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Trump says U.S. will send “worst criminal ******** aliens” to Guantanamo Bay Trump says U.S. will send “worst criminal ******** aliens” to Guantanamo Bay President Trump on Wednesday announced he’s signing an executive order instructing the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security to prep Guantanamo Bay for use as a migrant detention facility for “the worst criminal ******** aliens threatening the American people.” The president made the announcement from the White House before he signed the Laken Riley Act, a new law that expands the mandatory detention of migrants to include noncitizens who are charged with burglary, larceny, theft or shoplifting. The law is named after a 22-year-old nursing student, Laken Riley, who was murdered by an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant. Mr. Trump said Guantanamo Bay has 30,0000 beds available, and “most people don’t even know about it.” “We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal ******** aliens threatening the American people,” Mr. Trump said. “Some of them are so bad we don’t even trust the countries to hold them, because we don’t want them coming back. So we’re going to send them out to Guantanamo.” It’s not clear how many beds Guantanamo has, or how Mr. Trump landed on that number. The president has previously floated the idea of sending migrants with criminal backgrounds to be detained or imprisoned outside the U.S., although the logistics and legalities of such a feat remain unclear. The Guantanamo Bay executive order is one of a plethora of executive actions the president has taken related to immigration and ******** immigration. Cuba, where Guantanamo Bay is located, did not respond favorably to the president’s remarks. Miguel Diaz-Canel, president of Cuba, called the move an “act of brutality,” according to a translation if his remarks. “In an act of brutality, the new U.S. government announces the imprisonment at the Guantanamo Naval Base, located in illegally occupied territory #Cuba, of thousands of migrants that it forcibly expels, and will place them next to the well-known prisons of torture and ******** detention,” he wrote on X. Kathryn Watson Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Source link #Trump #U.S #send #worst #criminal #******** #aliens #Guantanamo #Bay Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

King involved in ‘woke’ name change of HMS Agincourt submarine King involved in ‘woke’ name change of HMS Agincourt submarine King Charles was involved in a decision to change the name of a new royal submarine from HMS Agincourt to HMS Achilles, a move that was branded “woke nonsense” by former defence secretary Grant Shapps, the BBC has been told. The name change was announced this week, and followed reports of concern within the Ministry of Defence that the original name for the vessel may have offended the French. Agincourt refers to a battle England won against France in 1415, as part of the Hundred Years’ War. The move was also called “woke” and “pathetic” by another former Tory defence minister, Sir Gavin Williamson. It’s not clear whether Sir Gavin or Shapps were aware that King Charles supported efforts to find another name. Both the Palace and the MoD declined to comment on his involvement. Discussions about renaming the submarine – which is being built in Barrow, Cumbria – started more than a year ago – while Shapps was still in office. One defence source suggested the King had initiated those discussions. The names of ships and submarines are put forward by the Royal Navy’s Ships’ Names and Badging Committee and then approved by the monarch. HMS Agincourt was the name agreed under Queen Elizabeth II, but defence sources say King Charles wanted another name and has given his approval to HMS Achilles instead. The Royal Navy said “the name was proposed by the Royal Navy Ships’ Names and Badging Committee and approved by his Majesty the King”. The Navy said HMS Achilles was particularly appropriate as this year marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in which an earlier HMS Achilles received battle honours. The original name, HMS Agincourt, was first announced in 2018, by Sir Gavin. It would have been the sixth Royal Navy vessel to bear the name of the famous victory in 1415, when Henry V’s Army defeated the French. But there were concerns – both within and outside the Ministry of Defence – that reviving the name could cause unnecessary offence to France – a key ally. Sir Gavin branded name change a “woke moment” in what he called the “pathetic” Ministry of Defence, while Shapps decried the decision as “sacrilege” and evidence of “Labour’s woke nonsense”. Chris Parry, a former Nato commander, also told Times Radio that the decision to rename the submarine was “craven political correctness and ideology gone mad”. Source link #King #involved #woke #change #HMS #Agincourt #submarine Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission teases new insights on how life began NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission teases new insights on how life began NASA and its partners have published the first wave of information about the samples collected in the OSIRIS-REx mission. “The findings do not show evidence for life itself, but they do suggest the conditions necessary for the emergence of life were widespread across the early solar system, increasing the odds life could have formed on other planets and moons,” NASA said in a press release. The OSIRIS-REx mission used some pretty fascinating tech to autonomously acquire rocks and dust from an asteroid called Bennu. Asteroids can act as time capsules, and Bennu reflects what was happening in the solar system roughly 4.5 billion years ago. After a total journey of 3.9 billion miles, the capsule returned safely to Earth on September 24, 2023. One paper about Bennu, appearing in the journal Nature Astronomy, revealed that the samples contained 14 amino acids and five nucleobases also found in life forms on Earth. They also uncovered high levels of ammonia in the Bennu samples, as well as formaldehyde; when those two combine in the proper conditions, they can form complex molecules such as amino acids. The second publication appeared in Nature, and it detailed the environment those molecules formed in. Their assessment found evidence of a “brine,” identifying a set of minerals that could have been left behind as salt water evaporated. “Data from OSIRIS-REx adds major brushstrokes to a picture of a solar system teeming with the potential for life,” said Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS-REx project scientist at NASA Goddard. “Why we, so far, only see life on Earth and not elsewhere, that’s the truly tantalizing question.” If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Source link #NASAs #OSIRISREx #mission #teases #insights #life #began Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The longest video games of all time The longest video games of all time Games come in all shapes and sizes, and a longer game isn’t necessarily better than one you can beat in an afternoon. That said, as the video game generations have gone on and hardware has improved, some developers have pushed the limits on just how long a game can last. Now, we have tons of live-service games, MMORPGs, and multiplayer games that technically have no end to them at all. However, looking at games that can in fact be beaten, some titles might as well be endless for how much time they ask of the player. If you are looking for a game you can sink dozens and dozens of hours into, we’ve found the longest video games of all time. Note: While some live-service and MMOs do have storylines, we aren’t counting them here due to them being ongoing. Likewise, sandbox games only count if there is a way to finish the game. We also used How Long to Beat for a general consensus on the hour count for each of these games based on the Main Story ranking. Source link #longest #video #games #time Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Save $1,600 off this powerful HP Workstation laptop today Save $1,600 off this powerful HP Workstation laptop today For one of the best laptop deals, head over to B&H Photo Video, where you can buy an HP 15.6-inch ZBook Power G10 Mobile Workstation for a massive $1,600 off the regular price. Previously $3,449, the laptop is down to $1,849, with strictly limited stock remaining. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. This is a high-end business laptop and one that’s sure to delight many. Here’s all you need to know — remember to be quick with your purchase! Why you should buy the HP 15.6-inch ZBook Power G10 Mobile Workstation Over the years, HP has developed its reputation as one of the best laptop brands with strong reliability, good customer service, and some good looks. The best HP laptops are worth keeping an eye on. With the HP 15.6-inch ZBook Power G10 Mobile Workstation, you get a 13th-generation Intel Core i9-13900H processor, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage, so this is fairly high-end stuff when it comes to business performance. It also has a 15.6-inch 1440p screen. You get a resolution of 2560 x 1440 on an anti-glare display, so it looks great at all times. While we wouldn’t recommend this for gaming, the HP 15.6-inch ZBook Power G10 Mobile Workstation has an Nvidia RTX A2000 GPU, which is comparable to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, although we’d recommend it most for video editing rather than gaming. Elsewhere, the HP 15.6-inch ZBook Power G10 Mobile Workstation has a bunch of great ports, including Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen Type-A, and HDMI 2.1 for connecting it to a monitor. There’s also Gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi 6E alongside Bluetooth 5.3. For taking video calls, you can enjoy the 5MP IR webcam, which ensures you look a cut above the rest. This is a good bunch of features to compare with the best laptops. Designed with STEM students, business users, and anyone else with high-end needs, the HP 15.6-inch ZBook Power G10 Mobile Workstation is a power hungry beast of a laptop that’s designed for working hard but with the benefit of fast charge, meaning 50% battery life in just 30 minutes. The HP 15.6-inch ZBook Power G10 Mobile Workstation normally costs $3,449, but right now you can buy it from B&H Photo Video for $1,849, so you’re saving a huge $1,600. This is a good investment for anyone upgrading their business laptop equipment right now. Check it out soon, as stock is strictly limited at this price — you don’t have long left! Source link #Save #powerful #Workstation #laptop #today Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump's disapproval rating jumps after blitz of executive orders – The Independent Trump's disapproval rating jumps after blitz of executive orders – The Independent Trump’s disapproval rating jumps after blitz of executive orders The IndependentTrump is least popular newly-elected president for 80 years – for the second time The Telegraph Source link #Trump039s #disapproval #rating #jumps #blitz #executive #orders #Independent Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft confirms audio bug hitting multiple versions of Windows Microsoft confirms audio bug hitting multiple versions of Windows Luke Larsen / Digital Trends Microsoft has confirmed that a recent bug that has been affecting several Windows OS versions will be addressed with a fix; however, users can tackle the issue with a manual stopgap. The bug is affecting the audio systems of Windows 11 and Windows 10 versions that have installed the January 2025 security update, rendering sounds on PCs non-functional. The malfunction is especially likely to happen if you have an audio DAC (digital-to-analog converter) connected to your computer via USB. Windows Latest observed the bug earlier this month, affecting versions 24H2, 23H2, and 22H2 of Windows 11, as well as Windows 10 after installing the recent January update. After reaching out for comment from Microsoft, the company confirmed to the publication, “After installing this security update, you might experience issues with USB audio devices. You are more likely to experience this issue if you are using a USB 1.0 audio driver-based DAC in your audio setup.” Currently, there is no fix for the bug. Microsoft detailed to the publication that it is working on a permanent fix that will be released with a future update. However, Windows Latest recommended for those looking for a more immediate resolution, to plug your audio component directly into your PC instead of through the DAC, if that option is available. TechRadar noted how odd it is that a routine security update that has nothing by way of major feature changes has brought such a random bug to Windows software. The publication doesn’t expect it will take Microsoft too long to roll out a fix. However, it is eye-opening to see that bugs can affect such a wide range of systems, as far back as Windows 10. Hopefully, this is an offshoot glitch considering Windows 10 will be out of the scope for security support come October. Source link #Microsoft #confirms #audio #bug #hitting #multiple #versions #Windows Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NYT Connections: hints and answers for Wendesday, January 29 NYT Connections: hints and answers for Wendesday, January 29 Table of Contents Table of Contents How to play Connections Hints for today’s Connections Today’s Connections answers NYT Connection FAQs Connections is one of the best puzzle games from the New York Times. The game tasks you with categorizing a pool of 16 words into four secret (for now) groups by figuring out how the words relate to each other. The puzzle resets every night at midnight and each new puzzle has a varying degree of difficulty. Just like Wordle, you can keep track of your winning streak and compare your scores with friends. Some days are trickier than others — just like other NYT Games favorites The Mini and Strands. If you’re having a little trouble solving today’s puzzle, check out our Connections tips and tricks guide for some good strategies or check out the hints for today’s Connections puzzle below. And if you still can’t get it, we’ll tell you today’s answers at the very end. How to play Connections Connections is a daily game about finding common threads between words. Players must select four groups of four words without making more than three mistakes. Play now. pic.twitter.com/CqObVOqeUs — The New York Times (@nytimes) November 3, 2024 Please enable Javascript to view this content You can play Connections on the New York Times website or with the NYT Games app on iOS or Android. In Connections, you’ll be shown a grid containing 16 words — your objective is to organize these words into four sets of four by identifying the connections that link them. These sets could encompass concepts like titles of video game franchises, book series sequels, shades of red, names of chain restaurants, etc. There are generally words that seem like they could fit multiple themes, but there’s only one 100% correct answer. You’re able to shuffle the grid of words and rearrange them to help better see the potential connections. Each group is color-coded. The yellow group is the easiest to figure out, followed by the green, blue, and purple groups. Pick four words and hit Submit. If you’re correct, the four words will be removed from the grid and the theme connecting them will be revealed. Guess incorrectly and it’ll count as a mistake. You only have four mistakes available until the game ends. Hints for today’s Connections We can help you solve today’s Connection by telling you the four themes. If you need more assistance, we’ll also give you one word from each group below. Today’s themes OWNED THINGS YOU MIGHT DO IN YOUR SLEEP MOVIE SERIES WITH 2024 RELEASES ___ HOUSE One-answer reveals OWNED – BORE THINGS YOU MIGHT DO IN YOUR SLEEP – DREAM MOVIE SERIES WITH 2024 RELEASES – ALIEN ___ HOUSE – FULL New York Times Today’s Connections answers Still no luck? That’s OK. This puzzle is designed to be difficult. If you just want to see today’s Connections answer, we’ve got you covered below: OWNED – BORE, HAD, HELD, POSSESSED THINGS YOU MIGHT DO IN YOUR SLEEP – DREAM, DROOL, SNORE, TALK MOVIE SERIES WITH 2024 RELEASES – ALIEN, GLADIATOR, VENOM, WICKED ___ HOUSE – FULL, GINGERBREAD, HAUNTED, WHITE Connections grids vary widely and change every day. If you couldn’t solve today’s puzzle, be sure to check back in tomorrow. NYT Connection FAQs What time does the Connections puzzle change? The puzzle changes daily at midnight local time. Who edits the NYT Connections game? Wyna Liu, who has been editing puzzles at The New York Times since 2020, edits Connections daily. “A few months ago, a new assignment crossed my desk: Create the game boards for Connections, a category matching game that had recently been greenlighted and was in search of an editor,” wrote Liu in an article explaining her process in June 2024. Most of my puzzle experience has been working with crosswords, and I was excited at the chance to try something different. I’ve enjoyed learning how puzzle editing plays out once a game is greenlighted, and seeing how our team fits into a larger ecosystem.” On the one-year anniversary of Connections launching earlier this year, Liu posted this TikTok about her favorite puzzles so far: Source link #NYT #Connections #hints #answers #Wendesday #January Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Donald Trump attacks Fed after no change in interest rates Donald Trump attacks Fed after no change in interest rates US President Donald Trump renewed his attacks on the US central bank, hours after officials left interest rates unchanged despite his public calls for them to cut. In a social media post, he accused the Federal Reserve and its chairman Jerome Powell of mishandling the economy, saying they had “failed to stop the problem they created with Inflation”. The Fed left key interest rate unchanged at its January meeting on Wednesday, in a range of 4.25% to 4.5%, hitting pause after a string of cuts late last year. Powell said the bank was not “in a hurry” to cut more, given significant uncertainty about where the economy might be headed. Trump has promised significant changes to the US economy, with calls for sweeping tariffs, mass deportation of ******** migrants, and big cuts to taxes and regulations. Some economists have warned that some of those policies could put upward pressure on prices, at least in the short-term, concerns Powell said were shared by some at the bank. Howard Lutnick, Trump’s pick to lead the Commerce Department, defended plans for tariffs and dismissed concerns about the impact on prices at his nomination hearing on Thursday. But Powell said officials still had little sense of how those plans would shake out. “The committee is very much in the mode of waiting to see what will happen,” he said at a press conference to discuss the interest rate decision. The Fed hiked borrowing costs significantly starting in 2022 in an effort to stabilise prices, which were then rising at a pace not seen in decades. Inflation, the rate of price increases, has since fallen to 2.9% as of December, but remains above the bank’s 2% target. Trump’s campaign promises included calls for lower interest rates, which would bring relief to borrowers. It has sparked debate about whether he will respect the tradition of Fed independence, which is meant to keep it focused on the long term health of the US economy and insulated from politics. Powell told reporters that he had had “no contact” with Trump and the bank was focused on the data in setting rates. But questions Powell faced about how the Fed is handling a new order from the White House to cancel diversity programmes – and why it had withdrawn from a global group of central banks focused on the risks of climate change to the financial system – underscored the challenges he will face keeping the bank above the political fray. He said the Fed was reviewing the president’s order and said the group’s focus had expanded into areas too distant from the Fed’s. “I’m aware of how it can look but it really was not driven by politics,” he said. Source link #Donald #Trump #attacks #Fed #change #interest #rates Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC Specs Revealed A Day Before Launch Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC Specs Revealed A Day Before Launch With its release coming in just one day, Insomniac Games and Nixxes have revealed the PC requirements for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The specs do not require for a ray-tracing-compatible GPU, as has been the case with some recent and upcoming games such as Doom: The Dark Ages and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Insomniac provided six different preset levels, three without ray tracing and three without. Those with beefier PCs can enable ray tracing for more realistic reflections. A slider allows you to adjust the range at which objects are considered for ray tracing reflections. If you’re hoping to play on more modest hardware, the low end–which is for Very Low graphics settings and 720p resolution at 30fps–only calls for a GTX 1650 or RX 5500 XT. There’s no word on Steam Deck compatibility as of yet. The game supports Nvidia DLSS 3 and AMD FSR 3.1 upscaling and frame generation. Intel XeSS upscaling is supported too. Ultra-wide monitor support includes 21:9 and 32:9 aspect ratios. With a triple monitor, the aspect ratio can even go up to 48:9. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC specs Minimum Average performance: 720P @ 30fps Graphics presets: Very Low GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 / AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT CPU: Intel Core i3-8100 / AMD Ryzen 3 3100 RAM: 16 GB OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit (version 1909 or higher) SSD Storage: 140 GB Recommended Average performance: 1080P @ 60fps Graphics presets: Medium GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 / AMD Radeon RX 5700 CPU: Intel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 3600 RAM: 16 GB OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit (version 1909 or higher) SSD Storage: 140 GB High Average performance: 1440P @ 60fps Graphics presets: High GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 / AMD Radeon RX 6800 CPU: Intel Core i5-11400 / AMD Ryzen 5 5600 RAM: 16 GB OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit (version 1909 or higher) SSD Storage: 140 GB High Ray-Tracing Average performance: 1440P @ 60fps Graphics presets: High Ray-Tracing High GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 / AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT CPU: Intel Core i5-11600K / AMD Ryzen 5 5600X RAM: 16 GB OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit (version 1909 or higher) SSD Storage: 140 GB Very High Ray-Tracing Average performance: 1440P @ 60fps Graphics presets: High Ray-Tracing Very High GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 / AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K / AMD Ryzen 9 5900X RAM: 16 GB OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit (version 1909 or higher) SSD Storage: 140 GB Ultimate Ray-Tracing Average Performance: 4K @ 60fps Graphics presets: High Ray-Tracing Ultimate GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 CPU: Intel Core i9-12900K / AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D RAM: 32 GB OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit (version 1909 or higher) SSD Storage: 140 GB Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches for PC on January 30. Sony has walked back the PSN account requirement for select titles, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is one of them. However, those who log into their PSN accounts on PC will receive in-game awards. For Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, players who do so can get the Spider-Man 2099 ****** and Miles Morales 2099 suits. In GameSpot’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 review, we said, “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 delivers an incredible story about heroes and villains grappling with loneliness.” Source link #Marvels #SpiderMan #Specs #Revealed #Day #Launch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia RTX 5080 review: a worrying sign of what’s to come Nvidia RTX 5080 review: a worrying sign of what’s to come Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 MSRP $1,000.00 “Nvidia delivered what it promised — that promise is just disappointing.” Pros Fantastic Founder’s Edition design DLSS 4 can literally quadruple performance Decent gen-on-gen improvement Fastest memory you can buy Cons Falls well short of the RTX 4090 Increased power demands Ray tracing performance doesn’t keep pace Table of Contents Table of Contents Nvidia RTX 5080 specs 4K gaming performance 1440p gaming performance 1080p gaming performance Ray tracing and DLSS 4 A sign of the times Last week, I was optimistic. This week, I’m worried. Nvidia followed up the most powerful GPU it’s ever made, the RTX 5090, with this — the RTX 5080. It’s half the price, and it offers around 70% of the performance. That should be a good thing, but the RTX 5080 falls short when compared to Nvidia’s last-gen offerings that still rank among the best graphics cards. Only one GPU into Nvidia’s new generation and last-gen cards are offering better performance. That’s not a great start to the generation, especially considering the $1,000 price tag that Nvidia is asking for with the RTX 5080. If you’re coming from something several generations old, the RTX 5080 is your best bet at this price. But for enthusiasts with recent hardware looking for a true upgrade, you won’t find much here. Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming Nvidia RTX 5080 specs Jacob ****** / Digital Trends The RTX 5080 is the second GPU from Nvidia’s Blackwell generation that we’re seeing, and it starts to paint a full picture of the company’s latest architecture. Unlike previous generations, Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs don’t have a significant node advantage. It’s still using the TSMC N4 process and instead focusing on specs like memory, core count, and power draw to find big performance increases. That means the specs tell a decent story about what to expect. On the core front, you’re getting a mere 5% boost in CUDA, ray tracing, and Tensor cores. However, Nvidia is now using an AI Management Processor (AMP) to schedule tasks across these different cores, which likely contributes a bit to the generational performance increase. RTX 5080 RTX 4080 RTX 4080 Super GPU GB203 AD103 AD103 Interface PCIe 5.0 x16 PCIe 4.0 x16 PCIe 4.0 x16 CUDA cores 10,752 9,728 10,240 Boost clock 2,617MHz 2,505MHz 2,505MHz Memory 16GB GDDR7 16GB GDDR6X 16GB GDDR6X Memory speed 30 Gbps 22.4 Gbps 23 Gbps Memory bus 256-bit 256-bit 256-bit TDP 360W 320W 320W Don’t worry; Nvidia is offering more than a 5% boost in performance. That largely comes on the back of the memory interface and the increased power draw. You get 16GB of memory on the RTX 5080, just like the RTX 4080 and RTX 4080 Super, but Nvidia is using new GDDR7 memory. Even on the same 256-bit bus, Nvidia is delivering around a 25% increase in memory bandwidth. On the power front, Nvidia increased the power draw by 12%, going from 320 watts on the RTX 4080 Super to 360W. You’ll still be fine with a 750W power supply, just like the previous generation, but at least some of the performance improvement here comes from feeding the cores with more power. 4K gaming performance Jacob ****** / Digital Trends The key takeaway here is that the RTX 5080 is slower than the RTX 4090 at 4K, and not by an insignificant margin. Across my test suite, it was nearly 9% behind the RTX 4090. The expectation is that Nvidia should be able to match the performance of its last-gen flagship, and hopefully exceed it. For context, the RTX 4080 delivered 36% better performance than the RTX 3090 on average, and 22% better than the RTX 3090 Ti. Looking at the gen-on-gen perspective, Nvidia is delivering exactly what it promised. On average, the RTX 5080 is 18% faster than the RTX 4080 Super, and by extension, the base RTX 4080, as well. Despite more disappointing performance than the RTX 5090, the RTX 5080 is delivering a significantly better value — it’s half the price but delivering about 70% of the performance on average. Digging into individual games, you can see why the RTX 5080 falls short of Nvidia’s last-gen flagship. The margins are thin between the RTX 4090 and RTX 5080 in Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Red Dead Redemption 2, with the last-gen card coming out on top. And it takes an absolute beating in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. In a good chunk of games I tested, however, the two GPUs were in lockstep. That was the case in Dying Light 2, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, and Forza Motorsport. This is the experience Nvidia should be delivering, at minimum. I expected to see some wins for the RTX 5080, even on thin margins. But test after test, they just never showed up — minus one exception; more on that soon. Jacob ****** / Digital Trends It’s not all bad news, though. Although the comparison to the RTX 4090 is disappointing, the generational improvements still matter. Cyberpunk 2077 is a good example of where those generational improvements matter. The RTX 4080 Super and RX 7900 XTX can’t manage a stable 60 frames per second (fps) at 4K without upscaling help, but the RTX 5080 can — and it can do so comfortably. Jacob ****** / Digital Trends That’s not the only example, either. ****** Myth: Wukong is another game where the RTX 4080 Super can’t reach that 60 fps mark but the RTX 5080 can. This is the only game I tested where the RTX 5080 provided an improvement over the RTX 4090. I suspect that has something to do with this game’s use of Unreal Engine 5. It’s the only UE5 game in my test suite, and the RTX 5090 also saw an outsized improvement. Jacob ****** / Digital Trends You have to take the good with the bad, though, and there are definitely some bad points here. Returnal is probably the worst example. Not only is the RTX 5080 15% slower than the RTX 4090, it’s a mere 10% faster than the RTX 4080 Super. Regardless of the perspective you look at, the RTX 5080’s performance in this game is not good. I’d tell anyone to buy an RTX 5080 over an RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XTX given that they all have the same list price. It’s much more difficult to justify if you can get one of those GPUs for less. At $800 even, the RTX 4080 or RTX 4080 Super gets you a much better bang for your buck. Unfortunately for buyers, the RTX 4080 Super is hard to come by at $1,000, much less below it. I suspect the RTX 5080 will be caught in a similar situation, so pay close attention to the price shifts as the RTX 5080 rolls out. 1440p gaming performance Jacob ****** / Digital Trends Down at 1440p, the situation is largely the same, though with a bit tighter margins. The RTX 5080 is 3% behind the RTX 4090 and 17% ahead of the RTX 4080 Super. You’re pushing toward a CPU bottleneck at 1440p, and you might run into one if you push upscaling hard. But you can still get away with using the RTX 5080 at 1440p assuming you have an upgrade to a 4K monitor in your near future. In specific games, the performance picture changes just a bit. Alongside ****** Myth: Wukong, where the RTX 5080 leads the RTX 4090 by 12%, Nvidia’s latest also posted a higher result in Dying Light 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered. In the latter, you can see this wall that all of the last-gen GPUs run into around 125 fps which both the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 overcome without issue. If the RTX 5080 offered this level of performance across games, especially at 4K, it’d be an easy recommendation. That’s unfortunately not the case. Too many titles look like Red Dead Redemption 2, Returnal, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 where the RTX 5080 is clearly behind the RTX 4090 and only provides a slim uplift over the RTX 4080 Super. Jacob ****** / Digital Trends There are some games where the RTX 5080 squeezes out a win, such as Cyberpunk 2077. It’s only a win by technicality, but a win nonetheless. More importantly, I saw a 25% improvement with the RTX 5080 over the RTX 4080 Super in this game, which is quite a generational improvement. It’s just a shame that this level of performance isn’t available across the board. Flipping over to games like Forza Motorsport and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the dynamic with the RTX 5080 and RTX 4090 remains the same, but the generational uplift over the RTX 4080 Super is smaller. Nvidia is clearly prompting a readjustment of expectations here. In previous generations, I’d expect the RTX 5080 to beat the RTX 4090, but Nvidia’s flagships continue to become larger, more expensive, and more power-hungry. The RTX 5080 is half the price of the RTX 5090, after all, placing a ton of distance between Nvidia’s flagship and the next step down. The RTX 5080 certainly looks better at 1440p than it does at 4K, but when you’re spending $1,000 — and likely much more than that — on a graphics card, you want 4K gaming performance. The margins are better at 1440p, but they’re still not great, making the the RTX 5080 a tough sell regardless of what resolution you look at. 1080p gaming performance Jacob ****** / Digital Trends At 1080p, the RTX 5080 finally manages to outclass the RTX 4090, but it’s a bit of a hollow victory. You shouldn’t spend this much on a graphics card to play at 1080p, and the thin win for the RTX 5080 largely comes on the back of games that become bottlenecked by the CPU down at 1080p. I won’t retread the specific games here again; there really isn’t much of note. You’ll see frame rates well into the triple digits across most games, and with relatively thin margins between the RTX 5080, RTX 4090, and RTX 4080 Super. The results are different between the three GPUs, though the practical experience of using each of them isn’t. Ray tracing and DLSS 4 Ray tracing isn’t a strong point for the RTX 5080. Nvidia still dominates when it comes to ray tracing performance, especially at this price, where it’s the only option. But when it comes to the gen-on-gen improvements, the RTX 5080 lags. Dying Light 2 is a good example of that. Without ray tracing, the RTX 5080 managed to match the RTX 4090 at 4K and even exceed it at 1440p, but it’s clearly behind when you toggle ray tracing on. The RTX 5080 is still 17% ahead of the RTX 4080 Super at 4K, but there’s something about the RTX 4090 — be it higher power draw, more CUDA cores, or a larger memory interface — that allows it to scale higher in a way that the RTX 5080 can’t. Returnal is caught in a similar situation. Both of these titles are light on ray tracing by today’s standards, and Nvidia isn’t providing the gen-on-gen improvement in them as it once was. Unfortunately, that carries over even into Cyberpunk 2077, which was once a strong point for any Nvidia GPU review. I’m using the Ultra RT preset, but you could utilize the RT Overdrive preset (path tracing) with a little help from DLSS 4, as well. Without going to full path tracing, the RTX 5080 looks as disappointing as it does in Returnal and Dying Light 2. With full path tracing in ****** Myth: Wukong, the RTX 5080 is certainly better, offering identical performance to the RTX 4090. Still, this isn’t a great performance. As mentioned above, this is the only game where the RTX 5080 cleanly beats the RTX 4090 at 1440p and 4K, and when you toggle on ray tracing, that performance lead slips. Nvidia isn’t providing a huge uplift in ray tracing performance, and that factors into weighing its overall average down. How do you combat the performance dip? DLSS 4. Like the RTX 5090, you get DLSS Multi-Frame Generation on the RTX 5080. That allows you to generate up to three extra frames for each frame the GPU renders, and at launch, it’s supported in 75 games. DLSS 4 is very good — you can see an example of how good in Marvel Rivals above — but in the case of the RTX 5080, it mainly serves to make up for performance the card should already have. Although DLSS 4 is great, it doesn’t do enough to justify spending $1,000 on a new GPU, especially if you already have an RTX 40-series GPU with DLSS Frame Generation or third-party tools like Lossless Scaling. DLSS 4 is certainly the best version of multi-frame generation I’ve seen, but it’s not worth spending $1,000 or more on alone. A sign of the times Jacob ****** / Digital Trends The RTX 5080 left me worried. The stakes aren’t that high for this graphics card; Nvidia has carefully controlled last-gen stock, so when it comes to the price you’ll pay and the performance you’ll get, the RTX 5080 is the right choice in this price bracket. But the RTX 5080 sets a negative tone for the rest of the generation. Nvidia is using the same node with largely similar specs as the previous generation, and that shows in the performance. If this is what Nvidia is delivering at the same price as its last-gen offerings, I’m worried about what the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070 will look like considering they’re $50 less than their last-gen counterparts. That’s a conversation for a different day, though. For the RTX 5080, it’s the best GPU you can buy in this price bracket — but you’ll likely be gritting your teeth and wishing you could get more for your money. Source link #Nvidia #RTX #review #worrying #sign #whats Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Champions League: Fire breaks out outside Etihad Stadium Champions League: Fire breaks out outside Etihad Stadium A fire has broken out outside the Etihad Stadium ahead of Manchester City’s Champion’s League match with Club Brugge. It appears the fire took place in a temporary merchandise shop and has now been put out. Follow the Champions League live across BBC Sport Source link #Champions #League #Fire #breaks #Etihad #Stadium Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NYT Strands today: hints, spangram and answers for Wendesday, January 29 NYT Strands today: hints, spangram and answers for Wendesday, January 29 Table of Contents Table of Contents How to play Strands Hint for today’s Strands puzzle Today’s Strand answers Strands is a brand new daily puzzle from the New York Times. A trickier take on the classic word search, you’ll need a keen eye to solve this puzzle. Like Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword, Strands can be a bit difficult to solve some days. There’s no shame in needing a little help from time to time. If you’re stuck and need to know the answers to today’s Strands puzzle, check out the solved puzzle below. How to play Strands You start every Strands puzzle with the goal of finding the “theme words” hidden in the grid of letters. Manipulate letters by dragging or tapping to craft words; double-tap the final letter to confirm. If you find the correct word, the letters will be highlighted blue and will no longer be selectable. If you find a word that isn’t a theme word, it still helps! For every three non-theme words you find that are at least four letters long, you’ll get a hint — the letters of one of the theme words will be revealed and you’ll just have to unscramble it. Every single letter on the grid is used to spell out the theme words and there is no overlap. Every letter will be used once, and only once. Each puzzle contains one “spangram,” a special theme word (or words) that describe the puzzle’s theme and touches two opposite sides of the board. When you find the spangram, it will be highlighted yellow. The goal should be to complete the puzzle quickly without using too many hints. Hint for today’s Strands puzzle Today’s theme is “Show of hands” Here’s a hint that might help you: handy entertainment. Today’s Strand answers NYT Today’s spanagram We’ll start by giving you the spangram, which might help you figure out the theme and solve the rest of the puzzle on your own: Today’s Strands answers SOCK GLOVE STICK FINGER SHADOW MARIONETTE Source link #NYT #Strands #today #hints #spangram #answers #Wendesday #January Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Meta’s Reality Labs posts $5 billion loss in fourth quarter Meta’s Reality Labs posts $5 billion loss in fourth quarter Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, demonstrates the Meta Quest Pro during the virtual Meta Connect event in New York on Oct. 11, 2022. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images Meta continues to lose billions of dollars developing the virtual reality and augmented reality technologies needed to underpin the nascent metaverse. The social media giant reported fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday and said its Reality Labs unit recorded an operating loss of $4.97 billion while generating $1.1 billion in sales. Analysts were projecting that unit to log a fourth-quarter operating loss of $5.4 billion on $1.1 billion in sales. Reality Labs is Meta’s unit that makes the Quest family of virtual-reality headsets and Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg kick-started his company’s VR endeavors in 2014 when it acquired the startup Oculus for $2 billion. Since then, Zuckerberg has characterized VR and augmented reality as central to his plans to develop the futuristic digital world known as the metaverse, which he has said represent the next major computing platform. Wall Street has questioned Zuckerberg’s metaverse investment. Reality Labs has tallied an operating loss of over $60 billion since 2020, as of Meta’s fourth-quarter earnings report. Meta last week said it would invest between $60 billion and $65 billion in 2025 capital expenditures to expand its computing infrastructure related to artificial intelligence. Zuckerberg has previously said that AI is core to the company’s metaverse efforts, including its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Meta develops that device with France-based EssilorLuxottica. The social media company last year also unveiled its Orion prototype AR headset that is capable of overlaying digital objects on top of a person’s real field of view. Meta released its latest VR headset, the $299 Quest 3S, during its September Connect event and pitched the device as a way for people to watch movies, play games and workout in VR. Other tech companies are also investing in VR and AR. Apple’s Vision Pro headset went on ***** in the U.S. in Feb. 2024 with a starting price of $3,499, and in December, Google and Samsung said they were working on a VR and AR device dubbed Project Moohan that will be available to buy in 2025 for an undisclosed price. Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO Source link #Metas #Reality #Labs #posts #billion #loss #fourth #quarter Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NYT Crossword: answers for Wednesday, January 29 NYT Crossword: answers for Wednesday, January 29 The New York Times crossword puzzle can be tough, even if it isn’t the Sunday issue! If you’re stuck, we’re here to help you out with today’s clues and answers. Source link #NYT #Crossword #answers #Wednesday #January Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft is making a major change to using your iPhone in Windows Microsoft is making a major change to using your iPhone in Windows In a recent Windows Insider Blog post, Microsoft announced it’s adding the option for iPhone users to access their phones from the Start menu. Thanks to a special widget next to the Start menu, when you connect your phone, you can see data such as notifications, battery indicators, recent contacts, connection status, and more. To enjoy this feature, you must use the recent Windows 11 preview build from the Dev and Beta channels, and you must be a Windows Insider. You must also update the Phone Link app to version 1.24121.30.0 or higher, have a Microsoft account, and have a PC that supports Bluetooth LE. Microsoft said it does not support PCs running Pro Education or Education SKUs. Even if this doesn’t affect you, the update is rolling out in phases, so reaching your PC might take some time if you don’t already have it. Thanks to the updated Phone Link pane for the Start menu, iPhone users can now send and share files between an iPhone and an Android device. Last year, Microsoft also added Suggest Replies in the Phone Link app for quick replies. Now, iPhone users won’t have to wait to get a piece of the pie. To enjoy this, go to the Start menu and choose whether to connect with an iPhone or Android. After that, follow the on-screen instructions to start using the feature. Microsoft first previewed the feature in December and is gradually rolling it out. If you’re one of the lucky ones and have the feature, you can manage it by going to Settings > Personalization > Start. Microsoft has slowly updated the Phone Link app over the past several years, attempting to capture the seamless integration between a Mac and an iPhone. Phone Link isn’t quite there yet, but it’s getting closer. Meanwhile, Apple is moving ahead with features like iPhone Mirroring on Macs. Source link #Microsoft #making #major #change #iPhone #Windows Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft Tops Quarterly Targets On Surging AI Business. But Stock Falls. – Investor's Business Daily Microsoft Tops Quarterly Targets On Surging AI Business. But Stock Falls. – Investor's Business Daily Microsoft Tops Quarterly Targets On Surging AI Business. But Stock Falls. Investor’s Business DailyMicrosoft shares slip on light quarterly Azure growth CNBCMicrosoft Stock Slips as Intelligent Cloud Revenue Falls Short of Expectations Yahoo FinanceMicrosoft Reports Its Quarterly Results The Wall Street JournalMicrosoft Falls After Reporting Slowing Growth in Cloud Business Bloomberg Source link #Microsoft #Tops #Quarterly #Targets #Surging #Business #Stock #Falls #Investor039s #Business #Daily Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

No Man’s Sky Worlds Part 2 is as massive as its gas giants No Man’s Sky Worlds Part 2 is as massive as its gas giants Last year, No Man’s Sky saw a literal game-changing update with Worlds Part 1, expanding on an already huge universe with more planets, creatures, and even a new game mode. Now Worlds Part 2 is here with a total lighting overhaul, huge gas giants, and many other quality of life features. Consistent, high-quality updates are one of many reasons No Man’s Sky has become the giant it is today — and Worlds Part 2 follows that pattern. One of the most noticeable changes is the updated terrain generation algorithm. It’s been updated to now generate mountain ranges, valleys, and plains on any untouched planets, adding more variety to the universe. Your existing worlds won’t change. Besides new mountains, the oceans have grown deeper. The update promises miles-deep oceans lit only by glowing coral reefs. Aquatic lifeforms prowl the depths, hiding in the darkness between coral. The ocean has a Subnautica vibe, but hopefully without Leviathans. There will be resources you need from the ocean floor (and perhaps the chance to build a seafloor base?) Hello Games / Hello Games A new type of star now hangs in the sky, too. Purple-class stars are populated with worlds no one has seen before and are closely related to the story of No Man’s Sky. Details are few and far between, but previous story characters will return and aid in a search for lost planets. Please enable Javascript to view this content Explorers can now visit massive gas giants littered throughout the universe. Each of these giants is littered with rare resources, but the pressure of the atmosphere and gravity make it difficult to navigate — not to mention storms swirling across the planet’s surface. What stands out most about gas giants is their size — ten times larger than even the biggest planet. On the UI front, you can now sort your inventory with a single button. Your items can be sorted by name, type, value, or color, and item stacks will be consolidated. It’s a small change, but one that lets you focus on playing the game instead of playing a packing simulator. The update introduces a slew of new creatures to populate the oceans, adds in new fishing milestones, better water graphics, and dozens of other small tweaks. You can find the full patch notes on the game’s website. The Worlds Part 2 update provides a solid entry point for players new to the game, but if you’re an old hand looking to revisit the game, this update is a great chance to do it. Source link #Mans #Sky #Worlds #Part #massive #gas #giants Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft already has its legal crosshairs set on DeepSeek Microsoft already has its legal crosshairs set on DeepSeek The home page chat interface of DeepSeek AI. Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends Microsoft, a primary investor in OpenAI, is now exploring whether the ******** company DeepSeek used nefarious methods to train its reasoning models. According to Bloomberg Law the company now believes DeepSeek violated its terms of service by using its application programming interface (API) to train its recently announced R1 model. The news comes not long after White House AI and crypto czar, David Sacks, told Fox News in an interview on Tuesday it was “possible” DeepSeek “stole intellectual property from the United States.” “There’s substantial evidence that what DeepSeek did here is they distilled the knowledge out of OpenAI’s models,” Sacks told the outlet. The AI industry has been raving about DeepSeek’s ability to quickly and cost-effectively train AI models in one year with just $5.6 million. There is an underlying possibility the reason for the company’s efficiency is that it has used another company’s model as its baseline. DeepSeek may have used a process called distillation, which entails two models having a teacher-student dynamic so one can collect information from the other. On one hand, this could explain the company’s inexpensive operating costs and use of less powerful Nvidia H800 chips. DeepSeek may now be on the hook to prove whether it took all unlawful actions when developing its models. Before this recent development, industry experts previously speculated that DeepSeek likely used reverse engineering to train its models. This process analyzes models to identify their patterns and biases for improving future models. Reverse engineering is a common practice among open-source developers that is considered legal. Security researchers sanctioned by Microsoft have already pieced together that DeepSeek may have exhumed a considerable amount of code from OpenAI’s API during the fall of 2024. Microsoft supposedly made OpenAI aware of the breach at the time. The R1 model was announced last week, bringing attention to the ******** AI company, and associated parties. DeepSeek has also been lauded as an open-source AI application, on which anyone can develop. This is from where much of the excitement surrounding the platform comes — in addition to its comparison to top tools such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini. OpenAI is not an open-source service; however, anyone can sign up to access its API. The company does make clear in its terms of services that other entities cannot use output to train other AI models, TechCrunch noted. An OpenAI spokesperson told Reuters that regardless of regulations, various international companies trying to copy models from well-known companies in the U.S. is now a common occurrence. “We engage in counter-measures to protect our IP, including a careful process for which frontier capabilities to include in released models, and believe as we go forward that it is critically important that we are working closely with the U.S. government to best protect the most capable models from efforts by adversaries and competitors to take U.S. technology,” the spokesperson said. Source link #Microsoft #legal #crosshairs #set #DeepSeek Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

DoubleLine’s Gundlach says his base case is one rate cut this year, two max DoubleLine’s Gundlach says his base case is one rate cut this year, two max Jeffrey Gundlach speaking at the 2019 SOHN Conference in New York on May 6, 2019. Adam Jeffery | CNBC DoubleLine Capital CEO Jeffrey Gundlach said Wednesday he expects only one rate cut for 2025 — two reductions at most — as the Federal Reserve patiently awaits incoming data to assess the state of the labor market and inflation. “Maximum two cuts this year. And I mean maximum, I’m not predicting two cuts. I just think that’s the most you can possibly think about,” Gundlach said on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.” “At the present moment, if you had made me pick a number, I would say now one cut would be the base case and maximum two.” The central bank kept interest rates unchanged Wednesday after three consecutive cuts to end 2024. Fed Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that the central bank is in no hurry to adjust its policy stance, particularly as the economy remains strong. “It’s going to be a slow process to get to a hurdle to cut rates again… I don’t think you’re going to see a cut at the next Fed meeting,” Gundlach said. “He’s obviously focused on the stability in the unemployment rate right now in terms of not feeling a need to cut rates.” The notable fixed income investor thinks long-duration Treasury yields have more room to rise. He noted that the benchmark 10-year rate has increased by about 85 basis points since the Fed cut rates for the first time last year. “I think that rates have not peaked on the long end,” he said. “I think rates will have another move up on the long end.” Gundlach cautioned against owning high risk assets right now because of his view on long-term interest rate and his observation that valuations are high. Source link #DoubleLines #Gundlach #base #case #rate #cut #year #max Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump orders Elon Musk to ‘go get’ Starliner astronauts, despite return plan – National Trump orders Elon Musk to ‘go get’ Starliner astronauts, despite return plan – National NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are still aboard the International Space Station, after their days-long work trip turned into a months-long staycation of sorts. And while NASA has emphasized that the pair are not stranded, the President of the United States seems to think the opposite, suggesting he wants a quicker return for the crew, who are scheduled to return to Earth on March 20, and tapping his pal Elon Musk to get it done sooner. On Tuesday night, Donald Trump posted to his social media platform, Truth Social, announcing that he had asked Elon Musk’s SpaceX to return Williams and Wilmore. “I have just asked Elon Musk and Space X to ‘go get’ the two brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration,” Trump posted. @DonaldJTrump / Truth Social “They have been waiting for many months on Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!” Story continues below advertisement On Wednesday, Musk shared a screengrab of the post to his own social platform, X, adding a salute emoji. He also shared a post of his own, writing “We will do so,” in response to Trump’s request. The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 28, 2025 The astronauts were left on the ISS because of problems with Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which led NASA in August to tap Musk’s SpaceX for their return instead. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Wilmore and Williams flew Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the ISS last summer for an eight-day test mission that, instead, has lasted almost a year because of problems with the craft’s propulsion system. NASA in August, during Former President Joe Biden’s administration, deemed Starliner too risky to bring them back to Earth and tapped SpaceX to return them on a Crew Dragon spacecraft. Biden and his White House had no involvement in the agency’s decision-making on the mission. Story continues below advertisement 2:28 NASA says astronauts stuck in space will return on SpaceX capsule — not Boeing Starliner That craft is already docked with the space station, having flown there for NASA’s Crew-9 astronaut rotation mission in September with empty seats for Wilmore and Williams. In a statement provided to Reuters, NASA said they are preparing the launch of the Crew-10 capsule, whose crew will receive a handover from six Crew-9 astronauts before they return to Earth. Trending Now Bank of Canada cuts key rate 0.25% but warns of tariff uncertainty Judge blocks Trump funding freeze that sparked confusion for aid providers Wilmore and Williams are among seven astronauts on the ISS, and they remain healthy and busy with routine scientific research aboard the orbiting outpost, NASA has said. The astronauts’ original February departure date on Crew-9 was delayed to late March because SpaceX needed more time “to complete processing” of a new Crew Dragon capsule that will replace theirs for the Crew-10 mission, NASA said in December. 1:32 Boeing Starliner making ‘strange’ pulsing noise, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore reports Previous Video Next Video Story continues below advertisement And while the astronauts’ unexpected stay has faced plenty of delays, it’s not unusual for space crews to end up on unexpected extension. Strenuous, but standard, training prepares astronauts for lengthy stays in space. FILE – In this image released by NASA, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, both Expedition 71 Flight Engineers, make pizza aboard the International Space Station’s galley located inside the Unity module on Sept. 9, 2024. Items are attached to the galley using tape and velcro to keep them from flying away in the microgravity environment. NASA via AP It is unclear whether Trump’s demand would mean NASA bringing Crew-9 back to Earth before the Crew-10 capsule arrives, or SpaceX launching Crew-10 earlier than planned. While NASA appeared to affirm the astronauts’ return plan remains unchanged, it did not answer a question from Reuters on whether the Crew-10 launch date would be sooner. Returning Crew-9 to Earth before Crew-10’s arrival would mean NASA astronaut Don Pettit, who flew to the ISS with a Russian crew in September, would be the only American aboard the station, a rare staffing imbalance that NASA has said complicates maintenance of the station’s U.S. components. More on World More videos &copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Source link #Trump #orders #Elon #Musk #Starliner #astronauts #return #plan #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

***’s first video call via satellite made from Welsh mountain ***’s first video call via satellite made from Welsh mountain Vodafone Vodafone has carried out what it says is the ***’s first satellite-enabled smartphone video call. The company says the call – made from a mountain in Ceredigion, west Wales – is part of the process of adding satellite connectivity to its *** phone network by the end of the year, and across Europe in 2026. Vodafone boss Margherita Della Valle says it could eliminate “not spots” – places without mobile signal – which regulator Ofcom estimates can be found in 9% of the ***. However, experts say regulatory hurdles will need to be cleared and many more satellites launched for the service to take off. And astronomers warn the increasing number of satellites in orbit is making it harder to study space. How does it work? Satellite connectivity enables ordinary phones to operate as normal with full internet access when there is otherwise no coverage. Many iPhones and Android devices already have emergency satellite connectivity, but it is currently text message based. Vodafone says it has now gone further with a video call between a company engineer in a not spot in west Wales, and Ms Della Valle. “It’s a really important moment because we are opening the door to universal connectivity, to connecting people in the ***, wherever they are,” Ms Della Valle said. She likened the satellites to “antennas in the sky” but said they would not replace existing masts and towers – instead providing an additional layer of coverage. Phone users will not require any extra equipment, the firm says, as it expands the service. It does not yet know what the costs will be for customers. It has partnered with a satellite company called AST SpaceMobile, which has relatively few satellites in orbit – Monday’s test had to be carefully timed around one being in the right place, at the right time. “The challenges really are the fact that it is a relatively new satellite company,” said Luke Pearce, from analysts CCS Insight. “They’ve got a few satellites up in the air as of last year, but they really need to build out a full constellation to be able to offer consistent coverage all of the time.” Mr Pearce said the issue of how such satellite services would be regulated still needed to be resolved – something that also affects rival providers, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink. Ofcom has previously said it plans to consult on the matter in “early 2025”. Is there space in space? The prospect of more of the low earth satellites needed for mobile communications has been criticised by astronomers. “The international astronomy community is concerned by the rapidly increasing number of satellites in low Earth orbit, which can contaminate astronomical images by leaving bright light streaks in them,” the IAU Centre for the Protection of the Dark Sky told the BBC. Others have raised similar concerns, with astrophysicist Dr Megan Argo saying the increase in satellites is “making it increasingly difficult to study the universe outside our own atmosphere”. “As well as being bright visually, satellites are relatively warm so shine in the infrared, and transmit radio signals down to Earth that are increasingly obscuring our view of the universe across several regions of the electromagnetic spectrum,” she told the BBC. And she said there was a critical consequence of this – making it harder to spot asteroids. “Spotting potentially hazardous asteroids that might one day impact the Earth is important work, but is becoming more difficult as more and more satellites are launched,” she said. But astronaut Tim Peak – who joined Vodafone for the video call – said there was “plenty of room” in space for more satellites. “What we need to think about in the future, with space becoming so useful to us, is how we manage and regulate the number of satellites going up there, how we safely bring them back down or take them away from the planet, and how we protect the space environment whilst using it for the benefit of everybody back on Earth,” he said. Source link #UKs #video #call #satellite #Welsh #mountain Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Some Of GTA 6’s Map Has Been Brought Into GTA 5 By A Superfan Some Of GTA 6’s Map Has Been Brought Into GTA 5 By A Superfan It’s been over a decade since the last main Grand Theft Auto installment, and fans have been keeping busy passing the time before GTA 6’s release. Players have been modding previous games for years and putting out community challenges, but recently a YouTuber decided to put the little bit of what we know from GTA 6 into GTA 5. A YouTuber that goes by the handle Dark Space has been working on a mod that adds some of GTA 6’s Vice Beach map area into the game. Dark Space is planning on releasing the mod in two weeks on the GTA mod community server FiveM but has been showing off their work on their channel and Twitter. Gta 6 Community map made in GTA 5 – progress update: Vice Beach is nearly done. Adding trees, props, and custom vice city themed models. After which I’ll probably make the venetian islands too. pic.twitter.com/KDCsUq06rT — Dark Space (@Dark_SpaceYT) January 27, 2025 Even though Rockstar has only released a single trailer for GTA 6, fans have been able to map out the playable area they expect to see in the game. Talking to IGN, Dark Space spoke about their work and the constant fear of Take-Two taking it down. “This is a bit different from what I’ve been told by people who also make content like this for FiveM servers. Vice City mod is a whole game remade in GTA 4. Not good for Rockstar. Also makes them look bad,” they said. “Liberty City Preservation project ripped a whole game map from 4 to 5 eliminating the need for Rockstar to ever do that. This is just me making my own fan-made map myself. All within GTA 5 itself. Any assets are from GTA 5 itself. A typical practice.” Former Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij recently commented on the frequent takedowns by Take-Two, saying they are “entirely predictable.” “They will take down mods that interfere with their business interests,” he tweeted. “The VC NextGen Edition mod for GTA4 directly competes with the Definitive Edition. The Liberty City preservation project (GTA4 in GTA5 engine) would interfere with a possible GTA4 remaster. (No idea whether they’re working on that. I think they should.) There’s no point getting angry about it. This is what companies are supposed to do.” Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to be released this fall on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. There has not been an announcement date for a PC release but that will likely be coming later. Source link #GTA #Map #Brought #GTA #Superfan Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

With leaked footage from the inside, Sundance doc shows horrifying conditions in Alabama prisons With leaked footage from the inside, Sundance doc shows horrifying conditions in Alabama prisons PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Incarcerated men in the Alabama prison system risked their safety to feed shocking footage of their horrifying living conditions to a pair of documentary filmmakers. The result is “The Alabama Solution,” which premiered this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Filmmakers Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman became interested in Alabama prisons in 2019. Jarecki, the filmmaker behind “The Jinx” and “Capturing the Friedmans,” and Kaufman first gained access to the restricted grounds through a visit with a chaplain during a revival meeting held in the prison yards. There men pulled them aside and whispered shocking stories about the reality of life inside: forced labor, drugs, violence, intimidation, retaliation and the undisclosed truths behind many prisoner deaths. This process eventually led them to incarcerated activists Melvin Ray and Robert Earl Council (also known as “Kinetik Justice”) who had for years been trying to expose the horrifying conditions and deep- seated corruption across the system. They helped feed dispatches to the filmmakers with contraband cellphones. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. “We’re deeply concerned for their safety, and we have been since the first time we met them,” said Kaufman. “They’ve been doing this work for decades and as you see in the film, they’ve been retaliated against in very extreme ways. But there are lawyers who are ready to do wellness checks and visit them and respond to any sort of retaliation that may come.” On Tuesday at the first showing of the film, she had Council on the phone listening in. They put the microphone up to the cellphone so that Council could speak. “We thank you all for listening, for being interested,” Council said. “On behalf of the brothers of Alabama, I thank you all.” Several family members of their incarcerated subjects were also in the audience, including Sandy Ray, the mother of Steven Davis, who died in 2019 at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility, his face beaten beyond recognition. Prison officials said Davis was killed in self-defense because he didn’t put down his weapons. The prisoners tell a vastly different story. Alelur “Alex” Duran, who spent 12 years in prison in New York, also helped produce the film. Jarecki said they wouldn’t have taken on the subject without the expertise of someone who had been incarcerated. “What you’re seeing in this film is going on all over the nation,” Duran said. Also embedded in the story is Alabama’s long history of contracting prisoners to do work at private companies from Burger King to Best Western, an issue that The Associated Press investigated for over two years. The cheap, reliable labor force has generated more than $250 million for the state since 2000 — money garnished from prisoners’ paychecks, the AP wrote in December. Parole numbers have also plummeted in recent years. “We want to show viewers the truth about a system that has been cloaked in secrecy,” Jarecki said. “We hope the film sparks an effort to allow access for journalists and others so the public can have transparency into how incarcerated citizens are treated and how our tax dollars are being spent. We hope to inspire Alabama’s leadership to acknowledge the crisis and to overhaul its prison system and its use of forced labor.” The film will have a theatrical release before it debuts on HBO sometime this year, but the specific dates and details are still being worked out. And while it is in its early days, the impact, Jarecki said, has already been seen, including in a class action labor lawsuit. ___ For more coverage of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, visit: Source link #leaked #footage #Sundance #doc #shows #horrifying #conditions #Alabama #prisons Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Recruit Sofia Daguerre in Fallout 76 For a Less Lonely Apocalypse Recruit Sofia Daguerre in Fallout 76 For a Less Lonely Apocalypse Before Fallout 76 introduced its Wastelanders update on April 14th, 2020, the massive wasteland of Appalachia felt overwhelmingly bleak and lonesome. It was up to the players and their limited interactions with each other to populate the post-apocalypse with stories and memories. But with Wastelanders, Bethesda introduced countless NPCs to flesh out the game world, along with a few notable allies and romanceable partners. Who wants to survive in the wasteland alone when ******* Sofia Daguerre awaits? One such ally is Sofia Daguerre, an astronaut with the U.S.S.A. space program. In 2103, she and her ship crashed into Appalachia. Unaware of the recent global nuclear meltdown, Sofia tucked herself away in a Free States bunker until the player discovered her and filled in the details of what went wrong with the world. Where Can You Find Sofia Daguerre in Fallout 76 If you’ve spent any time exploring Appalachia, chances are you’ve unlocked The Mire. You’ll wind up traveling here around level 20 to 25, give or take. Coincidentally, that’s when you’ll receive the quest to recruit Sofia Daguerre. Once you follow the radio signal included with the quest, you’ll track her last-known position to an Abandoned Bunker just north of a hunter’s shack in the northeast of The Mire. It’s near East Ridge Lookout. How to Recruit Sofia Daguerre Once you’ve located the Abandoned Bunker and worked your way inside, you’ll find Sofia Daguerre injured and sitting on the floor in the final room. She’ll speak with you momentarily, and then you’ll drop the bomb, explaining how the world came to nuclear war and nothing is left but wasteland and magical pipes. If only it were as simple as starting a conversation to recruit Sofia Daguerre, however. Instead, she’ll task you with the first quest in her quest line. Commander Daguerre asks you to track down the crashed ship she was aboard. Thankfully, it’s close. Simply head southwest until you reach Gulper Lagoon. From there, head west. You’ll see the crashed ship in the distance. Inside is a flight recorder; take that with you because she wants the information stored within. We hope you’re prepared because upon activating the flight recorder, you’ll have to wait for the download, which takes two minutes to complete. During this time, a few Super Mutants ambush the player. It’s an easy enough fight if you’re stocked with ammunition or rocking a super sledge. Upon completion, return to Sofia with the data. But that’s not the end of the recruitment quest. Did you think it was that easy? Not quite! Next, Sofia will ask you to locate an encryption key. It’s on a U.S.S.A. robot south of Gulper Lagoon. It’s a generic retrieval quest with zero surprises. Upon returning the key, Sofia Daguerre will thank you, and you can recruit her to your C.A.M.P.! Related: When Does Fasnacht Day Start in Fallout 76? – 2025 Schedule How to Get Sofia Daguerre at C.A.M.P. Like other companions in Fallout 76, to activate Sofia Daguerre at your C.A.M.P., you’ll first have to build the appropriate item. In this case, it’s a command console. You should have plenty of resources to make the computer by this level in your journey. From there, you can continue her quest line and tackle a few radiant objectives. What Are the Quests in Sofia Daguerre’s Quest Chain? ****** Landing The Woman Who Fell to Earth One Small Step In Case of Emergency Bring Home the Beacon The Universe Conspires Hope Remains Search and Destroy Heavy Eyes Patently False Privacy Violation Contractually Obfuscated Boot Camp Past Expiration No Brainer Calling Long Distance Who Sat Down Beside Her Lab Rat Mission Out-of-Control As you can see, companion Sofia Daguerre includes several quests to complete her story arc. That’s not to mention the various radiant quests, including Data Driven, Faint Signal, and Glitchcraft. Did You Recruit Sofia? Did you follow all the steps to recruit Sofia Daguerre in Fallout 76? If not, which companion did you opt for? Let us know in the comments! Once you have Sofia at your CAMP, don’t forget to share an ice-cold Nuka-Cola Wild with her to win her affection (That doesn’t actually work, sorry.). SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Recruit #Sofia #Daguerre #Fallout #Lonely #Apocalypse Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]