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Blizzard Pulls a Big Smoke on Overwatch 2 Players by Putting a Skin in the Item Shop Before Making It Free Blizzard Pulls a Big Smoke on Overwatch 2 Players by Putting a Skin in the Item Shop Before Making It Free Overwatch 2 is currently one of the top hero shooters in the market, and continues to captivate an estimated 20,000 players daily on average. Although its player count fell a bit flat recently, thanks to the emergence of Marvel Rivals, it’s still one of the most popular shooters out there. Blizzard drops a new skin bundle every season | Image Credits: Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard is no stranger to releasing new and elaborate skins in Overwatch 2. They often collaborate with various pop culture franchises and introduce fan-favorite skins in their game. Although they frequently drop a breathtaking bundle every once in a while, why are fans feeling betrayed by the latest skin bundle that was released in the Overwatch shop? Let’s find out. Overwatch players feel betrayed as exclusive skin becomes free Lucio’s Cyber DJ legendary skin | Image Credits: Blizzard Entertainment On January 29, Blizzard introduced a new skin bundle in the Overwatch 2 shop, which was titled the Cyber Fiend bundle. The bundle featured two new legendary skins for the heroes Lucio and Widowmaker, each sporting a cyberpunk-ish aesthetic. The skin bundle was priced at 2800 Overwatch coins which seemed reasonable enough. Earn Cyber DJ Lucio in #Overwatch2 Blizzard is unveiling new heroes, maps, and more at the upcoming Spotlight Event! Plus, watch an invited creator’s stream for one hour and score this Legendary Skin. pic.twitter.com/trw0UTA6i0 — Overwatch Cavalry (@OWCavalry) January 29, 2025 After Blizzard dropped their latest Cyber Fiend bundle, players are feeling a bit backstabbed after discovering that the legendary Lucio skin known as the Cyber DJ, was made available as a Twitch drop just a day after the bundle was released. Comment byu/CosmiqCowboy from discussion inOverwatch Comment byu/CosmiqCowboy from discussion inOverwatch Comment byu/CosmiqCowboy from discussion inOverwatch Rather than buying an exclusive paid bundle, players can just grab the Lucio skin for free by watching specific content creators on YouTube or Twitch for about an hour. On Blizzard’s blog page, they confirmed that the Cyber DJ skin will be offered as a free reward through Twitch Drop. This surprising move has left fans of Overwatch 2 disappointed and frustrated, as people who bought the Lucio skin felt cheated out of their money. This isn’t the first time Blizzard missed the mark with skins OWL Guardian Mercy skin | Image Credits: Blizzard Entertainment Something similar happened with the OWL Guardian Mercy skin in Overwatch. Initially, players had to buy Overwatch League (OWL) tokens to unlock the exclusive Mercy skin. However, the players who bought the skin by spending real money got a slap in the face when the developers made the Mercy skin available for free for people with a Twitch Prime subscription. The Cyber Fiend skin bundle is currently not available in the shop anymore, indicating that Blizzard might have realized its mistake and is trying to fix it by sweeping it under the rug. However, mishaps like this are not easily forgotten and are fuelling growing concerns in players over Blizzard’s approach to monetization and ruining trust in Overwatch 2. Some fans even speculate that Blizzard may offer refunds to the players who purchased the bundle, similar to how they did with the OWL Guardian Mercy skin controversy, where refunds were provided after backlash from fans. Have you purchased the Cyber Fiend bundle, or were you one of the lucky ones who waited for a day and got it for free from Twitch drops? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Source link #Blizzard #Pulls #Big #Smoke #Overwatch #Players #Putting #Skin #Item #Shop #Making #Free Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stargate Project: everything you need to know about OpenAI’s $500 billion gamble Stargate Project: everything you need to know about OpenAI’s $500 billion gamble Table of Contents Table of Contents What is the Stargate Project? Who is involved in the Stargate Project? Controversies surrounding the Stargate Project Shortly after taking office, Donald Trump touted a new private business venture, led by OpenAI, which plans to spend half a trillion dollars over the next four years building the data centers and power production plants that America’s growing AI industry relies on. “It’s big money and high-quality people,” Trump said during a January 21st press announcement alongside Sam Altman from OpenAI, Larry Ellison from Oracle, and Masayoshi Son from SoftBank. The project is “a resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential” under his administration, Trump continued, despite the federal government not actually having anything to do with the project. Announcing The Stargate Project The Stargate Project is a new company which intends to invest $500 billion over the next four years building new AI infrastructure for OpenAI in the United States. We will begin deploying $100 billion immediately. This infrastructure will secure… — OpenAI (@OpenAI) January 21, 2025 “This infrastructure will secure American leadership in AI, create hundreds of thousands of American jobs, and generate massive economic benefit for the entire world,” OpenAI’s announcement post reads. “This project will not only support the re-industrialization of the United States but also provide a strategic capability to protect the national security of America and its allies.” Here’s what we know so far about Stargate, the $500 billion AI infrastructure bet. What is the Stargate Project? “The Stargate Project” is technically the name of a new company tasked with building 500 billion dollars worth of AI data centers and green energy production sites across the U.S. over the next four years — with $100 billion to be spent immediately — for OpenAI’s benefit. Details on where the company plans to install these facilities remain to be seen, though the company has already broken ground on its first of ten data centers situated in Abilene, Texas, about 200 miles west of Dallas. The 1,000-acre project, which is registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) as “Project Ludicrous,” is expected to cost $1.1 billion and be completed by the end of 2025. Once it is online, each data center should employ just under 60 people, though the company estimates it will create 100,000 jobs in total over the next four years. The initial project broke ground in June 2024, starting with a $292 million, 482,000-square-foot one-story “data hall,” which is slated for completing in May 2025. Additional structures, as well as another $140 million in “tenant improvements,” should be finished by this September. According to TDLR filings, the first site will be powered by a 360MW natural gas turbine. The project’s application to install another nine turbines (for the remaining nine data centers) as “primary and backup power” for the data center under Title V of the Clean Air Act is still under review. Solar and battery systems from SoftBank subsidiary SB energy will be installed onsite as well, to supplement the turbines’ production. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has previously put forward plans to construct data centers up to 5GW in size. “This will be the most important project of this era,” Altman recently told the AP. He (along with Ellison and Son) credited Trump with making the project possible, despite Stargate already having launched and broken ground on its first build last year. Who is involved in the Stargate Project? The Stargate Project is financially backed by SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle, and UAE-based investment firm MGX. Arm, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, and OpenAI will serve as the initial technology partners. Oracle, Nvidia, and OpenAI will collaborate to operate the various data centers as they come online. Controversies surrounding the Stargate Project Stargate had barely been announced before Tesla CEO Elon Musk started trolling the project’s idea, its backers, and long-running legal opponent Sam Altman in particular. “They don’t actually have the money,” Musk wrote in an X post, suggesting that the entire endeavor was actually a sham. “SoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority.” wrong, as you surely know. want to come visit the first site already under way? this is great for the country. i realize what is great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your companies, but in your new role i hope you’ll mostly put first. — Sam Altman (@sama) January 22, 2025 This set off a frenzy of posts and replies between himself and Altman, who initially deferred to Musk’s “accomplishments,” stating “you are the most inspiring entrepreneur of our time” before needling him with “I realize what is great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your companies,” he added, “but in your new role i [sic] hope you’ll mostly put [America] first.” Petty squabbles between petulant oligarchs aside, Stargate faces significant challenges in actually coming to fruition — one only need look at the heavily-hyped Foxconn-Wisconsin disaster that occurred during the first Trump administration as an example. In 2017, the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer promised a $10 billion investment in Wisconsin along with the creation of 13,000 jobs. The state legislature then passed a $2.85 billion tax incentive package (and dropped $150 million in sales taxes) to help sweeten the deal, costing the state around $3 billion in total, only for Foxconn to abruptly change its business plans and largely abandon its production plants in the state. We have no reason to believe that OpenAI and its partners will be any less mercurial in their actions, especially with the American AI industry in crisis over the release of DeepSeek’s generative AI models, which offer performance equivalent to OpenAI’s state of the art models, but at a small fraction of the training, energy, and operating costs. If the capabilities of DeepSeek’s models prove legitimate — thereby proving that the American strategy of just throwing money and resources at AI development is both wasteful and unnecessary — the Stargate consortium would have little reason to continue investing in infrastructure. Source link #Stargate #Project #OpenAIs #billion #gamble Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

‘Make ends meet’: Greens call for nationwide rollout of 50c public transport fares in major election pitch ‘Make ends meet’: Greens call for nationwide rollout of 50c public transport fares in major election pitch One party has made a huge call to roll out 50c public transport fares across the nation – a move they say will save the average Aussie thousands every year. Source link #ends #meet #Greens #call #nationwide #rollout #50c #public #transport #fares #major #election #pitch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Rift Of The Necrodancer Review – TheGamer Rift Of The Necrodancer Review – TheGamer TheGamer Writes “Rift of the Necrodancer combines visual novel-style storytelling with frantic rhythm-based action to solid effect.” Source link #Rift #Necrodancer #Review #TheGamer Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Telegram Now Lets Users Display Collectible Gifts as Status, Move Them to Blockchain and More Telegram Now Lets Users Display Collectible Gifts as Status, Move Them to Blockchain and More Telegram is rolling out six new features which may enhance the gifting experience, the company announced on Thursday. As part of the changes, users can now display collectible gifts as emoji statues and transfer gifts to the blockchain and even auction them. Further, it also brings the ability to share collectible gifts via Telegram stories. Notably, this is the second major update of the year, following the January 1 patch which introduced an in-app QR code scanner, service message reactions, emojis in folder names, extra message search filters, and more features. New Features on Telegram As per Telegram, users can now show off collectible gifts by adding them as emoji statuses. Upon application, a glittering star effect will appear and the user’s profile appearance will be modified in line with the backdrop and the collectible’s symbol. This functionality can be toggled via My Profile > Gifts. Similar to collectible usernames and numbers, the instant messaging platform allows users to transfer or auction gifts via the TON blockchain. Telegram says this grants them permanent control over gifts, even if they lose access to or delete their account. Moving a gift to the TON wallet brings additional perks offered by auction sites or platforms. It also rolls out the ability to send gifts to channels, which the platform says, can be used to celebrate milestones and special occasions. These are said to appear on the channel’s profile and can be upgraded with Stars before being sent. Additionally, channel owners can transfer them to other users and channels, or even auction them via the aforementioned blockchain feature. This feature is being gradually rolled out and will be expanded over time, as per the company. Other add-ons include sharing collectible gifts on Telegram stories in the form of an animated preview and a filtering feature in the Gifts tab which can be used to sort gifts based on the collectible status, date received, and value. Channel admins can toggle notifications to keep a track of incoming gifts. Source link #Telegram #Lets #Users #Display #Collectible #Gifts #Status #Move #Blockchain Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

LG might save us from the misery of hotel TVs – The Verge LG might save us from the misery of hotel TVs – The Verge LG might save us from the misery of hotel TVs The VergeLG showcases its Google Cast Hotel TVs at ISE 2025 ZAWYALG adds Google Cast to its hotel TV range seenit.co.ukLG Electronics showcases Google Cast hotel TVs for personal OTT experience – CHOSUNBIZ 조선비즈 Source link #save #misery #hotel #TVs #Verge Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

With Over a Month Left for Release, Monster Hunter Wilds Shoots Past Deadlock to Become the Most Wishlisted Game on Steam With Over a Month Left for Release, Monster Hunter Wilds Shoots Past Deadlock to Become the Most Wishlisted Game on Steam Capcom’s Monster Hunter Wilds has surpassed Valve’s Deadlock as the most-wishlisted game on Steam. Not only that, it has also overtaken Hollow Knight: Silksong in terms of total wishlists on Steam after the indie Metroidvania title slips to number 3. Monster Hunter Wilds is going to be released on February 28, 2025. | Credit: Capcom. For Capcom, Monster Hunter has been a huge success since the 2018 release of Worlds, so it should not be shocking to anyone that Wilds will be equally as successful. The beta that launched a few months ago has already shown us how many gamers are interested in it, but it appears that the level of excitement is rising rapidly. Monster Hunter Wilds is now the most-wishlisted game on Steam The hype regarding this upcoming game is unreal. | Credit: Capcom. Before it’s even been released, Monster Hunter Wilds has already surpassed Deadlock and Hollow Knight: Silksong to become the most-wishlisted upcoming game on Steam. Additionally, it is the seventh-best-selling game worldwide on Steam. Though it is evident that Monster Hunter Wilds is generating a lot of buzz, it is noteworthy that it has managed to surpass both Valve’s upcoming major release and one of the most talked-about games of the previous generation. Of course, a number of factors are involved. The fact that Wilds is the only one of the top three games with a real release date will undoubtedly affect the number of people who wishlist it rather than merely clicking “follow.” For the most part, the rest of the list is exactly what you would expect. Given how enormous they will inevitably be, it makes sense that Sid Meier’s Civilization VII and Elden Ring Nightreign are both beneath Silksong. Since Civilization VII is also coming out next month, we can probably anticipate that it will climb the charts as the launch date approaches. However, for the time being, it appears that everyone is excitedly awaiting the opportunity to return to Monster Hunter Wilds. We won’t have to wait long to find out how well it performs overall, especially since it’s launching on February 28. Why are people so hyped up about Monster Hunter Wilds? The upcoming title will this time strengthen its narrative part as well. | Credit: Capcom. The smooth exploration of Monster Hunter Wilds is the most plausible explanation for its enormous anticipation. You and your group will no longer be teleported into an instanced biome after posting missions on the board. Rather, you will go straight from the hub town into the semi-open world zones on foot (or atop your bird-like mount, a Seikret). After that, you can move around freely and complete side quests and story missions in any order, just like in any other open-world game. At first glance, the switch to a semi-open world might appear to be purely aesthetic, but it has a significant effect on the Monster Hunter formula. The usual cycle of “******* hunting means ******* crafting” is still present, but Monster Hunter has never felt more a part of the environment than it does in Wilds. It’s so much more than what people initially believed Capcom was doing when they expanded the idea of Iceborne’s Guiding Lands to create an endless hunt-a-thon. In addition to making Wilds a more successful monster-hunting simulator, the sense of immersion it fosters fosters an atmosphere that supports richer, more in-depth storytelling. The series has consistently struggled with narrative. There are large creatures, and you eliminate them. That’s about it. In an attempt to make Monster Hunter more widely popular, Wilds offers plenty of cutscenes of the high caliber you would anticipate from a AAA blockbuster game. Have you wishlisted Monster Hunter Wilds on Steam too? Share your thoughts with us about the game in the comment section. Source link #Month #Left #Release #Monster #Hunter #Wilds #Shoots #Deadlock #Wishlisted #Game #Steam Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) OLED gaming laptop with RTX 4060 is now $500 off The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) OLED gaming laptop with RTX 4060 is now $500 off A heartily-discounted Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024), which flaunts a 120 Hz OLED screen, a Ryzen 9 8945HS, 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, a 1 TB NVMe Gen 4 SSD, and a mobile RTX 4060 has caught our eye as a potentially-compelling deal for our readers at just $1099.99. We’ve previously covered this same model of ROG Zephyrus on ***** back in June 2024, but compared to that $300 discount, it now has a much healthier $500 discount. We’ve also reviewed a version of this laptop with a slightly beefier mobile RTX 4070. So, let’s take a slightly closer look at this laptop and its characteristics. Based on our review of a model with slightly souped-up internals, we can highly recommend the laptop for its vivid OLED display, decent speakers, and good port selection. The OLED display is officially rated for 100% DCI-P3 coverage and Pantone validated, making it ideal for professional work — consistent with our review. HDR support is also enabled, though at just 500 nits peak brightness is slightly limited compared to some higher-end OLEDs (though the final picture should still look significantly better than most higher-brightness IPS panels). The clean, compact design also makes it pretty good for productivity and gaming on the go, though I’d highly recommend pairing a laptop like this with a cooling pad if you want to use it for intense gaming sessions. As far as downsides go, the internal hardware is admittedly impressive, but RGB aficionados will be disappointed to know that the keyboard is single-zone, meaning you can change colors but no real exciting visual effects are possible beyond color gamut shifting for the whole board at once. Additionally, the RAM is soldered on this unit, which means upgrading its memory capacity is impossible. If 16 GB is enough for your needs, this shouldn’t be an issue, but some heavier-duty productivity and gaming users, especially those looking to stream, may not be able to overlook that downside. Generally-speaking, though, the 120 Hz OLED panel is extremely good at this price point. While other laptops with similar specs do exist in this range, their displays are quite lacking in comparison. Additionally, the slim and light build, plus the strong I/O support on this laptop, including support for USB 4, does make it just a bit more modern than most gaming laptops floating around in this pricing range. Source link #Asus #ROG #Zephyrus #G14 #OLED #gaming #laptop #RTX Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Bishop of Liverpool retires after ******* assault allegations Bishop of Liverpool retires after ******* assault allegations BBC The Bishop of Liverpool has announced his retirement after allegations of ******* assault and harassment were made against him. The Right Reverend Dr John Perumbalath said he did not want to be a “distraction” after claims made by two women were outlined in a Channel 4 News investigation. He said it was “not a resignation occasioned by fault or by any admission of liability”. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts. Source link #Bishop #Liverpool #retires #******* #assault #allegations Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia Reflex: what it is and why you should enable it Nvidia Reflex: what it is and why you should enable it Table of Contents Table of Contents What is Nvidia Reflex? How does Reflex work? How to enable Nvidia Reflex What games support Nvidia Reflex? Nvidia Reflex 2 In competitive gaming, victory isn’t just about who pulls the trigger first—it’s often about whose PC responds the fastest. Identifying your input lag is the first step to eliminating it, and Nvidia Reflex is an excellent tool to help. In some games, it doesn’t just measure latency—it actively works to reduce it. Once you have a high-performance gaming CPU and a powerful graphics card, the best way to make your PC more suited to competitive play is to shave off a few milliseconds in input lag. Here’s how to use Nvidia Reflex to do just that. It might even give you a competitive advantage. What is Nvidia Reflex? Nvidia Reflex is a suite of GPU, G-Sync display, and software technologies that help in measuring and reducing system latency. By doing so, it allows the PC and the display to respond faster to mouse and keyboard inputs, essentially allowing you to target and kill enemies faster and with greater precision. Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming Just like Deep Learning Super Sampling, Reflex Low Latency mode is a proprietary technology that requires a Nvidia graphics card. While having a recent GPU like one of the RTX 40-series, ensures the best experience, Reflex can work with any model, including the GTX 900 and above. It works by optimizing the GPU and the game to provide you with the low-latency best performance. Certain games also offer a Reflex+Boost setting, which increases your GPU’s clock speeds, especially if you are playing games that are CPU intensive, thus preventing any potential bottlenecks. How does Reflex work? Reflex can help lower rendering lag by as much as 80% and works best with first-person shooters like Apex Legends, Valorant, Call of Duty, Fortnite, and others. It isn’t designed to affect system performance, but there have been some instances of it having a mild impact on average frame rates. The improved responsiveness that comes from a reduced input lag, however, should be well worth it — especially if you’re playing competitively. To optimize and reduce your system latency, Reflex uses a combination of SDKs and driver optimizations to effectively remove any bottlenecks between the CPU and GPU. This allows each frame to be rendered by the GPU as soon as the CPU passes it along, with no waiting behind existing rendering jobs. The end result can be a dramatic reduction in put lag. Depending on the kind of hardware and peripherals you have, you can shave tens of milliseconds off your system latency. That can have a real, tangible effect on your gameplay performance. It’s also possible for game developers to improve the game latency performance through additional optimizations. Nvidia There are two primary components of Reflex. First is the Reflex SDK, a set of APIs meant for game developers to reduce and measure rendering latency. Using the SDK, developers can integrate Reflex directly with their games. This allows latency reductions above and beyond existing driver-only techniques like Nvidia’s Ultra Low Latency Mode. The second one is Reflex Latency Analyzer, which, as the name suggests, is a system latency measurement tool. It is currently available on 360Hz G-Sync Esports displays from Acer, Alienware, Asus, and MSI, as well as esports peripherals from Asus, Logitech, Razer, and SteelSeries. This tech can detect clicks coming from your mouse and then measure the time it takes for the resulting pixels to change on the screen. Image used with permission by copyright holder How to enable Nvidia Reflex Nvidia Reflex can be enabled in individual games by heading to your game’s graphics settings. Each game is different, so you might have to search for it, but it should typically be in the options or game settings menu. Here’s an example of Apex Legends: Image used with permission by copyright holder Once you open the game, select on the Options (gear symbol) button on the bottom right and then click on Settings. Image used with permission by copyright holder Next, select the Video settings on the top, and under Advanced, you should see the option to enable Nvidia Reflex. Some games also have a separate option called Nvidia Reflex+Boost. Enabling it can improve GPU performance to further reduce latency. What games support Nvidia Reflex? There’s a long list of games that support Nvidia Reflex in some form. Some can only give you latency stats, others offer support for the auto-configured Reflex analyzer, and another bunch support Reflex Low Latency. Some standouts include Apex Legends, Battlefield 2042, Valorant, Hogwarts Legacy, and Counter-Strike 2. More games are being added all the time, so keep an eye on the full list available on Nvidia’s website for the latest releases, including supported peripherals. Nvidia Reflex 2 At this year’s CES, Nvidia unveiled its new RTX 50-series graphics card lineup. Along with that, the company announced Reflex 2, the next-generation upgrade to its latency-reduction technology. Building on the success of the original Nvidia Reflex, Reflex 2 will introduce advancements to further minimize system latency by up to 75%, making gaming even more responsive and immersive. With Frame Interpolation and expanded hardware support, Reflex 2 is claimed to enhance both competitive gameplay and general gaming experiences across a broader range of devices. One of the most significant new features in Reflex 2 is Frame Interpolation, also known as “Frame Warp.” This technology analyzes rendered frames in real-time and inserts additional interpolated frames to reduce perceived latency. By predicting and adjusting for player input, Frame Interpolation is said to create a smoother and more responsive gaming experience, even in graphically intensive scenarios which is more prone to latency spikes. This could particularly be useful for gamers using mid-range or older hardware, as it helps mitigate latency without compromising visual quality or performance. Reflex 2 also extends its reach to more gaming monitors and peripherals, with increased compatibility for Reflex Latency Analyzer. This expanded hardware ecosystem allows gamers to measure and optimize latency with precision, ensuring that they are getting the most responsive experience possible. During the announcement, Nvidia said that it is collaborating with game developers to bring Reflex 2 support to a growing library of titles, ensuring widespread adoption across popular genres like first-person shooters, MOBAs, and battle royales. Nvidia will introduce Reflex 2 on The Finals and Valorant, initially launching on RTX 50-series GPUs. Support for other older RTX GPUs is expected to arrive in a future update. Source link #Nvidia #Reflex #enable Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why LA’s water system failed during Palisades Fire Why LA’s water system failed during Palisades Fire As thousands of homes started to burn across Los Angeles on Jan. 7, fire hydrants stopped working. The rapid spread of flames in winds up to 100 miles per hour was happening too quickly for water pumps to keep up. It shocked the system and those fleeing the flames. “This area is known for having fire issues, so you would think that they would be prepared for this,” said Joan Zoloth, 70, who said she first moved to the area when she was 6 years old. Zoloth’s childhood home burned down in the Palisades Fire. Her own home around the corner and her son’s home nearby were also lost. “My mother was a teacher,” Zoloth said. “What people don’t realize is how much Malibu is filled with those types of people — not just movie stars.” The remains of Joan Zoloth’s childhood home in Malibu, California, shown on Jan. 21, 2025, after it burned down in the Palisades Fire. Andrew Evers CNBC went to the wreckage of the Palisades Fire to ask officials what happened to the water system in LA, and what other cities can do to be better prepared. As many as 1 in 6 Americans now live in areas with significant wildfire risk. “A firefight at this size, such an urban conflagration, any system is going to have its challenges in maintaining water pressure,” said State Fire Marshall Daniel Berlant, of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. Water pressure was the primary problem, rather than a lack of supply, fire officials and water experts told CNBC. Much of the water in the Palisades is provided by three 1 million gallon tanks that sit up in the hills, using gravity to maintain water pressure in the hydrants and homes they supply below. Pumps forcibly move water from main lines and surrounding reservoirs to those tanks. The tanks were full when the fires started, but the pumps couldn’t replenish water in the tanks as quickly as firefighters were using it below. As the tanks depleted, so did the water pressure, until some 20% of hydrants ran dry. “The hydrants would have run dry anywhere in the world with a fire event like this in the topography where this occurred,” said Greg Pierce, director of the UCLA Human Right to Water Lab. Joan Zoloth lost three family homes in Malibu during the Palisades fire. She’s shown here at a family friend’s house where she’s staying in Venice, California, on January 21, 2025. Andrew Evers The closure of a 117 million gallon reservoir nearby complicated matters. Earlier this month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA city council members called for investigations into why the Santa Ynez Reservoir hadn’t yet reopened after being drained almost a year ago to repair a tear in its cover. “That would have made a difference,” Pierce said. “But even, by all accounts, if that reservoir was full, it wouldn’t have stopped the fire.” Typically, fires are also fought by aircraft dropping water and fire retardant from above, but high winds kept them grounded for several hours on the first night of the fire. Firefighters adapted with three tactics. They shuttled water through multiple engines connected to functional hydrants, drove it to locations in large water tenders, and pumped water directly from backyard swimming pools. The LA Department of Water and Power said it quadrupled the water flow to the area and summoned 15 water tankers to directly refill fire trucks. It wasn’t enough. The blame game As immediate danger calmed, misinformation ran wild. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, reactivated its rumor response site, and the LA Fire Department directly responded to inaccurate social media posts. President Donald Trump, for instance, claimed that water ran out in LA because of policies meant to protect a small endangered fish called the Delta smelt. “It’s just simply false. It’s nonsense,” said Peter Gleick, co-founder of the Pacific Institute, a global water think tank. Gleick has been researching water issues for four decades. On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order titled “Putting People Over Fish: Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Provide Water to Southern California.” After visiting with Newsom in LA, Trump signed another executive order directing federal officials to find ways to override “disastrous” California water policies. “There’s lots of conversations about California water policy and how we allocate water to protect fish or ecosystems versus deliver water to different kinds of users, but that had no role whatsoever to play in water availability for firefighting,” Gleick said. Southern California reservoirs are at above-average levels for this time of year because of two plentiful rainy seasons, he added. “Misinformation about how if we just had more water from Northern California in Southern California, that would have made the difference, that’s not true,” UCLA’s Pierce said. “Even if you have water stored fairly close by in the region, you can’t just move it quickly up to an area like the Palisades.” That’s why billionaires Lynda and Stewart Resnick are also not to blame for the Palisades Fire, the water experts who spoke with CNBC said. The Resnicks own the Wonderful Company, which includes brands such as Pom and Fiji Water, and have sprawling farmlands in the San Joaquin Valley that grow pistachios, oranges and pomegranates. They’ve been the subject of attacks on social media, some of which are antisemitic, that blame them for the water pressure problems in LA because of their investment in a public-private water bank that’s 100 miles north of LA and that has no ability to impact water pressure in the Palisades. “There’s absolutely no connection between the two. This is a localized problem,” said Felicia Marcus, former chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board. The fires also resurfaced criticism around state and local water decisions, from taking down dams to not building enough reservoirs. The real culprit is extremely dry conditions, experts told CNBC. Before the fires, LA saw close to zero rain since May, and 2024 was the hottest year on record for the planet, Gleick said. “Higher temperatures means more demand for water by soils and vegetation and people and agriculture,” he said. “Climate change is in many ways a water problem. It’s being manifested by drought and floods and wildfires.” More resilient water systems This is not the first time hydrants ran dry in a major firefight. They’re designed to handle one or two structure fires, not hundreds burning at the same time. Similar water pressure problems plagued the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire, which destroyed more than 3,000 homes, and two Ventura County fires that each burned more than 1,000 homes in 2017 and 2018. The problem extends beyond California. Texas saw the largest fire in its history last February. As population booms, more people are moving to areas at high risk of fires between dense developments and wildland. California is home to the top six cities at highest wildfire risk in the U.S., but Texas, Colorado and Oregon also have cities in the top 15. A firefighting helicopter draws water from the first-ever installed Heli-Hydrant to quickly stop the Blue Ridge Fire in Yorba Linda, California, on October 28, 2020. Yorba Linda Water District There are three key components to making water systems more resilient, Pierce said: increasing water supply, improving local infrastructure, and bolstering power. After a 2008 fire that destroyed 280 homes, Yorba Linda Water District in California addressed all three. It added backup generators at water pump stations that had failed during the fire, added a long-planned underground reservoir, and installed a first-of-its-kind water tank called a Heli-Hydrant. That $70,000 tank can automatically refill itself and is reserved for helicopters to dip from, reducing the length of flight times between water pickups and drops. It was used to quickly stop the Blue Ridge Fire in 2020. “Cal Fire was able to jump on it and use our Heli-Hydrant, trigger it and keep the fire to five acres,” said John DeCriscio, who was operations manager at the Yorba Linda Water District at the time. “That was a huge success.” San Francisco implemented a comprehensive solution after the city was almost completely destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and resulting fire, which also caused most hydrants to run dry. In 1913, the city developed a unique fire-suppression water system separate from the rest of the city’s water. Seawater enters the system from 52 suction connections along the waterfront, and it’s pumped in from fireboats and two high-pressure pumping stations. There are more than 200 underground cisterns to store backup water. A high-elevation reservoir and two large-capacity tanks use gravity, not pumps, to feed special high-pressure emergency hydrants that can be seen around the city with ******, red and blue tops. There are other solutions that cities can implement. A company called Rain is working on autonomous, unmanned aircraft for dropping water on fires. In Japan, an autonomous system of water cannons protects a cultural heritage site with 200-year-old thatched roof houses. Cost is the main reason these solutions haven’t been implemented widely. “There’s always this delicate balance of being afraid to go to your customers and raise their rates, but if you don’t raise their rates, you can’t do these extra things,” said Marcus, the former state water board chair. “It’s the kind of thing that keeps you up at night when you manage one of these agencies.” Source link #LAs #water #system #failed #Palisades #Fire Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Thursday’s biggest analyst calls like Tesla & Meta Thursday’s biggest analyst calls like Tesla & Meta Here are Thursday’s biggest calls on Wall Street: Edward Jones upgrades CVS to buy from hold The firm said the stock is an “attractive turnaround story.” “We are upgrading shares of CVS Health (CVS) to a Buy rating from a Hold. We believe CVS could be an attractive turnaround story with the potential for new management improving in its health insurance division, Aetna.” Stifel upgrades Edward Lifesciences to buy from hold Stifel said the heart value medical innovations solutions company has upside. “We are upgrading EW shares to Buy, from Hold, and increasing our price target to $90, from $75.” Bernstein upgrades Lam Research to outperform from market perform The firm upgraded the semicap stock following Wednesday’s earnings report. “We think risk-reward is skewing positive enough here; we upgrade LRCX to Outperform.” Goldman Sachs upgrades RH to neutral from sell Goldman said it sees the furniture company turning free-cash flow positive in the future. “We are upgrading RH to Neutral from Sell, given 1) a shift in demand trends despite a depressed housing environment, driven by new product and heavy marketing (i.e., sourcebooks, increase in advertising dollars); 2) a change in its supply chain, reducing exposure to China and Mexico…” HSBC upgrades Corning to buy from hold HSBC upgraded the glassware company following earnings due to “solid top-line growth.” ” Corning’s 4Q24 financial results came in 3-4% ahead of our and consensus estimates. Jefferies upgrades Coca-Cola to buy from hold Jefferies called Coca-Cola “quality at a refreshing price.” “The business is in great shape. Volumes are compounding, pricing has been earned, and cash flow is about to inflect… meaningfully.” Morgan Stanley reiterates Nvidia as overweight Analyst Joseph Moore said he’s sticking with shares of Nvidia despite the stock’s selloff and says demand for the company’s chips remains robust. “He also reiterated that the underlying demand for Nvidia Blackwell – and other AI products – remains strong.” Bank of America reiterates Meta as buy Following the company’s earnings report on Wednesday, the firm said the “Al monetization cycle [is] still in early stages” for Meta. “We think a higher multiple is justified as Meta’s Al driven ad improvements are still early (rev. upside), while Meta is building big AI assets with an internal Al supercomputer, inhouse LLM [large language model] and custom Al chips to leverage massive Facebook, Instagram and messaging user pools.” Bernstein names Core Scientific as a top pick Bernstein said the bitcoin miner offers “ready ‘power access’ and [a] data center buildout.” ” CORZ is down ~30% on the back of the “DeepSeek’ dislocation. We have been bullish on AI-focused Bitcoin miners.” Bank of America reiterates IBM as buy Bank of America said it sees further upside for the stock following earnings on Wednesday. “IBM reported a strong F4Q with revs/EPS slightly above Street expectations with GM [gross margin] expanding to 60.6%, a new high driven by higher software mix.” Morgan Stanley reiterates Tesla as overweight Morgan Stanley said it’s sticking by Tesla shares following earnings on Wednesday and that the results were not “narrative changing.” “4Q results were mostly disappointing, but not particularly narrative changing. Consensus may fall modestly.” Morgan Stanley reiterates Microsoft as overweight The firm said that despite disappointing numbers for Microsoft’s cloud computing division, Azure, it was sticking with the stock. “While Azure was disappointing, strength in the GenAI ramp vs moderating capex growth should support accelerating FY26 FCF growth, keeping us OW.” Bank of America upgrades Blackline to buy from underperform Bank of America said fundamentals are improving for the software company. “We are upgrading accounting automation software vendor BlackLine (BL) to Buy (from Underperform) and raising our PO to $75 (from $50). Three months after announcing a new business strategy (more below), we deduce that BlackLine finally has the right technology and pricing/packaging in place to drive accelerating revenue growth which should be a catalyst.” Benchmark upgrades Meta to buy from hold The firm upgraded the stock following Wednesday’s earnings. “We are upgrading META shares to a Buy on a strong ’25E core business outlook, expecting flow-through of accelerating 4Q pricing and user engagement.” Source link #Thursdays #biggest #analyst #calls #Tesla #Meta Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

I kept Kidman ‘safe’ in thriller Babygirl: Banderas I kept Kidman ‘safe’ in thriller Babygirl: Banderas Antonio Banderas did everything he could to make Nicole Kidman “feel safe” filming the “complicated scenes” in their erotic thriller Babygirl. The 64-year-old Spanish actor plays Kidman’s character Romy Mathis’ husband Jacob in the X-rated film, which sees her have a sordid affair with a young intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson), at the robotics firm she owns. The ***** in Boots star gushed that he and Kidman, 57, have a “beautiful relationship” after working together on the intense movie. He told PEOPLE: “I am a huge fan of her. She’s one of my favourite actors of all time, actually. I admire and respect her and now I think we have a beautiful relationship because sharing this movie was very special.” He added: “It was a very complicated movie, difficult. “It required a lot from everybody, from the director, from all the actors, and we were conscious of that. And so you have to put yourself on the right path.” Banderas added that despite it being a challenging film to make, the *********** star was a breeze to work with. “She was totally committed to what she was doing. Kind, generous, professional. “She made me feel safe. And I think I just tried the same to make her feel safe, especially those scenes that are complicated.” Kidman, who landed a Golden Globes nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her portrayal of Romy, praised director Halina Reijn for making her feel protected on set. She told PEOPLE: “There’s a sort of a jump off the cliff thing where you go, okay, I’m just going to abandon everything and explore this with the people that I trust in a genre that is already set, but hopefully we can explore new territory and especially with the female at the helm. “You have your director at the helm going, ‘I will protect you. Nothing that’s going to be in the film will be anything that you are not comfortable with. You are going to be okay.'” * Babygirl was released in *********** cinemas on January 30. Source link #Kidman #safe #thriller #Babygirl #Banderas Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A Capcom Spotlight and Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase double-bill is coming next week A Capcom Spotlight and Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase double-bill is coming next week Capcom has announced that it will be holding a double-bill of online presentations next week. On February 4 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10pm GMT, Capcom will be presenting its next Capcom Spotlight presentation. This will last 20 minutes, according to Capcom, and will include “the latest info on Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Street Fighter 6, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 and Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics”. Following immediately after the Capcom Spotlight is a Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase, a 15-minute presentation hosted by the game’s producer Ryozo Tsujimoto. The Showcase will include a new Monster Hunter Wilds trailer, and will provide more information on the upcoming second Open Beta test. Last month Capcom announced Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the first new entry in the Onimusha series for 20 years. It then said it was working on “re-activating” more dormant legacy IPs, with the aim being to make new games based on them. Tune in live on Feb. 4 at 2pm PT for Capcom doubleheader! Join us for a 20-minute Capcom Spotlight followed immediately by a 15-minute Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase! [Hidden Content] In Capcom Showcase, get the latest info on Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Street… pic.twitter.com/EoHd3IfOEJ — Capcom USA (@CapcomUSA_) January 30, 2025 On Tuesday, Capcom stated that while its net profits for the first nine months of this fiscal year have been down 33% year-on-year, it still expects to hit its 12-month forecast of better net profit than last fiscal year, because of Monster Hunter Wilds. As it stands after nine months, Capcom is currently on net income of ¥23 billion ($148 million) compared to ¥34 billion ($222 million) last year. However, due to the release of Monster Hunter Wilds on February 28, it forecasts that its net income by the end of the fiscal year will be ¥46 billion ($296 million), compared to ¥43 billion ($279 million) last year and ¥36 billion ($236 million) the year before that. Source link #Capcom #Spotlight #Monster #Hunter #Wilds #Showcase #doublebill #coming #week Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

3 GPUs you should buy instead of the RTX 5080 3 GPUs you should buy instead of the RTX 5080 Table of Contents Table of Contents Nvidia RTX 4090 (used) AMD RX 7900 XTX Nvidia RTX 4080 Super The RTX 5080 arrived with a bit of a thud. As you can read in my RTX 5080 review, the card probably won’t be making among the best graphics cards any time soon. It falls short of Nvidia’s last-gen flagship, and in the vast majority of games, it doesn’t even crack a 20% lead over the RTX 4080 Super. It’s not the only GPU in town, though. Although AMD is sitting out the flagship battle this generation, there are still some excellent last-gen options to keep in mind. Here are three alternatives to the RTX 5080 and why you should consider picking them up over Nvidia’s latest. Nvidia RTX 4090 (used) Jacob ****** / Digital Trends Perhaps the biggest loss for the RTX 5080 is Nvidia’s last-gen RTX 4090. With each new generation, Nvidia can deliver the performance of one step up in its range, essentially lowering the price. The RTX 4080, for example, is faster than the RTX 3090 Ti, and the RTX 3080 is faster than the RTX 2080 Ti. This generation, Nvidia is breaking with tradition. Based on my testing, the RTX 5080 is around 9% slower than the RTX 4090. Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming That makes the RTX 4090 a compelling alternative, assuming you can find one at a reasonable price. Nvidia has carefully controlled the stock of its RTX 40-series GPUs, particularly at the high end, so you’ll have a tough time finding an RTX 4090 in stock at all, let alone for anywhere near list price. There are plenty of secondhand models available, though. Prices on the secondhand market are all over the place, especially right now when Nvidia’s latest GPUs are just rolling out. I’ve seen models sell for up to $2,200 and down to $1,100, so you’ll have to be diligent to find a deal. If you can find one, however, you’re in for a treat. The RTX 4090 cleanly beats the RTX 5080, so if you can score one for around $1,200, it’s absolutely worth the price. The main thing you’re missing — which is true of all of the graphics cards on this list — is DLSS Multi-Frame Generation. The RTX 4090 still benefits from DLSS 4, but it’s only capable of generating a single extra frame with AI; the RTX 5080 can generate up to three in supported games. Thankfully, third-party tools like Lossless Scaling can generate additional frames, and the RTX 4090 still comes with a raw performance advantage over the RTX 5080 — plus a bump in VRAM capacity. It’s still an open question if the RTX 4090 is worth it over the RTX 5080, and the answer hangs on the secondhand market. Keep a close eye on how prices shift over the next couple of weeks. They’re rising now in response to the RTX 5080, but I suspect they’ll drop shortly. AMD RX 7900 XTX Jacob ****** / Digital Trends AMD’s RX 7900 XTX is a clear step below the RTX 5080; I don’t want to ****** words here. On average, the RTX 5080 is around 47% faster than the RX 7900 XTX at 4K. However, that average factors in games that include ray tracing, and it ignores how much less you’ll spend on AMD’s last-gen flagship compared to the RTX 5080. Short of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, there aren’t any games I tested where the RX 7900 XTX wins over the RTX 5080. In a lot of titles, however, it’s a stone’s throw away. In Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, for example, the RTX 5080 is just 12% faster. The same is true in Assassin’s Creed Mirage. And in Red Dead Redemption 2, the RTX 5080 claims a lead of only 8%. That should put into context how much weight titles with ray tracing are pulling in the average. Pricing is what really matters here, though. You can pick up a new RX 7900 XTX for around $900 right now, and if you browse on the secondhand market, you can find one for as low as $720. The RTX 5080 is technically $1,000, but I have a hard time believing it will sell for that price. The RTX 4080 Super was priced at $1,000, as well, and I rarely saw it drop below $1,200 during its short lifespan. The value of the RX 7900 XTX comes down to what prices for the RTX 5080 look like a few weeks down the road. Still, it’s already available for hundreds of dollars less in some cases, so I suspect AMD will come out ahead on value. The RX 7900 XTX isn’t as powerful, but you’ll be kicking yourself if you ignore it when going to upgrade your GPU. Nvidia RTX 4080 Super Jacob ****** / Digital Trends The RTX 5080 is 18% faster than the RTX 4080 Super on average at 4K, so if you can score the last-gen card for 20% less — $800, compared to the list price of the RTX 5080 — you’re getting better bang for your buck. It’s a pretty simple calculation that you can apply regardless of where prices end up. If the RTX 5080 is at $1,200, you’d need to find an RTX 4080 Super at $960. And if it’s at $1,500, you’d need to find the last-gen model at $1,200. We normally see generational improvements north of 30%, especially at the high end. At that level, it’s usually not worth it to seek out a last-gen graphics card. You might be able to score a deal, but you’re leaving a lot of performance on the table. That’s not exactly the case with the RTX 5080 and RTX 4080 Super. Yes, the new card is 18% faster, but that doesn’t equate to a meaningful difference in your experience in a lot of games. Jacob ****** / Digital Trends In Red Dead Redemption 2, for example, I clocked the RTX 5080 12% ahead of the RTX 4080 Super. Looking at the actual frame rates, however, there’s not a huge difference in the experience of playing. You’re either getting just shy of 100 fps with the RTX 4080 Super or just over 100 fps with the RTX 5080. You’d have a hard time telling the difference between the two frame rates without constantly eyeing a frame rate counter. Just like the RTX 4090, the RTX 4080 Super doesn’t have access to DLSS Multi-Frame Generation, so it can’t easily saturate a 4K display running at 240Hz as the RTX 5080 can. Lossless Scaling can help make up the difference, and depending on the games you play, you might not even need to resort to frame generation. Although the RTX 5080 is 18% faster overall, the performance increase is lower in demanding ray tracing games like ****** Myth: Wukong. In these games, where you’d want to resort to tools like Multi-Frame Generation, the RTX 4080 Super is much closer in raw performance, and therefore, it’s easier to make up the performance deficit with third-party tools. Source link #GPUs #buy #RTX Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Overwatch 2’s average Steam player count has dropped 39% since Marvel Rivals was released Overwatch 2’s average Steam player count has dropped 39% since Marvel Rivals was released Overwatch 2’s average Steam player count has dropped by nearly 40% since the release of Marvel Rivals, a new report has found. According to SteamDB data, as researched by TheGamer, Overwatch 2‘s average monthly players have dropped noticeably in the past two months. In September, October and November 2024, the average player count was around 35,000, 34,000 and 32,000 respectively. However, Marvel Rivals was then released on December 5, and according to SteamDB the average Overwatch 2 player count for December was 25,248, a drop of 21.7%. SteamDB also notes that in the past 30 days (i.e. January to date), the average has been 19,745, a further 21.8% drop. While most games see their average player counts naturally drop over a ******* of time, Overwatch 2 has never seen two drops of more than 20% in consecutive months. Indeed, from July to September 2024 it was seeing the average rise by 4.4%, 17.6% and 2.3% per month. While it can’t be said for certain that the release of Marvel Rivals directly contributed to the decline in Overwatch 2’s numbers, then, it can’t be argued that the player count has seen a notable dip since Marvel Rivals launched. Both games are free-to-play team shooters, with Marvel Rivals offering 6v6 gameplay and Overwatch 2 offering 5v5 (as opposed to the original Overwatch, which was also 6v6). When Marvel Rivals launched its first season in mid-January, it hit 644,269 concurrent players, putting it at number 14 in Steam‘s all-time highest concurrent player counts, outdoing other popular titles like Apex Legends, Path of Exile 2, Helldivers 2 and GTA 5. In December it enjoyed an average player count of 301,733, and in January to date its average has held steady at 308,258, moree than 15 times that of Overwatch 2. Source link #Overwatch #average #Steam #player #count #dropped #Marvel #Rivals #released Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Officials launch investigation into cause of Air Busan fire in South Korea Officials launch investigation into cause of Air Busan fire in South Korea SEOUL, Jan. 30 (UPI) — South Korean officials are launching an investigation into the cause of the fire that engulfed an Air Busan passenger plane while awaiting takeoff at Busan’s Gimhae International Airport, with some eyewitness accounts leading to speculation that a portable power bank may have caused the blaze. The plane, an Airbus A321, had been scheduled to fly to Hong Kong late Tuesday evening before a fire broke out near its tail, forcing the evacuation of all 169 passengers and seven crew members using inflatable slides. Seven people suffered minor injuries, South Korea’s Transport Ministry said. Officials from the ministry’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board met with police, firefighting agencies and the National Forensic Service Thursday to discuss how to proceed with their joint probe. Fire officials said that some 35,000 pounds of jet fuel is still stored at the wings of the plane, causing concerns about a secondary explosion. A team of investigators from France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety arrived on Thursday afternoon to assist in the investigation. Airbus, the aircraft’s manufacturer, is based in Toulouse, France. Witnesses told local media they saw smoke originating from a rear overhead bin before evacuating, prompting speculation the fire may have been started by a power bank or other electronic device. Lithium-ion batteries in devices such as power banks, cell phones, laptops and e-cigarettes are an increasing concern for aviation officials. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration recorded 78 lithium battery air incidents involving smoke, fire, or extreme heat in 2024 — more than twice as many as in 2016. Just last month, a fire caused by a portable battery held by a passenger broke out on an Air Busan plane before takeoff, prompting flight attendants to use fire extinguishers to put it out. Tuesday’s incident took place less than a month after the ****** of a Jeju Air passenger plane at Muan International Airport, which killed all but two of the 181 people on board. That disaster, the worst aviation accident ever on Korean soil, prompted the Transport Ministry last week to call for the country’s low-cost carriers such as Air Jeju and Air Busan to carry out fundamental reforms that prioritize safety over profits. “Following the Jeju Air passenger plane tragedy, an additional aviation accident has taken place, and we feel deeply sorry for the passengers on board and the public,” Transport Minister Park Sang-woo said in a statement Wednesday. “We will do our best to prevent recurrence through a thorough investigation into the cause, as well as provide support and compensation to the victims,” Park said. Source link #Officials #launch #investigation #Air #Busan #fire #South #Korea Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

EA SPORTS WRC Le Maestros DLC hands-on: Va-va-voom EA SPORTS WRC Le Maestros DLC hands-on: Va-va-voom We test out EA SPORTS WRC’s Le Maestros Content Pack, seeing if the addition of Fafe, Briançonnet and six French-themed new cars can breathe new life into the game. Source link #SPORTS #WRC #Maestros #DLC #handson #Vavavoom Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

******** chipmaker ships record-breaking chips: YMTC quietly begins shipping 5th Gen 3D TLC NAND ******** chipmaker ships record-breaking chips: YMTC quietly begins shipping 5th Gen 3D TLC NAND Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) has quietly started to ship its 5th-Gen 3D NAND memory with 294 layers in total as well as 232 active layers, and analysts from TechInsights have managed to obtain these ICs for analysis, reports @Jukanlosreve. As it turns out, YMTC has successfully increased bit density to the levels of its industry peers, while it also achieved the highest vertical gate density despite sanctions against the company imposed by the U.S. Yet, there are a couple of catches. The chip achieves a remarkable total number of layers (or gates per vertical NAND string) — 294 — which TechInsights says is the highest for current commercial products. The number of active layers of YMTC’s 5th Generation 3D NAND is expected to be 232, the same as in the case of the company’s 4th-Gen 3D NAND, which has 253 layers in total. The increase in the total number of layers could be a way to improve yield by increasing redundancy or enabling certain features. Like its predecessors, the 3D NAND device uses string stacking. However, it is unclear whether Yangtze Memory uses two ~147-layer arrays or multiple arrays with fewer layers. In any case, the 294 layers (including active and ****** layers) are an important milestone for YMTC and the whole flash memory industry. Swipe to scroll horizontally Generation Model Organization Architecture Active Layers Total Layers String Stacking String Stacking (Total Layers) G1 X0-A030 MLC Conventional 32 39 – – G2 X1-9050 TLC Xtacking 1.0 64 73 – – G3 X2-9060 TLC Xtacking 1.0 64 73 – – G3 X2-6070 QLC Xtacking 2.0 128 141 2x64L L69+U72 G4 Test – Xtacking 3.0 192/196 196 ? ? G4 X3-9060 TLC Xtacking 3.0 128 141 2x64L L69+U72 G4 X3-9070 TLC Xtacking 3.0 232 253 2x116L L128+U125 G4 X3-6070 QLC Xtacking 3.0 128 ? 2x64L ? G5 X4-9060 TLC Xtacking 4.0 128 ? 2x64L ? G5 X4-9070 TLC Xtacking 4.0 232 ? 2x116L ? G6 (?) ? TLC ? 232 ? ? Row 11 – Cell 7 232 active layers is not a record layer count for 3D NAND, but it is in line with the rivals. Only SK hynix’s 321-layer 9th Generation 3D NAND has more than 300 active layers these days, though its shipments will start in the first half of this year. The achievement of 294 total layers (or gates per vertical NAND string) not only positions YMTC as a strong contender in the global NAND flash memory market but also signals significant progress in China’s semiconductor industry amid major U.S. sanctions. In terms of bit density, YMTC’s 5th Gen 3D TLC device surpasses 20 Gb/mm², which seems to be in line with what SK hynix’s G9 3D TLC NAND IC offers and is just slightly below the 22.9 Gb/mm² featured by Kioxia’s/Western Digital BiCS8 3D QLC NAND device, according to TechInsights. YMTC’s competitors have yet to introduce 3D TLC NAND chips with density levels similar to those of the market. Swipe to scroll horizontally NAND Layer Counts Header Cell – Column 0 Micron Samsung WD/Kioxia SK hynix YMTC YMTC Generation Gen 6 V9 BiCS 8 Gen 9 ? Xtacking 3.0/Gen 4 Number of Layers 232-Layer 290-Layer (?) 218-Layer 321-Layer 232-layer 232-Layer Density per square mm 14.6 Gb mm^2 17 Gb mm^2 22.9 Gb mm^2 (?) 20 mm^2 >20 Gb mm^2 19.8 Gb mm^2 Architecture TLC TLC QLC TLC TLC QLC Die Capacity 1 Tb 1 Tb 2 Tb 1 Tb 1Tb 1 Tb Interface Speed Up to 2400 MT/s Up to 3200 MT/s Up to 3600 MT/s ? ? ? Next-Gen (release date) 3xx (unknown) 3xx (unknown) ? ? ? Xtacking 4.0 (?) With its 5th Generation 232-layer 3D TLC NAND devices, Yangtze Memory continues to use hybrid bonding technology to connect the flash array with CMOS logic and interface, which enables the company to maximize storage density and I/O performance for the best SSDs that usually surpasses what is offered by rivals. YMTC’s 3D TLC NAND ICs use Xtacking 4.0 architecture. YMTC’s 232-layer 3D NAND with 294 gates per NAND string marks a significant milestone for the company specifically and the ******** memory industry more broadly. It is noteworthy that Yangtze Memory has not formally announced its 5th Generation 3D TLC NAND devices but has instead quietly begun their volume shipments. This move was possibly made to avoid drawing the attention of the U.S. government and risking further sanctions. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #******** #chipmaker #ships #recordbreaking #chips #YMTC #quietly #begins #shipping #5th #Gen #TLC #NAND Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

UPS to cut Amazon business by more than 50%. Its stock is tumbling. – MarketWatch UPS to cut Amazon business by more than 50%. Its stock is tumbling. – MarketWatch UPS to cut Amazon business by more than 50%. Its stock is tumbling. MarketWatchUPS Releases 4Q 2024 Earnings and Provides 2025 Guidance UPSUPS Outlook Disappoints on Stagnant Demand for Parcel Shipments BloombergUPS slides after cutting business with its largest customer by 50% (UPS:NYSE) Seeking Alpha Source link #UPS #cut #Amazon #business #stock #tumbling #MarketWatch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Street Fighter 6 Season Pass 3 Brings Back A Fan Favorite Alongside Other Returning Characters Street Fighter 6 Season Pass 3 Brings Back A Fan Favorite Alongside Other Returning Characters Season 3 of Street Fighter 6 will add a fan favorite fighter to the roster alongside other returning characters, based on a new rumor. Source link #Street #Fighter #Season #Pass #Brings #Fan #Favorite #Returning #Characters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft is falling after the company issued weak guidance. Analysts are still optimistic Microsoft is falling after the company issued weak guidance. Analysts are still optimistic Analysts are sticking by Microsoft even after the company’s latest guidance was underwhelming. The company expects fiscal third-quarter revenue to range between $67.7 billion and $68.7 billion . Analysts polled by LSEG expected a forecast of around $69.8 billion. To be sure, Microsoft’s fiscal second quarter earnings and revenue exceeded estimates. Shares were down more than 4% following the report. That said, many analysts kept their bullish outlooks on the tech giant. Here’s what they had to say. Citigroup: buy, $497 per share price target Citi’s forecast calls for more than 12% upside ahead from Wednesday’s close. “We expect stock to trade down on the Azure hiccup but with likely positive EPS revisions given stronger efficiency and with a valuation multiple that is within historical ranges and at similar levels to other large-caps, with better growth/AI revenue at scale at MSFT we remain buyer,” analyst Tyler Radke said. Goldman Sachs: buy, $500 per share price target Goldman’s forecast implies about 13% upside ahead. “We believe Microsoft is one of the most compelling investment opportunities in the technology industry and across sectors,” analyst Kash Rangan said. “With a strong presence across all layers of the cloud stack, including applications, platforms, and infrastructure, Microsoft is well-positioned, in our view, to capitalize on a number of long-term secular trends, such as Gen-AI, public cloud consumption, SaaS adoption, digital transformation, AI/ML, ***/analytics, and DevOps (amongst others).” JPMorgan Chase: overweight, $465 per share price target JPMorgan’s outlook equates to 5% upside moving forward for Microsoft stock. “While MSFT shares are valued at a premium on a P/E basis, we believe this premium is warranted based on faster recent organic revenue growth, robust FCF generation, a relatively stronger position within the enterprise, and our belief that Microsoft has pulled ahead of the pack with a state-of-the-art cloud platform,” analyst Mark Murphy said. Mizuho Securities: outperform, $500 per share price target “Despite the disappointment, we remain confident that MSFT’s revenue growth opportunities over the medium-term and beyond are greater than many realize, and we continue to be very bullish on its tangible GenAI adoption and monetization levers,” analyst Gregg Moskowitz said. Deutsche Bank: buy, $475 per share price target Deutsche’s forecast implies more than 7% upside ahead. “With debate in full swing around the impact of AI scaling laws, Moore’s Law, inference time compute, etc. we believe Microsoft’s ability to capture value where it accrues across the stack with its integrated/fungible infrastructure is a differentiator and steadying force,” analyst Brad Zelnick said. Source link #Microsoft #falling #company #issued #weak #guidance #Analysts #optimistic Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

****** frees 8 more hostages, Israel set to release 110 prisoners – National ****** frees 8 more hostages, Israel set to release 110 prisoners – National ******-led militants freed eight hostages on Thursday in the latest release since a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took hold earlier this month. Israel was expected to release another 110 ************ prisoners. The release was delayed by a chaotic scene in which a crowd of Palestinians surrounded and jeered at hostages as they were turned over to the Red Cross. The truce is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive conflict ever fought between Israel and ******, whose Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel sparked the fighting. It has held despite a dispute earlier this week over the sequence in which the hostages were released. The first hostage, female Israeli soldier Agam Berger, was released in northern Gaza. Hours later, a chaotic scene unfolded as thousands of people pressed around a handover site in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, in front of the destroyed home of slain ****** leader Yahya Sinwar. Story continues below advertisement Footage showed Arbel Yehoud, a 29-year-old hostage, looking stunned as she was led through the crowd by militants toward waiting Red Cross vehicles. 1:50 Palestinians return to damaged, destroyed homes in northern Gaza Hundreds of militants from ****** and the smaller Islamic ****** group arrived with a convoy in a show of force, and thousands of people gathered to watch, some from the tilted rooftops of bombed-out buildings. Many in the crowd shouted and surrounded Yehoud as masked militants pushed people away and escorted her through. Red Cross vehicles were then delayed as they tried to drive away. The Israeli army later said the hostages were in Israel. The other two Israelis released Thursday were Yehoud and Gadi Moses, an 80-year-old man. Five Thai nationals were freed, but were not been officially identified. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the “shocking” scene” and called on international mediators to prevent similar events in the future. Story continues below advertisement ****** had earlier handed Berger, 20, to the Red Cross after parading her in front of a crowd in the heavily destroyed urban refugee camp of Jabaliya in northern Gaza. The Israeli government later release footage of Berger hugging and crying with her parents. Berger was among five young, female soldiers abducted in the Oct. 7 attack. The other four were released on Saturday. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. People cheered, clapped and whistled at a square in Tel Aviv where supporters of the hostages watched Berger’s handover on big screens next to a large clock that’s counted the days the hostages have been in captivity. Some held signs saying: “Agam we’re waiting for you at home.” 2:10 Scores of displaced Gazans return north amid ceasefire A number of foreign workers were taken captive along with dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers during ******’ attack. Twenty-three Thais were among more than 100 hostages released during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023. Israel says eight Thais remain in captivity, two of whom are believed to be dead. Story continues below advertisement Of the people set to be released from prisons in Israel, 30 are serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis. Zakaria Zubeidi, a prominent former militant leader and theater director who took part in a dramatic jailbreak in 2021 before being rearrested days later, is also among those set to be released. Israel said Yehoud was supposed to have been freed Saturday and delayed the opening of crossings to northern Gaza when she was not. The United States, Egypt and Qatar, which brokered the ceasefire after a year of tough negotiations, resolved the dispute with an agreement that Yehoud would be released Thursday. Another three hostages, all men, are set to be freed Saturday along with dozens more ************ prisoners. On Monday, Israel began allowing Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, the most heavily destroyed part of the territory, and hundreds of thousands streamed back. Many found only mounds of rubble where their homes had been. Ceasefire holds for now but next phase will be harder Trending Now Bank of Canada cuts key rate with ‘trade war storm’ on horizon Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump shot, killed by police at traffic stop In the first phase of the ceasefire, ****** is set to release a total of 33 Israeli hostages, including women, children, older adults and sick or wounded men, in exchange for nearly 2,000 ************ prisoners. Israel says ****** has confirmed that eight of the hostages to be released in this phase are dead. Story continues below advertisement Palestinians have cheered the release of the prisoners, who they widely see as heroes who have sacrificed for the cause of ending Israel’s decades-long occupation of lands they want for a future state. Israeli forces have meanwhile pulled back from most of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of people to return to what remains of their homes and humanitarian groups to surge assistance. The deal calls for Israel and ****** to negotiate a second phase in which ****** would release the remaining hostages and the ceasefire would continue indefinitely. The conflict could resume in early March if an agreement is not reached. Israel says it is still committed to destroying ******, even after the militant group reasserted its rule over Gaza within hours of the truce. A key far-right partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition is already calling for the conflict to resume after the ceasefire’s first phase. ****** says it won’t release the remaining hostages without an end to the conflict and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. 5:03 Will the Israel-****** ceasefire last? An expert explains ****** started the conflict when it sent thousands of fighters storming into Israel. The militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Story continues below advertisement Israel’s ensuing air and ground conflict among the deadliest and most destructive in decades. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed, over half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were militants. The Israeli military says it killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence, and that it went to great lengths to try to spare civilians. It blames civilian deaths on ****** because its fighters operate in dense residential neighborhoods and put military infrastructure near homes, schools and mosques. The Israeli offensive has transformed entire neighborhoods into mounds of gray rubble, and it’s unclear how or when anything will be rebuilt. Around 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, often multiple times, with hundreds of thousands of people living in squalid tent camps or shuttered schools. Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Krauss from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed. More on World More videos Source link #****** #frees #hostages #Israel #set #release #prisoners #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

****** frees 8 more hostages, Israel set to release 110 prisoners – National ****** frees 8 more hostages, Israel set to release 110 prisoners – National ******-led militants freed eight hostages on Thursday in the latest release since a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took hold earlier this month. Israel was expected to release another 110 ************ prisoners. The release was delayed by a chaotic scene in which a crowd of Palestinians surrounded and jeered at hostages as they were turned over to the Red Cross. The truce is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive conflict ever fought between Israel and ******, whose Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel sparked the fighting. It has held despite a dispute earlier this week over the sequence in which the hostages were released. The first hostage, female Israeli soldier Agam Berger, was released in northern Gaza. Hours later, a chaotic scene unfolded as thousands of people pressed around a handover site in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, in front of the destroyed home of slain ****** leader Yahya Sinwar. Story continues below advertisement Footage showed Arbel Yehoud, a 29-year-old hostage, looking stunned as she was led through the crowd by militants toward waiting Red Cross vehicles. 1:50 Palestinians return to damaged, destroyed homes in northern Gaza Hundreds of militants from ****** and the smaller Islamic ****** group arrived with a convoy in a show of force, and thousands of people gathered to watch, some from the tilted rooftops of bombed-out buildings. Many in the crowd shouted and surrounded Yehoud as masked militants pushed people away and escorted her through. Red Cross vehicles were then delayed as they tried to drive away. The Israeli army later said the hostages were in Israel. The other two Israelis released Thursday were Yehoud and Gadi Moses, an 80-year-old man. Five Thai nationals were freed, but were not been officially identified. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the “shocking” scene” and called on international mediators to prevent similar events in the future. Story continues below advertisement ****** had earlier handed Berger, 20, to the Red Cross after parading her in front of a crowd in the heavily destroyed urban refugee camp of Jabaliya in northern Gaza. The Israeli government later release footage of Berger hugging and crying with her parents. Berger was among five young, female soldiers abducted in the Oct. 7 attack. The other four were released on Saturday. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. People cheered, clapped and whistled at a square in Tel Aviv where supporters of the hostages watched Berger’s handover on big screens next to a large clock that’s counted the days the hostages have been in captivity. Some held signs saying: “Agam we’re waiting for you at home.” 2:10 Scores of displaced Gazans return north amid ceasefire A number of foreign workers were taken captive along with dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers during ******’ attack. Twenty-three Thais were among more than 100 hostages released during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023. Israel says eight Thais remain in captivity, two of whom are believed to be dead. Story continues below advertisement Of the people set to be released from prisons in Israel, 30 are serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis. Zakaria Zubeidi, a prominent former militant leader and theater director who took part in a dramatic jailbreak in 2021 before being rearrested days later, is also among those set to be released. Israel said Yehoud was supposed to have been freed Saturday and delayed the opening of crossings to northern Gaza when she was not. The United States, Egypt and Qatar, which brokered the ceasefire after a year of tough negotiations, resolved the dispute with an agreement that Yehoud would be released Thursday. Another three hostages, all men, are set to be freed Saturday along with dozens more ************ prisoners. On Monday, Israel began allowing Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, the most heavily destroyed part of the territory, and hundreds of thousands streamed back. Many found only mounds of rubble where their homes had been. Ceasefire holds for now but next phase will be harder Trending Now Bank of Canada cuts key rate with ‘trade war storm’ on horizon Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump shot, killed by police at traffic stop In the first phase of the ceasefire, ****** is set to release a total of 33 Israeli hostages, including women, children, older adults and sick or wounded men, in exchange for nearly 2,000 ************ prisoners. Israel says ****** has confirmed that eight of the hostages to be released in this phase are dead. Story continues below advertisement Palestinians have cheered the release of the prisoners, who they widely see as heroes who have sacrificed for the cause of ending Israel’s decades-long occupation of lands they want for a future state. Israeli forces have meanwhile pulled back from most of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of people to return to what remains of their homes and humanitarian groups to surge assistance. The deal calls for Israel and ****** to negotiate a second phase in which ****** would release the remaining hostages and the ceasefire would continue indefinitely. The conflict could resume in early March if an agreement is not reached. Israel says it is still committed to destroying ******, even after the militant group reasserted its rule over Gaza within hours of the truce. A key far-right partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition is already calling for the conflict to resume after the ceasefire’s first phase. ****** says it won’t release the remaining hostages without an end to the conflict and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. 5:03 Will the Israel-****** ceasefire last? An expert explains ****** started the conflict when it sent thousands of fighters storming into Israel. The militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Story continues below advertisement Israel’s ensuing air and ground conflict among the deadliest and most destructive in decades. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed, over half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were militants. The Israeli military says it killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence, and that it went to great lengths to try to spare civilians. It blames civilian deaths on ****** because its fighters operate in dense residential neighborhoods and put military infrastructure near homes, schools and mosques. The Israeli offensive has transformed entire neighborhoods into mounds of gray rubble, and it’s unclear how or when anything will be rebuilt. Around 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, often multiple times, with hundreds of thousands of people living in squalid tent camps or shuttered schools. Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Krauss from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed. More on World More videos Source link #****** #frees #hostages #Israel #set #release #prisoners #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Xsolla’s Chris Meredith on Seismic Shifts in Europe’s Gaming Industry Xsolla’s Chris Meredith on Seismic Shifts in Europe’s Gaming Industry In the fast-paced and ever-evolving world of gaming, few have had a front-row seat to the industry’s transformation like Chris Meredith, SVP EMEA at Xsolla. With decades of experience at some of the most influential gaming companies, Chris brings a wealth of knowledge about the major shifts that have defined the market—from the rise of mobile gaming to the emergence of cross-platform experiences. In this interview, Chris shares his insights into the current trends in the European gaming landscape, how Xsolla is helping developers navigate new monetization models, and the impact of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act on fostering innovation and fair competition in the gaming ecosystem. Source link #Xsollas #Chris #Meredith #Seismic #Shifts #Europes #Gaming #Industry Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]