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Saudi-Backed Mirage DLC Could Be In the Works as Ubisoft Declines Addressing Rumors of Controversial Funding Saudi-Backed Mirage DLC Could Be In the Works as Ubisoft Declines Addressing Rumors of Controversial Funding The last few days have been full of Ubisoft news with the release of the Assassin’s Creed Shadows Early Preview. We’ve gotten everything from controversial reviews praising the game, to classic controversies of misrepresentation and the question of the studio’s commitment to authenticity. The latest controversy is completely different though. The company neither confirms nor denies any DLC for Assassin’s Creed Mirage | Image Credit: Ubisoft A new report speculates that a potential DLC for Assassin’s Creed Mirage could be funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). On the surface, it makes sense considering the company’s current situation and the Middle East’s increased interest in the industry in recent years. The company has remained tight-lipped about the alleged deal. The focus is allegedly all on Assassin’s Creed Shadows AC Shadows comes out on March 25th. | Image Credit: Ubisoft On January 24, 2025, French financial newspaper Les Echos reported that Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot had secured funding from the PIF during a recent meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. According to the report, the alleged aim of the investment was to finance additional content for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, a game released by the studio in late 2023. NEWS: Ubisoft has declined to comment on the deal with the Saudi Savvy Games Group, which was reported to lead to the production of Assassin’s Creed Mirage DLC “We’ll decline to comment. We are focused on finishing Assassin’s Creed Shadows and excited for players to get to… pic.twitter.com/HjDyidBPc3 — Rino (@RinoTheBouncer) January 27, 2025 Ubisoft responded to these rumors on January 27 with a spokesperson stating to Eurogamer that, “We’ll decline to comment. We are focused on finishing Assassin’s Creed Shadows and excited for players to get to play it on 20th March.“ Coming to the topic of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the game was supposed to be a step back for the studio. It was designed as a smaller project that would take the series back to its roots instead of being another open-world spectacle like Odyssey or Valhalla. While it did achieve that to an extent, the rumor of a DLC is definitely interesting because what could it possibly add? The stakes keep getting higher for the company’s future Will the company get through this storm? | Image Credit: Ubisoft The company’s struggles are no secret. Recent layoffs have affected 185 employees across multiple studios, including the permanent closure of Ubisoft Leamington. The studio had contributed to titles like Far Cry 5 and The Division but has apparently been deemed expendable in the company’s ongoing cost-cutting measures. Ubisoft then: “Get used to not owning your games.” Ubisoft now: “Get used to not having jobs.” The arrogance and destruction of AAAA gaming, DEI and not listening to what gamers want. pic.twitter.com/FNVf6idFNV — Grummz (@Grummz) January 27, 2025 I get it’s a work-in-progress but Ubisoft really not helping themselves lmao Marketing for AC Shadows has been nothing short of a disaster. pic.twitter.com/lKeWxAoB2o — Michael (@LegacyKillaHD) January 28, 2025 So they’re not just disappointing us but also their developers. This is why the stakes are high for the studio with AC Shadows. Set to release on March 20, 2025, the game has already faced backlash from fans following a recent screenshot from the Early Preview. And the multiple delays haven’t helped one bit. The company needs the game to succeed both critically and commercially. There’s a storm coming in 2025 with the upcoming release of big-name titles like Monster Hunter Wilds, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Ghost of Yotei. The studio can’t have another Star Wars Outlaws or Skull and Bones situation this year and for all its mistakes, losing an entire studio isn’t something any of us want. The possibility of a DLC for Assassin’s Creed Mirage is definitely an interesting prospect. It has the potential to be a big help for the studio financially, but the caveat of being funded by controversial figures is also sketchy. What are your thoughts? Source link #SaudiBacked #Mirage #DLC #Works #Ubisoft #Declines #Addressing #Rumors #Controversial #Funding Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

One crafty user proved you can make the Steam Deck more portable… by turning it into a brick One crafty user proved you can make the Steam Deck more portable… by turning it into a brick A user has an issue with the Steam Deck’s bulk He creates the ‘Steam Brick,’ a stripped down version He successfully creates a portable one-third the size The Steam Deck, since its initial launch, has taken the gaming handheld market by storm. It manages to play the best PC games in a much smaller and more portable form factor. However, one person decided that his OLED Steam Deck wasn’t portable enough and decided to take it into his own hands. User crastinator-pro’s disclaimer on the GitHub page reads “I am not a smart man,” after he describes his thought process behind the massive modification process, which involved striping down the portable’s screen and controller. According to the post, he only found himself using the Deck with either AR Glasses or a TV and, more often than not, leaving it at home due to it being too bulky for his taste. He first started by testing whether everything but the fan could be stripped from the Deck and still run, which was successful. According to the guide, it “will boot output display over USB and accept peripherals via an external dock.” After more tearing down, he then made a basic case to house the brick-like ‘console.’ The biggest obstacle here was ensuring the case wouldn’t melt from any heat generated by gaming sessions. (Image credit: Valve / crastinator-pro) The final result is truly a marvel of engineering. The ‘brick’ is roughly one-third the size of the Steam Deck, four times smaller than its OEM case, and 24% lighter. The ‘brick’s’ dimensions are 193.5 x 126.5 x 21mm (7.6 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches) with a weight of 474g (16.7oz), compared with the original OLED Steam Deck’s 4.6 x 11.7 x 1.9 inches and a weight of 1.41 lbs. In other words, there’s a significant difference, so this experiment has been deemed successful. There are a couple of downsides to this build, however. The first one is that “accessing the BIOS by holding down the + button while powered up is impossible, as that button isn’t included in the build.” The second is it’s difficult to determine whether the modified system is turned on since the indicator light doesn’t indicate power. What makes the Steam Deck so special? The Steam Deck is a fascinating machine — not only does it offer comparable PC gaming functionality without the bulk of either a desktop or laptop, but you can also endlessly modify the machine to suit your software or hardware needs. Projects like the ‘Steam Brick’ truly should well-built and flexible this portable is. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Even simply using the handheld as intended can be a changing experience for gamers. As one writer puts it, the freedom of being able to play plenty of the best Steam Deck games without being tethered to a dedicated PC is incredible. Even better is not having to worry about carrying a heavy gaming laptop when traveling, something only console gamers have been able to experience. And thanks to the Steam Deck’s success, there are tons of the best Steam alternatives to invest in as well, with them offering unique features and selling points — like the Lenovo Legion Go having a joystick that replaces the function of a mouse for shooters. Source link #crafty #user #proved #Steam #Deck #portable.. #turning #brick Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

The Defence TAFE Centre of Excellence ready to recruit workforce needed to power AUKUS The Defence TAFE Centre of Excellence ready to recruit workforce needed to power AUKUS Richard Marles has flown to Perth to announce the funding boost and open the training centre that is being hailed a major milestone for WA’s growing defence industry. Source link #Defence #TAFE #Centre #Excellence #ready #recruit #workforce #needed #power #AUKUS Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Review: Sniper Elite: Resistance (PS5) – Much More of a Good Thing – Push Square Review: Sniper Elite: Resistance (PS5) – Much More of a Good Thing – Push Square Sniper Elite: Resistance serves as more of a stopgap than a full-blown sequel to Sniper Elite 5, so much of that experience — including its highs and lows — carries over two and a half years later. Its sniping action truly is elite, but the gunplay surrounding it still needs work. Equally, the Invasion Mode is again a standout while enemy AI remains frustrating at times. It is more of the same. However, when that similarity is a fairly unique model in the first place, Sniper Elite: Resistance just about gets away with it. Source link #Review #Sniper #Elite #Resistance #PS5 #Good #Push #Square Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Experts urge caution over use of ******** AI DeepSeek | DeepSeek Experts urge caution over use of ******** AI DeepSeek | DeepSeek Experts have urged caution over rapidly embracing the ******** artificial intelligence platform DeepSeek, citing concerns about it spreading misinformation and how the ******** state might exploit users’ data. The new low-cost AI wiped $1tn off the leading US tech stock index this week and it rapidly became the most downloaded free app in the *** and the US. Donald Trump called it a “wake-up call” for tech firms. Its emergence has shocked the tech world by apparently showing it can achieve a similar performance to widely used platforms such as ChatGPT at a fraction of the cost. Michael Wooldridge, a professor of the foundations of AI at Oxford University, said it was not unreasonable to assume data inputted into the chatbot could be shared with the ******** state. He said: “I think it’s fine to download it and ask it about the performance of Liverpool football club or chat about the history of the Roman empire, but would I recommend putting anything sensitive or personal or private on them? “Absolutely not … Because you don’t know where the data goes.” Dame Wendy Hall, a member of the United Nations high-level advisory body on AI, told the Guardian: “You can’t get away from the fact that if you are a ******** tech company dealing with information you are subject to the ******** government’s rules on what you can and cannot say.” The prime minister’s spokesperson, when asked if Downing Street would rule out using ******** AI in Whitehall, said he would not “get ahead of specific models”. He said the advancements showed that the *** must “go further and faster to remove barriers to innovation” in AI. DeepSeek is an open-source platform, which means software developers can adapt it to their own ends. It has sparked hopes of a new wave of innovation in AI, which had appeared to be dominated by US tech companies – which were relying on huge investments in microchips, datacentres and new power sources. Wooldridge said: “It does rather forcefully signal, in case anybody hadn’t got the message, that China is not behind in this space.” Some people testing DeepSeek have found that it will not answer questions on matters such as the Tiananmen Square massacre. When asked about the status of Taiwan, it repeats the ******** ********** party line that the island is an “inalienable” part of China. “The biggest problem with generative AI is misinformation,” Hall said. “It depends on the data in a model, the bias in that data and how it is used – you can see that problem with the DeepSeek chatbot.” One user, Azeem Azhar, an AI expert, who asked about the events in Tiananmen Square, was told that DeepSeek could not provide detailed information and that “this topic is highly sensitive and often censored in many countries, including China”. skip past newsletter promotion A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion However, the AI then did explain that the events were “widely recognised as the suppression of pro-democracy protests” and said: “The ******** government responded with a violent crackdown, resulting in the deaths of hundreds (or possibly thousands) of people, including both protesters and soldiers.” People use AI models such as DeepSeek and ChatGPT to help them process personal papers or documents for work, such as meeting minutes, but anything uploaded can be taken by the owner of the company and used for training the AI or for other purposes. DeepSeek is based in Hangzhou and makes clear in its privacy policy that the personal information it collects from users is held “on secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China”. It says it uses data to “comply with our legal obligations, or as necessary to perform tasks in the public interest, or to protect the vital interests of our users and other people”. China’s national intelligence law states that all enterprises, organisations and citizens “shall support, assist and cooperate with national intelligence efforts”. Source link #Experts #urge #caution #******** #DeepSeek #DeepSeek Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

I Have $1.6 Million. Does It Make Sense to Convert $160k Per Year to a Roth IRA at Age 62 to Avoid RMDs in Retirement? I Have $1.6 Million. Does It Make Sense to Convert $160k Per Year to a Roth IRA at Age 62 to Avoid RMDs in Retirement? Converting your 401(k) to a Roth portfolio will allow you to entirely avoid RMDs. This is a legitimate form of tax planning. However, often there’s a difference between whether you can do something and whether you should; whether it’s allowed, and whether it’s in your long-term best interest. For example, say that you’re 62 years old. You have $1.6 million in a 401(k). If you convert this portfolio to a Roth IRA 10% at a time, you can avoid required minimum distributions on your $1.6 million. However, particularly for households approaching retirement, a Roth conversion may result in a net-loss. There’s a chance that the tax costs of making those conversions will outweigh the tax benefits of avoiding minimum distributions. Here are some things to consider. Also consider matching with a fiduciary financial advisor who can help you weigh your options. Starting at age 73 (or 75 starting in 2023), the IRS requires you to begin taking regular, minimum withdrawals from every pre-tax retirement account. This includes 401(k) and traditional IRA portfolios. These withdrawals are known as RMDs. The exact amount you must take is based on the portfolio’s total value on January 1 and your age. You have until the end of each year to make the withdrawal, so you can take your minimum distribution in any amount at any time by or before December 31. If you don’t take your minimum distribution, the IRS charges a tax penalty typically worth 25% of the amount not withdrawn. Like all withdrawals, you will have to pay ordinary income taxes on your minimum distributions. This can create a problem if you need less money than your minimum distribution, such as if you have other sources of income or multiple retirement accounts. In that case, you might prefer to leave the money in place for tax-free growth rather than pay income taxes on an unnecessary distribution. One solution to this is converting your pre-tax portfolio to a post-tax Roth account, because the IRS does not require minimum distributions on Roth IRAs. A Roth conversion is when you move money from a pre-tax retirement account, such as a 401(k), to a post-tax Roth IRA. Mechanically, the process is typically simple. You open a Roth IRA with a qualified brokerage. Then, you can instruct your plan manager to transfer the assets from your pre-tax portfolio to the Roth IRA, or you can withdraw the money and assets personally and deposit them in the new account. If you move the money personally, you have 60 days to deposit it into the Roth portfolio. Story Continues There is no limit on how much money you can convert each year, nor is there a limit on how often you can do so. But tax implications may make you think twice about how much you convert in any given year. A financial advisor can help you weigh the tradeoffs to determine if a Roth conversion is the right strategy to maximize your retirement income. Get matched with a financial advisor today. You must pay income taxes on the full amount that you convert. Any amount of money that you convert to a Roth IRA will count toward your taxable income for that year. For example, if you convert $160,000 from your 401(k) to a Roth IRA, you will add that $160,000 to your taxable income for that year. If you are under age 59 1/2, you will need the cash on hand to pay that tax bill. If you are older, you can take the money for taxes from your retirement account. In all cases, this will reduce your potential savings and investment capital. Once you make a Roth conversion, these assets will continue to grow tax-free. For qualified retirement distributions, you will also pay no taxes at all on this money when you withdraw it later in life, and it will not count toward your overall taxable income. A staggered Roth conversion is often effective at reducing the overall impact of conversion taxes, because you can manipulate your withdrawals to prevent yourself from climbing into higher tax brackets to some degree. Take our example here. Setting aside other sources of income for the year, say that you want to convert $1.6 million from a 401(k) to a Roth IRA. You could either do so in a lump sum in one year, or in $160,000 transfers over 10 years (not accounting for portfolio growth during that time). In this hypothetical instance, your income taxes would be around: Lump Sum Transfer: Staggered Transfer: By converting your money in stages, less of it is exposed to the top tax brackets, reducing your overall payments. If you are making staggered conversions near your retirement age, you must keep this in mind: When you convert money to a Roth IRA, the five-year rule applies. In the case of conversions, this means that you must wait five years before taking a qualified withdrawal on converted funds unless you are older than 59 1/2. Portfolio growth, inflation and your other income may affect your actual tax liability. Consider matching with a financial advisor who can help you make more accurate calculations for your goals. By converting your 401(k) into a Roth IRA, you can entirely avoid having to take RMDs and paying taxes on them. However, this will trigger up-front conversion taxes. The closer you are to retirement, the more likely it is that those conversion taxes will swamp any benefits. Whether you would like to maximize portfolio growth, have multiple streams of income or want to leave assets in place for your heirs, minimizing RMDs is often an important part of retirement planning. Here are six strategies that can help make that happen. A financial advisor can help you build a comprehensive retirement plan. Finding a financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now. Keep an emergency fund on hand in case you run into unexpected expenses. An emergency fund should be liquid — in an account that isn’t at risk of significant fluctuation like the stock market. The tradeoff is that the value of liquid cash can be eroded by inflation. But a high-interest account allows you to earn compound interest. Compare savings accounts from these banks. Are you a financial advisor looking to grow your business? SmartAsset AMP helps advisors connect with leads and offers marketing automation solutions so you can spend more time making conversions. Learn more about SmartAsset AMP. Photo credit: ©iStock.com/Ridofranz The post I’m 62 With $1.6 Million in My 401(k). Should I Convert $160,000 Per Year to a Roth IRA to Avoid RMDs? appeared first on SmartReads by SmartAsset. Source link #Million #Sense #Convert #160k #Year #Roth #IRA #Age #Avoid #RMDs #Retirement Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NYT Strands today: hints, spangram and answers for Tuesday, January 28 NYT Strands today: hints, spangram and answers for Tuesday, January 28 Table of Contents Table of Contents How to play Strands Hint for today’s Strands puzzle Today’s Strand answers Strands is a brand new daily puzzle from the New York Times. A trickier take on the classic word search, you’ll need a keen eye to solve this puzzle. Like Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword, Strands can be a bit difficult to solve some days. There’s no shame in needing a little help from time to time. If you’re stuck and need to know the answers to today’s Strands puzzle, check out the solved puzzle below. How to play Strands You start every Strands puzzle with the goal of finding the “theme words” hidden in the grid of letters. Manipulate letters by dragging or tapping to craft words; double-tap the final letter to confirm. If you find the correct word, the letters will be highlighted blue and will no longer be selectable. If you find a word that isn’t a theme word, it still helps! For every three non-theme words you find that are at least four letters long, you’ll get a hint — the letters of one of the theme words will be revealed and you’ll just have to unscramble it. Every single letter on the grid is used to spell out the theme words and there is no overlap. Every letter will be used once, and only once. Each puzzle contains one “spangram,” a special theme word (or words) that describe the puzzle’s theme and touches two opposite sides of the board. When you find the spangram, it will be highlighted yellow. The goal should be to complete the puzzle quickly without using too many hints. Hint for today’s Strands puzzle Today’s theme is “Stable supply” Here’s a hint that might help you: cowboy gear. Today’s Strand answers NYT Today’s spanagram We’ll start by giving you the spangram, which might help you figure out the theme and solve the rest of the puzzle on your own: Today’s Strands answers BRIDLE REINS SPURS HARNESS CROP SADDLE Source link #NYT #Strands #today #hints #spangram #answers #Tuesday #January Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The worst health care data breach in history just got worse The worst health care data breach in history just got worse Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth, initially reported a data breach in October last year that was considered the worst in the industry. The breach, which affected up to 100 million users, has now grown to an alarming 190 million, according to Tech Crunch. Cybercriminals reportedly exploited an employee system that lacked multi-factor authentication. UnitedHealth confirmed the new numbers for the ransomware attack on Friday. “Change Healthcare has determined the estimated total number of individuals impacted by the Change Healthcare cyberattack is approximately 190 million,” Tyler Mason, a spokesperson for UnitedHealth Group, wrote in an email to TechCrunch. The vast majority of affected people have already received an individual or substitute notice, and UnitedHealth says the final number will be confirmed and filed with the Office for Civil Rights at a later date. The spokesperson said they were “not aware of any misuse of individuals’ information as a result of this incident and had not seen electronic medical record databases appear in the data during the analysis.” In the meantime, users can only worry about who has access to data such as their Social Security number, driver’s license number, passport number, diagnoses, test results, medications, and health insurance information. Furthermore, when this breach started, those affected also had to deal with widespread disruption of the healthcare system, preventing pharmacies and doctors from accepting discount prescription cards, which resulted in patients paying full price. Pharmacies and doctors could not file claims. If there is any consolation, those responsible for the breach were found. The BlackCat ransomware gang was responsible for the attack that took 6TB of data. This incident highlights the importance of taking cybersecurity seriously and the necessary precautions to keep your data safe — our roundup of the best antivirus software can help you on that front. Source link #worst #health #care #data #breach #history #worse Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

SAP upgrades outlook as cloud CFO says DeepSeek is good news SAP upgrades outlook as cloud CFO says DeepSeek is good news ******* tech giant SAP on Tuesday upgraded its financial outlook for the full year as artificial cloud computing and artificial intelligence operations fueled growth. Europe’s largest software maker now expects operating profit on a constant currency basis in 2025 to be between 10.3 billion euros ($10.7 billion) to 10.6 billion euros, up from a previous target of 10.2 billion euros. The firm also expects an acceleration in cloud revenue growth. Adjusted operating profit rose 25% to 8.15 billion euros in 2024, above the 22% increase flagged in a company-compiled analyst poll. Revenue from the firm’s core cloud and software businesses rose 11% for the *******, also slightly ahead of consensus estimates. CFO Dominik Asam told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Tuesday that the company is running “very much according to plan,” as this year’s outperformance already ticks all the boxes of their 2025 “ambition” plan set out in October 2020. “We have all reasons to be optimistic on executing on these targets,” Asam added. Analysts at JPMorgan said the upgrade was ahead of expectations. Shares of the firm hovered around the flatline in the morning and was last trading down 0.9%. DeepSeek is ‘very good news’ ******** startup DeepSeek’s AI app this week sparked concerns over competitiveness in artificial intelligence leading to a major market sell-off. Asam told CNBC the developments from DeepSeek were actually “good news” for SAP. AI is becoming a key part of the business, with the tech accounting for half of SAP’s cloud order entry in the fourth quarter, CEO Christian Klein said in Tuesday’s release. SAP’s position in data and “Business AI” gives the firm “additional confidence” in driving growth through 2027, Klein said. Asam added that the firm is always looking to upgrade its systems, and that it’s situated in a way to be able to quickly capitalize on new innovations. As long as the technology is relevant, reliable and responsible, the more choice SAP has to improve its AI hub, the CFO said. “So I’m not concerned about that. On the contrary, competition, innovation on that front is extremely helpful for creating better products for our customers,” Asam said. Source link #SAP #upgrades #outlook #cloud #CFO #DeepSeek #good #news Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Crucial’s X9 Pro 2TB external SSD is now only $119 — fast and portable storage Crucial’s X9 Pro 2TB external SSD is now only $119 — fast and portable storage If you find yourself needing some extra storage for your games, or for moving data between devices outside of a network connection, then having a portable storage solution is a nice thing to have. Smaller is better for portability, but it doesn’t also have to equal less capacity. Today’s deal is on a 2TB external SSD that you can connect via USB C to all manner of devices, from your games console to your mobile phone, to the usual laptops and desktop PC, or even your camera’s. Head to Amazon for today’s deal and pick up the portable Crucial X9 Pro (2TB) external SSD for just $119. It’s not the lowest price ever — that was $87 back in 2023 — but, you aren’t going to see prices like that again for storage unfortunately, especially outside of the larger sales events like Prime Day or ****** Friday. The MSRP list price of this drive is $179 with the Camelizer Amazon price checker showing prices steadily fluctuating between $119 and $155. The X9 Pro measures around 2.5″ and comes in a solid and rugged plastic chassis that’s rated for IP55 dust and water resistance, It also advertises a resistance to drops from heights no greater than 7.5 feet, which should more than cover the average use-case scenario. Inside the chassis is a small SSD with speedy read and write speed transfer rates up to 1050MB/s over USB 3.2. The X9Pro uses a Type-C USB connection and cable. I have one of these handy drives and use it to record video from my phone. Large 4K video files quickly soak up my phone’s valuable storage so offloading it to the X9 Pro keeps my mobile speedy and makes it easier and faster to connect to my PC for video editing. The small size means I can just keep it in my pocket while I’m out and about, and always have it to hand when I need it. Don’t forget to look at our Amazon coupon codes for January 2025 and see if you can save on today’s deal or other products at Amazon. Source link #Crucials #Pro #2TB #external #SSD #fast #portable #storage Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Is DeepSeek Challenging NVIDIA’s AI Dominance? Is DeepSeek Challenging NVIDIA’s AI Dominance? When market volatility compresses, as it did over the past five days, seasoned investors and traders should consider what could happen next to bring about a spike in volatility, such as unusual trading volume or options trading activity. This week’s volatile event, coming in to end the first month of 2025, comes all the way across the world from Asia’s powerhouse. In China, a group of developers has released their own version of an artificial intelligence-driven chat system, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. This new system, called DeepSeek, apparently has over twice the computing power at a fraction of the cost, which deeply challenges the current state of semiconductor supply and demand in today’s market. The market is reacting to the news by selling off one of the most overextended names in the technology sector today. Shares of NVIDIA (NASDAQ:) are down over 10% to start the new trading week, bringing other stocks and indexes down with it as it became the biggest holding in some portfolios across the board. Investors will understand why this is happening and how the whole situation likely ends from here, with risks put aside and opportunities kept in focus. Is DeepSeek Truly Better? The simple answer to this question is a resounding yes, as long as investors trust the information and statistics coming out of China. Another gauge, probably more foolproof, can be taken from actually trying out the product. Now that DeepSeek has become the most downloaded application in the world, chances are these claims aren’t false. With this in mind, there is a significant conflict in the industry as a whole: whether more can be done with less. This is the proposition coming out of China, which is why the market’s price action rewards some of the technology names in that nation while punishing United States technology stocks. For example, the KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (NYSE:) is rallying by over 1% while the is down over 1% on the other hand; another clear example is Alibaba (NYSE:) rallying by over 2.2% in a single day despite this bearish view for technology stocks overall. This price action might mean that the estimates for costs and capital intensity might have gotten away from these giant names. Looking at the recent producer price index (PPI) and manufacturing PMI reports, investors would realize that demand for semiconductors and chips had taken a *********. However, NVIDIA and other leading names kept producing inventory as if the demand cycle was still at the upper end of the range. As the laws of economics go, oversupply will lead to a needed adjustment. This is why DeepSeek might have chosen to launch now and not earlier, knowing that the data would favor them. Is There a Way Out? For those looking to play their hand in this situation, the best thing to do would be to keep portfolios away from all this volatility and focus more on great risk-to-reward setups. One stock in the United States that could fit this criterion is Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:), as a few factors would favor it over NVIDIA today. First, Wall Street analyst price targets would favor Advanced Micro Devices. The consensus is set for $176.3 a share, which calls for up to 50% upside from today’s price. Compared to NVIDIA, its price target of $164.6 a share calls for a much lower 29.8% upside from today’s levels alone. More than that, some analysts might adjust their valuations on NVIDIA after this bold DeepSeek achievement and claim. Secondly, the fact that NVIDIA stock is selling off by over 10% while Advanced Micro Devices managed to contain its drawdown within 4% should tell investors all they need to know. This is where the risk-to-reward setup becomes important between these two names, as Advanced Micro Devices trades as low as 54% of its 52-week high, while NVIDIA stock is at a much higher 83% of its 52-week high. This way, investors could buy the semiconductor dip through the best setups today. But, for those who believe that DeepSeek can pull this all off, considering a ******** technology name like Alibaba and its 62.3% implied upside coming from Macquarie analysts and their $145 a share price target would be a great choice. Especially as DeepSeek will rely on cloud computing services, such as the ones Alibaba is looking to expand on in the coming months. All told, the answer remains the same: so far, the evidence does stack up in favor of DeepSeek’s claims and against the stratospheric valuation multiples that NVIDIA had called for. Original Post Source link #DeepSeek #Challenging #NVIDIAs #Dominance Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

California officials push back on Trump’s claim that US military entered state, ‘turned on the water’ – KRON4 California officials push back on Trump’s claim that US military entered state, ‘turned on the water’ – KRON4 California officials push back on Trump’s claim that US military entered state, ‘turned on the water’ KRON4Trump Doesn’t Understand California Water, Fish or Wildfires BloombergTrump issues new California water order as wildfires continue to burn: What to know USA TODAY Source link #California #officials #push #Trumps #claim #military #entered #state #turned #water #KRON4 Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Sledgehammer Games Planned to Have Halo Maps in Modern Warfare 3, It’s Claimed Sledgehammer Games Planned to Have Halo Maps in Modern Warfare 3, It’s Claimed Sledgehammer Games once had plans to have a massive Halo collaboration in Modern Warfare 3, where some Halo maps would come to Call of Duty. That’s according to leaker @TheGhostOfHope on X (formerly Twitter), who has seemingly returned back to form and started to leak details in regards to Call of Duty again after taking a break. In a new post, Hope revealed that “Sledgehammer Games had plans to do a huge collaboration with Halo with Modern Warfare III which would have added various maps from the Halo franchise.” Another leaker and dataminer by the name of Alaix seemingly confirmed the details by saying, “maybe one day i’ll feel generous enough to share some of the screenshots I have from this collab.” While it’s currently not known on what maps, weapons, or outfits would have made it into Modern Warfare 3, it’s intriguing to know that there where at least plans at one stage, with Alaix’s comments implying that there was even assets made. It means that Microsoft could visit such collaborations again in the future, depending on how the Call of Duty franchise performs and how much interest such collaborations would bring in. But this isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Microsoft have been considered Call of Duty and other Microsoft IP crossovers. In November 2024, it was claimed that Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 will soon feature collaborations between Halo, DOOM, and Gears of War. While those leaks are yet to come to fruition, where there’s some, there’s fire. Would you like to see a massive Halo x Call of Duty crossover in a future CoD title? What do you think of Halo once being planned to be in Modern Warfare 3? Let us know down below, and join more discussions in the official Insider Gaming forums. For more Insider Gaming, check out the official cover and reveal trailer for WWE 2K25. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter. Header image credit goes to dkdynamite SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Sledgehammer #Games #Planned #Halo #Maps #Modern #Warfare #Claimed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Gov for U.S. government agencies OpenAI launches ChatGPT Gov for U.S. government agencies OpenAI on Tuesday announced its biggest product launch since its enterprise rollout. It’s called ChatGPT Gov and was built specifically for U.S. government use. The Microsoft-backed company bills the new platform as a step beyond ChatGPT Enterprise as far as security. It allows government agencies, as customers, to feed “non-public, sensitive information” into OpenAI’s models while operating within their own secure hosting environments, OpenAI CPO Kevin Weil told reporters during a briefing Monday. Since the beginning of 2024, OpenAI said that more than 90,000 employees of federal, state and local governments have generated more than 18 million prompts within ChatGPT, using the tech to translate and summarize documents, write and draft policy memos, generate code, and build applications. The user interface for ChatGPT Gov looks like ChatGPT Enterprise. The main difference is that government agencies will use ChatGPT Gov in their own Microsoft Azure commercial cloud, or Azure Government community cloud, so they can “manage their own security, privacy and compliance requirements,” Felipe Millon, who leads federal sales and go-to-market for OpenAI, said on the call with reporters. For as long as artificial intelligence has been used by government agencies, it’s faced significant scrutiny due to its potentially harmful ripple effects, especially for vulnerable and ********* populations, and data privacy concerns. Police use of AI has led to a number of wrongful arrests and, in California, voters rejected a plan to replace the state’s bail system with an algorithm due to concerns it would increase bias. An OpenAI spokesperson told CNBC that the company acknowledges there are special considerations for government use of AI, and OpenAI wrote in a blog post Tuesday that the product is subject to its usage policies. Aaron Wilkowitz, a solutions engineer at OpenAI, showed reporters a demo of a day in the life of a new Trump administration employee, allowing the person to sign into ChatGPT Gov and create a five-week plan for some of their job duties, then analyze an uploaded photo of the same printed-out plan with notes and markings all over it. Wilkowitz also demonstrated how ChatGPT Gov could draft a memo to the legal and compliance department summarizing its own AI-generated job plan and then translate the memo into different languages. ChatGPT Enterprise, which underpins ChatGPT Gov, is currently going through the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, or FedRAMP, and has not yet been accredited for use on nonpublic data. Weil told CNBC it’s a “long process,” adding that he couldn’t provide a timeline. “I know President Trump is also looking at how we can potentially streamline that, because it’s one way of getting more modern software tooling into the government and helping the government run more efficiently,” Weil said. “So we’re very excited about that.” But OpenAI’s Millon said ChatGPT Gov will be available in the “near future,” with customers potentially testing and using the product live “within a month.” He said he foresees agencies with sensitive data, such as defense, law enforcement and health care, benefiting most from the product. When asked if the Trump administration played a role in ChatGPT Gov, Weil said he was in Washington, D.C., for the inauguration and “got to spend a lot of time with folks coming into the new administration.” He added that “the focus is on ensuring that the U.S. wins in AI” and that “our interests are very aligned.” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attended the inauguration alongside other tech CEOs and has recently joined the growing tide of industry leaders publicly pronouncing their admiration for President Donald Trump or donating to his inauguration fund. Altman wrote on X that watching Trump “more carefully recently has really changed my perspective on him,” adding that “he will be incredible for the country in many ways.” A few days before the inauguration, Altman received a letter from U.S. senators expressing concern that he is attempting to “cozy up to the incoming Trump administration” with the aim of avoiding regulation and limiting scrutiny. Regarding China’s DeepSeek, Weil told reporters the new developments don’t change how OpenAI thinks about its product road map but instead “underscores how important it is that the U.S. wins this race.” “It’s a super competitive industry, and this is showing that it’s competitive globally, not just within the U.S.,” Weil said. “We’re committed to moving really quickly here. We want to stay ahead.” Source link #OpenAI #launches #ChatGPT #Gov #U.S #government #agencies Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Boeing loses almost $1bn every month in 2024 Boeing loses almost $1bn every month in 2024 Boeing lost nearly a billion dollars a month in 2024, as it grappled with a safety crisis, quality control issues and a damaging strike. The aerospace giant lost $11.8bn across the year, its worst result since 2020, when the aviation industry was grounded by the Covid pandemic. In the three months to the end of December, when strikes were affecting the business, it lost $3.8bn. As well as suffering from well-publicised problems at its commercial aircraft unit, Boeing also struggled with issues affecting a number of defence programmes. Chief executive Kelly Ortberg said the company was focused on what he called the “fundamental changes” needed to restore its fortunes and restore trust. Boeing has had a dreadful year by any measure. In January 2024, a door panel fell off a brand new 737 Max shortly after take-off, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane. Investigators said it had not been bolted on properly. The incident highlighted serious quality control failings at the company – and at its main supplier, Spirit Aerosystems. It also reignited concerns about Boeing’s attitude towards safety. Boeing had been trying to emerge from the shadow of two high-profile crashes involving a different 737 model, the Max 8, in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people. The latest incident forced Boeing to curb production, as regulators called for changes on the factory floor, and demanded the implementation of a comprehensive safety and quality control plan. In August, Boeing appointed its new chief executive Mr Ortberg, a veteran engineer who was brought in to steady the ship. But he immediately faced a serious challenge. A strike by 33,000 workers, most of them in Boeing’s heartlands around Seattle brought two of its most important factories to a halt, and halted production of the 737 Max, the 777 and the 767 freighter. The seven-week stoppage, which began in September, reflected deep seated resentment among employees over their pay and retirement provisions. The dispute was settled in early November, but it cost the company billions. Boeing did take action. It announced plans to lay off 10% of its workforce and began raising more than $20bn through a combination of share sales and borrowing in order to protect its credit rating. It also delayed the entry into service of the 777X. A new version of the long-haul workhorse, it was already years late but had been expected to start operating in 2025. It will not now carry passengers until 2026. In total, Boeing delivered 348 commercial aircraft last year. Its great rival Airbus delivered 766. Problems at Boeing’s defence business have been less visible, but no less damaging. The unit lost more than $5bn, largely thanks to rising costs on fixed price military contracts. Commenting on the results, Mr Ortberg said: “We made progress on key areas to stabilize our operations during the quarter and continued to strengthen important aspects of our safety and quality plan. “My team and I are focused on making the fundamental changes needed to fully recover our company’s performance and restore trust with our customers, employees, suppliers, investors, regulators and all others who are counting on us.” Source link #Boeing #loses #1bn #month Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

WWE 2K25 release date, new modes and gameplay changes announced WWE 2K25 release date, new modes and gameplay changes announced 2K Sports has confirmed the release date for WWE 2K25, and shared details on a number of new modes and features. The next entry in the long-running WWE series of video games will be released on March 14, with early access starting on March 7 for owners of the Deadman Edition or Bloodline Edition of the game. The game’s cover star is Roman Reigns, who will be the central focus of the two main new modes added in the 2K25 edition. The first of these is this year’s Showcase mode, which is titled The Bloodline’s Dynasty. Showcase mode looks back at classic matches with a specific theme, and this year the theme is the Bloodline and the extended Anoa’i family, meaning the matches selected will include Roman Reigns, The Rock, Yokozuna, Jacob Fatu and more. The main new mode this year, however, is titled The Island and gives players “the opportunity to explore and challenge other players, while vying to earn a WWE contract by impressing Roman Reigns”, according to 2K Sports. The Island, which is exclusive to the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game, has players completing quests, competing in live events and upgrading and customising their character “through multiple storyline chapters”. Other new features coming to the game this year include: Intergender matches, allowing male and female superstars to fight each other Bloodline Rules and Underground match types The return of the Chain Wrestling gameplay mechanic An improved MyFaction mode with a new World Tour section replacing Proving Grounds A new MyRise storyline, offering “a singlular, multi-gender” storyline instead of two separate male and female stories Online multiplayer in MyGM mode Improvements to Universe morde including the return of Promos Players who pre-order WWE 2K25 will get the Wyatt Sicks Pack, which includes five playable superstars – Uncle Howdy, Dexter Lumis, Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy and Erick Rowan – plus Uncle Howdy and Nikki Cross mask cosmetic items for The Island. The game will have two special editions, the Deadman Edition ($99.99) and the Bloodline Edition ($129.99). The Deadman Edition will include the following: Standard Edition of the game Wyatt Sicks Pack Deadman Edition Bonus Pack Mattel Elite Greatest Hits Undertaker persona card for MyFaction and playable superstar Original ’90 Undertaker persona card for MyFaction and playable superstar A useable Urn object Undertaker ’95 Mask cosmetic item for The Island (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S only) Brother Love manager Season Pass for all five post-launch DLC character packs 15,000 VC Seven days early access to the game (starting on March 7) The Bloodline Edition will include the following: Everything in the Deadman Edition Ringside Pass (Season Pass plus Superstar Mega-Boost) The Rock Nation of Domination Pack (Rock Nation of Domination persona card for MyFaction and playable superstar) The Bloodline Edition Bonus Pack Mattel Elite Series 114 Jey Uso persona card for MyFaction and playable superstar Mattel Elite Greatest Hits Roman Reigns persona card for MyFaction and playable superstar Family Above All Hoodie, OTC Shirt, Yeet Tank Top and Yeet Sunglasses cosmetic items for The Island (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S only) An additional 32,500 VC (Steam only) WrestleMania 41 Pack (available Summer 2025) WrestleMania 41 Arena Two WrestleMania 41 Main Event Superstars persona cards for MyFaction and playable superstars A new Superstar persona card (TBA) Source link #WWE #2K25 #release #date #modes #gameplay #announced Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Don’t get too attached to DeepSeek – it’ll never survive in the US Don’t get too attached to DeepSeek – it’ll never survive in the US Has everyone lost their collective minds? How did DeepSeek go from a relatively unknown ******** startup AI chatbot to the hottest commodity on smartphones and tangentially the US stock market? To be clear, I can’t get on DeepSeek and challenge the R1 model. I’ve been trying for two days and the backlog of signups (and some cyber attacks) has completely overwhelmed DeepSeek’s vaunted servers. I read John-Anthony Disotto excellent DeepSeek hands on which made it clear that while DeepSeek R1 is good, it’s not a world-changer. Yes, he called it an “excellent free reasoning model” that might make you question why you’re paying for OpenAI’s more expensive and also quite good o1 model. That’s a fair question but it doesn’t account for the US stock market panic or borderline irrational response to the emergence of this model. This smells fishy At issue here is that not only is DeepSeek-R1 free, but the company claims it trained its models with cheap chips, and for the cost of just $5.6 million US dollars. In my world, that’s a lot of money. In the realm of AI, it’s nothing. Meta will reportedly spend $65 billion on AI training this year alone. The need for ever-greater AI model processing power turned Nvidia into the most valuable company in the world (it lost that distinction during the sell-off). Now along comes DeepSeek, saying it did the same thing for, essentially, pennies. Suddenly every investor wondered if they’d made the wrong bet. So, with almost no information or real proof that DeepSeek and its investors are being transparent and truthful, investors have started pulling their AI dollars from the US stock market. A matter of trust As I mentioned, DeepSeek is a ******** app. Not ******** in the way TikTok is, with a distant parent – ByteDance – maintaining a thready control over a now mostly US-based counterpart. TikTok, which is run in the US by US employees and stores all its data in the US has until April to find a US buyer or be banned, again, inside the US. DeepSeek makes no bones about being ********. In the App Store, its listing is full of ********-language characters. Millions of US users are rushing to use the R1 model and send it their text queries – prompts about their lives, work, and plans. The ******** government has full access to all that data and now we’re just willingly handing it to them because someone said this R1 model was the “most amazing and promising AI breakthroughs he’d seen.” Really? The app doesn’t even include multimodal support. It’s just text. How does that add up to amazing when I’m talking to all my AIs and showing them pictures they can instantly interpret and react to? Listening to one activist investor tout a new product for undefined reasons is never a good idea. Do we know if he has a stake in this company? Do we know if he has an axe to grind with US-based AI companies? What’s clear though, is that he and DeepSeek do not necessarily have US interests or its consumers’ interests at heart. Deepseek R1 is one of the most amazing and impressive breakthroughs I’ve ever seen — and as open source, a profound gift to the world. January 24, 2025 This won’t last Let’s say for the sake of argument, DeepSeek’s R1 does turn out to be a breakthrough. There are hints that the company has far more models up its sleeve (it recently released a generative image model to developers). That still doesn’t wipe out its ******** parentage and continuing ownership. It doesn’t matter how good it is; this app will not survive in the current US climate. It’s reasonable to assume, though that if DeepSeek’s R1 and its other models do turn out to be as groundbreaking as promised, and trained at that incredibly low cost, it will reset the AI industry. Meta, OpenAI (which is promised a $500 billion investment with the US government to build Project Stargate), Microsoft, Nvidia, and others will have to rethink their AI strategies and figure out how to dramatically cut their own costs. I’m not convinced though that’s what’s coming. There is no reason to trust DeepSeek and its backers’ claims. I think the truth about the time and financial investment it took them to get here will come out. And then DeepSeek and R1 will go through its own kind of reset. You might also like Source link #Dont #attached #DeepSeek #itll #survive Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Cuisineer (PlayStation 5) Review – CGMagazine Cuisineer (PlayStation 5) Review – CGMagazine “The London-based (the ***) indie games publisher Marvelous Europe, Torrance-based (CA, the US) video games company XSEED Games, and Singapore-based indie games developer BattleBrew Productions, are today super thrilled and proud to announce that their food-focused action roguelike “Cuisineer”, is coming to consoles (PS5, Xbox Series X, and the Nintendo Switch) on January 28th next year (as announced during today’s Nintendo Indie World showcase).” – Jonas Ek, TGG. Source link #Cuisineer #PlayStation #Review #CGMagazine Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Leicester City helicopter ****** ruled accidental at inquest Leicester City helicopter ****** ruled accidental at inquest An inquest jury has concluded that a helicopter ****** in which five people were killed at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium was an accident. Foxes chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, fellow passengers Kaveporn Punpare, Nusara Suknamai, pilot Eric Swaffer and Mr Swaffer’s partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz all died in the ****** on 27 October 2018. Source link #Leicester #City #helicopter #****** #ruled #accidental #inquest Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NYT Mini Crossword today: puzzle answers for Tuesday, January 28 NYT Mini Crossword today: puzzle answers for Tuesday, January 28 Love crossword puzzles but don’t have all day to sit and solve a full-sized puzzle in your daily newspaper? That’s what The Mini is for! A bite-sized version of the New York Times’ well-known crossword puzzle, The Mini is a quick and easy way to test your crossword skills daily in a lot less time (the average puzzle takes most players just over a minute to solve). While The Mini is smaller and simpler than a normal crossword, it isn’t always easy. Tripping up on one clue can be the difference between a personal best completion time and an embarrassing solve attempt. Just like our Wordle hints and Connections hints, we’re here to help with The Mini today if you’re stuck and need a little help. Please enable Javascript to view this content Below are the answers for the NYT Mini crossword today. NYT Mini Crossword answers today New York Times Across Magic accessory for Gandalf the Grey – STAFF Item often cut with a pocket-sized guillotine cutter – CIGAR Fill with awe – AMAZE Flood stopper – LEVEE Word repeated in “Any ___ is good ___” – PRESS Down Top of the head – SCALP Track meet official – TIMER Plant used to make tequila – AGAVE Flusters – FAZES Saves from jail in Capture the Flag, say – FREES Source link #NYT #Mini #Crossword #today #puzzle #answers #Tuesday #January Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Poco F7 India Launch Said to Include a Special Edition Phone Poco F7 India Launch Said to Include a Special Edition Phone Poco F7 is expected to launch in India soon as a successor to the Poco F6. As per recent rumours, Poco may only launch the base model in India. The other variants are said to be limited to select global markets outside India. A new leak supports this claim, but adds that the vanilla version may be accompanied by a special edition model. Previous leaks suggest that the base Poco F7 could have similar features to the Redmi Turbo 4. Poco F7 India Launch Tipped Alongside a Special Edition According to an X post by tipster Paras Guglani (@passionategeekz), Poco is expected to unveil the base Poco F7 in India alongside a “special edition” phone. He did not specify what this special edition could be related to. The preceding Poco F6 was introduced in the country in a special “Deadpool Limited Edition” in July last year. The standard version of the handset was launched in May 2024. The tipster added that the purported Poco F7 Ultra is expected to be “exclusive to global sectors,” and the Pro variant of the lineup will not see an India launch yet. He added that there were “more months to wait” and a “change in tactics,” but did not elaborate on these claims. They could be interpreted to mean that the Poco F7 Pro and Poco F7 Ultra options could launch in India, but much later. Previously, another tipster suggested that the anticipated Poco F7 Pro and Poco F7 Ultra will not launch in India “at least this year,” and added that the company is “getting ambitious.” The base Poco F7 could launch with similar features as the Redmi Turbo 4, including a MediaTek Dimensity 8400-Ultra SoC, a 6,550mAh battery with 90W wired fast charging support and an in-display fingerprint sensor. It may get a 50-megapixel sensor alongside an 8-megapixel ultrawide shooter at the back and a 20-megapixel selfie shooter at the front. The phone may run on Android 15-based HyperOS 2.0 and sport a 6.67-inch 1.5K OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection as well as HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support. Source link #Poco #India #Launch #Include #Special #Edition #Phone Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Holocaust survivor says Elon Musk’s Auschwitz visit was “performance” Holocaust survivor says Elon Musk’s Auschwitz visit was “performance” A Holocaust survivor who met Elon Musk on his tour of the Auschwitz death camp says the visit was a “performance” by the “uninterested” tech billionaire. Musk visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau site exactly a year ago after intense criticism of how X tackles antisemitic posts and Mr Musk endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory. He was hosted by a group including Gidon Lev, 89, who was at the SS-run Theresienstadt ghetto in the Czech Republic, and lost 26 family members during the Holocaust. Gidon, has been prompted to speak out on the anniversary of the visit, after Musk’s controversial hand gesture – which some said looked like a Nazi salute. He described the outing on January 17, 2024, as a “performance” put on by Musk’s handlers. Source link #Holocaust #survivor #Elon #Musks #Auschwitz #visit #performance Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Put Your Ones Up For The WWE 2K25 Cover Star Reveal Put Your Ones Up For The WWE 2K25 Cover Star Reveal WWE 2K25 is on the way, and tonight during WWE Raw on Netflix, the official cover star was revealed. If you’ve followed the teases, you may have already figured it out, but now it’s official: Roman Reigns will be featured on the cover of WWE 2K25. Reigns had one of the biggest years of his career in 2024. After 1,316 days as WWE Champion, he finally dropped the title to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40. For months, he was off-screen, as his cousin Solo Sikoa had disowned him post-defeat from their familial faction, The Bloodline, and claimed the role of leader for himself. Reigns returned at SummerSlam to reclaim his spot as the “Tribal Chief” to a chorus of massive cheers from the crowd. Turning face but still keeping a harder edge to his character than Rhodes’ purer Face That Runs The Place role, Reigns has re-emerged as the fan-favorite good guy the company once spent years failing to create. For now, the cover star news is all we have to go on regarding WWE 2K25, but stick around, as we expect to share more soon on this year’s wrestling sim. If the WWE 2K24 schedule is any sort of indication, we can expect to see this year’s game launch a few weeks ahead of WrestleMania, which would slot it into a March launch some time. In my WWE 2K24 review, I wrote, “As both WWE and the wider format of pro wrestling live through a new golden age, it’s fortuitous timing for fans that this year’s game is so great. While the MTX-heavy mode feels tacked on like a publisher mandate, there are thankfully several other modes that each feel like they deserve to be played for many months ahead, making them the true centerpieces of your personal WWE universe.” Source link #Put #WWE #2K25 #Cover #Star #Reveal Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Signal to Allow Synchronisation Across Multiple Devices Like Desktop, iPad Soon for iOS, Android Users Signal to Allow Synchronisation Across Multiple Devices Like Desktop, iPad Soon for iOS, Android Users Signal, the popular messaging app, allows users to link additional devices like desktops or iPads to their primary Android or iOS smartphone. The company now says that users will soon be able to transfer and synchronise messages and media of one account across different devices. Meta-owned WhatsApp allows users to synchronise multiple devices with their primary ones. Both apps also offer end-to-end encryption. Multi-Device Synchronisation for iOS, Android Signal Users According to a blog post by the company, Signal users will soon be able to transfer and synchronise messages and media across all linked devices. Currently, users need to start anew on additional devices like desktops or iPads because they cannot transfer data from the primary account. The blog post reveals that users will be able to “bring your chats and your last 45 days of media with you” and that the feature will roll out to Signal users with stable builds “over the next several weeks.” Signal confirmed that this feature will be available with an upcoming beta release. Users will continue having the option to not transfer any data while linking existing Signal accounts to additional devices. The data will consist of message history, including photos, videos, files, stickers, call history, group updates, quotes, reactions, and delivery/read receipts. The company reiterated that it offers end-to-end encryption and claimed in the blog post that it will transfer message backups in a secure way. A compressed, encrypted and archived version of the user’s history will be transferred to the linked devices via Signal’s servers, the company explained. Signal recently received a Call Links feature which allows users to start a group call with several users, without creating a separate group chat. It was also updated with the Raise Hand button and the emoji reactions features. Source link #Signal #Synchronisation #Multiple #Devices #Desktop #iPad #iOS #Android #Users Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

White House orders freeze on federal aid to focus on Trump’s conservative agenda White House orders freeze on federal aid to focus on Trump’s conservative agenda President Donald Trump has ordered a freeze to domestic and foreign federal aid in a sweeping effort to stop government funding for causes that don’t fit with his agenda. A memo sent out Monday night from Matthew J. Vaeth, acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said the changes would go into effect Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET and relate to a string of executive orders Trump has signed since taking office last week. “Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal,” Vaeth said. The memo said the pause would allow “time to review agency programs and determine the best uses of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and the President’s priorities.” The memo, which could affect billions of dollars in aid, noted an exception for Social Security and Medicare and direct payments to individuals, saying those benefits would not be affected. Vaeth said in the memo that agencies must “immediately identify” any legally mandated actions or deadlines that could come up during the pause. The memo, previously reported by Politico, did not detail which groups or programs would be affected, but emphasized that federal aid must be brought in line with Trump’s policy agenda, including a flurry of executive orders that marked a dramatic break with President Joe Biden’s administration. Trump signed more executive orders Monday, including ones designed to roll back government diversity, inclusion and equality operations, and to build an Israel-style “Iron Dome” missile defense system. Speaking at the House Republicans’ annual policy retreat at his Trump National Doral golf resort in Miami, Trump said his administration “has been moving with urgency and historic speed to reverse every single disaster of the Biden administration.” Monday’s memo sparked immediate pushback on Capitol Hill, where some believe it poses a direct challenge to the authorities given exclusively to Congress. The Democratic leaders of the House and Senate appropriations committees — Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. — wrote to OMB expressing their “extreme alarm about the Administration’s efforts to undermine Congress’s power of the purse, threaten our national security, and deny resources for states, localities, American families, and businesses.” “The scope of what you are ordering is breathtaking, unprecedented, and will have devastating consequences across the country,” they added, going on to say that the pause is unconstitutional and unlawful. Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee simply responded in a post to X: “Hey so this is insane.” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also joined the rising chorus of opposition voices attacking the federal aid pause. “More lawlessness and chaos in America as Donald Trump’s Administration blatantly disobeys the law by holding up virtually all vital funds that support programs in every community across the country. If this continues, the American people will pay an awful price,” he said in a statement late Monday. “They say this is only temporary, but no one should believe that,” Schumer added. “Congress approved these investments and they are not optional; they are the law.” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also said on X that the unilateral move was unconstitutional. “In Illinois, we will stand against unlawful actions that would harm millions of working families, children, and seniors,” he said. Source link #White #House #orders #freeze #federal #aid #focus #Trumps #conservative #agenda Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]