along with a Hasselblad-backed triple rear camera unit. Meanwhile, the Oppo Find X8 Ultra is rumoured to go official in March. It is also said to run on Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC and is likely to sport a 6.82-inch display with an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor for authentication. It is tipped to feature a Hasselblad-backed quad rear camera setup led by a 50-megapixel 1-inch Sony Lytia LYT-900 sensor. It could pack a 6,000mAh battery with support for 100W wired, and 50W wireless charging. Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash AI Model Now Rolling Out to All Users iQOO Neo 10R to Launch in India in an Exclusive Dual-Tone Colourway Source link #Oppo #Find #Find #Ultra #Tipped #Feature #Telephoto #Macro #Lens Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

'Refuse to be their puppet': Top 5 moments from Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation hearing – Fox News 'Refuse to be their puppet': Top 5 moments from Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation hearing – Fox News ‘Refuse to be their puppet’: Top 5 moments from Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation hearing Fox News‘Her Opening Line Was a Home Run’: The Best and Worst Moments From the Tulsi Gabbard Hearing The New York TimesTulsi Gabbard’s views on Russia, Syria, Trump and government surveillance — in her own words The Associated Press Source link #039Refuse #puppet039 #Top #moments #Tulsi #Gabbard039s #confirmation #hearing #Fox #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Who are the victims of the Washington DC plane ******? Who are the victims of the Washington DC plane ******? Howard University Professor Kiah Duggins was named by Howard University as one of those on board the flight Recovery operations are still under way in Washington DC, after an American Airlines plane from Kansas carrying 64 people onboard collided with a military helicopter, manned by three personnel, on Wednesday night. The victims include top figure skaters from the US and Russia, a young pilot, flight attendants, and a lawyer travelling home on her birthday. Here are some of the people believed to have been on board the helicopter and the plane. Passenger plane crew Jonathan J. Campos The plane’s captain Jonathan J. Campos had dreamed of being a pilot since he was three, his aunt told the New York Times. “I think he wanted to be free, and be able to fly and soar like a bird,” said Beverly Lane. Mr Campos, 34, was raised in Brooklyn, New York, and had worked for PSA Airlines for eight years, she added. Sam Lilley The father of 28-year-old pilot Sam Lilley said that he was engaged to be married and “was just at the prime of his life”. Tim Lilley told NewsNation that his son got his piloting license in only a few years because he “pursued it with a vigor”. “Sam’s right with Jesus, and I know where he’s going,” he said. His sister Tiffany Gibson called him “an amazing person”. “He loved people. He loved adventure. He loved traveling,” she told ABC News. “He was so young, and he was excited about life and his future and getting a dog and a house and kids. And it’s just, this is just tragic.” Facebook/Debi Epstein Ian Epstein, 53, loved being a flight attendant, his family said Ian Epstein Virginia resident Ian Epstein was a flight attendant on the plane, his family said, and was known for his ability to make people smile and was “full of life”. “He loved being a flight attendant because he truly enjoyed traveling and meeting new people. But his true love was his family,” the statement continued. Epstein, 53, was a father, stepfather, husband, and brother, the family said, adding that he will be “truly missed”. Danasia Elder Danasia Elder was also working as a flight attendant, her family have told US media in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her brother-in-law Brandon Payne paid tribute to her, calling her “full of life”. “She was a great wife, a great parent, a great friend,” Payne said. “She was very bright, very smart… This flight attendant thing was kind of like one of her dreams she wanted to do.” He said that he is proud of his sister-in-law for pursuing her dreams, and said she “would want y’all do the same thing she did”. “Chase your dreams, no matter what. Don’t let nothing scare you, push you away. Just believe in yourself, believe in God, and follow the path,” Helicopter crew Ryan O’Hara Ryan O’Hara, 29, was the crew chief of the ****** Hawk helicopter that collided with the passenger plane, according to CBS News. He leaves behind a wife and one-year-old son, his local Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program said in a social media post confirming his death. O’Hara is “fondly remembered as a guy who would fix things around the ROTC gym as well as a vital member of the rifle team,” the post said. Facebook/Carrie Eaves Andrew Eaves was on board the BlackHawk helicopter, his wife said Andrew Eaves Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves confirmed that Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves was killed in the collision. Paying tribute to her husband, Carrie Eaves confirmed he was one of the pilots of the Blackhawk helicopter. “We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today. We ask for peace while we grieve,” she wrote on social media. Ice skaters Watch: Figure skating performances of DC plane ****** victims Spencer Lane and Christine Lane Ice skater Spencer Lane, 16, died alongside his mother Christine Lane, 49, and were among at least 14 athletes and coaches who died while returning from a skate camp in Wichita. His father told local media his son was “a force of nature” who showed “drive and tenacity” to the sport. “He trained at the Skating Club of Boston five days a week and attended high school online and just committed himself to it,” Douglas Lane said. He added that his wife was “a creative powerhouse” who would do anything for her children. Jinna Han and Jin Han Jinna Han, 13, had also travelled to the skate camp with her mother, Jin. In a 2022 interview, Jinna told a news network in her Massachusetts hometown that she was excited to watch the Olympics. “It’s just so exciting,” Jinna Han said. “It’s like, who’s going to win, what’s going to happen, because anything can happen at the Olympics.” Doug Zeghibe of the Skating Club of Boston called Jin “wonderful, pleasant, polite” person. “Never a discouraging word,” he said. “Always appreciative, always supportive of not just Jinna, her daughter, but every athlete. Just role model parents in your sport, and you don’t always get that.” Watch: Former Olympic figure skaters mourn DC plane ****** victims Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov The deaths of beloved ice skating coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who are Russian, were confirmed by the Kremlin. Renowned skating coach and friend Rafael Arutyunyan told CNN that he had made his athletes train in silence after the ****** as a mark of a respect. “I know all these coaches,” he said. “All of our community was respectful to them and liked them, so I feel it’s they’ll stay with us forever.” Olivia Ter Twelve-year-old Olivia Ter from Maryland was among the US figure skaters aboard the flight, local officials confirmed. “Olivia not only excelled in figure skating programs but inspired others through her talent, determination and sportsmanship,” Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation said in a statement reported by CBS News. “The impact of Olivia’s life will continue to resonate in our youth sports community, and she will be sorely missed,” said Bill Tyler, the director of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Cory Haynos, Roger Haynos and Stephanie Branton Haynos Cory Haynos was travelling home from the US Ice Skating Championships with his parents, Roger Haynos and Stephanie Branton Haynos, a family member wrote on social media. “Roger has always inspired me by his absolute love for his family and dedication to providing only the best for his wife and kids,” Matthew Alan LaRavier, Roger’s cousin, wrote. “Cory was an amazing skater with a very bright future,” he said. “We all were expecting Cory to represent our country in the US Olympics in the future.” Facebook/Matthew Alan LaRaviere Ice skater Cory Haynos and his parents Stephanie Branton Haynos and Roger Haynos were all on board the passenger plane Passengers Asra Hussain Raza Indiana woman Asra Hussain Raza, 26, had moved to the Washington DC area after receiving a master’s degree in hospital management. “She was returning from a work trip where she was helping to improve a hospital that really needed help,” said her husband Hamaad Raza, who showed the last text message from his wife to news crews outside the airport. “And, you know, she was doing what she loved. She was even working on the flight.” He added, “She gave a lot, but she had so much more to give. But if there was ever someone who took advantage of their 26 years of life, it was her.” Michael Stovall Michael Stovall’s mother said her son was “the happiest person” who saw the good in everybody. Mr Stovall, known as Mikey, was travelling home from an annual hunting trip with friends, Christina Stovall told Wink News. “Mikey did not have one enemy. If you see pictures of him… he was the life of the party. He loved everybody.” Mr Stovall’s cousin told the New York Times that he had been flying with at least six of his friends from the trip, some of whom had known each other since childhood. Jesse Pitcher Travelling with Mr Stovall was Jesse Pitcher, his father confirmed. The 30-year-old from Maryland had got married last year and recently started his own business, Jameson Pitcher told the New York Times. “He was just getting started with life,” he said. “He said he’d see me when he got back.” Pergentino N. Malabed Philippine police confirmed that one of its officers, Colonel Pergentino N. Malabed, had been on board the flight. A body carrying Col Malabed’s passport was recovered from the Potomac, a police spokesman said. He had travelled to the US with two other officers to test personnel vests the Phillippine police planned to buy, and was on his way to the Philippine embassy in Washington. Casey Crafton Tributes were made to “dedicated father” Casey Crafton of Salem, Connecticut. “Salem has lost a dedicated father, husband, and community member,” Governor Ned Lamont wrote on social media. Salem Little League, where Mr Crafton was a coach, said the town was “heartbroken” by the loss of the “beloved” club member. “The Crafton family, deeply involved in all things Salem, has suffered an unimaginable loss,” the statement read. Sarah Lee Best Two DC lawyers were also on board the flight, their loved ones confirmed. Sarah Lee Best, 33, was kind and hard working, her husband Daniel Solomon told the Washington Post. Mrs Best and Mr Solomon had planned to travel to Hawaii, where she was born, for their 10th wedding anniversary in May. Elizabeth Keys Lawyer Elizabeth Keys, 33, “always, always managed to have fun… no matter what she was doing,” her partner David Seidman told the paper. She died on her birthday, Mr Seidman said. The firm where both worked, Wilkinson Stekloff, paid tribute to the “cherished members” of its team. They were “wonderful attorneys, colleagues, and friends,” firm founder Beth Wilkinson said in a statement. Professor Kiah Duggins The president of Howard University confirmed Professor Kiah Duggins had died in the collision. The civil rights lawyer was set to begin teaching at the university’s School of Law in the autumn. “She dedicated her career to fighting against unconstitutional policing and unjust money bail practices in Tennessee, Texas and Washington DC,” the university said in a statement reported by US media. Source link #victims #Washington #plane #****** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Ros Atkins on…the Washington DC plane ****** Ros Atkins on…the Washington DC plane ****** US authorities are investigating the cause of a fatal ****** between a commercial airplane and a military helicopter in Washington DC. All 67 people aboard the two aircraft were killed. The BBC’s Analysis Editor Ros Atkins looks at some of the unanswered questions about how this could possibly have happened Produced by Catherine Karelli and Sian Richards. Source link #Ros #Atkins #on…the #Washington #plane #****** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Winning machine Sensessional meets toughest test yet in $100,000 Ascot Mile Winning machine Sensessional meets toughest test yet in $100,000 Ascot Mile Rising talent Sensessional will look to continue his ascendance through the classes when he meets his stiffest test in Saturday’s $100,000 Ascot Mile (1600m). Source link #Winning #machine #Sensessional #meets #toughest #test #Ascot #Mile Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Swiss court to rule on landmark Trafigura corruption case Swiss court to rule on landmark Trafigura corruption case By Emma Farge BELLINZONA, Switzerland (Reuters) – Swiss judges will issue a verdict on Friday in a corruption trial involving commodities trader Trafigura and three other defendants who allegedly paid bribes to an Angolan oil official in exchange for oil deals. The case is the first time in Switzerland that a company has been charged at its highest court with corrupting a foreign official and a very rare instance globally of a former top executive of a trading firm landing in the dock. Prosecutors alleged that Trafigura and others paid bribes of more than $5 million via a network of intermediaries to the Angolan official to win oil deals from 2009-2011. They are seeking a total of over $156 million in penalties and compensation from Trafigura and a four-year jail sentence for former Chief Operating Officer Mike Wainwright. Trafigura, which sent its current board member Pierre Lorinet to field prosecutors’ questions during the December trial, has said the anti-bribery and anti-corruption controls and the compliance programme in place at the time at its parent company met legal requirements and good practice standards. Wainwright has rejected all the allegations against him and his lawyers say he is confident the case will be dismissed. Lawyers for the two other defendants, whom Reuters did not name due to restrictions under Swiss privacy rules, deny the charges. During the trial in the southern city of Bellinzona, the court was shown dozens of pages of documents, memos, emails and messages as supporting evidence. Some involve an ex-Trafigura employee who the indictment says was nicknamed “Mr. Non-Compliant” by late Trafigura founder Claude Dauphin because he did things forbidden at the group. Dauphin’s family says he has been singled out unfairly. Any sentence can be appealed to the court, which would place on hold any prison sentence pending the outcome. (Reporting by Emma Farge; editing by David Evans) Source link #Swiss #court #rule #landmark #Trafigura #corruption #case Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Victoria Beckham Is All of Us as She Shares Shirtless Pic Thirsting Over Husband David Beckham: ‘My Boss’ – AOL Victoria Beckham Is All of Us as She Shares Shirtless Pic Thirsting Over Husband David Beckham: ‘My Boss’ – AOL Victoria Beckham Is All of Us as She Shares Shirtless Pic Thirsting Over Husband David Beckham: ‘My Boss’ AOLView Full Coverage on Google News Source link #Victoria #Beckham #Shares #Shirtless #Pic #Thirsting #Husband #David #Beckham #Boss #AOL Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Body found in Aberdeen search for missing women Body found in Aberdeen search for missing women A body has been found near where two missing sisters were last seen in Aberdeen. Henrietta and Eliza Huszti – both 32 and from a set of triplets – were last seen near the River Dee on 7 January. Police Scotland said: “The body has been recovered from the water and inquiries are ongoing.” Source link #Body #Aberdeen #search #missing #women Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia’s RTX 5080 may have dethroned AMD’s RX 7900 XTX at the same price – but good luck finding one at its listed price Nvidia’s RTX 5080 may have dethroned AMD’s RX 7900 XTX at the same price – but good luck finding one at its listed price Nvidia’s new RTX 5080 GPU performs better than AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX at raw rasterization and ray tracing DLSS 4 performance takes it further, while the RX 7900 XTX only has FSR 3 for now Scalping could leave many people buying AMD GPUs instead The best of Nvidia’s RTX 5000 series GPUs are finally here, with the RTX 5090 ($1,999 / £1,939 / AU$4,039) and the RTX 5080 ($999 / £939 / AU$2,019) launching yesterday. With comparisons now out in the wild, it’s clear to see that the RTX 5080 defeats AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX while sitting at the same listed price – although the chances of finding one at that price are slim. At both raw rasterization and (unsurprisingly) ray tracing performance, Team Green’s RTX 5080 comes out on top against its rivals’ flagship RX 7000 series GPU in several games as evident in Gamer Meld‘s comparison on YouTube (available below). Whilst it isn’t by a huge margin (at least in raw rasterization), it completes the job the previous generation’s RTX 4080 Super set out to do. Examples of this are notable in ****** Myth: Wukong, as the RTX 5080 scored an average frame rate of 42fps versus the RX 7900 XTX’s 32fps at 4K max graphics settings with no upscaling or ray tracing, a 27% performance difference. With RT Overdrive enabled in Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K max graphics settings and upscaling on (performance mode for both), the RTX 5080 had an average of 59.84 fps versus the 7900 XTX’s 30.02 fps. It’s worth noting that this is while Team Green’s powerhouse GPU was using DLSS 4 and the RX 7900 XTX was using FSR 3 – you could call it an unfair comparison, but Team Red’s FSR 4 will only be available for RDNA 4 GPUs (at least for now), and the GPU in question isn’t one of them. We will have to wait just a little longer for more information on what the new RX 9070 series offers (especially while using FSR 4), and whether this could stack up to Nvidia’s offerings. RTX 5080 vs RX 7900 XTX! – YouTube Watch On Unless you’re lucky enough to grab an RTX 5080 FE before scalpers, you likely won’t get it at its listed price Now, this may be a circumstance where I’d recommend sticking with AMD’s RX 7900 XTX if you already own the GPU – the RTX 5080 FE would likely be the better option going forward (especially if DLSS 4 is better than FSR 4), but the scalpers will likely be the main obstacle to stop you from purchasing it at reasonable prices. We’ve seen this happen on numerous occasions with Nvidia’s GPUs and other PC hardware, so expect it to be the same case here. It’ll likely be much worse for those chasing the RTX 5090 with its $1,999 / £1,939 / AU$4,039 price (which I frankly don’t think is worth it if you already own an RTX 4090). While Nvidia’s RTX 5080 is the stronger GPU, the RX 7900 XTX doesn’t stray too far behind in raw rasterization – ray tracing and upscaling are great don’t get me wrong, but I’ve already stated that this shouldn’t be the deciding factor for a GPU purchase. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Both GPUs are at the same listed price, with third-party options of the RX 7900 XTX at lower prices (since it’s been out for 2 years) so it would be the easy and most affordable option in this case – but once more users catch wind of performance comparisons, you’ll likely see the RX 7900 XTX disappear from online retailers too with low stock. A potential purchase of the RTX 5080 is entirely down to whether you own AMD’s GPU already or a GPU that’s weaker on either Team Red or Team Green’s end. You may also like… Source link #Nvidias #RTX #dethroned #AMDs #XTX #price #good #luck #finding #listed #price Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Parents of starved, underdeveloped 27kg teen jailed Parents of starved, underdeveloped 27kg teen jailed The parents of a malnourished teen who weighed just 27.3 kilograms at age 17 have been jailed for failing to give her adequate food, care and medical attention. Source link #Parents #starved #underdeveloped #27kg #teen #jailed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Etheria: Restart was quite a hit at the Taipei Game Show 2025 Etheria: Restart was quite a hit at the Taipei Game Show 2025 Etheria: Restart’s event was filled with activities, challenges, and cosplay appearances Popular streamer Akaoni was also present Milestones for the closed beta test were revealed The recently held Taipei Game Show 2025 was quite a success for Etheria: Restart as it drew thousands of fans to the event. Records for previous betas were broken and lots of exclusive content was showcased. From live competitions to hands-on previews, the event gave attendees plenty to experience. Etheria: Restart’s booth at the Taipei Game Show was packed with activities, including in-game challenges, cosplayer appearances, and exclusive merchandise giveaways. Fans had the chance to win limited-edition collectibles, and a few lucky attendees even received a PS5 Pro. On January 24th and 25th, popular streamer Akaoni also took the stage, taking part in live battles, hosting challenge events, and interacting with fans. Those who were part of the festivities even got a signed photo as a keepsake. Beyond the show floor, Etheria: Restart’s closed beta set new milestones too. More than 900,000 summons were recorded, with Massiah, Tiamat, and Hoyan emerging as the most sought-after characters. One Hyperlinker, Tianyu Rin, managed to collect every single character, something that no one else achieved. In terms of progression, most participants averaged around level 35, but Lulu pushed far ahead, reaching an impressive level 66. The Peak Arena rankings saw 82 competitors claim their spots, but Fried Bun stood out as the top-ranked Hyperlinker in both PvP modes. Meanwhile, guild Qiyan City secured the highest single-damage output in the event’s toughest battle. Looking for more? Here’s a list of the top RPGs to play on Android right now! Speaking of battles, the new boss fight against NicoNana became the highlight of the test, with over 24,000 attempts recorded. The encounter proved to be a serious challenge, pushing teams to their limits as they refined their strategies. Looking ahead, XD Inc. is already working on updates based on player feedback. Visit Etheria: Restart’s official website for more information. Source link #Etheria #Restart #hit #Taipei #Game #Show Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

iQOO Neo 10R to Launch in India in an Exclusive Dual-Tone Colourway iQOO Neo 10R to Launch in India in an Exclusive Dual-Tone Colourway iQOO Neo 10R is scheduled to launch in India soon. The company has now confirmed that it will come in a colourway which has been exclusively developed for the Indian market. The phone is said to sport a dual-tone blue and white back cover and along with a texture which is inspired by racing tracks. iQOO says this colourway has been developed in line with its ambitions of providing consumers in India with smartphones featuring unique and innovative designs. iQOO Neo 10R Colourways As per the company, the white accent in the dual-tone finish symbolises a sense of power and determination, while the blue element defines its assertion of “strength and forward momentum”. In addition to enhancing the iQOO Neo 10R’s visual appeal, the racing tracks-inspired texture is also said to be a big influence behind the smartphone’s “R” branding. iQOO first introduced dual-tone design in its Neo series with the iQOO Neo 9 Pro which debuted in February 2024, and the Neo 10R becomes the latest offering to sport this aesthetic, which is claimed to blend “vibrant and subtle colours”. Previously, the company has teased the iQOO Neo 10R as the “fastest smartphone in the segment”. Teaser images suggest it will sport a dual rear camera unit. More details about the handset are expected to be released as the official launch date nears. iQOO Neo 10R Specifications (Expected) Recent reports suggest that the iQOO 10R will sport a 1.5K OLED TCL C8 screen with a 120Hz refresh rate which may go up to 144Hz during gaming scenarios. Further, it is likely to pack a 6,400mAh battery with support for 80W wired *** charging. This corroborates exclusive information shared by Gadgets 360 last week. iQOO has confirmed that its upcoming handset will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, paired with LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. It is also speculated to get an Adreno 735 GPU for handling the most graphically demanding games and an X-axis linear motor for haptics. For optics, the iQOO Neo 10R is reported to be equipped with a dual rear camera unit, comprising a 50-megapixel camera with a Sony LYT-600 sensor and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle lens. The front camera is said to use a 16MP Samsung S5K3P9 sensor. Connectivity features may include Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 6, and NFC. It is tipped to have a thickness of 7.98mm and weigh 196g. Source link #iQOO #Neo #10R #Launch #India #Exclusive #DualTone #Colourway Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Garbage collectors in Whitehall walk away unscathed from explosion Garbage collectors in Whitehall walk away unscathed from explosion WHITEHALL, Ohio (WCMH) — Two garbage collectors were lucky to walk away uninjured after a trash can exploded Wednesday during their morning pickup route. The City of Whitehall released video on their Facebook page of two Local Waste employees going through their normal trash pickup routine. Both then encountered a shocking *****. One of the collectors emptied a garbage can at the 4000 block of Elbern Avenue and within seconds after the waste goes into the truck, a large explosion occurs. The man was standing right in front of the explosion that sent trash flying onto the street and then saw a fire starting inside the truck. Another worker was with him but was standing to the side of the truck as the explosion happened. Decades-old central Ohio co-op seeking public help to stay in business The man quickly put out the fire and called 911 after avoiding potentially serious injuries. You can watch this in the video player above. The culprit of the explosion was an oxygen tank inside the trash can, per the City of Whitehall. It is ******** to dispose of an oxygen tank or other hazardous waste inside a trash can, according to regulations set by Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Follow this link to learn how to properly dispose of hazardous waste. Whitehall police said anyone with information should call 614-237-6333. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Source link #Garbage #collectors #Whitehall #walk #unscathed #explosion Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mark Zuckerberg Defends Embrace of Trump Administration in Meta Employee Q&A – The New York Times Mark Zuckerberg Defends Embrace of Trump Administration in Meta Employee Q&A – The New York Times Mark Zuckerberg Defends Embrace of Trump Administration in Meta Employee Q&A The New York TimesTrump signs settlement agreement with Meta, source says CNNElizabeth Warren: Meta settlement with Trump ‘looks like a bribe’ The HillMark Zuckerberg starts Meta earnings call by praising Trump administration CNBC Source link #Mark #Zuckerberg #Defends #Embrace #Trump #Administration #Meta #Employee #QampA #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]