Pelican Press

Lewis Hamilton ‘absolutely OK’ after Ferrari test ****** Lewis Hamilton ‘absolutely OK’ after Ferrari test ****** Lewis Hamilton has suffered a setback in his pre-season preparations for Ferrari after crashing during a private event at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. It’s understood the 40-year-old ran off the road on his second test for his new team following his debut appearance at Ferrari’s Fiorano track last week. Hamilton was said by a source to be “absolutely okay” following the ******. Ferrari are not commenting on Hamilton’s accident due to the session taking place behind closed doors. Ferrari are in Spain completing three days of running in their 2023 car – the latest version they are allowed to use under Formula One rules – ahead of the sport’s sole official test prior to the new season in Bahrain later this month. Charles Leclerc was due to take over from Hamilton on Wednesday afternoon, but it is believed his running will be delayed following the damage sustained to the car. Hamilton described his maiden test for Ferrari last week as one of the best feelings of his life. He moved to Ferrari after 12 seasons at Mercedes – a transfer perceived to be the biggest in the sport’s history – and his first race for his new team will be in Melbourne on March 16. Hamilton, bidding to win a record eighth world championship, is due to take the wraps off his new Ferrari alongside Leclerc on February 19 in Maranello – a day after the F1 season launch event at the O2 Arena in London. Source link #Lewis #Hamilton #absolutely #Ferrari #test #****** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition review: Incremental gains over the previous generation Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition review: Incremental gains over the previous generation The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition takes the honor guard position for the RTX 5090. In times past, the penultimate Nvidia GPU of each generation has often been the best overall pick. But the gap between first and second place has widened significantly in the past two generations, at least for 4K gaming and other demanding workloads. The 5080 also takes over from the RTX 4080 and RTX 4080 Super, often with only modest gains. It may still be one of the best graphics cards when the dust clears, but it doesn’t have the wow factor of its big brother. Both the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 will go on ***** tomorrow, January 30, 2025. While we anticipate a lot of demand for the halo card, the 5080 will hopefully be more readily available — but probably only after the initial wave of eager buyers clears. And there’s still the risk that businesses looking for affordable AI hardware might drive inventory shortages because while the 5080 can’t match a 5090 in raw performance, two of them would certainly provide plenty of computing for nominally the same price. RTX 5080 will have the same core feature set, meaning stuff like native FP4 support that could entice AI researchers and developers. But it still ‘only’ has 16GB of VRAM, and many AI models tend to be voracious when it comes to memory requirements — though DeepSeek has certainly shaken many of the foundational thoughts about AI training and inference, as well as Nvidia’s stock price. We were extremely crunched for time on the RTX 5090 review, and things have only been slightly better on the RTX 5080. There’s still a lot to dissect, and unfortunately, we can’t shake the feeling that the initial Blackwell drivers are holding the cards back. The 1080p results are particularly bad at times, and Nvidia’s heavy reliance on Multi Frame Generation (MFG) for the initial performance preview suggests that was probably at the forefront of the driver team’s work, rather than general performance. You can check the boxout with additional links and information on the Nvidia Blackwell and RTX 50-series GPUs. The succinct story for the RTX 5080 is that, outside of certain AI workloads and MFG, it’s currently a pretty minor upgrade over the prior generation 4080 cards. (The 4080 Super was only a few percent faster, with its primary attraction being a $200 price cut compared to the vanilla model.) The specs basically say most of what you need to know. Swipe to scroll horizontally Graphics Card RTX 5080 RTX 4080 Super RTX 4080 RTX 3080 Ti RTX 3080 12GB RTX 3080 RTX 2080 Super RTX 2080 Architecture GB203 AD103 AD103 GA102 GA102 GA102 TU104 TU104 Process Technology TSMC 4N TSMC 4N TSMC 4N Samsung 8N Samsung 8N Samsung 8N TSMC 12FFN TSMC 12FFN Transistors (Billion) 45.6 45.9 45.9 28.3 28.3 28.3 13.6 13.6 Die size (mm^2) 378 378.6 378.6 628.4 628.4 628.4 545 545 SMs / CUs / Xe-Cores 84 80 76 80 70 68 48 46 GPU Shaders (ALUs) 10752 10240 9728 10240 8960 8704 3072 2944 Tensor / AI Cores 336 320 304 320 280 272 384 368 Ray Tracing Cores 84 80 76 80 70 68 48 46 Boost Clock (MHz) 2617 2550 2505 1665 1845 1710 1815 1800 VRAM Speed (Gbps) 30 23 22.4 19 19 19 15.5 14 VRAM (GB) 16 16 16 12 12 10 8 8 VRAM Bus Width 256 256 256 384 384 320 256 256 L2 / Infinity Cache 64 64 64 6 6 5 4 4 Render Output Units 112 112 112 112 96 96 64 64 Texture Mapping Units 336 320 304 320 280 272 192 184 TFLOPS FP32 (Boost) 56.3 52.2 48.7 34.1 33.1 29.8 11.2 10.6 TFLOPS FP16 (FP4/FP8 TFLOPS) 450 (1801) 418 (836) 390 (780) 273 264 238 89 85 Bandwidth (GB/s) 960 736 717 912 912 760 496 448 TBP (watts) 360 320 320 350 350 320 250 215 Launch Date Jan 2025 Jan 2024 Nov 2022 Jun 2021 Jan 2022 Sep 2020 Jul 2019 Sep 2018 Launch Price $999 $999 $1,199 $1,199 N/A $699 $699 $699-$799 The biggest change, outside of AI and MFG, is support for faster GDDR7 memory. The RTX 5080 has 960 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to 736 GB/s on the 4080 Super and 717 GB/s on the original 4080. So, depending on your point of reference, that’s 30–34 percent more bandwidth, a pretty sizeable upgrade. But in core processing power, ignoring the new native FP4 number format support, the upgrades are far less impressive. RTX 5080 has 84 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs) and 10752 CUDA cores, compared to the 4080 Super’s 80 SMs and the 4080’s 76 SMs. Clock speeds are slightly higher in theory, but in practice, it’s mostly a wash. Raw compute ends up being 8% more than the 4080 Super and 16% more than the 4080. Most of the other specs scale with the number of SMs, so there’s a similar potential 8% and 16% uplift in tensor compute for the existing FP8, FP16, and other formats. However, Blackwell adds native FP4 support (Ada relied on FP4 running as an FP8 calculation), which doubles the potential throughput if you don’t need the higher precision of FP8. That’s where the 1.8 petaFLOPS of compute comes from, compared to just 836 teraFLOPS on the 4080 Super. ROPS is the same 112 count on the 5080 and 4080-class GPUs, so pixel shading throughput hasn’t changed. Ray tracing, on the other hand, sees another doubling in ray/triangle intersection calculations, and Nvidia says the 5080 offers 170.6 teraFLOPS of RT compute, compared to 121 and 113 teraFLOPS of RT on the 4080 Super and 4080, respectively. There’s also a new PCIe 5.0 interface, though that shouldn’t matter much for most tasks. The biggest benefit will be for multi-GPU configurations running AI and GPGPU tasks — not for gaming, which no longer has NVLink or multi-GPU support. Power consumption also sees a modest bump from 320W with the previous generation to 360W with the 5080. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) The good news is that the RTX 5080 won’t cost more than the outgoing RTX 4080 Super. Or that’s the theory. It’s really going to depend on supply and demand, and as we’ve seen with the dwindling inventories of RTX 4080 and 4090 parts over the past few months, there’s still enough demand to push prices up if Nvidia doesn’t provide an adequate supply. And, much to no one’s surprise, Nvidia says the 5090 and 5080 may experience stock shortages in the coming days. Why isn’t that a surprise? Because there’s a limited number of TSMC wafers to go around right now. Every GB202 or GB203 wafer that Nvidia orders mean one less GB200 wafer and Nvidia previously said its Blackwell B200 supply is already allocated for 2025. That means there’s limited incentive to produce a bunch of consumer GPUs that sell for an order of magnitude less money than the most powerful data center parts. That means we’ll likely see third-party AIB (add-in board) partner cards selling for far more than the base $999 MSRP of the RTX 5080. There are already hints that some card models could cost $1,399 or more, and if there’s a supply deficit, then we aren’t likely to see many base-price cards after the initial stock lands. Hopefully, the shortages won’t be as severe as we saw with the 3080 cards in 2020–2021 (those were driven by cryptomining), but only time will tell. For now, let’s take a closer look at the RTX 5080 Founders Edition, and then we’ll hit the benchmarks. Source link #Nvidia #GeForce #RTX #Founders #Edition #review #Incremental #gains #previous #generation Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pilot ejects moments before F-35 jet crashes and bursts into flames Pilot ejects moments before F-35 jet crashes and bursts into flames A pilot is safe after ejecting from an F-35 jet moments before it crashed into the ground and burst into flames at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska. Officials are looking into the cause of the incident. NBC’s Morgan Chesky reports for TODAY. Source link #Pilot #ejects #moments #F35 #jet #crashes #bursts #flames Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

MSI delays RTX 5090 shipments until February 6 — Prebookings go live on January 30 MSI delays RTX 5090 shipments until February 6 — Prebookings go live on January 30 An MSI representative has confirmed that shipments for RTX 5090 pre-orders through MSI’s official US stores have been pushed back to February 6, per Videocardz. Just ahead of tomorrow’s retail embargo lift, overseas sellers also reportedly face similar constraints. This delay likely stems from rumored Blackwell supply shortages and only applies to RTX 5090 reservations made through MSI’s official store in the US. Other retailers could have their hands on a limited RTX 5090 supply, should you want one at launch, but be prepared to face serious competition from scalpers and campers. In a Discord chat, MSI released an update regarding RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 availability. Prebookings for RTX 5090 GPUs are still slated for tomorrow, provided you can beat scalpers. Without explicitly mentioning any shortages, shipments for these pre-orders will begin a week late,r starting February 6. MSI will likely take into consideration the existing supply and allot slots accordingly. The RTX 5080 is in a relatively better spot, launching with immediate shipping tomorrow. AIBs typically charge a pretty penny for better cooling and extra features on custom variants. Best Buy has a handful of Gigabyte RTX 5080s listed at up to $1,400, though we cannot comment on the availability. MSI Rep: “We are going to allow RTX 5090 preorders on 1/30 at 6 AM PST, with a ship date of 2/6. The RTX 5080 will be available for purchase on 1/30 at 6 AM PST, with an immediate ship date of 1/30. RTX 5090 preorders will open on 1/30 at 6 AM PST, with a ship date of 2/6.” Videocardz AI developers and enthusiasts see the 32GB frame buffer on the RTX 5090 as a major selling point, considering that a typical workstation-grade RTX 6000 Ada with 48GB of VRAM will run you around $7,000. On that note, Nvidia is rumored to be preparing a 96GB Blackwell workstation GPU, outfitted with 32 new 24Gb (3GB) memory chips in a clamshell configuration, curated for memory-intensive applications. Before the pandemic, back in 2017-18, there was a similar GPU shortage due to the rise in cryptocurrency mining. Bulk purchases by miners outstripped supply, leading to inflated GPU prices for gamers and professionals alike. The current situation should improve with time, but we cannot say when. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #MSI #delays #RTX #shipments #February #Prebookings #live #January Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Watch RFK Jr. Senate confirmation hearing for HHS secretary Watch RFK Jr. Senate confirmation hearing for HHS secretary [The stream is slated to start at 10 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] Robert F. Kennedy, President Donald Trump’s controversial pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is slated to testify on Wednesday before a Senate panel that is crucial to advance his nomination. Kennedy will appear first at the Senate Committee on Finance, which will ultimately vote on whether his nomination as HHS Secretary advances to the full chamber. In the Republican-controlled Senate, Kennedy can only lose three GOP votes if all Democrats oppose him. He will also appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, or HELP, for a courtesy hearing on Thursday. If confirmed, Kennedy will take the reins of a $1.7 trillion agency that oversees vaccines and other medicines, scientific research, public health infrastructure, pandemic preparedness, food and tobacco products and government-funded health care for millions of Americans. The heads of the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, among other federal health agencies, all report to the HHS secretary. Kennedy, 71, is one of Trump’s more controversial Cabinet nominees, facing criticism from both sides of the aisle. He is a prominent vaccine skeptic, making false claims that they are linked to autism despite decades of studies that debunk that association. Some critics have even argued that his work advocating against vaccine use has cost lives, and could deter more Americans from getting recommended shots at a time when vaccination rates are declining. Kennedy is also the founder of the nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, the most well-funded anti-vaccine organization in the U.S. In a government ethics agreement last week, Kennedy said he stopped serving as chairman or chief legal counsel for the organization as of December. In a likely preview of the Senate Finance Committee hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., last week issued a letter pressing Kennedy to answer 175 questions on topics such as vaccines, the Affordable Care Act, drug pricing, his changing views on reproductive rights and his suggestion to fire FDA and NIH workers, among others. This week’s hearings will also provide a glimpse of how Kennedy plans to pursue his broad, so-called Make America Healthy Again platform if confirmed as the nation’s top health official. The platform argues that a corrupt alliance of drug and food companies and the federal health agencies that regulate them are making Americans less healthy. Kennedy has long contended that the agencies that HHS oversees need reform or a sweeping overhaul. Kennedy’s supporters say some of his stances around food, such as highlighting the risks of food additives and ultra-processed products, have hit on broad appeal among Republicans and some Democrats. Still, Caroline Kennedy, RFK Jr.’s cousin and daughter of former President Kennedy, wrote a letter to senators on Tuesday that referred to her cousin as a “predator” and urged them not to confirm him. Source link #Watch #RFK #Senate #confirmation #hearing #HHS #secretary Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

DeepSeek app unavailable in Apple and Google app stores in Italy DeepSeek app unavailable in Apple and Google app stores in Italy The ******** artificial intelligence application DeepSeek appeared to be unavailable on Wednesday in Apple and Google app stores in Italy on Wednesday. A notice displayed to customers on Apple’s App Store said the app was “currently not available in the country or area you are in. A message on the Google app platform, said the download “was not supported” in Italy. DeepSeek was still working on Wednesday in other European countries and in Britain. The disappearance came after Italy’s data protection authority said on Tuesday it was seeking answers from DeepSeek on its use of personal data. The Italian regulator, also known as the Garante, said it wanted to know what personal data is collected, from which sources, for what purposes, on what legal basis, and whether it is stored in China. Source link #DeepSeek #app #unavailable #Apple #Google #app #stores #Italy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Chancellor backs plans to boost Oxford-Cambridge growth Chancellor backs plans to boost Oxford-Cambridge growth Chancellor Rachel Reeves has unveiled a series of measures aimed at boosting the so-called Oxford-Cambridge Arc as Europe’s Silicon Valley. She said Oxford and Cambridge offer huge economic potential for the nation’s growth prospects. According to research from Public First for the Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster, Oxford, Cambridge and Milton Keynes combined already contribute £42bn to the *** economy. Public First noted that by 2050, 403,000 skilled workers will be required to fulfil growth in high-knowledge industries. Its forecast to grow the region’s impact shows that housing these people will require 371,000 new homes. As part of the government’s AI [artificial intelligence] opportunities action plan, unveiled earlier in January, the first AI growth zone will be set up in Culham, Oxfordshire. The Chancellor announced a “call for expressions of interest” from regional and local authorities and industry to inform the next stage of the AI growth zones programme. The government hopes this will help to establish opportunities and inform the next stage of the programme, which it positions as a key area. But Oxford and Cambridge are 66 miles apart, and housing is extremely expensive. “To grow, these world-class companies need world-class talent who should be able to get to work quickly and find somewhere to live in the local area,” she said. “But to get from Oxford to Cambridge by train takes two and a half hours. There is no way to commute directly from places like Bedford and Milton Keynes to Cambridge by rail. And there is a lack of affordable housing across the region.” The Environment Agency said it has lifted its opposition to new development around Cambridge (Waterbeach and the Beehive Centre) for the development of 4,500 new homes. The plan is to provide community spaces such as schools and leisure facilities, as well as office and laboratory space in Cambridge’s city centre. To improve transport links, Reeves announced that plans for an East Coast Mainline station in Tempsford will be accelerated by three to five years. The station will link services directly to London, with services in under an hour, and will eventually be an interchange with the East West Rail station. There is also a road improvement scheme that will see a 10-mile dual carriageway delivered, as well as three grade-separated junctions – three-tier at ****** Cat roundabout (A1/A421) and two-tier at Cambridge Road (B1428) and Caxton Gibbet (A428/A1198). Main construction began in December 2023, and the road is expected to open in 2027. Science minister Patrick Vallance said: “The *** has all the ingredients to replicate the success of Silicon Valley or the Boston Cluster, but for too long has been constrained by short-termism and a lack of direction. “This government’s plan for change will see an end to that defeatism,” he said. “I look forward to working with local leaders to fulfil the Oxford-Cambridge corridor’s potential by building on its existing strengths in academia, life sciences, semiconductors, AI and green technology amongst others.” Source link #Chancellor #backs #plans #boost #OxfordCambridge #growth Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Your tax return could trigger an audit without these key tax forms Your tax return could trigger an audit without these key tax forms Catherine Ivill – Ama | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images Many taxpayers are eager to file returns quickly to collect a refund, but it’s important to gather the necessary tax forms first, experts say. Every year, employers and financial companies report income and other activity on so-called information returns, such as W-2s and 1099s, with a copy going to taxpayers and the IRS. The agency has “very sophisticated software” that compares information returns to what’s reported on your filing, said Elizabeth Young, director of tax practice and ethics for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, or AICPA. Your return can be “flagged for audit” when there’s a mismatch, she said. More from Personal Finance:How to get the ‘fastest refund possible’ as tax season opensHigher-income American consumers are showing signs of stressThese 2025 changes could affect your retirement While the IRS issues most tax refunds within 21 days, some returns may require “additional review” and can take longer, according to the agency. Here’s a breakdown of the key tax forms you’ll need to minimize that risk as you file your return this season — and when to expect them. When to expect tax forms Although many tax forms come in January, others may take until mid-February to March or longer, according to the AICPA. Typically, investment statements are among the last forms to arrive, especially for more complicated assets. For earnings, your tax forms may include a W-2 for wages, 1099-NEC for contract or gig economy work, 1099-G for unemployment income and 1099-R for retirement plan distributions. However, your return should reflect income even when you don’t receive a tax form, Young said. “If you earn it, it’s reportable,” she said. “You’re accountable for it.” Other forms can help secure tax credits and deductions. You can claim an “above-the-line deduction” even if you don’t itemize tax breaks. Tax forms for these may include a 1098-E for student loan interest, 5498 for individual retirement account contributions or 5498-SA for health savings account deposits. If itemized tax breaks exceed the standard deduction, you may need a 1098 for mortgage interest, your annual giving statement or property tax credits. You also may need a 1098-T for education tax breaks or receipts to claim the child and dependent care tax credit. ‘Check your mail routinely’ As your tax forms arrive, it’s important to stay organized, said certified public accountant Brian Long, senior tax advisor at Wealth Enhancement in Minneapolis. “Check your mail routinely,” he said. However, some forms may come digitally, so you’ll want to check your online accounts periodically for updates. You can use your “prior-year tax return as a checklist,” Long said. But keep in mind that you may need fewer or more tax forms this season, depending on your situation. Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO Source link #tax #return #trigger #audit #key #tax #forms Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Caroline Kennedy urges senators to vote against cousin RFK Jr Caroline Kennedy urges senators to vote against cousin RFK Jr Caroline Kennedy – the cousin of Robert F Kennedy Jr – has urged US senators to reject her cousin as America’s next health and human services secretary in a scathing letter released on Tuesday. The message, shared through social media, was sent to senators ahead of RFK Jr’s questioning by senators on Wednesday in what could prove a contentious first confirmation hearing. “I have known Bobby my whole life; we grew up together,” she wrote. “It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator.” Caroline Kennedy added that her cousin’s views on vaccines disqualify him from the role of being one of America’s leading health policymakers. RFK Jr has yet to respond. In the message – published in video form online and sent to senators in a letter – Caroline Kennedy said her decision to speak out was prompted by her concerns about the high-profile role he could have in the Trump administration if confirmed. The president, by contrast, has vowed that his nominee will “make America great and healthy again” by restoring US health agencies to “the traditions of gold standard scientific research”. The health and human services secretary oversees agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the latter of which has some 18,000 employees. “He lacks any relevant government, financial, management, or medical experience,” Caroline Kennedy said. “His views on vaccines are dangerous and wilfully misinformed.” RFK Jr has long been a vaccine sceptic and has baselessly claimed there is a link between vaccines and autism. He has, however, recently said jabs are “not going to be taken away from anybody” – and that his aim is to improve the science on vaccine safety, which he believes has “huge deficits”. He could face questions from senators in Wednesday’s hearing about this topic, and his plans for targeting junk food – an issue on which he has wider public support. Explaining her “predator” comment, Caroline Kennedy alleged that “Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his own kids while building a following, hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs”. RFK Jr has previously been quoted saying he would “pay anything” to turn back time and not vaccinate his own children. Raising further concerns about RFK Jr’s “personal qualities”, Caroline Kennedy claimed her cousin “encouraged” siblings and cousins “down the path of substance abuse”. RFK Jr has publicly spoke about his past struggle with drug addiction including heroin use. He plead guilty to bringing heroin onto a plane in 1984. The letter also makes an historical claim of animal cruelty against RFK Jr. “His basement, his garage, and his dorm room were the centres of the action where drugs were available, and he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in the blender to feed his hawks,” Caroline Kennedy wrote. “It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence.” Caroline Kennedy – a former US ambassador to Australia and Japan – also said both her father, former President John F Kennedy, and her uncle Robert Kennedy, would be “disgusted” by her cousin’s actions. RFK Jr briefly ran for president last year as an independent after initially launching a Democratic primary bid. He eventually suspended his campaign, endorsing Trump. Source link #Caroline #Kennedy #urges #senators #vote #cousin #RFK Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Latest No Man’s Sky Worlds Part 2 Update Adds Latest No Man’s Sky Worlds Part 2 Update Adds No Man’s Sky has received its latest major update, Update 5.5 also known as Worlds Part 2. This new update for the game sees the addition of new planets, new stars, and a new story. “The algorithm of the universe has evolved to generate beautiful new mountains, deep valleys, and sprawling plains on untouched planets, waiting to be discovered,” developer Hello Games wrote. With Worlds Part 2, a new class of star has appeared as well as new purple-class solar systems that include “countless new worlds”. Worlds Part II Gas Giants New Terrain Lighting Overhaul Inventory Sorting New Solar Systems Deep Oceans New Biomes Weather Hazards Starship Archiving Abandoned Mode Deep Sea Creatures Dynamic Water Improved Cooking Evolving story Titan Expedition Aside from the new stars and planets also comes a new story for players to experience. The new narrative-driven mission “deepens the lore of the universe and expands upon the story of Atlas, Atlantid, and the robotic Autophage lifeforms.” Other big new features with the update include deep oceans with new underwater biomes, better inventory sorting with the push of a button, a new “abandoned” mode that removes all alien life from the game, dynamic weather hazards, and more. You can check out the extensive list of new features and fixes via the game’s official website. Are you excited to check out the No Man’s Sky Worlds Part 2 update? Let us know down below, and join more discussions in the official Insider Gaming forums. For more Insider Gaming, read about why the new story DLC for The Division 2 was delayed and what studio is working with The Coalition on Gears of War: E-Day. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter. SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Latest #Mans #Sky #Worlds #Part #Update #Adds Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Experience the ******’: 3 Innovators Using Games, Comics, and Videos to Reach Next Generation ‘Experience the ******’: 3 Innovators Using Games, Comics, and Videos to Reach Next Generation The search persists for innovative best practices and strategies to reach young Americans who are statistically less likely to believe in God and Christianity — yet appear quite open to the Gospel. Some companies have found success by creating specific faith-based content directed at Generations Z and Alpha. In fact, The Action ******, a popular comic book-style retelling of scripture, has sold 4 million copies — and counting. Brock Eastman, branding director for the project, believes the book’s popularity sheds light on young people’s evolving ****** engagement. “We like to think about … bringing the ****** to life in a different way for this generation, specifically, who is involved with graphic novels,” he recently told The 700 Club. “This ****** appeals to them because they like that kind of, ‘Oh, I can see the images of the story moving and there’s a narrative.’ It’s a very inviting ******.” Others are on a similar mission. Arve Solli and his team at ****** X are currently developing Gate Zero, an immersive video game where players explore scripture. “We’re doing this to make the next generation able to experience the ******, and understand it, and also spend time with it,” he said. “We truly believe that in order to be saved and to understand the big hope that God has given us through Jesus … you have to spend time with it.” Solli believes it’s possible to entice Generations Z and Alpha to encounter Scripture by tweaking strategy and meeting them where they are in life. “Just as the printing press made the ****** accessible to the masses, young people, they don’t read anymore,” he said. “{I} truly believe that this can be a huge … help for young people to both understand it with their mind, but also with their heart.” And yet another company, TruPlay, uses technology to deliver games, comics, and videos to phones and tablets through an app. Founder Brent Dusing shared with The 700 Club his mission to reorient the content young people consume. “Everything we do contains God’s truth,” Dusing said. “It’s a faith-forward solution for families where kids are on screens 50 hours a week — and, most of the time, they’re playing games.” Dusing wants to infuse biblical truth into young minds by tapping into this reality. “Our vision is to change an entire generation right now,” he said. These companies are seizing the moment to do just that. During a time when ****** sales are surging and headlines indicate spiritual revivals, creatively engaging young people could help bridge divides and evangelize more effectively. Source link #Experience #****** #Innovators #Games #Comics #Videos #Reach #Generation Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

For Palisades High players, baseball offers normalcy amid a charred L.A. landscape For Palisades High players, baseball offers normalcy amid a charred L.A. landscape CHEVIOT HILLS, Calif. — The Palisades Charter High School J.V. baseball team huddled on the all-dirt infield of their temporary home, a makeshift venue for a displaced team. The playing surface and outfield grass were patchy and uneven. With no mound, its primary use was for softball. But it was what they had to work with. And the tragic circumstances — a fire that ravaged their school and city — that led them to this spot mattered little in that moment. What was important? The varsity captain, Ryan Hirschberg, was displeased with the junior varsity group’s effort and focus during their joint practice. “The only reason, J.V., that you had to run today, is that you weren’t paying attention,” Hirschberg told the team after practice had ended. “It’s not because we want to make you guys run. If we mess up, we’ll run too.” Hirschberg is running players-only practices until coaches are allowed to join in early February, and so he did his job. Scolded them for it, then watched as they all ran mandatory sprints past the outfield and onto an adjacent field. At that moment, this practice felt very serious. The consequences of failure felt legitimate. And there would be real punishments for not locking in on the purpose of their presence at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, a public park the city had permitted the team to use to prepare for their season. But in many ways, baseball didn’t matter. How could it for Ian Sullivan? A lefty pitcher whose home burned down, the fire taking with it all of his tangible childhood memories. How could it for Jett Teegardin? A junior infielder who visited his burned-down neighborhood a day later, before returning to the hotel that’s become a temporary home. Yet in this moment, baseball mattered more than anything because they wanted it to matter. The Palisades fire upended life for all 38 baseball players who populate the J.V. and varsity rosters. They’ve come together to support one another through a traumatic experience. They don’t know where they’ll play this year, or with what uniforms or equipment, but they are determined to field a team, have their season, and now, with added meaning, compete for a championship. Baseball, for them, is a brief escape from tragedy. But it is also a chance to do something for a community that desperately needs something to rally around. “Situations like this build character, and they show people who you are,” said Hirschberg, who has donated clothes, organized practice, started a GoFundMe that’s raised $13,000 and simply been a friend to teammates who need one. “People don’t get to see the best of you in the best of times. It’s the worst of times where you have to show people who you are.” On Tuesday, Jan. 7, a now infamous fire overtook the Palisades and other neighborhoods in Los Angeles. It killed dozens and destroyed thousands of homes, charring the lives and worldly possessions of everyone in its wake. The high school — which has been used as a set for films like “Freaky Friday” and shows like “Modern Family” — was significantly damaged. And while much of the baseball field remains intact, the surrounding area was heavily impacted. The facility is inaccessible. The uniforms and equipment within it are likely unusable. The area around Palisades Charter High School was heavily damaged. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Head coach Mike Voelkel doesn’t know where they’ll play home games this season — the hope is a mix of Loyola Marymount University, UCLA and other local colleges — but it doesn’t matter. His team will play every game on the road, if it comes to that. “I told the kids, I said, ‘We’re playing. I don’t care how,” Voelkel recalled. We’ll go get T-shirts if we have to. For recovery, for wellness. For the promotion of a young kid’s development. It’s important that you get back out there. “Some people have a tendency to dwell on it, or play the victim. Those are the kind of people that stay there, sometimes the rest of their lives. I was going to do everything I could to get our kids back on the field.” Voelkel, who lives south of the Palisades, remembers waking from a nap on the afternoon the fires began. He’d already received an email that morning instructing staff to not come ito work. His TV was tuned to Spectrum News, where he saw California governor Gavin Newsom in the Palisades on his screen. It was then he realized just how concerning the situation could become. He began contacting players and their families, many of whom were evacuating. A coach of 18 years, Voelkel had put so much emotional and physical labor into that team and facility. He spent that day not knowing if it would all be over. Classes at Pali High, as it’s known colloquially, have since shifted to being completely online. But the physical separation didn’t stop his team from immediately jumping into action to help each other. Voelkel’s wife, Norma, who works in real estate, started working to make sure everyone had a place to stay. Players were delivering supplies to their teammates. One player drove to the home of another who was out of town to collect essentials, in case the fire eventually got to them too. Major prominent companies and people started reaching out to offer supplies. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he and some players are planning to attend a practice in the near future. The team also donated baseballs. Cincinnati Reds pitcher and L.A. native Hunter Greene donated cleats. The Pali High basketball team received tickets to Los Angeles Lakers-Golden State Warriors from Steve Kerr, who is an alum. The support is appreciated; it doesn’t erase the trauma of having their season and lives turned upside down, the tragedy still playing out as this baseball team immediately works to rebuild. When they do take the field again, their new jerseys will have a “Pali Strong” patch stitched on them. Voelkel was asked what this season will mean, but cut off the question before it could be completed. “A victory,” he said flatly, so assured in the answer. “To take all of this stuff. To piece it together. To get our families taken care of. There’s so many things. I’d like to win games, I’m very competitive. But in this situation, you have to look at the whole. There are other things that far, far outweigh the winning.” The practice uniform on Jett Teegardin’s back was delivered to him days prior by Hirschberg. It’s one of the only sets of clothes he has. He packed to leave for two days max, believing he and his mom would have a home to return to soon. That night, they looked at their Ring doorbell camera and saw embers flying around the neighborhood. The next day, he returned to a home that no longer existed. Even the contents of their fireproof safe were destroyed. The neighbors he grew to love are now displaced with their community gone. “It’s very hard. You picture yourself in your house, your room, everything that’s gone,” Teegardin said. “I was a ****** donor baby. So I didn’t really have a father figure. I’m just trying to be there for my mom, mainly. Throughout every situation, I’ve always tried to be there for her. “Me talking to her to make sure she’s OK, makes me OK. Knowing she’s OK makes me 10 times better.” When Ian Sullivan thinks about what he’s lost, his mind goes to his game ******. The one he earned when he was 8 years old. The yearbooks, trophies, pins from his trip to Cooperstown, N.Y. — all the relics of his childhood. On the day he was ordered to evacuate, Sullivan thought the winds would blow the fire in the opposite direction. His parents were working, so he packed family photos, their cat and dog, then left, thinking it would be a short departure. Instead, a week after the fire, Sullivan and 12 of his friends from fifth grade met up at a friend’s house in Calabasas. Nearly all of their homes had been destroyed. The meet-up served as a chance to be together. “It’s a dark time right now, but light will always shine through the dark.,” he said. “The Palisades is going to be back. I feel like I’m not just playing for myself and my teammates, but I’m playing for my town, and my home.” After the fire, Sullivan and Teegardin sent a group text message to everyone on the team. They knew that teammates might be cautious around them, given their circumstances. Sending the text, they hoped, would break down that wall. “If this fire isn’t something to light your ****, to get you motivated to win this year, then I don’t know what is,” they wrote. The responses started flooding in. “Hell yeah,” one sent. People that never contributed before were co-signing the messages with encouragements of their own. “I think everyone’s more motivated than ever,” Teegardin said. “That was everyone’s spark to try their best. … We have to win now. We have to do this for us, and for our coach. “This fire, it’s brought us a lot closer.” It was a picturesque Wednesday afternoon, the sun just beginning to set over the practice, as a parkgoer approached the practice, curious about what was happening. This was a regular occurrence, according to the players. People were curious for more information about what they were dealing with. This man, with his dog, approached the gate separating the field and the sidewalk. He asked Sullivan, who was there rehabbing his injured arm, what team they were with. A conversation ensued — talk of the fire, lost homes and the upcoming season. The chit-chat was so relaxed and friendly, almost non-reflective of its subject matter. “Good luck,” he said to Sullivan. “It’s so horrible.” A father, Joe Stanley, had driven three of the players to practice. He sat, watching intently from the top row of the bleachers, donning a cap from the team. “I think it’s resilience and pride, definitely. These kids are like a family,” Stanley said. “They spend a lot of time together and are a tight-knit group. This is great. They need this.” There’s a feeling of normalcy to it all. But even amid that lull, these kids are keenly aware of their reality. Jude De Pastino, a junior, said that everyone on his team is experiencing trauma, even if they don’t feel it yet. Practice, he said, brings some normalcy. In the first four days after the fire, he was “in a state of shock.” He traveled into the Palisades with a group of friends who’d all lost their homes. Logan Bailey, a senior captain who did the same, said he saw live wires zapping in the street, with telephone poles burning down. He said it appeared almost surreally cinematic. “It’s beyond what you can imagine, pictures really don’t do it justice,” De Pastino said. “Our whole lives as we know it have quite literally been flattened.” The group huddled again, just before the sun fully set, after nearly three hours of practice. Parents’ cars started filling the parking lot, waiting to pick up their sons. This reprieve was special. It was needed, and it will continue almost daily until the season starts in late February. But for now, that reprieve was ending. And real life, scarier and more uncertain now than it’s ever been, was once again awaiting them. “This is one of those stories you tell on your deathbed,” Bailey said. “You can be as old as it gets, and it still never leaves your mind. It’s going to stick with everyone here, for the rest of their lives.” (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson, The Athletic; Photos: Josh Edelson / AF via Getty Images, Sam Blum) Source link #Palisades #High #players #baseball #offers #normalcy #charred #L.A #landscape Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Mutant Cyanobacterium Chonkus Could Help Combat Climate Change with Carbon Storage Mutant Cyanobacterium Chonkus Could Help Combat Climate Change with Carbon Storage A mutant strain of cyanobacterium, nicknamed “Chonkus,” has been identified by researchers as a promising candidate for combating climate change. Found in shallow waters near Vulcano Island off Italy, this microbe demonstrates unique traits that make it highly efficient at absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Chonkus grows larger than other cyanobacteria, stores significant amounts of carbon, and sinks rapidly, potentially transferring captured carbon to the ocean floor. These properties may enhance carbon storage and reduce atmospheric levels. Key Findings About Chonkus According to a study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Chonkus was discovered in waters enriched with volcanic gases, a result of carbon dioxide seepage. It was identified as a mutant strain of Synechococcus elongatus, a fast-growing photosynthetic cyanobacterium. The research team, led by Max Schubert, a microbiologist formerly with the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, found that the microbe grows into larger colonies and has dense white granules that store carbon. During experiments, it was observed that Chonkus cells are heavier than other cyanobacteria. When placed in test tubes, the cells settled to the bottom much faster, forming a dense green sludge. This trait makes it a strong candidate for use in carbon sequestration efforts, as it could transfer atmospheric carbon to the ocean floor more effectively than other microorganisms. Potential Role in Carbon Sequestration As per a report by Science News Explore, the discovery suggests that ocean-floor environments with high carbon dioxide seepage might host additional organisms with similar capabilities. By sinking rapidly after absorbing atmospheric carbon, Chonkus cells could provide a mechanism to lock away carbon in ocean sediments. Researchers believe that further exploration of such environments could uncover more microorganisms that might contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change. The findings indicate that even tiny organisms like Chonkus could play a significant role in global efforts to address the challenges of rising carbon dioxide levels. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. *** to Dispose of 140 Tonnes of Radioactive Plutonium at Sellafield for Long-Term Safety Revolver Rita OTT Release Reportedly Revealed Online: Everything You Need to Know Source link #Mutant #Cyanobacterium #Chonkus #Combat #Climate #Change #Carbon #Storage Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

London student denies drugging and raping 10 women London student denies drugging and raping 10 women Daniel Sandford Home Affairs Correspondent, BBC News Julia Quenzler Zhenhao Zou, a ******** PhD student, is accused of carrying out the offences between 2019 and 2024 A PhD student who was studying in the *** appears to be “a smart and charming young man” but is in fact “a persistent ******* predator, a voyeur and a *******”, a jury has been told. Zhenhao Zou, a ******** national, is on trial at Inner London Crown Court accused of drugging and raping 10 women. The substances alleged to be involved in the offences are MDMA, butanediol, ketamine and alprazolam, which is also known under the brand name Xanax. The 27-year-old denies all 35 charges he faces including 11 counts of *****, three counts of voyeurism, 12 of possession of extreme ************, one of false imprisonment and eight of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply. The court heard Mr Zhenhao, from Elephant and Castle in south London, first came to the *** from China in September 2017 to study at Queen’s University in Belfast and also studied for a master’s degree at University College London from 2019 through to 2021 before beginning a PhD at the same university. Outlining the prosecution’s case, Catherine Farrelly KC said the accused was “a persistent ******* predator; a voyeur and a *******”. “To the outside world, he undoubtedly presents as a smart and charming young man,” Ms Farrelly told the court. “The prosecution case at this trial is that he would meet women, he would stupefy them, either with drugs or with alcohol, and, once they were significantly under the influence of those drinks or drugs, he would then ***** them.” Julia Quenzler Catherine Farrelly KC told jurors that several recordings would be shown during the trial – which she described as “the defendant’s souvenirs of many rapes” Ms Farrelly explained to the jury several recordings would be shown during the trial, which the prosecution alleges were “the defendant’s souvenirs of many rapes that he had committed; items that he kept for his own private ******* gratification so that he could watch, at his leisure, his rapes of these women who he had rendered unconscious and totally vulnerable to his will”. She added “most of the rapes in this case were only discovered by police after they had attended the defendant’s home address, searched it, seized various items from it and then examined them”. Police have identified two of the alleged victims but not the remaining eight, the court was told. It is claimed that there are video recordings relating to nine of the 10 alleged ***** victims, for which Zou is charged with possessing extreme pornographic images. The jury heard there were also two other recordings in which the male involved cannot be identified. The trial continues. Source link #London #student #denies #drugging #raping #women Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Notre Dame’s Kate Koval is a rising star in college basketball and a daughter of war-torn Ukraine Notre Dame’s Kate Koval is a rising star in college basketball and a daughter of war-torn Ukraine SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Through warmups and the game, the cell phone sat on the team’s bench. In the small gym in Brookville, N.Y., Long Island, no opponent could match Kate Koval that February night. Her coach yelled to her, calling the plays, and Koval instinctively reacted. Her body was on the court, but her mind was elsewhere. She repeatedly glanced at the bench to see if the phone had lit up or vibrated. She heard all the sounds of the gym — shoes squeaking, buzzers, whistles, fans — but all she focused on was a ring from the sideline. A timeout from her coach. A voice on the other end of the call. Before the game, her coach, Christina Raiti, had asked the opposing coach and head referee to make an exception to the rules and allow the phone on the sideline. They all agreed and said she could call a timeout — no matter which team had possession — if it rang. They all hoped it would. But it remained on the bench. Silent. That morning, Koval had woken around 5 and received a call from her mother, Natalia. She and Kate’s father were OK, her mom emphasized as she rushed around the apartment, preparing to evacuate Kyiv, Ukraine. They would call later when they could. Koval’s parents lived near the city center, not far from the main government buildings. Hours before, at dawn on Feb. 24, 2022, Russia had invaded Ukraine. Explosions had been reported across the country, from Kyiv to Chernihiv to Odesa. Leading up to the invasion, Koval assured her friends in New York, where she had lived for the past five months pursuing her basketball career, that the mounting threats weren’t unusual. Since late 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin had been massing Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. Russia had long held a presence in Ukraine. But this was different. When her parents had called that morning, her dad, Oleksandr, said that once they got to safety, they’d try to watch a live stream of her game that night. She reminded herself of that throughout the day as images of bombed Ukrainian cities and casualty counts — military and civilian — rolled in. Surely, Koval thought, if her dad had basketball on his mind, things couldn’t be that bad. Throughout the day, she called and texted her parents, but her messages were left unanswered — or maybe they hadn’t even gone through, she thought. When she arrived at the gym, almost 12 hours had passed since Koval had heard from her parents. When Raiti suggested canceling the game, Koval was incredulous. She couldn’t stomach the idea that her parents, possibly sitting in a bomb shelter while their country was under attack, wouldn’t be able to see her. She didn’t know if they were OK, but if they could check her game, she wanted them to see that she was. So, Koval played. And the phone sat on the bench throughout the game, waiting for a call that didn’t come. In 2021, when Koval was 15 and living in Kyiv, she was reaching a limit. She had competed with Ukraine’s youth national teams since she was 12, playing up two to three years, and with a club team that traveled internationally. Oleksandr had been the one who helped push her sports dreams. As a child, she split her time between ballet and basketball, but when adolescence hit, she chose the hardwood. Oleksandr read up on nutrition and weight training to help his daughter excel. He helped with her mental approach, too. “He could’ve been a psychologist if he wanted,” Koval said. She understood her best path to the WNBA went through a U.S. college. At 6 feet 2 (and still growing), she had maximized her development in Ukraine. The Kovals began researching schools where she could get a jump-start on the American basketball experience. In four years, she’d become a key player on a Notre Dame team eyeing a national title, but in the spring of 2021, she was just an unknown entity in a country un-renowned for producing women’s basketball talent. A scout had sent video of Koval to Raiti, the Long Island Lutheran High (LuHi) coach. The program was solid in the Northeast, but Raiti sought more talent to make it a national power. Koval, Raiti knew, could change LuHi’s trajectory. On a video call Raiti had arranged with Koval and her parents, Oleksandr peppered Raiti with questions about LuHi’s academics and his daughter’s potential living arrangements. Oleksandr and Natalia had advanced degrees and supported their daughter’s WNBA dream, but they also wanted to ensure it didn’t impede her pursuit of a neuroscience major. Raiti assured them Koval would have the best of both worlds at LuHi. By August 2021, Koval was on a plane to JFK. With her mom and grandma helping, she moved in with her host mom, Islande Blaise, in Queens. Koval and her family met Raiti for dinner in the city one night. Koval said little, but as they left the restaurant, she pulled Raiti aside and said: “I’m ready for this. They’re the ones who are nervous,” motioning to her mom and grandma. Koval’s transition to New York was rocky. Her classmates and teachers spoke too quickly (“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, my textbook English is not helping,” Koval said), and like any new kid, making friends was daunting. In basketball, the American game proved faster and more physical. The coaches pushed her to her limits in practice. “She was quiet at first, very quiet, just taking it all in,” Raiti said. “But she really started to let her personality shine through a bit.” By age 15, Kate Koval had her sights set on playing basketball for a U.S. college. (Cameron Browne / NBAE via Getty Images) When Koval thinks back to before the war, what she remembers most is her grandmother’s house outside of Kyiv. The yellow home, the pool in the backyard, the gate that opens to the forest behind the house. She thinks of summers walking the dirt paths between the pines and poplars and of winters by the fire, eating her grandmother’s borscht. She recalls Christmases when she and her two brothers would play with their new toys in the basement as the adults played cards and drank upstairs. Though the rest of the house was immaculately decorated for the holidays, the basement was bare, save for an undecorated Christmas tree in the corner. When she was little, Koval would steal ornaments off the tree upstairs so the basement could be festive, too. Koval’s parents grew up in Ukraine. Their parents were born in Ukraine. Their parents’ parents were born in Ukraine. Through generations, family holidays have always been an important time for everyone to be together. When the Koval kids’ playing would devolve into arguments, Oleksandr — the family disciplinarian — would go down to the basement and tell them to solve their issues on their own. But, Koval said, his discipline always came with a deeper meaning and message. It wasn’t about the fight; it was about the resolution. Mostly, it was about family. “He would always say, ‘When me and your mom are gone, you guys are the only thing you will have,’” Koval said. “‘You guys can fight. You guys can not talk for weeks, but this sibling blood is something that you will not be able to replace. Your friends will come and go, but you know you will always have your two brothers no matter what.’” He would go back upstairs, and the three kids would hash it out. On the day of her game at LuHi, when she couldn’t get ahold of her parents, Koval found herself thinking back to those holidays. Her family. The food. The sound of a house full of laughter and love. And she thought about the basement. Throughout her life, it had been a playroom, an office, a storage room. But it served a vital purpose as well. In the event of air strikes, the concrete basement could act as a bomb shelter, too. When the call finally came, it was from Natalia. Koval was back in Queens by then, waiting in her new home, scrolling her phone for updates on her old city. Her parents had safely evacuated and fled to Kate’s grandma’s house. They had huddled in the familiar basement, but things were quiet for now. It was OK, Natalia assured her daughter. It was morning in Kyiv, and — as the Kovals rightly assumed — nighttime would be the most dangerous time in this war. “Kate and her brothers were nervous, and they were shocked. But you know, I think that they were afraid more than we were,” Natalia said. “When you are already in the middle of these events, it is not so scary as from (the) outside.” Natalia and Oleksandr told Kate they were most grateful they didn’t need to worry about the safety of their children, who were all living in the U.S. In the coming days, Blaise and Raiti did their best to shelter Koval from the news, but images of Ukraine were impossible to avoid. They were in newspapers and all over social media. Koval saw reporters in front of familiar buildings and parks. In the first week of the war, the gym where she learned to play basketball was bombed. Days later, Kate received word that her friend Nastia was fatally shot while trying to flee to Slovakia. “You will not feel the pain of it until you really lose somebody who you’ve known to the war,” Koval said. “That definitely made it more real for me.” From 5,000 miles away, every update felt like a shock wave through her body. As she went through her daily life, attending classes and playing basketball, it often manifested as guilt. “I was just blaming myself,” Koval said. “Why am I here and my family is over there? Why am I safe and my family has to go through all that?” The trip from Koval’s home in Queens to her school in Long Island took roughly two hours, sometimes more. She’d listen to music, do homework and call her parents in Kyiv. They wanted to know how she was acclimating, how she was eating, how basketball was going. Koval wanted to know what her parents had been up to, how her grandparents (adamant about staying in Ukraine) were doing, how her cat was faring without her. Before the war, these conversations were relaxed. Afterward, the tone changed. She’d count the number of rings until they picked up. Shortly after the Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decreed men ages 18 to 60 could not leave the country. That included Oleksandr, then 48. After high school, he had attended Ukraine’s top military school and became an air-force engineer. Following retirement from the military, he earned a law degree before settling into life as a businessman. Since then, he had been running the family business, a medical testing company, where Koval’s mother worked as an accountant. Koval understood that her dad couldn’t leave the country, that he was honored to enlist in the war efforts and return to his roots in aviation engineering. But she initially begged him to find a way out. “He told her that every man should protect his home, his land, his country, and this is normal, and this is obvious,” Natalia said. “As she is Ukrainian, she understood.” As the war carried on in Ukraine, and in what felt like a blessing to Koval’s parents, their daughter’s college recruitment heated up. It gave them a lot to talk about in those daily calls right around Oleksandr’s lunch breaks. What schools was she hearing from? What did she think of the coaches? How were the academics? In her second year at LuHi, the program was becoming a national power. Nearly every power conference school wanted Koval — now a 6-5 forward and top-10 recruit, considered the best post in her class. As coaches called, Koval made clear that she needed a place to call home, a team that felt like a family. Every recruit says this, but those words meant something different to Koval. Her family had been torn apart, and she wasn’t sure she would ever see the apartment she called “home” again. “I don’t have my family by my side all the time, so I need to be in a place that feels like home,” Koval said. “I didn’t want to go to a huge school when you’re just gonna be a number.” That summer, after playing in Hungary with the U18 Ukrainian 3×3 team, she and her brother bused to Kyiv to visit their dad. Since the war, she had seen him only once, when he traveled on a short-term permit to celebrate Christmas with the family in Canada, where Natalia now lived on a visa to be closer to her children in the U.S. Nearly two years had passed since Koval had been to Ukraine, more than a year since the war began. Most of her friends had left. Air-raid sirens blared through the city nearly nightly. She hunkered in bomb shelters with her cousins some nights until it was safe to go home. During the day, life seemed … normal. She enjoyed coffee in the city, walked the streets with her dad and brother and played with her cat. When Koval returned to New York, she reflected on the limited time she recently had with family. It clarified what she wanted most in a college. Less than two months after visiting Ukraine, Koval chose Notre Dame. In an emotional ceremony at LuHi, she thanked her family, her coaches, her teammates and the community. She then stood and unbuttoned her varsity jacket to reveal a Notre Dame sweatshirt. “It felt like home,” she said. Koval couldn’t sleep. Her dad was on a flight to South Bend. She had planned a proper American college weekend: a campus tour, a Fighting Irish football game, tailgating, family meals. Notre Dame basketball coach Niele Ivey called it “Oleksandr’s official visit.” Koval had come to campus that summer as an early enrollee. Now, the Irish were on the brink of the 2024-25 season. Oleksandr, Natalia and Natalia’s mother wanted to see Kate’s life in her new home. They cooked her favorite borscht and walked her to classes. (Oleksandr was thrilled she stuck to her neuroscience plans.) Ivey invited them to dinner at her home. Oleksandr said little but asked Natalia to translate a message for Ivey: I see why Kate chose Notre Dame. “She’s really found a home here in South Bend,” Ivey said. “For somebody that young to carry that much responsibility and be strong with what she does. … She never complains. I know that has to be hard for her — her family, just the last five years of her life — carrying that in her heart.” Kate Koval, a freshman who leads No. 3 Notre Dame with 2.5 blocks per game, has found a home with the Irish. (Cal Sport Media via AP Images) After a week, Oleksandr returned to Kyiv, where he continues to serve in the military. Koval talks to her dad every day. He hounds her about her studies, the Irish’s season (they’re 17-2 and ranked No. 3) and her basketball progress. He looks forward to these calls as much as she does. It’s a sign of normalcy for him, too. When he talks about his daughter, he can go on and on. “I just can’t be brief,” Oleksandr said. He’s proud she has pursued choices that require sacrifice; it means she’s preparing for the future — a similarity he notices between himself and Kate. When their calls end, it’s hard for Kate to keep from imagining what life might be like when the war ends, when her dad can visit any time and she can return to Kyiv whenever she feels homesick. She prays this is on the horizon. “Having my family just like come together back to my grandma’s house for a nice Christmas dinner,” Koval said. “Every day, it’s in my prayer … just seeing families get restored and families being brought back together. “Dads coming back to their kids and their wives.” For now, they’ll wait for the phone to ring every day, to see each other’s name on the caller ID and hear the voice on the other end of the line. — This story was also reported from Long Island, N.Y. (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Courtesy of the Koval family, Cal Sport Media via AP Images, Spencer Platt / Getty Images, Joe Robbins / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Courtesy of Fighting Irish Media) Source link #Notre #Dames #Kate #Koval #rising #star #college #basketball #daughter #wartorn #Ukraine Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Call Of Duty TMNT Crossover Could Be Coming Call Of Duty TMNT Crossover Could Be Coming Call of Duty’s next big licensed crossover collaboration might be with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. When ****** Ops 6’s big new Season 2 update went live on January 28, dataminers immediately went to work digging through the files in search of future content, and they found a lot. Among the findings by realityuk and HeyImAlaix were apparent references to an upcoming TMNT collaboration. There isn’t much to go on at this stage, and no operators skins or bundle items have been published as of yet. But rumors have swirled for months that a TMNT crossover was coming to ****** Ops 6. In terms of confirmed crossovers for ****** Ops 6 and Warzone, the next big one is The Terminator, which is coming later in Season 2. Before this, Activision partnered with brands, franchises, and people, including Squid Game, Snoop Dogg, Messi, Rambo, and John McClane, among many others. The Season 2 update for ****** Ops 6 and Warzone introduced new maps, Operators, guns, modes, and more. For lots more, be sure to check out the gallery below that runs through all the new content. Dataminers discovered lots of upcoming Call of Duty content, including what could be Call of Duty’s most expensive DLC bundle ever. Another leak revealed a new weapon that turns you into a viral streamer with chat open. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest on what’s next for Call of Duty, including a new Call of Duty game expected to release later this year. Outside of Call of Duty, another popular game, Destiny 2, is getting a crossover collaboration with Star Wars in February. Source link #Call #Duty #TMNT #Crossover #Coming Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

This AI coffee machine uses Google Cloud to tailor your beverages – and you can buy it from Amazon today This AI coffee machine uses Google Cloud to tailor your beverages – and you can buy it from Amazon today The GE Profile Smart Grind & Brew is a drip coffee maker with an AI assistant The assistant can adjust brewing settings based on the questions you ask It’s available to buy now from Amazon for $379 (about £300 / AU$600) Just how smart can a filter coffee machine really be? Very smart indeed, it turns out. GE Profile (the premium division of GE Appliances) has just launched the Smart Grind & Brew – a drip machine that uses Google Cloud AI to help you brew the perfect cup each morning. The GE Profile Smart Grind & Brew is a slim machine with a built-in conical burr grinder, which means you can enjoy freshly-ground coffee without investing in (and finding space for) two appliances. It also minimizes potential mess because the ground coffee falls directly into the brew basket at the correct dosage, with no weighing or transferring. The machine also has a built-in water filter, so you can use water directly from the tap without it affecting the flavor of your drink, and helping you get a more consistent taste. Another particularly nice feature is the inclusion of a removable brewing stand (the part that holds the jug or cup) so the machine can dispense coffee directly into a travel mug. Combined with the built-in timer, this would make it easy to have a fresh filter coffee to take to work, minimizing the risk of caving to temptation and buying a takeaway coffee en route. The GE Profile Smart Grind & Brew has an adjustable stainless steel conical burr grinder (Image credit: GE Appliances) What really makes the Smart Grind & Brew different to the best drip coffee makers we’ve tested, however, is the SmartHQ AI Coffee Assistant, which is due to roll out to the machine with a software update very soon. This lets you control the machine remotely using the SmartHQ smart home app, and have a “conversational AI experience” with the assistant. It also enables you to create custom profiles, receive real-time brewing feedback, and “is equipped with intuitive learning that automatically adjusts brewing based on questions asked.” SmartHQ will also let you add your coffee maker to your Amazon Alexa or Google Home smart hub, so you can operate it with voice controls. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. So far, so smart It all sounds very impressive, and the GE Profile Smart Grind & Brew is available to buy now from Amazon for $379 (about £300 / AU$600), which seems to be typical for a connected drip coffee machine. Is there a catch? Well, although it has an insulated carafe, GE Profile doesn’t mention the machine having a hotplate to keep your brewed coffee warm until you’re ready for your next cup. That’s the same problem I found with another high-tech drip machine I tested recently: the Fellow Aiden Precision Drip Coffee Maker. Although the Aiden could brew an excellent drink, its double-wall insulated carafe just didn’t keep it warm long enough without a heat source underneath. Hopefully that won’t be quite so much of a problem with the Smart Grind & Brew, which (unlike the Aiden) is capable of dispensing coffee into other vessels, such as an insulated bottle, which will keep it at a drinkable temperature longer. You might also like Source link #coffee #machine #Google #Cloud #tailor #beverages #buy #Amazon #today Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Superb week for Southern Scorpions but sole loss prevents them making grand final appearance at country week Superb week for Southern Scorpions but sole loss prevents them making grand final appearance at country week The Southern Scorpions have shone on the women’s country week stage, narrowing missing out on a grand final berth after losing only one match in their 2025 campaign. Source link #Superb #week #Southern #Scorpions #sole #loss #prevents #making #grand #final #appearance #country #week Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Backup QB, high school coach, neighborhood hero: Teddy Bridgewater embraces all of his roles Backup QB, high school coach, neighborhood hero: Teddy Bridgewater embraces all of his roles The scar runs about 10 inches, to the left of his kneecap from his thigh to his shin. It crosses through a tattoo of intersecting signs that read “Bunche Park” and “Liberty City.” It’s a reminder of what many would assume was the worst day of Teddy Bridgewater’s life. Bridgewater was 23, emerging as the Minnesota Vikings’ franchise quarterback as the 2016 season approached. He’d led the Vikings to an 11-5 record, an NFC North title and had been chosen for the Pro Bowl the previous season. Then, during a practice two weeks before the season opener, without contact, his knee dislocated. The surgeon who reconstructed the ACL, repaired five lateral ligaments and transplanted a hamstring tendon on the side of his knee told ESPN it was a “horribly grotesque injury” and compared it to a war wound. Could he play again? The better question at the time: Could he walk again? The injury was severe enough that amputation was a possibility. Fifteen months later, however, he took the last five snaps of a blowout victory. Now, eight-and-a-half years, six NFL teams, 37 starts and two sons later, Bridgewater is approaching the twilight of one career and the dawn of another. In December 2023, Bridgewater announced he’d retire from the NFL at the end of that season. He returned to the high school he attended, Miami Northwestern, as head football coach. A little more than a month ago, the day after Christmas, he came out of retirement and signed with the Lions. Bridgewater looks down at the scar. It doesn’t bring flashbacks of pain or trauma. He feels no self-pity, doesn’t dwell on opportunities lost. “I’m thankful it happened,” he says, with doe eyes and a little boy smile. “It made me take a step back and allowed God to build me the way he wanted to. Being injured taught me patience and gave me understanding.” Dan Campbell, who was an assistant in New Orleans when Bridgewater played there, had to have him in Detroit. “He doesn’t accept excuses or impossibilities,” Campbell said. “For him, there’s always a better way. You make the most of any opportunity. He’s lived it. He’s been told he’d never play again. He’s been cast aside and told he wasn’t good enough, yet through it all, he’s still standing tall.” Scars can reveal a lot about people. The Florida Dairy Farmer’s Coach of the Year held up a ****** jacket with leather sleeves. On the back of the coat, a yellow patch with blue letters read “STATE CHAMPIONS.” Miami Northwestern finished 4-6 the year before Bridgewater took over. In 2024, they started 2-2, then won their last 10 games and the 3A state championship. Bridgewater, meeting with his team in the school auditorium, needed players to determine what sizes they wanted. “If you are a young guy and you fit into a medium jacket, you might want to get a large,” he said in front of the group. “You are going to grow.” Their growth. It’s the reason he is here. Their Liberty City neighborhood was his neighborhood — it still is. Everyone there knows who he is, as you might expect. But he knows who everyone else is. Then, and now, he orders lunch from Miracle Fry Conchfritters, the walk-up restaurant in the middle of a parking lot that passes the taste test, if not the eye. He still hangs at his grandad’s place, which is not far away. Granddad is gone, but the memories live. “It’s a special place,” Bridgewater says. “I sit on the porch with my uncles and cousins and we laugh at the same old stories. It’s a place I could always go and have a good time even if you were kicked out of the house or were late on rent and got evicted.” He was always different from his three older siblings, who took paths that did not please their single mother, Rose. At the age of 8, Bridgewater learned to take a 40-minute bus ride by himself from Liberty City to Bunche Park to play football. When he was 15 and Rose was diagnosed with breast *******, he tried to quit football to take care of her. She wouldn’t let him. On the field, the thought of giving her a better life inspired him; he became the sixth-highest-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the country, according to Rivals. Off of it, he mowed lawns and washed cars to contribute to bills, and moved to the bedroom closest to hers so he could help her during the night. Bridgewater never had designs on coaching. He only started to think about it during the later stages of his playing career. For him, coaching wasn’t about staying connected to the game as much as staying connected to a place. In December, Miami Northwestern celebrated a state title. (Chet Peterman / Palm Beach Post via Imagn Images) Before this season, he drew interest as a backup QB from six NFL teams. He could have been making significant money — instead, he chose to spend it. Miami Northwestern pays the head football coach a $5,000 stipend, but Bridgewater agreed to give the stipend to a math teacher. He paid out of pocket to provide luxuries his players never experienced, including a cold tub, sauna and massages. He brought in barbers and a chef who cooked healthy pregame meals. Bridgewater began the season with an old-school NFL-style training camp. For five nights, the kids stayed at the school, isolated from the temptations of their worlds. They slept in sleeping bags on the gym floor while he slept on a small cot. He paid for three squares and a snack daily for more than 70 players (at a cost of $3,500 per day). With all the together time, he learned who they were, asking about their families and homes, competing against them in “EA Sports College Football 25” and “Madden,” joining their dodgeball and basketball games. It wasn’t all giggles, though. There were 6 a.m. lifts and demanding practices. And there were consequences. The first night, horseplay ended with hot sauce in one kid’s eye. When Bridgewater was told at 2:30 a.m., he woke everyone and had them run stairs and do elbow and toe crawls on a wet field. “Coach Teddy was not going to play,” says Keith Brown, his defensive coordinator. That was evident in their practices. There was no music. His players went 11-on-11 with pads and tackling every day through the playoffs. He expanded the coaching staff from seven to 24. “So now, the kids who usually stand on the sideline and kick rocks, play with each other’s helmets and throw water on each other are getting attention from coaches,” Bridgewater says. He installed an offense unlike any being run at a Florida high school, influenced by Bridgewater’s time with NFL coaches Campbell, Ben Johnson, Sean Payton, Joe Brady, Norv Turner and others. He wanted to be more than a coach — he wanted to be an example. Bridgewater was first in and last out. He carried a notebook and pencil everywhere and made sure each player did the same. When he took over the Bulls, Bridgewater saw so much athleticism and speed on his team. But he also saw desperation and hopelessness. A good coach, he knew, could change that. “These players think, ‘He made it out of Miami Northwestern, and so can I,’” says Brown, who played youth football with Bridgewater and left a rival high school to work on his staff. Bridgewater’s coaching style, centered around encouragement, resonated with players like defensive end Deangelo Thompson Jr., who transferred to Miami Northwestern last summer shortly after losing both of his parents. “Mentally, I was not good,” Thompson says. “I was ready to stop playing football. Coach Teddy took me in and showed me genuine love. Those were dark times and he showed me light. He made me a part of his family and changed my life. I’ll love Coach Teddy forever.” Thompson had 14 sacks last season and earned a scholarship to Syracuse. Bridgewater, who believes his athletic ability is the same as before his knee injury, played scout-team quarterback every practice. “That helped the defense a lot because he’s making throws high school quarterbacks can’t make and seeing reads much faster,” Brown says. Having Bridgewater play quarterback in practice was also beneficial to Leon Strawder. It was Strawder’s first year as the starting quarterback and before spring practices, “nobody believed he could get the job done,” according to receivers coach Craig Wilkins. Bridgewater made Strawder his project, working at Bunche Park, where the football field was named Bridgewater Field in 2023. Wilkins says by the end of the season, Strawder was making reads and throws much faster. The proof was in his 41 passing touchdowns. “It was a blessing to have Coach Teddy as my coach,” says Strawder, a junior. “He saw something in me and wanted to bring it out.” In the Lions’ playoff loss to the Commanders, Bridgewater played three snaps, completing a pass and handing off on a reverse that went for a 61-yard touchdown. He signed with Detroit with the hope of doing something no one ever has done — win a championship in high school and the NFL in the same season. Getting knocked out of the playoffs in the divisional round was disappointing, but Bridgewater, better than most, keeps perspective. He said the best part about being back with the Lions was helping young teammates. While Bridgewater was coaching, he and Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams talked on the phone frequently, reviewing their games. After Bridgewater joined the team, they sat next to one another in offensive and team meetings. “His vibe and personality takes not just me but everybody to another level,” Williams says. “Everyone sees how he has been in certain situations, how he’s always come out of everything and always has kept his head up high.” Bridgewater doesn’t need much sleep — he said two or three hours a night will do — so during offseasons, he sometimes worked out while many in the neighborhood were still hanging out. When Maurice Alexander was a teenager, he was willing to catch Bridgewater’s 4 a.m. passes at Bunche Park. In 2023, Alexander and Bridgewater were teammates on the Lions. After Alexander was cut at the end of training camp last August, Bridgewater invited him back to Bunche Park so Alexander could be ready for his next opportunity. The Lions called him back in November. Alexander, like Williams, considers Bridgewater a big brother. “He helped me in every way possible, with advice, emotionally, physically and financially,” Alexander says. “He’s someone I look up to and love dearly. He’s just a good soul to be around, and he rubs off on everybody.” The Lions designated Bridgewater a backup quarterback, but really, he was a life coach. Some of his Lions teammates called him “Coach Teddy,” just like his players at Miami Northwestern. His locker wasn’t with the other quarterbacks’ — it was with the defensive backs. After one game, he told cornerback Amik Robertson his presnap stance was inviting the quarterback to attack him with a fade route. Bridgewater suggested an alteration that would limit a quarterback’s options. Bridgewater, playing quarterback on the scout team, helped the defense as much as he helped the offense. “He tears up the defense and makes sure it’s getting better,” Williams says. “He’s not tripping about throwing 300 yards in a game. He focused on winning.” That includes at the locker room card table. As he played games with the Bulls, he played games with the Lions — usually Tonk. And he raised the level of competition. Bridgewater the coach and Bridgewater the quarterback aren’t very different. “Teddy is the type of person who uplifts everyone around him,” Campbell says. “He elevates the human being, player and coach in all of us.” “I was placed here to serve,” he says. “Serve God, but also be a humble servant to others. I have a giving spirit and always want to pour into people.” Bridgewater’s time with the Lions is over — for now. He plans to coach Miami Northwestern in the fall. But he says he will not announce his retirement from the NFL, as he did a year ago. He’s keeping open the possibility of playing again. Bridgewater is at home at Miami Northwestern High School, his alma mater. (Dan Pompei / The Athletic) Bridgewater loves to dance. He was known for busting moves in locker rooms after big wins. Before he became Miami Northwestern’s coach, he attended one of their games and joined a routine with the cheerleaders. “When you dance and smile, you give off vibrations and energy and can brighten someone’s day,” he says. “That’s just me.” His mother, now 62 and healthy, always gave him hope. He wants to pass it on. “There’s so much negativity, sadness, depression, so many things that keep a person down,” said Bridgewater, who has “Neighborhood Hope Dealer” in his Instagram bio. “So for me, it’s just like, how can we bring a breath of fresh air to people I encounter on a daily basis?” Since he became a father to Theo, 3, and Ace, 1, Bridgewater says he hasn’t had a bad day. It could be argued that he’s never had one. Some players who have had his playing career would be bitter. “You start out with these aspirations,” he says. “Like, I want to be the best ever. I want to go to the Hall of Fame. I want to win Super Bowls. Then you go from having those aspirations to asking, How can I make an impact that’s everlasting? I’ve had a great impact on my teammates, different organizations and different cities that I’ve played in. That’s all I could ask for.” After the Bulls beat Raines High School 41-0 for the state championship, they arrived back at their school at about 12:30 a.m. For the next couple of hours, players, fans, parents and alumni — thousands — partied on 71st Street. As the deejay’s turntables spun and the thumping bass was felt as much as it was heard, Bridgewater climbed a pillar about eight feet high. Still sticky from being doused with Gatorade, he stood on the small platform and looked out at the jubilant crowd. The song “25” by Rod Wave played and Bridgewater led them in a dance from TikTok. He danced like it was his last. Knowing him, though, he’ll be dancing again soon. (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photo: Ryan Kang / Getty Images) Source link #Backup #high #school #coach #neighborhood #hero #Teddy #Bridgewater #embraces #roles Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Epic clearance deal: get the Asus Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop at a record-low price before it’s gone for good Epic clearance deal: get the Asus Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop at a record-low price before it’s gone for good I’ve always been a big fan of the Asus Zephyrus G14 and right now is a superb time to consider picking up this premium gaming laptop as Best Buy has it on ***** for a record-low price of just $1,099 (was $1,599). With a lightweight 14-inch design, a stunning 3K OLED display, and impressively powerful specs for such a small machine, it’s easy to recommend the G14 if you want something that’s a little fancier than the usual cheap gaming laptop. This particular configuration features an RTX 4060 graphics card, Ryzen 9 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, which is plenty for most games at 1080p. The G14’s OLED display is capable of an impressive 3.5k resolution but note that you may struggle to run all games smoothly if you go for Ultra/Max settings on those really demanding titles. Still, this is an amazing deal on a laptop that’s just at home with demanding work and production tasks as it is gaming. While not listed as so, this is almost certainly a clearance deal in all but name. Now the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 are officially here, gaming laptops carrying the next generation are already being listed on Best Buy so the retailer is likely clearing out stock. Based on this, I’d say it’s worth picking this one up sooner rather than later if you’re interested. Asus Zephyrus G14 on ***** at Best Buy With this RTX 4000 series gaming laptop you’ll miss out on some of the latest bells and whistles from Nivida but I’d still say this deal is a clear winner when it comes to outright value. Note, if you want something a little more powerful, then there are also some superb higher-end gaming laptop deals available right now that are definitely worth checking out. Other excellent gaming laptop deals today Source link #Epic #clearance #deal #Asus #Zephyrus #G14 #gaming #laptop #recordlow #price #good Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

******** firms ‘distilling’ US AI models to create rival products, warns OpenAI – The Guardian ******** firms ‘distilling’ US AI models to create rival products, warns OpenAI – The Guardian ******** firms ‘distilling’ US AI models to create rival products, warns OpenAI The GuardianOpenAI says it has evidence China’s DeepSeek used its model to train competitor Financial TimesMicrosoft Probing If DeepSeek Improperly Used OpenAI Model, Report Says InvestopediaLloyds Banking Group to close another 136 branches – business live The GuardianDeepSeek Panic Live Updates: OpenAI And Microsoft Reportedly Probe If DeepSeek Used Their Data For Training Forbes Source link #******** #firms #distilling #models #create #rival #products #warns #OpenAI #Guardian Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why Madison Keys’ *********** Open win stops her playing in Austin WTA tournament Why Madison Keys’ *********** Open win stops her playing in Austin WTA tournament *********** Open champion Madison Keys is no longer able to play at a WTA tournament in the U.S. in February, after her success in Melbourne made her too highly ranked to enter. Keys, who rose to world No. 7 after winning her first Grand Slam title, had entered the WTA 250-level ATX Open in Austin, Tex., which begins February 24. The American entered the tournament as world No. 21, with fellow American Jessica Pegula entering as world No. 6. But under WTA rules, 250-level tournaments (the lowest level on the main tour) are only permitted to feature one top-10 player in the WTA rankings, unless the defending champion returns with a top-10 ranking. Keys’ run at the *********** Open, in which she beat world No. 2 Iga Swiatek and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in consecutive matches, therefore makes her ineligible to enter the tournament. ATX Open tournament director Christo Van Rensburg confirmed Keys’ enforced withdrawal in a statement: “We love Madison and have been anticipating for months the excitement of her playing here in Austin for the first time. “While we wish the Top 10 rule didn’t apply to our tournament, we respect the rules of the WTA.” The ATX Open is in the same week as the Merida Open in Mexico, which is a WTA 500 event. According to the 2025 WTA Rulebook: “A WTA 250 Tournament in the same week as a WTA 500 Tournament may accept only one (1) player whose WTA Singles Ranking is 1-10 at the Tournament’s Main Draw entry deadline.” Players ranked below Keys will not be able to win enough points before the start of the tournament to overtake her, and she cannot lose enough ranking points to fall outside the top 10. Her rise up the rankings comes on the back of a 12-match win streak, with the American winning the WTA 500 in Adelaide ahead of the *********** Open, beating Pegula in the final. The rule will deprive fans in Austin of seeing America’s most recent Grand Slam winner. GO DEEPER Madison Keys fulfils her tennis destiny on a breezy night in Melbourne The end of the *********** Open has also brought a slew of ATP withdrawals unrelated to rankings rules. Men’s singles champion Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, citing the need to rest after his win over Alexander Zverev. World No. 11 Grigor Dimitrov and world No. 16 Jack Draper have also withdrawn from the event, which begins February 3, while Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from Serbia’s Davis Cup qualifier against Denmark after tearing his hamstring against Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic defeated Alcaraz, before retiring from his semifinal against Zverev after losing the first set. (Photo: William West / AFP via Getty Images) Source link #Madison #Keys #*********** #Open #win #stops #playing #Austin #WTA #tournament Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Despite Xbox’s Struggles In Hardware, Microsoft Was Reportedly The Top Video Game Publisher In December Despite Xbox’s Struggles In Hardware, Microsoft Was Reportedly The Top Video Game Publisher In December Microsoft was the number-one video game publisher in December 2024, despite struggling to sell Xbox hardware. Its success here is attributed to Call of Duty, according to global data. According to data firm Ampere (via VGC), Call of Duty HQ–which comprises ****** Ops 6, Warzone, and other COD games–drew in 38 monthly users in November 2024, and 64% of consumer spending on Microsoft titles in December was through PlayStation, mostly on Call of Duty. Microsoft’s position as the top publisher in 2024 also included sales of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which was released in December. Ampere also noted that Electronic Arts generated $366 million over the same *******, putting it second to Microsoft. EA Sports FC 25 was the biggest driver for EA’s success, although it still underperformed according to EA’s internal expectations. ******** publishers like NetEase and Tencent pulled in impressive numbers as well. Ampere estimated that Marvel Rivals brought in 29 million monthly active users and Path of Exile 2 generated $148 million. The multiplatform strategy Microsoft has been pursuing is seemingly driving results. However, Xbox is still struggling behind PlayStation in hardware sales. According to recent data in the US, PS5 sales are pacing ahead of PS4 while Xbox Series X|S is behind of Xbox One at the same point in both of their respective lifecycles. However, all three major platform holders experienced declining hardware sales in the US. Xbox’s Phil Spencer has reaffirmed that Microsoft is still committed to the hardware space while trying to push more multiplatform releases. As seen in the Xbox Developer Direct, games like Doom: The Dark Ages will come to rival platforms. Microsoft is also reportedly going to support the Nintendo Switch 2 when it releases. Microsoft also operates gigantic mobile games like Candy Crush and subscription games like World of Warcraft, but those were apparently not included in the Ampere report. While Ampere’s data is unofficial, Microsoft reports earnings today, January 29, so we’ll have a clearer picture of how Xbox performed last year. Source link #Xboxs #Struggles #Hardware #Microsoft #Reportedly #Top #Video #Game #Publisher #December Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

I discovered a surprising difference between DeepSeek and ChatGPT search capabilities I discovered a surprising difference between DeepSeek and ChatGPT search capabilities Over the last couple of years, ChatGPT has become a default term for AI chatbots in the U.S. and Europe despite plenty of viable rivals angling for a ******* piece of the market. That’s part of what has made the eruption of China-based AI chatbot DeepSeek feel so seismic. DeepSeek’s rapid ascent has attracted enormous attention and usage, though not without controversy. The broad collection of user data for storage on ******** servers is just one prominent example. I decided to put these two AI heavyweights, ChatGPT and DeepSeek, through their paces in combining their conversational abilities with online searches, which is a particularly valuable arena. I devised four questions covering everything from sports news and consumer advice to the best local spots for cocktails and comedy. I wanted to see how the AI assistants would perform, so I mixed specificity with vagueness in the details. I used DeepSeek’s R1 and ChatGPT-4o models to answer the questions. While R1 is comparable to OpenAI’s newer o1 model for ChatGPT, that model can’t look online for answers for now. You can see the questions and the AI responses below. One at a time I also immediately discovered that while ChatGPT was happy to answer multiple questions in a single prompt, DeepSeek would search only for information on the first question and give up on the later ones, no matter how I worded the initial prompt. Right away that was a point against it. While the conversational approach of prompt and response is fine in a lot of cases, sometimes you have to ask a lot of questions for the chatbot or include multiple elements for it to consider. You can see how DeepSeek responded to an early attempt at multiple questions in a single prompt below. (Image credit: OpenAI / DeepSeek) Counting words Even when broken up into individual questions, the prompts for DeepSeek required a little extra work in terms of defining the amount of information I wanted to receive. Depending on the kind of question I submitted, DeepSeek would almost always give me too much information, and it was often extraneous. Worse, sometimes the very long answer would just be a filler, basically telling me to look things up on my own. ChatGPT isn’t immune to similar behavior, but it didn’t happen at all during this test. And it wasn’t just my own preferences, the same self-control was evident when using ChatGPT without logging in. I felt the need to handicap the test with a 65-word limit to make it worthwhile at all. With all those restrictions in place, here are the questions and the AI answers. ChatGPT’s responses are on the left and DeepSeek’s responses are on the right. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. 1. What were the highlights of last night’s NBA game, and who won? (Image credit: OpenAI / DeepSeek) 2. What’s a trendy new spot in Brooklyn for cocktails and small plates? (Image credit: OpenAI / DeepSeek) 3. Which laptop is best for gaming with a budget of $2,000? (Image credit: OpenAI / DeepSeek) (Image credit: OpenAI / DeepSeek) DeepSeek gets lost With the caveats of what was necessary to make the test feasible, it’s fair to say both chatbots performed pretty well. DeepSeek had some solid answers thanks to a far more thorough search effort, which pulled from more than 30 sources for each question. The ********* bar question, in particular, was great, and the AI was proactive enough to suggest a drink to get. The basketball response was more substantial as well, though arguably, the decision by ChatGPT to keep the focus on one game, as indicated by the singular “game” in the question, meant it was paying more attention. It was in the responses to the computer and comedy club recommendations that DeepSeek displayed its weaknesses. Both felt less like conversational answers and more like the toplines of their Google summaries. To be fair, ChatGPT wasn’t much better on those two answers, but the flaw felt less glaring, especially when looking at all of the parentheticals in DeepSeek’s computer response. I understand why DeepSeek has its fans. It’s free, good at fetching the latest info, and a solid option for users. I just feel like ChatGPT cuts to the heart of what I’m asking, even when it’s not spelled out. And, while no tech company is a paragon of consumer privacy, DeepSeek’s terms and conditions somehow make other AI chatbots seem downright polite when it comes to the sheer amount of information you have to agree to share, down to the very pace at which you type your questions. DeepSeek almost sounds like a joke about how deep it is seeking information about you. Plus, ChatGPT was just plain faster, regardless of whether I used DeepSeek’s R1 model or its less powerful sibling. And, while this test was focused on search, I can’t ignore the many other limitations of DeepSeek, such as a lack of persistent memory or image generator. For me, ChatGPT remains the winner when choosing an AI chatbot to perform a search. Some of it may be simply the bias of familiarity, but the fact that ChatGPT gave me good to great answers from a single prompt is hard to resist as a killer feature. That may become especially true as and when the o1 model and upcoming o3 model get internet access. DeepSeek can find a lot of information, but if I were stuck with it, I’d be lost. You might also like… Source link #discovered #surprising #difference #DeepSeek #ChatGPT #search #capabilities Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Lewis Hamilton crashes Ferrari at pre-season test in Barcelona Lewis Hamilton crashes Ferrari at pre-season test in Barcelona Lewis Hamilton has crashed his Ferrari during the team’s pre-season testing programme in Spain. The seven-time champion was unhurt after losing control of the team’s 2023 car at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Wednesday. Ferrari declined to comment on the incident, which happened on Hamilton’s second day of running at the Spanish track, where he is sharing the car with team-mate Charles Leclerc. The incident happened as Ferrari seek to embed Hamilton into the team as effectively as possible before the start of the season at the *********** Grand Prix on 14-16 March. Ferrari regard the ****** as nothing abnormal as Hamilton learns the characteristics of an unfamiliar car within the significant restrictions imposed on testing in F1. Ferrari are running a limited programme in the 2023 car, the most recent model Hamilton is allowed to drive. F1’s testing restrictions dictate that current race drivers can complete a maximum of 1,000km (621 miles) of what is known as TPC (testing of previous cars) running. Hamilton completed 30 laps at the team’s Fiorano test track on 22 January before he and Leclerc moved on to this week’s three days of running at Barcelona, home of the Spanish Grand Prix. Ferrari are giving no details of the test, where Hamilton is learning Ferrari’s procedures and working methods and building an understanding with race engineer Riccardo Adami and the rest of the engineering group. Ferrari will launch their 2025 car at Fiorano on 19 February, the day after F1’s season launch event at the O2 in London. Ferrari will give Hamilton further testing miles before the launch in a Pirelli-run tyre test. The team will run for two days next week, also at Barcelona, on 4-5 February in a 2025 car modified to reflect the effect of the new regulations being introduced for 2026. McLaren are conducting a similar Pirelli test at Paul Ricard in France this week as the Italian company seeks to define its 2026 product. Source link #Lewis #Hamilton #crashes #Ferrari #preseason #test #Barcelona Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]