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CoD: ****** Ops 6 Season 1 Preload Goes Live With Massive File Size CoD: ****** Ops 6 Season 1 Preload Goes Live With Massive File Size It’s a big day for Call of Duty, as November 14 marks the launch of Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 Season 1, which also includes the debut of a new Call of Duty: Warzone map, Area 99. Season 1 is a big update, coming in at 74GB on Xbox and 50GB on PlayStation, according to CharlieIntel. Players can pre-load the update now so they can jump in when Season 1 officially goes live today at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 Season 01 pre-load should be live for Xbox and PlayStation players. Xbox: around 74GB PlayStation around 50GB Season begins 9am PT. — CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) November 14, 2024 Call of Duty updates are known to be massive in file size, and the Season 1 launch continues this trend. To help combat the growing file sizes, Activision has undergone efforts to decrease Call of Duty file sizes, including streaming some assets and other means. Despite this, given the size of the ****** Ops 6 Season 1 update, players may need to delete some files to make room. ****** Ops 6 Season 1 adds new multiplayer maps, modes, and weapons, while the in-game store gets fleshed out with a host of store bundles, including one that turns you into a shark. The in-game store also welcomes the first ****** Ops 6 BlackCell bundle, which includes the Goliath operator. For Warzone, the new Area 99 map takes players to the place Nuketown was born. The Season 1 update also marks the introduction of ****** Ops 6 content in Warzone, including the Omnimovement system. Source link #CoD #****** #Ops #Season #Preload #Live #Massive #File #Size Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Intel takes down AMD in our integrated graphics battle royale — still nowhere near dedicated GPU levels, but uses much less power Intel takes down AMD in our integrated graphics battle royale — still nowhere near dedicated GPU levels, but uses much less power We last took an in-depth look at integrated graphics performance four years ago, using a combination of desktop and laptop hardware. Things have changed a lot in the intervening years, and while no one is going to replace a high-end GPU with an integrated solution any time soon, budget gaming solutions are clearly in sight. Perhaps that’s why we haven’t really seen any true budget GPU solutions from Nvidia for several years, with the least expensive models often adding several hundred dollars to the price of a PC or laptop. With Intel’s Lunar Lake and AMD’s Ryzen AI mobile processors now launched, it’s time for a rematch. We’ve got three roughly equivalent laptops for testing, all from Asus (via AMD and Intel). The newest is the Asus Zenbook S14, equipped with a Core Ultra 7 258V processor and Arc Graphics 140V (aka Lunar Lake or LNL). It’s mostly the same chassis as the previous generation Asus Zenbook OLED 14, which has a Core Ultra 7 155H and Arc Graphics (aka Meteor Lake or MTL). And from the AMD camp, we have the larger Asus Zenbook S16 with a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor with an Radeon 890M GPU (aka Strix Point). We did some preliminary benchmarks last month, showing how Lunar Lake’s graphics fared against the other options. But after both user and vendor feedback, we felt a deeper comparison was in order. Also, Intel has updated drivers for Lunar Lake that improve the situation (though they’re still not on a unified driver version). This time, we’re going whole hog with a selection of 24 games, including many recent releases. We’re interested in both performance and compatibility, and have notified the appropriate companies of any issues we encountered (which means we told Intel one of the games we tested is borked). We also took steps to ensure a level playing field, as much as possible. That means — and this is an absolutely critical point — that we are not using things like FSR 1/2/3, frame generation, XeSS, HYPR-RX, AFMF2, or any other proprietary technologies. Because we know, from experience, that even if XeSS and FSR2 can run on GPUs from the other vendors, they don’t necessarily run optimally. We’re looking at the underlying GPU performance, at native resolution, plain and simple. Is that “fair?” And what does fair even mean? We think it’s best to level the playing field without bringing in outside software solutions for a primary performance comparison, but AMD is proud of HYPR-RX, AFMF, FSR, and its other technologies and has a blog post that coincidentally also went up this morning, where AMD claims a 75% lead over Intel’s 258V — with both sides using all the software tweaks available. (On a related note, this is precisely why we haven’t been testing with DLSS in every game where it’s an option on our desktop GPU reviews for the past six years.) We also ensured that all three laptops have a CPU package power of around 28W — though Intel’s Lunar Lake has DRAM on package, which draws about 1.5W of power, so technically it’s at a slight disadvantage… but it also has faster LPDDR5x-8533 memory, which certainly helps in some of the games we tested. And finally, for good measure, we ran the same tests on an older Dell G15 laptop that has a Core i5-12500H and an RTX 3050 Ti 4GB dedicated graphics card — which, for the record, was also tested without using DLSS. We expect the dGPU to be faster, but we wanted to see how much of a gap exists between a relatively-budget gaming laptop and these newer integrated GPUs. It’s definitely not an apples-to-apples matchup, however, as the G15 comes with a single DDR5-4800 8GB stick of RAM, and that doesn’t do it any favors. Consider it a point of reference rather than a definitive statement on the RTX 3050 Ti or any other dedicated GPU. Testing Overview Asus Zenbook S14 with Intel Lunar Lake Core Ultra 7 258V and Arc Graphics 140V (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Before we get to the test results, let’s also quickly discuss the high level specs of the various laptops. These are, more or less, the top three integrated graphics solutions from AMD and Intel for the current and previous (Meteor Lake) laptop processors. While AMD’s chip is the Ryzen AI 9, we’ve found little difference between Intel’s Core Ultra 9 288V and the ‘slower’ Core Ultra 7 258V — there’s even a performance deficit for the higher tier processor in some cases. Starting with Lunar Lake, it’s clear Intel set out to do something quite different from its previous architectures. On the CPU front, there are four Lion Cove P-cores (performance optimized cores), without Hyper-Threading Then there are four Skymont E-cores (efficiency optimized cores), also without Hyper-Threading. That gives eight CPU cores with eight threads total, which represents a sizeable step down from the up to 16 cores and 22 threads of the prior generation. On the GPU side of things, Lunar Lake has a second generation ‘Battlemage’ Xe2 architecture chip, with eight Xe-cores and 1,024 shader ALUs (Arithmetic Logic Units) — as well as full XMX support. Architectural differences mean that real-world performance will be better, but theoretical performance lands at 4.0 teraflops for FP32 and 67 teraflops of FP16 for AI workloads. There’s a new NPU (Neural Processing Unit) for AI as well that provides 48 TOPS of INT8 computational power. Intel tapped TSMC for the most of the processor, using the cutting edge N3B node for the compute tile (CPU, GPU, NPU, and cache) and the older N6 node for the platform tile (memory controller, PCIe, USB, and other functionality). These reside on a Foveros tile that’s made using Intel’s older (2012) 22nm FinFET node. Asus Zenbook 14 OLED with Intel Lunar Lake Core Ultra 7 155H and Arc Graphics (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Next up is the prior generation Meteor Lake laptop in the form of the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED. It’s quite a different ****** from new Lunar Lake, with four different tiles. Technically, it’s not the first tiled architecture from Intel — that would be the short-lived Lakefield architecture in 2020. But after that initial debut and apparently proof of concept, Meteor Lake was the true coming out party for Foveros chip stacking. The compute tile houses the CPU cores and is made on Intel’s own Intel 4 node. It houses the six Redwood Cove P-cores and eight Crestmont E-cores, plus associated caches and sundry other pieces. There are two additional low power E-cores on the SOC tile, which is made using TSMC’s N6 node. That’s 16 cores and 22 threads of CPU, though do note that the LP E-cores run at significantly lower clocks. Two of the P-cores are also higher performance cores that can hit higher clocks. The GPU uses the TSMC N5 node, with eight Xe-cores based on the Alchemist architecture. However, unlike the dedicated desktop and laptop Arc GPUs, Meteor Lake’s GPU lacks the XMX units (matrix/vector units that help accelerate AI workloads). With clocks of up to 2250 MHz, however, it has a theoretical rating of 4.6 teraflops FP32 — higher than Lunar Lake’s GPU! We’ll see in the benchmarks that architectural upgrades ultimately make Battlemage the faster part, which hopefully means good things for the upcoming dedicated Battlemage GPUs. The SOC tile also contains Intel’s first generation NPU, which offers a relatively tame 10 TOPS of INT8 compute — not enough for Microsoft’s Copilot+ certification. There’s also an IO tile for things like PCIe, WiFi, USB, and more that’s made on TSMC N6. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Compared to both Lunar Lake and Meteor Lake, AMD’s Strix Point architecture is far more traditional. It’s a single monolithic ****, manufactured on TSMC N4P — basically a refinement of the N5 node that’s better tuned for higher performance (read: clocks). That means, on the whole, AMD’s chip lands between Lunar Lake’s compute tile and IO tile and ahead of Meteor Lake, at least on paper. The CPU consists of four full performance Zen 5 cores, plus eight more Zen 5c density optimized cores. All the cores support the same instruction set and features, but the Zen 5 cores can clock much higher. All told, that’s 12 cores and 24 threads for the CPU. The GPU uses AMD’s efficiency optimized RDNA 3.5 architecture, with some tweaks specifically intended to help with performance. It has 16 compute units (CUs), for 1,024 shader ALUs total — the same number as both Intel GPUs. It has a maximum boost clock of 2900 MHz, giving a potential 5.9 teraflops of FP32 compute, but in practice we measured much lower real-world clocks ranging between 1.8~2.2 GHz (3.7~4.5 teraflops). Strix Point also has an NPU rated at 50 TOPS of INT8, which makes it the most performant of the three NPUs in theory. Both Lunar Lake and Strix Point are certified for Microsoft’s Copilot+ features, if that’s something you care about. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) And as noted, we have an older gaming laptop, the budget-friendly Dell G15 (5520) that came out in 2022. You can get an updated and better-equipped Dell G15 starting at $799 today, but the model we had on hand for testing has an RTX 3050 Ti. We wanted that specifically, or the RTX 3050, just to see how a budget dedicated RTX GPU stands up to the latest integrated solutions. As mentioned earlier, this particular unit has a single 8GB DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM, which also potentially hinders performance. The lack of RAM likely also was to blame for one of the games (The Last of Us, Part 1) refusing to run, though it might have also been the 4GB of VRAM. Integrated graphics 720p and 1080p gaming performance We have 24 different games that we’ve elected to test, and we even went so far as to enable ray tracing (DXR, aka DirectX Raytracing) in three of the games. That… did not go very well, as you’ll see in the results. Everything else was run at low or medium settings, depending on whether the game in question could achieve reasonable levels of performance. We tested at both 720p and 1080p, without any upscaling or frame generation. We’re not opposed to people using those features, particularly on low-end hardware — and AMD offers driver-side AMD Fluid Motion Frames 2 (AFMF2) frame generation to potentially improve the experience. But for the apples to apples benchmarks, we wanted to render at native resolution to see how the laptops fare. All three Asus laptops have different fan profiles, which also determine power and performance to a large degree. We used the “Performance” profile on the Strix Point and Meteor Lake laptops, which allows for 28W of power to the CPU package. On the Lunar Lake laptop, the same “Performance” profile only gives the chip 24W of headroom, so we opted for the “Full Speed” profile that bumps it up to the same 28W TDP. Basically, we’re trying to be as fair as possible, though it’s impossible to truly make everything identical — motherboard and BIOS firmware being one key point of differentiation, not to mention memory speeds. Speaking of which, the three laptops all have 32GB of dual-channel LPDDR5x memory. That’s good, though the Meteor Lake and Strix Point ‘only’ have 7500 MT/s memory while Lunar Lake gets 8533 MT/s DRAM. The DRAM is part of the Lunar Lake package, an expensive one-off decision apparently, and Intel elected to use higher speed memory on all of the chips. We use FrameView to capture frametimes in each game, and it also captures CPU package power (and GPU power if there’s a dedicated GPU), CPU and GPU clocks, and some other metrics that we’ll share below. Every test gets run at least three times, with the first result being discarded, to ensure consistency. For testing, we used the latest Intel 6130 (Meteor Lake) / 6048 (Lunar Lake) drivers — it’s a single driver package released at the end of October. For AMD, we’re using the latest 24.10.1 drivers. All three laptops are running Windows 11 24H2 (though the Dell G15 is still on 23H2, and was tested with the 566.03 drivers). Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Starting with the overall geometric mean — which gives equal weight to every performance result — the standings have Intel’s latest Arc 140V iGPU in the top position, leading AMD’s Radeon 890M by 7% at 720p and 5% at 1080p. The sheer number of games used for testing means that no single title has too much of an impact, and as we’ll see in our individual results below, Intel routinely comes out on top. Lunar Lake also provides a big improvement in gaming performance compared to Meteor Lake: 42% at 720p and 32% at 1080p. It’s interesting that the 1080p results, both with Strix Point and Meteor Lake, narrows, but it does make sense. Memory bandwidth becomes a ******* factor at higher resolutions, and while Lunar Lake does have more bandwidth — 136.5 GB/s compared to 120 GB/s — that’s only 14% more bandwidth overall. We can’t say exactly how much compute versus bandwidth factor into each individual result, but the 720p numbers do show that Lunar Lake has better graphics throughput in general. But there’s still a big gap, even when compared to a three years old RTX 3050 Ti that’s held back by the 8GB of system RAM. Nvidia’s budget GPU delivers 44% higher performance at 720p and 61% more performance at 1080p compared to Lunar Lake. Again, bandwidth looks to be a factor, and the 3050 Ti has 192 GB/s of dedicate memory bandwidth. The individual results show a wide spread, and drivers are clearly an issue at times — and not solely for Intel. We’ll discuss the specifics in each of the games below, in alphabetical order. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) *********’s Creed Mirage gives AMD’s 890M the win, by 12% at 720p but only 3% at 1080p. Lunar Lake easily beats its predecessor, however, offering a 74% performance uplift at 720p and 62% at 1080p. The RTX 3050 Ti mostly matches the overall standings, with 47% higher 720p performance and a 65% higher 1080p result. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Avatar does support some ray tracing effects, though we wouldn’t expect any of those to be active on the low preset. Lunar Lake and Strix Point are tied at 720p, while AMD has a 5% lead at 1080p. LNL also shows nearly a doubling in performance compared to MTL at 720p, and a 68% improvement at 1080p. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of several games that didn’t run all that great on any of the GPUs. AMD’s Radeon 890M manages the best result of the iGPUs, but both old and new Intel GPUs have a “pulsing” effect — we provided an FPS over time chart in the above gallery to illustrate this. You get a fast-then-slow-then-fast repeated cycle that results in a very poor overall experience. This could potentially be related to VRAM use, as the RTX 3050 Ti and even AMD’s GPU also have relatively poor 1% low FPS. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) ****** Myth: Wukong was one of the games we originally looked at, but we had FSR3 upscaling and framegen enabled and that messed with the results. Without any upscaling, the 258V manages 10% higher performance at 720p, but falls behind by 20% at 1080p. Intel’s new chip shows 56% higher performance than the prior gen at 720p, but only 6% higher performance at 1080p. Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Control (Ultimate Edition) is one of the three games where we also tested ray tracing performance. Without enabling RT, Intel’s Arc 140V beats the Radeon 890M by 21% at 720p and 27% at 1080p. It’s also 29% and 46% faster than the Arc Graphics in the 155H. With RT turned on (using the medium setting), it’s 16% and 11% faster than AMD’s iGPU, and likewise 16% and 6% faster than Meteor Lake. Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) We also enabled ray tracing in Cyberpunk 2077, which really didn’t go so well for any of the iGPUs. Using traditional rasterization rendering, Lunar Lake delivers a solid 50 fps at 720p with medium settings, and 36 fps at 1080p, beating Strix Point by 3% and 22%, respectively. LNL is also 29% and 31% faster than MTL. With ray tracing enabled, Arc 140V ends up as the fastest of the three iGPUs, but only with 21 FPS at 720p and 10.5 fps at 1080p. AMD’s 890M choked badly in our testing, failing to get into the double digits — one of the few cases (the DXR Control and Minecraft being the others) where AMD’s newer chip performed worse than Intel’s Meteor Lake. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Diablo IV isn’t remotely demanding, as evidenced by the three iGPUs all clearing 60 fps at 720p, and even managing 48 FPS or higher at 1080p medium. There are some stutters, however, as evidenced by the 1% lows. But the game is easily playable on any of the three iGPUs. Intel LNL gets another 7%/17% lead over AMD at 720p/1080p, and a 21%/28% lead over MTL. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Dragon’s Dogma 2 feels rather sluggish compared to many other games, and it doesn’t even look that great. We ran around the city of Vernworth for our testing, and every GPU felt stuttery — including the RTX 3050 Ti. We can only assume that the game wants more than 4GB of VRAM, but in general it just feels pretty poorly optimized. AMD gets the win this time, with a 13% lead over Lunar Lake, which in turn beats Meteor Lake by 38%/35% (720p/1080p). Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Dying Light 2 runs quite nicely on the three iGPUs and was playable even at 1080p medium on Lunar Lake — Meteor Lake was more borderline at that resolution. Intel gets the win again, leading by 14%/32% over AMD and 47%/45% over MTL. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) AMD takes the pole position with F1 24, beating Arc 140V and Lunar Lake by 20%/10%. Intel’s newer iGPU is still 40%/34% faster than Meteor Lake, however. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) None of the iGPUs manages to run Final Fantasy XVI, using the default low preset, at anything approaching a playable level. Even the RTX 3050 Ti struggles, with minimums regularly falling below 20 fps at 720p. At 1080p, the fastest of the four laptops (Dell G15) only gets 16 FPS, while the slowest (MTL) gets 12 FPS. As we noted in our desktop testing of Final Fantasy XVI, the game feels extremely poorly optimized. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 benefits from both high CPU as well as higher GPU performance, and despite only having eight cores, Lunar Lake delivers good performance overall. It’s 17% faster than the Radeon 890M at 720p, but 2% slower at 1080p. Gen over gen, Lunar Lake beats Meteor Lake by 30% / 27%. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) **** of War: Ragnarok is another game where all three iGPUs have a difficult time, even at 720p using minimum (low) settings. The Arc 140V averages 42 FPS, but minimums fall into the low 20s, and it feels quite stuttery. Still, Intel gets the win over AMD by a relatively large 42% / 47% — we’d wager AMD needs to do some driver tuning here. Looking at the previous generation, Intel sees just over double the performance. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Hogwarts Legacy also has the occasional stutter, though this seems more endemic to the game engine than the GPU. Each system would ‘stall’ noticeably at a certain point in our run through the town of Hogsmeade, and we’ve seen the same thing with desktop GPUs. Intel’s new mobile CPU gets top honors again, though, with a 27% / 11% lead over AMD’s finest, and a 76% / 47% lead over the prior gen 155H. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Whether or not you think Horizon Forbidden West looks better than its predecessor, it’s pretty demanding of the GPU, with minimums on all of our test laptops falling below 30 FPS. Arc Graphics 140V in the 258V comes out in first among iGPUs at 720p, leading AMD by 12%, but then it falls behind by 7% at 1080p. Gen on gen, Intel sees a 21% / 23% lead over Meteor Lake. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) The Last of Us, Part 1, refused to run on the RTX 3050 Ti laptop, showing an “insufficient memory” error. We’re not sure if that’s purely from the 4GB of VRAM, or if it’s the combination of VRAM and system RAM. As an AMD promoted game, it’s no surprise to see the 890M leading Intel’s iGPU by 18% / 8%. Intel only sees an 18%/11% lead over its prior generation part as well, one of the smaller margins. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) MechWarrior 5 Clans uses Unreal Engine 5, and even at minimum settings, it’s rough on lower tier GPUs. The RTX 3050 Ti has decent average FPS of 47, but minimums fall below 20 FPS with clear hitching and stuttering present. The 258V is manageable at 720p, beating AMD’s part by 20% and the 155H by 51%. Moving up to 1080p, none of the laptops were really playable, though Lunar Lake still shows a 14% advantage over AMD and a 31% lead over Meteor Lake. Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Without ray tracing turned on, Minecraft can run on pretty much anything and everything. It ends up CPU limited with the RTX 3050 Ti only drawing around 22W and with similar 720p and 1080p performance. It seems to be more single-threaded overall, which is why Lunar Lake ends up being the fastest iGPU at 1080p, with 31% higher FPS than Strix Point and a 60% gen-on-gen improvement over MTL. Turning on ray tracing causes a massive hit to performance, and the 3050 Ti power use jumps to 87W. LNL ends up 31% / 34% faster than AMD’s Strix Point, and 17% / 9% faster than MTL. It almost looks like Minecraft with DXR enabled on the Intel iGPUs ends up largely limited by memory bandwidth. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) A Plague Tale: Requiem is one of the outliers as far as Lunar Lake goes, with performance basically unchanged compared to Meteor Lake. It looks like Intel could work on its drivers for this one, while AMD’s 890M delivers a 40%/15% gutpunch to the Intel GPUs. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Spider-Man: Miles Morales is another game that likes both CPU performance as well as VRAM. The RTX 3050 Ti gets held back on both fronts with its older i5-12500H processor, barely outpacing the 258V at 720p though the gap grows at 1080p. Lunar Lake ranks again as the top iGPU with 12% / 15% better performance than AMD’s Strix Point, and 37%/51% higher gen-on-gen performance. Image 1 of 1 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Star Wars Outlaws is the sole game in our 24 game test suite that refused to run on Meteor Lake, and it also kept crashing on Lunar Lake. We got a result at 720p, though we wouldn’t put too much stock in it until Intel fixes the drivers. There were also rendering errors on Lunar Lake, and Intel says it’s aware of the problems. AMD’s 890M didn’t have any such trouble, delivering 22% higher performance, without crashing, compared to Intel’s 140V GPU processor. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Starfield has AMD and Intel on equal footing, though neither provides a particularly great experience with average performance in our test sequence (on Akila) of just 33 FPS at 720p, and 24 FPS at 1080p — though Intel has slightly higher minimum FPS in both cases. LNL beats MTL by 95% / 80%, one of the larger difference between the old and new Intel GPUs. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Another recent release, and an AMD promoted game as well, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 pretty much has Lunar Lake and Strix Point at parity, with AMD having a slight 6% lead at 1080p. LNL is 27%/16% faster than the previous gen MTL, however. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Last but not least, we have Witchfire, and indie game from some of the people that made Painkiller back in the aughts. Two of the studio’s heads left People Can Fly to form The Astronauts in 2012, around the time the Epic acquired a stake in People Can Fly. The game uses Unreal Engine 4, so performance tends to be better than in UE5 games. AMD’s Radeon 890M takes the top spot at both 720p and 1080p, beating Lunar Lake’s 140V by 12%–13%. LNL in turn leads the previous generation Arc Graphics by 25% / 16%. Total power use and GPU clocks That takes care of the gaming performance, but let’s also quickly discuss power use and GPU clocks, as the data is interesting. First up is power. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) We mentioned how the laptops vary in power limits, and here you can see that the settings we used result in very similar power use from all three of the Zenbooks with integrated graphics. This data is from FrameView’s total package power for the CPU, and includes around 1.5W extra for RAM on Lunar Lake, but otherwise across all 26–27 tests, the power use is very similar. And then look at the gaming laptop, which uses 39.2W on average for the CPU, and 77.3W on average for the RTX 3050 Ti. We suspect that with a slightly different and newer graphics solution, like the RTX 4050 laptop GPU, performance would be improved thanks to the additional VRAM, and the CPU and system RAM might also hold back the 3050 Ti. But it’s still interesting to see just how big the gap is between the iGPU solutions and the dedicated GPU. Nvidia GPUs can also run in lower power modes, though we did some limited testing with a 30W power limit and found that performance dropped substantially in that case, with the 3050 Ti often falling below the fastest iGPU solution. There’s a good reason we never liked the RTX 3050 or 3050 Ti laptop GPUs. Beating a newer iGPU doesn’t require much performance, really. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) And finally, here are the GPU clock speeds as reported by FrameView. What’s interesting here is that, despite having a maximum 2900 MHz boost clock, AMD’s Radeon 890M typically runs at speeds closer to 2000 MHz. That’s the same speed, roughly, as Intel’s Meteor Lake Arc Graphics. Lunar Lake on the other hand clocks even lower, which emphasizes the architectural improvements that the Battlemage Xe2 architecture brings to the table. It averaged around 1850 MHz across our test suite, only 100 MHz below its maximum boost clock, and many of the games showed a 1950 MHz average clock speed. Put another way, at real-world clocks, Lunar Lake’s Arc 140V GPU has a theoretical 3.8 teraflops of graphics compute, Strix Point’s Radeon 890M has a theoretical 4.1 teraflops, and Meteor Lake’s Arc Graphics also offers a theoretical 4.1 teraflops. Looking at the actual resulting performance (and, for simplicity’s sake, ignoring the difference in memory speeds), that means on a clock for clock basis, Battlemage as an iGPU currently delivers better overall efficiency in terms of gaming performance per teraflops. We crunched the numbers, and we end up with Lunar Lake offering 10.33 FPS/TFLOPS across our test suite, Strix Point gives 9.05 FPS/TFLOPS, and Meteor Lake only offers 6.90 FPS/TFLOPS. That means, for our independent testing, Intel delivered exactly 50 percent higher performance per teraflops compared to its prior generation GPU. Thoughts on integrated graphics in 2024 For a lot of people, integrated graphics will be the only thing on offer with many laptops. It’s possible to do dedicated GPUs, but that results in thicker, heavier systems that often offer much worse battery life, make more noise, run hotter, and cost a lot more. Given those factors, I’d make the argument that if you’re only intending on modest gaming on a laptop, and you have good internet (with no data cap), you’d be better off with a thin and light laptop and an Nvidia GeForce Now subscription. Do the math: RTX 2080/3080 performance at 1440p60 for $10 per month, or an “RTX 4080 in the cloud” with up to 4K120 performance for $20 per month. Image fidelity via streaming isn’t as good as locally rendered graphics, but on a laptop I’d be more than happy to get a virtual 4080 equivalent that can actually deliver solid performance at 1440p ultra settings. Of course, now even paid subscribers are limited to 100 hours per month, but if that’s enough for your needs, and like I said you have good internet? I’ve used GeForce Now enough to know that it’s better than what you get with just about any laptop, for a fraction of the cost. But don’t try using it on most hotel WiFi networks, or be prepared for disappointment. Secondarily, there’s the question of where integrated graphics are going. Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and Apple all offer baseline iGPUs with 1024 or 1280 shader ALUs right now. Apple is more than happy to double or quadruple that figure, with 2X to 4X the memory bandwidth as well, for a hefty price increase. Apple MacBook Pro users are willing to fork out for such a configuration, but Windows users have so far been less enamored with faster iGPUs. But there are a lot of rumblings about AMD Strix Point Halo, which could double the memory interface to 256 bits and increase the CU count from 16 in Strix Point to 40 CUs. It would be, roughly speaking, AMD’s equivalent of the Apple M4 Pro, with more compute but similar bandwidth. It would also be at least relatively similar to the PlayStation 5 GPU, but with less bandwidth. Is there a market for such a monster iGPU, running Windows? We’ll find out, if or when AMD begins shipping Strix Point Halo. As for Intel, Lunar Lake takes the podium for ‘pure’ Windows integrated graphics right now. It’s not by a huge margin, and there are still a few driver issues that we encountered, but things are much better today than they were four years ago as far as gaming compatibility and performance are concerned. And as noted at the start, our testing was done without enabling any performance enhancing software, which mostly applies to AMD’s GPU. AMD rightly notes that FSR support is more widespread than XeSS. (DLSS is also more widespread than FSR and XeSS, but that’s another story.) The reality is that using things like AFMF2, FSR, or various other approaches that change the rendered resolution or insert ‘generated’ frames represent a different workload. You can try all of those out on whatever laptop or desktop GPU you buy, and some can deliver a better gaming experience — because no matter how you slice it, 1080p medium at 20 fps isn’t good. Driver-side adjustments in particular fundamentally skew the workloads and open the door for all sorts of shenanigans, so at least for our primary performance testing, we’re sticking to native rendering. We may however choose revisit all of our testing with various performance enhancers, which will be more of an experiential look at performance rather than discussing which GPU actually has more apparent horsepower. Because, let’s be frank: AMD still has better graphics drivers and software. Intel’s hardware may have the performance advantage, but even though it was only one game that ******* to run, there were other games (like Baldur’s Gate 3) that also delivered a poor experience. We’re more confident now than a few years back that Intel will continue to work on such driver issues, but we notified them of the Star Wars Outlaws and Baldur’s Gate 3 issues a few weeks ago, and a fix still hasn’t appeared. Set aside the drivers and software, and Intel’s latest iGPU looks good from the hardware standpoint. It shows some excellent efficiency and performance improvements over the previous Arc Alchemist GPUs, which is great to see and gives us hope for Intel Battlemage. Except, there are rumors and leaks that suggest Battlemage desktop cards my only offer up to 24 Xe-cores. That means, with a 2.5 GHz clock as an estimate, such a GPU would offer 15.4 teraflops of compute. If correct, that would be roughly at the level of an RTX 4060 Ti, or a bit lower performance than an AMD RX 7700 XT. That’s just a ballpark estimate and the final results remain to be seen, but we really hope Intel has something more in store with Battlemage than a 24 Xe-core solution. Beyond that, we have Panther Lake coming next year, which could have an Intel Arc Celestial (Xe3) GPU. We’re certain AMD will have more integrated RDNA 3.5 and RDNA 4 GPUs launching in the future as well. But for now, Lunar Lake currently claims the crown for being the fastest Windows PC integrated GPU. Source link #Intel #takes #AMD #integrated #graphics #battle #royale #dedicated #GPU #levels #power Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

More than 100 ill after recent E.coli outbreak More than 100 ill after recent E.coli outbreak E.coli linked to slivered onions on some McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers in America has caused 104 people to become ill, according to US health officials. The US Food and ***** Administration (FDA) said in an update on Wednesday that 34 people had been hospitalised in connection to the outbreak and that one man had ***** in October. McDonald’s supplier Taylor Farms recalled the onions in October after the Center for ******** Control and Prevention (CDC) announced E.coli – a type of bacteria that can cause serious stomach problems – in the onions were the “likely source”. The BBC has contacted McDonald’s and Taylor Farms for comment. According to the CDC, start dates for when people became ill range from 12 September and 21 October. The onions were directly distributed in many western and midwestern states, including Colorado, Iowa, and Kansas. Other areas were also affected, such as Oklahoma, Idaho, and New Mexico. Onion and environmental samples from McDonald’s stores and distribution centres have been collected by the FDA, the Colorado Department of Agriculture, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Of those who have become ill, four people developed haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) – a rare kidney condition that can damage red blood cells. The federal agency said that tests on the samples were ongoing, adding that it had completed onsite inspections at an onion grower in the state of Washington and at a Taylor Farms processing centre in Colorado. In the FDA’s update, health officials said it was continuing to work with the food supplier and their customers. “At this time, there does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak at McDonald’s restaurants,” the update said. It added that it was “unlikely” the recalled onions were “sold to grocery stores or directly to consumers”. McDonald’s suspended sales of the Quarter Pounder burger in October in about a fifth of its US restaurants in response to the outbreak. Some consumers have taken legal action against the firm, including a proposed class-action lawsuit filed in October. The firm said in October it had stopped working with the supplier of the onions and had removed them from its supply chain. The fast food giant resumed sales of the burger in all of its restaurants in America after it said samples of its beef patties, taken by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, tested negative for the bacteria. On 29 October, McDonald’s chief executive Chris Kempczinski apologised for the outbreak, saying the firm was “sorry for what our customers experienced”. “We offer our sincere and deepest sympathies and we are committed to making this right,” he added. Source link #ill #E.coli #outbreak Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Is Stalker 2 coming to PlayStation 5? Is Stalker 2 coming to PlayStation 5? Stalker 2: Haert of Chornobyl arrives on November 20, marking the epic and highly anticipated sequel to Stalker: Call of Pripyat. It’s one of the most exciting releases of 2024, arriving just in time before the end of the year. The game brings an eerie atmosphere of unsettling survival, where ammo and resources are limited. Many are looking forward to taking on the challenge, but some are wondering if Stalker 2 will be available on PS5. Here’s everything you need to know about whether Stalker 2 will be available on PlayStation. Will Stalker 2 be on PS5? No, Stalker 2 will not launch on PlayStation consoles and there are no details regarding the FPS game coming to PS5 in the future. Stalker 2 will launch exclusively for Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows. The game will launch on the Xbox Game Pass for PC and the Series X|S. You can also purchase the game via Steam. Credit to GSC Game World. The previous title, Call of Pripyat, was available on PlayStation 4, so there’s a chance that the game could eventually make its way over to PlayStation. However, there are no details regarding Stalker 2 making its way to Sony’s console just yet. Many Xbox exclusive titles have eventually made their way to PlayStation such as Grounded, Sea of Thieves, and Hi-Fi Rush, so perhaps Stalker 2 will follow a similar trajectory and make its way to PS5 somewhere down the line. If any new information is unearthed about Stalker 2’s availability on PlayStation, we’ll be sure to update this piece with the latest, so stay tuned. How do you feel about Stalker 2 being exclusive to Xbox and PC? Let us know your thoughts in the forum. If you’re interested in the title and will still be playing it despite its absence on PS5, be sure to check out how ******* customization works in Stalker 2 and whether the game has multiplayer. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Stalker #coming #PlayStation Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

MPs hold first ever debate on live facial recognition MPs hold first ever debate on live facial recognition MPs have debated police use of live facial recognition (LFR) for the first time, with a consensus emerging on the need for it to be regulated by a specific law, rather than the patchwork of legislation and official guidance that currently governs police deployments. Throughout the Westminster Hall debate on 13 November 2024, MPs – including members of both front benches – discussed a range of issues associated with the technology, including the impacts of LFR surveillance on privacy; problems around bias, accuracy and ******* discrimination; the lack of a clear legal framework governing its use by police; and how its wider roll-out could further reduce people’s dwindling trust in police. While there were differences of opinion about the efficacy of LFR as a ******-fighting tool, MPs largely agreed there are legitimate concerns around its use by police, with a consensus emerging on the need for proper regulation of the technology. The majority of MPs involved in the debate also openly lamented why there had been no debate about the use of the technology by police up until now. While there has been limited Parliamentary scrutiny of LFR in the form of written questions and answers over the years, the debate – called by ************* MP John Whittingdale – marks the first time MPs have openly discussed police use of LFR in the eight years since it was first deployed by the Metropolitan Police at Notting Hill Carnival in August 2016. Since that initial deployment, there have been repeated calls from Parliament and civil society for new legal frameworks to govern law enforcement’s use of the technology. These include three separate inquiries by the Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee (JHAC) into shoplifting, police algorithms and police facial recognition; two of the ***’s former biometrics commissioners, Paul Wiles and Fraser Sampson; an independent legal review by Matthew Ryder QC; the ***’s Equalities and Human Rights Commission; and the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, which called for a moratorium on LFR as far back as July 2019. During his time in office before resigning in October 2023, Sampson also highlighted a lack of clarity about the scale and extent of public space surveillance, as well as concerns around the general “culture of retention” in *** policing around biometric data. However, the Home Office and policing bodies have repeatedly maintained there is already a “comprehensive legal framework” in place, which consists of the Police and ********* Evidence Act (PACE) 1984; the Data Protection Act 2018; the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012; the Equality Act 2010; the Investigatory Powers Act 2000; the Human Rights Act 1998; and common law powers to prevent and detect ******. The debate concluded with policing minister Diana Johnson outlining the new Labour government’s position on police LFR use, noting that while the technology has “the potential to be transformational for policing”, there are also “legitimate concerns” around its use, “including misidentification, misuse, the effect on human rights, and individual privacy”. Further noting that the Met’s use of LFR has so far resulted in 460 arrests this year – including more than 45 registered **** offenders for breaching their conditions – Johnson said it was important to be clear that facial recognition is already governed by data protection, equality and human rights law, as well as common law powers and guidance from the College of Policing. “This government wants to take time to listen and to think carefully about the concerns that have been raised, as well as how we are best able to enable the police to use live facial recognition in a way that secures and maintains public confidence,” she said. “In considering its present and future use, we must balance privacy concerns against the expectations that we place on the police to keep our streets safe… I am therefore committed to a programme of engagement over the coming months to inform this thinking.” Johnson added that following on from initial conversations with policing – in which senior officers said the lack of a clear framework was inhibiting their use of the technology – the government would be holding a series of roundtables with regulators and civil society groups before the end of the year to inform its thinking going forward. Accuracy issues On the issue of accuracy and bias, shadow home secretary Chris Philp – who when in government pushed for much greater police use of the technology and called for LFR watchlists to be linked to the ***’s passport database – highlighted a recent study by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) that found “no statistically significant” ******* bias with police LFR systems when used in certain settings. “When this technology was first introduced about seven years ago, there were reports – accurate reports – that there was ******* bias in the way the algorithm at the time operated,” said Philp. “The algorithm has been developed a great deal since those days, and it has been tested definitively by the National Physical Laboratory, which is the nation’s premier testing laboratory.” He noted that the NPL specifically found that when deploying the Neoface V4 facial recognition software provided by ********* biometrics firm NEC, both the Met and South Wales Police could achieve “equitable” outcomes across gender and ethnicity by setting the “face-match threshold” to 0.6 (with zero being the lowest similarity and one indicating the highest similarity). However, other MPs contested this, noting that while the accuracy may well have been improved by police using LFR at that particular threshold, there are no rules in place to stop them lowering that threshold at any time. “There’s no such thing as no misrepresentations, or people who are not wrongly identified, and it’s also very easy for a police service to lower that number because we have no judicial oversight of it,” said Labour MP Dawn Butler, who later added that even set at 0.6, the LFR software was still less accurate than so-called police “super-spotters”, which are specialist officers trained to identify people quickly in crowds. “There could be a case where a police service is trying to prove this system they bought is value for money, and you can imagine a police officer not getting many hits at 0.6, lowering it to 0.5 so they can get more hits, which, in turn, will mean more people are misidentified. “There should be regulation around this issue. Taking away somebody’s liberty is one of the most serious things we can do in society, so we need to think very carefully if we’re going to introduce something that accelerates that.” ******* bias and trust Lambeth Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy also argued that even when using this threshold there is room for error, especially if images in a police database or pulled from publicly available sources online are mislabelled. People of colour are already disproportionately stopped and searched at higher rates, and the use of potentially flawed technology will only serve to increase the rate at which ******* minorities are stopped, searched and possibly even incorrectly detained Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP for Lambeth “It’s almost inevitable that images will be mislabelled and innocent people will be subject to needless run-ins with the police… The Metropolitan Police’s own testing of its facial recognition algorithm identified disproportionately higher inaccuracy rates when attempting to identify people of colour and women,” she said, highlighting a 2023 study by civil liberties group Big Brother Watch which found that over 89% of all *** police LFR alerts since the technology was introduced have wrongly identified members of the public as people of interest. “People of colour are already disproportionately stopped and searched at higher rates, and the use of potentially flawed technology will only serve to increase the rate at which ******* minorities are stopped, searched and possibly even incorrectly detained.” She further argued that increasing stops via LFR could further dampen trust in the police, particularly among ******* ********* communities, which are already over-policed and under-served, and that allowing police to collect and check other types of biometric information like DNA or fingerprints from people in the street would not be accepted: “Why should we look at this intrusive, automated biometric software any differently?” While police and their LFR suppliers claim that people’s biometric data is deleted instantly if they do not match any images contained in the watchlist, independent MP Iqbal Mohammed highlighted how Google’s incognito browser was supposed to be “very private” until it was discovered the company was storing that data in breach of *** data laws. “Companies telling you things are immediately deleted is not always true,” he said. Other MPs variously claimed that the further roll-out of LFR would “exacerbate existing inequalities and discrimination”, “cause further division and mistrust of the police” and “undermine several of our fundamental rights”, including rights to privacy, freedom of assembly and expression, and non-discrimination. Judicial oversight and specific legislation ************* MP David Davis highlighted the need for judicial oversight of the technology and specific legislation laying out clear rules for its use, arguing that it should not be left to non-statutory guidelines or police discretion. Multiple MPs also spoke about the future of LFR, including the potential for mission creep and the possibility of linking the ***’s six million CCTV cameras to facial recognition software, arguing there needs to be laws in place before the technology is used even more widely. “The technology is prone to slippage. Way back when … we introduced automatic number plate recognition [ANPR] to monitor IRA terrorists coming from Liverpool to London. That was its exact purpose, but thereafter it got used for a dozen other things, without any legislative change or any approval by Parliament,” said Davis. Mohammed also said the lack of specific legislation and judicial oversight created huge room for police misuse and overreach, and further highlighted how it could easily be leveraged to undermine civil liberties around the right to protest. “Facial recognition can deter individuals from participating in protests or public gatherings due to the ***** of being monitored or identified,” he said. There are many, many doubts, so we should probably be thinking about halting the use of this technology until we’ve cleared up those doubts Bobby Dean, ******** Democrat MP Even while noting that LFR accuracy had improved greatly since the Met’s initial deployment in 2016 and recognising the operational benefits it can bring police, Philp also emphasised the need for legislative control and judicial oversight of the technology. “In Croydon, [LFR] has resulted in approximately 200 arrests of people who would not otherwise have been arrested, including for things like Class A ***** supply, grievous bodily harm, ******, domestic burglary… [and] a man who had been wanted for two rapes,” he said. “They’d still be walking free if not for this technology.” Philp added while it is “not true to say there is a complete vacuum as far as rules and regulations are concerned … there is merit in clarifying at a national level where these guidelines sit”. He said while he would not want to see the *** go as far as the ********* Union has with its Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA) – which has banned remote biometric identification in a range of circumstances – on the basis it would allow ********** to go free, he sees using some sort of “regulation-making power” as a more sensible approach than new primary legislation. One MP – ******** Democrat Bobby Dean – explicitly called for a complete halt on police deployments of the technology, at least until primary legislation is in place to control its use: “I think it’s clear from this room today, there are many, many doubts, so we should probably be thinking about halting the use of this technology until we’ve cleared up those doubts.” Source link #MPs #hold #debate #live #facial #recognition Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Women empowering other women in Hollywood is fake’ ‘Women empowering other women in Hollywood is fake’ Getty Images Sydney Sweeney’s rom-com Anyone But You made $220m at the box office Anyone But You star Sydney Sweeney has said the idea of women supporting each other in the film and TV industry is “fake”. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actress, who’s also known for Euphoria and White Lotus, said: “This entire industry, all people say is ‘women empowering other women’. “None of it’s happening. All of it is fake and a front for all the other [stuff] that they say behind everyone’s back.” Earlier this year, the star hit back at “shameful” comments made about her by a female Hollywood producer who said: “She’s not pretty, she can’t act. Why is she so hot?” Asked about the incident for the latest issue of Vanity Fair, Sweeney said: “It’s very disheartening to see women tear other women down, especially when women who are successful in other avenues of their industry see younger talent working really hard – hoping to achieve whatever dreams that they may have – and then trying to bash and discredit any work that they’ve done.” Sweeney, one of Hollywood’s biggest breakout stars of recent years, went on to discuss why this might be the case. “I’ve read that our entire lives, we were raised – and it’s a generational problem – to believe only one woman can be at the top,” she said. “There’s one woman who can get the man. There’s one woman who can be, I don’t know, anything. “So then all the others feel like they have to ****** each other or take that one woman down instead of being like, let’s all lift each other up. “I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m just trying my best over here. Why am I getting attacked?” Getty Images In April, Carol Baum, who produced films including ***** Ringers and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, spoke about Sweeney after a film screening. According to Variety, Baum had said: “There’s an actress who everybody loves now – Sydney Sweeney. I don’t get Sydney Sweeney. I was watching on the plane Sydney Sweeney’s movie [Anyone But You] because I wanted to watch it. “I wanted to know who she is and why everybody’s talking about her. I watched this unwatchable movie – sorry to people who love this… romantic comedy where they hate each other.” Baum, who also teaches at the University of Southern California, added: “I said to my class, ‘Explain this girl to me. She’s not pretty, she can’t act. Why is she so hot?’ Nobody had an answer.” In response, Sweeney’s representative told Variety: “How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to ******* another woman.” Source link #Women #empowering #women #Hollywood #fake Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Even After 6 Seasons, the Drop Rates for Powerful Gear in Diablo 4 Is So Low That Players Are Beyond Frustrated Even After 6 Seasons, the Drop Rates for Powerful Gear in Diablo 4 Is So Low That Players Are Beyond Frustrated When Diablo 4 launched, it seemed like Blizzard had finally cracked the code for the perfect action RPG. The game received widespread praise for its dark atmosphere, engaging combat, and promising endgame mechanics. But as time went on, cracks began to appear in the foundation. An issue that has haunted players for months now. | Image Credit: Blizzard Entertainment Now, six seasons in, the community’s frustration has reached a boiling point. One dedicated player has taken it upon themselves to meticulously document just how dire the situation has become, and the results are, well… let’s just say they’re about as pretty as a Butcher’s meat locker. The findings paint a picture that many longtime players have suspected but hoped wasn’t true: the endgame grind in Diablo 4 might not be worth the time investment after all. The Numbers Don’t Lie: Diablo 4‘s Abysmal Drop Rates The Diablo series has always been about the pursuit of ever-better loot. It’s a dance as old as the franchise itself: players invest time hunting for powerful gear, and the game rewards them with satisfying upgrades at a reasonable pace. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. One player’s exhaustive research has shed light on just how rare those coveted high-tier items really are: The implications of this data are staggering. When you’re more likely to find a supposedly “Mythic” item than the gear/affixes you’re actually hunting for, something’s clearly amiss in the halls of the Burning Hells: Comment byu/Visible-Brief-2477 from discussion indiablo4 What makes these numbers particularly troubling is how they affect both casual and ********* players alike. Casual players might go weeks without seeing a meaningful upgrade, while dedicated grinders are faced with thousands of runs for minimal progress. It’s a system that somehow manages to disappoint everyone equally. This isn’t just another case of players wanting instant gratification in a game like Diablo 4. The community’s frustration stems from a fundamental disconnect between time invested and rewards received: Comment byu/Visible-Brief-2477 from discussion indiablo4 What makes this situation particularly painful is that it’s not even a new issue. Players have been raising these concerns for months, with each season promising improvements but delivering more of the same: Comment byu/Visible-Brief-2477 from discussion indiablo4 When players are spending hundreds of hours without meaningful progression, something needs to change. The Future of ****** Slaying If Blizzard has any trump cards, they better use them now. | Image Credit: Grinding Gear Games The current state of affairs is especially puzzling given Blizzard‘s track record with loot-based games. The company that once wrote the book on rewarding gameplay loops seems to have lost its way: Comment byu/Visible-Brief-2477 from discussion indiablo4 This departure from tried-and-true formulas is particularly baffling when you consider the success of games that have built upon Diablo‘s legacy. In fact, the situation has become so dire that many players are already looking elsewhere for their ******-slaying fix. With Path of Exile 2‘s upcoming release in December, the timing couldn’t be more critical for Diablo 4‘s future: Comment byu/Visible-Brief-2477 from discussion indiablo4 The original Path of Exile has long been celebrated for its deep customization and rewarding progression systems. With its sequel promising to build on these strengths while addressing common criticisms, Blizzard might need to take a hard look at their current approach to loot and progression. It’s worth noting that Diablo 4 isn’t beyond salvation. The core gameplay ******** solid, and Blizzard has shown they’re capable of making significant changes when necessary. But with player patience wearing thin and competition looming on the horizon, the clock is ticking for meaningful improvements to the reward system. What’s your experience been like with Diablo 4‘s drop rates? Have you found the endgame grind worthwhile, or are you also feeling the frustration? Let us know in the comments below! Source link #Seasons #Drop #Rates #Powerful #Gear #Diablo #Players #Frustrated Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Virtual wards to digital feedback: the Nordic approach to post-pandemic healthcare Virtual wards to digital feedback: the Nordic approach to post-pandemic healthcare Covid-19 changed the global landscape of healthcare, with institutions around the world realising the need for more advanced digital intervention that would enable remote care. For many, this represented a dramatic transformation almost overnight, forcing often-rushed investments and structural shifts. Meanwhile, in the Nordics, a host of startups had already been planning for such a shift years before, with or without this ****** swan event. From the region’s perspective, solutions around artificial intelligence (AI), data, virtual wards, remote monitoring, digital feedback and personalised wellbeing management were already seen as the next generation of healthcare. As such, Nordic innovators were largely tasked with transforming the world’s health sector during the pandemic storm, and with maintaining that momentum ever since. “The digital health market is estimated to be growing at an annual growth rate of around 25% from 2019 to 2025,” said Martin Ratz, co-founder of Swedish-born Doccla, a virtual ward provider in Europe and to the ***’s NHS. “Health systems across the Western world face a critical challenge. With an ageing population leading to more chronic illnesses and hospital admissions, coupled with the massive post-pandemic backlog, substantial resources are needed to maintain adequate and safe service levels. “There has been an acknowledgement that we must rethink our approach to healthcare and embrace a system-wide philosophical change, focusing on preventative, continuous care enabled by technology across the acuity spectrum.” Espen Janson, CEO and co-founder of Stockholm-based, Napper offers an initial reason as to why the Nordics are the region to enable this movement: “The Nordics emphasise collaboration, trust in technology, and have a strong social safety net, which are conducive to the adoption of digital health solutions. “Governments in Nordic countries prioritise public health and wellbeing, investing in healthcare infrastructure and supporting initiatives that enhance patient outcomes. Moreover, the region’s emphasis on transparency, data privacy and patient empowerment serves as a model for global standards in healthcare innovation. It really is a holistic approach to healthcare innovation that ensures accessibility to all.” Covid chaos Doccla was formed in 2019, demonstrating foresight of healthcare’s need for a digital transformation with or without the Covid 19 impact. “It was thought up after I suffered a heart ******* and was sent home prematurely, without adequate aftercare,” Ratz said. “It made me realise the need for remote technology that could enable patients like me to recover at home with hospital-level care.” The virtual ward model was born as a result, beginning with a solution that could remotely monitor heart patients. The roll-out coincided with the start of the pandemic, however. Ratz added: “We were ready to recruit our first patient in February 2020 when the pandemic hit, putting all non-essential research, like ours, on pause. In a matter of days, we partnered with the hospital hosting our study to launch a virtual ward and began monitoring Covid-19 patients instead.” Patients were able to receive hospital level care in their home comforts, uninterrupted, while clinicians found a much better work-life balance even among the 2020 chaos. As a silver lining, that ******* shone light on a need for innovation that already existed in healthcare. “The pandemic has undoubtedly sped up the adoption of digital technologies,” Ratz said. “Many digital technologies had been around for years, but there had been little pressure to adopt them. What might have taken years to implement was fast-tracked to a matter of months. The digital solutions that were implemented were a strategic response to an unprecedented time.” Accessible, personalised care Napper was another Swedish startup initiated in 2019, just before the crisis. The company experienced a similar propulsion into mainstream healthcare because of the pandemic, albeit slightly more indirectly. In Napper’s case, Janson and his team benefitted from people’s sudden exposure to healthcare-based apps, devices and solutions. A new culture was forming where general wellbeing and health could be channelled through solutions such as Napper. Janson said: “Napper combines cutting-edge technology with empathy and behavioural psychology to solve age-old parental challenges. This includes reducing stresses and exhaustion experienced by new parents to contribute to healthier and happier families. “Our first product, the Napper App, was an AI-driven sleep coach to support parents in creating effective and sustainable sleep routines for newborns, infants and toddlers. It helps around 200,000 monthly users to combat ‘parental insomnia’ and claw back some of the estimated 133 lost nights of sleep experienced during a baby’s first year.” Telehealth and remote monitoring devices are now commonplace in the fitness, wellbeing and mental health space, but it took the pandemic, people’s changing attitudes towards healthtech, and companies ready and waiting to fill that gap to confirm the shift. “The need for accessible, personalised care that can effectively address the diverse needs of individuals is probably the biggest challenge for healthcare,” Janson added. “Digital innovation, particularly through AI-driven solutions, can help to solve this by providing tailored recommendations and insights based on individual data. This can improve patient outcomes, streamline healthcare delivery, and reduce the burden on healthcare professionals.” Dynamic feedback Janson’s nod towards data and the impact on healthcare professionals shouldn’t be forgotten in the medtech conversation. The default emphasis is understandably placed on improving patient outcomes, but sparking a more satisfied, less underworked, and more informed workforce is a huge part of that. “Today, tools such as healthcare bots, virtual chats and remote consultations are integral to the healthcare experience. The change has been remarkable,” said Miika Mäkitalo, CEO of Finnish company HappyOrNot, whose ‘smile’-based customer feedback devices have become familiar in 135 countries across numerous consumer settings. “The pandemic really tested us, but we helped hospitals stay connected with their patients. We adapted swiftly and released the Smiley Link, a tool to provide patients with a touchless option where users could leave feedback by quickly scanning a QR code or entering a URL.” The predictive customer experience tool has since been critical for institutions to analyse feedback data, while also channelling that feedback towards facility improvements. Mäkitalo added: “By integrating digital tools such as feedback systems, hospitals can actively collect patient data in real-time and swiftly analyse these insights. This creates an ongoing and dynamic feedback loop between patient and provider, allowing managers easy, efficient access to patient analytics. Adopting this approach to real-time data profoundly impacts the entire patient experience in the hospital facility.” Progressive and collaborative As much as $10.6m was invested in the Scandinavian healthtech sector in 2022 alone, according to Dealroom. In Sweden, 99% of all prescriptions are now issued electronically. The region’s determination to transform the healthcare sector and remedy its many administrative and patient-based bottlenecks started long before the pandemic and is still gaining speed. “The culture is characterised by a collaborative and patient-centric approach, where different sectors work together to foster innovation,” said Ratz. “This includes substantial investments into research and developmet and supportive regulatory environments that allow for the testing and implementation of new technologies. “The Nordic healthcare model is all about a social safety net, ensuring everyone is taken care of and is able to receive access to high-quality healthcare. Industry reforms in general are less politically divisive in Scandinavia, allowing for more experimentation and improvement.” Mäkitalo agrees with this cultural and structural differentiation: “In the Nordics, healthcare technology is generally perceived in a positive manner, and is valued by both healthcare professionals and patients. “The region has embraced digitisation, and is now poised not only to lead in the development of these innovations, but also to set a benchmark for how healthcare systems and personnel can effectively integrate and benefit from technological advancements.” High levels of digital literacy and a conducive infrastructure to introduce new ways of working further contribute to the Nordics’ ongoing push for innovative technologies in the global healthcare ecosystem. As such, the region is an exemplar for what can be achieved when public and private entities collaborate, and when the hunger for better outcomes outpaces the resistance to change. Janson concluded: “In Nordic healthcare, the culture towards technology is characterised by its progressive and collaborative nature. We prioritise patient-centric care and efficiency, driving healthcare providers to explore and implement solutions like telemedicine, electronic health records and AI-driven applications. “This culture fosters a collaborative ecosystem where stakeholders, including startups like Napper, can innovate with confidence, knowing there is a supportive environment for digital health initiatives to thrive and positively impact both healthcare delivery and patient experiences.” Source link #Virtual #wards #digital #feedback #Nordic #approach #postpandemic #healthcare Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

HRW accuses ******* of war ****** with displacements HRW accuses ******* of war ****** with displacements ******* has committed war ******* and ******* against humanity by deliberately causing the mass displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, a report by Human Rights Watch says. About 1.9 million people – 90% of Gaza’s population – have fled their homes over the past year, and 79% of the territory is under ********-issued evacuation orders, according to the UN. HRW’s report says this amounts to “forcible transfer” and that “evidence shows it has been systematic and part of a state policy”. It also says ******** actions appear to “meet the definition of ******* cleansing”. The ******** military has not commented, but it has previously said the evacuations are designed to protect civilians and that its actions comply with international law. It has also accused ****** of using civilians as human shields by operating inside homes and civilian infrastructure. The report was published as ******** forces continued a ground offensive in northern Gaza that has displaced up to 130,000 people over the past five weeks. The UN has said 75,000 people remain under siege with dwindling supplies of water and food in the towns of Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, where the ******** military says it is preventing a ****** resurgence. Under the laws of war, the forced displacement of any civilians inside an occupied territory is prohibited, unless it is necessary for their security or for an imperative military reason. For displacement to be lawful, civilians must be moved safely and provided with accommodation and essential supplies. They must also be able to return to their homes after the end of hostilities in the area. HRW’s report – based on interviews with displaced Palestinians, analysis of ******** evacuation orders, satellite imagery showing destruction of buildings, and videos and photos of strikes – concludes that there is no plausible imperative military reason to justify the displacement of nearly all of Gaza’s population and that the other conditions for it be lawful have also not been met. The US-based group says the ******** evacuation orders have been “inconsistent, inaccurate, and frequently not communicated to civilians with enough time”, and that they “did not consider the needs of people with disabilities and others who are unable to leave”. ******** forces have also “repeatedly struck designated evacuation routes and safe zones”, it adds. It accuses ******** authorities of blocking “all but a small fraction of the necessary humanitarian aid, water, electricity, and fuel from reaching civilians in need”, as well as carrying out attacks that have damaged and destroyed vital resources like hospitals and bakeries. HRW also alleges that *******’s military has “intentionally demolished or severely damaged civilian infrastructure, including controlled demolitions of homes, with the apparent aim of creating an extended ‘buffer zone’ along Gaza’s perimeter with ******* and a corridor which will bifurcate Gaza”. “The destruction is so substantial that it indicates the intention to permanently displace many people,” it warns. ******** government ministers are also cited as saying that Gaza’s territory would decrease and that land would be handed to ******** settlers. “Forced displacement has been widespread, and the evidence shows it has been systematic and part of a state policy. Such acts also constitute ******* against humanity,” HRW says. It also says that the “organised, violent displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, who are members of another ******* group, is likely planned to be permanent in the buffer zones and security corridors”, and that such actions “amount to ******* cleansing”. The ******** military has denied that it is seeking to create permanent buffer zones and ******** Foreign Minister Gideon Saar recently said that displaced people from northern Gaza would be allowed to return home at the end of the war. The ******* Defense Forces (IDF) has been approached for a response to the HRW report. ******* launched a campaign to ******** ****** in response to the group’s unprecedented ******* on southern ******* on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were ******* and 251 others were taken ********. More than 43,700 people have been ******* in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s ******-run health ministry. Source link #HRW #accuses #******* #war #****** #displacements Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why Haunted Chocolatier's Combat Focus is its Most Promising Plan So Far Why Haunted Chocolatier's Combat Focus is its Most Promising Plan So Far Haunted Chocolatier’s combat focus could revolutionize what players expect out of a life sim, just like Stardew Valley did before it. Source link #Haunted #Chocolatier039s #Combat #Focus #Promising #Plan Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Vivo X200 Series Global Launch Date Confirmed; Mini Model May Remain Exclusive to China Vivo X200 Series Global Launch Date Confirmed; Mini Model May Remain Exclusive to China Vivo X200, X200 Pro, and X200 Pro Mini with MediaTek Dimensity 9400 SoC was launched in China last month. Now, Vivo has confirmed the launch date of the Vivo X200 series in Malaysia, which appears to be the first market outside of China to receive the flagship series. However, the Vivo X200 Pro Mini model seems to remain exclusive to China. The lineup has LTPO AMOLED displays and features Zeiss-branded triple rear cameras. The Vivo X200 series is expected to debut in India next month. Vivo X200 Pro Mini May Not Launch in Malaysia The Vivo X200 series will be launched in Malaysia at 7pm (4:30pm IST) on November 19, the brand announced through its Facebook handle on Thursday. Both Vivo X200 and Vivo X200 Pro are currently listed for pre-orders in the country through the Vivo Malaysia website. Unfortunately, there is no listing for the Vivo X200 Pro Mini as of now, indicating Vivo may keep the phone only in its home country. Interested buyers can avail of gifts worth up to RM 1,787 (roughly Rs. 33,000) and extended warranty offers while pre-ordering the new phones. The bundled discount includes a Vivo branded laptop backpack, wireless charger and Vivo’s TWS 3e earbuds. Buyers of the Vivo X200 series can avail of the Vivo Watch 3 with 30 percent discount through a purchase-with-purchase offer. The Vivo X200 is confirmed to be available in Aurora Green and Midnight ****** shades in Malaysia, whereas the Vivo X200 Pro will be available in Midnight ****** and Titanium Grey finishes. They will be sold in 16GB RAM + 512GB storage configuration. Vivo is said to bring the Vivo X200 and Vivo X200 Pro to India in December. The brand is rumoured to skip the X200 Pro Mini in the Indian market too. The Vivo X200 series was launched in China in October with a starting price of CNY 4,300 (roughly Rs. 51,000) for the base 12GB + 256GB storage configuration. All models in the Vivo X200 lineup have a MediaTek Dimensity 9400 SoC under the hood and boast a Zeiss-branded triple rear camera setup comprising a 50-megapixel primary camera. They feature LTPO AMOLED screens and run on Origin OS 5 based on Android 15 in China. The standard Vivo X200 houses a 5,800mAh battery with 90W wired charging support. Meanwhile, the Vivo X200 Pro carries a 6,000mAh battery with 90W wired charging support. Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details. Source link #Vivo #X200 #Series #Global #Launch #Date #Confirmed #Mini #Model #Remain #Exclusive #China Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘******* of England to blame for my brother’s ******’ ‘******* of England to blame for my brother’s ******’ BBC Edith Nyachuru says her brother was due to become head boy at his school when he ***** The sister of a 16-year-old boy who drowned while swimming ****** at a ********** holiday camp in Zimbabwe run by child abuser John Smyth blames the ******* of England for his ******. “The ******* knew about the abuses that John Smyth was doing. They should have stopped him. Had they stopped him, I think my brother [Guide Nyachuru] would still be alive,” Edith Nyachuru told the BBC. The British barrister had moved to Zimbabwe with his wife and four children from Winchester in England in 1984 to work with an evangelistic organisation. This was two years after an investigation revealed he had subjected boys in the ***, many of whom he had met at ********** holiday camps run by a charity he chaired that was linked to the *******, to traumatic physical, psychological and ******* ******. The 1982 report, prepared by Anglican clergyman Mark Ruston, about the canings said “the scale and severity of the practice was horrific”, with accounts of boys beaten so badly they bled, with one describing how he needed to wear nappies until his wounds scabbed over. Despite these shocking revelations, mainly involving boys from elite British public schools, the Rushton report was not widely circulated. A decade on, aged 50, Smyth had established himself as a respected member of the ********** community in Zimbabwe. He had set up his own organisation, Zambesi Ministries, with funding from the *** – and was meting out similar punishments at camps that he marketed at the country’s top schools. Ms Nyachuru says her brother’s trip had been an early Christmas present from one of his other sisters, who had picked up one of Smyth’s brochures and been impressed with all the activities on offer for the week. As she looks at an old photograph of Guide, she says he was the youngest of eight siblings, and the only boy: “He was very loved by everyone. “A lovely boy… Guide was due to be made head boy the following year,” she remembers, adding that he was “an intelligent boy, a good swimmer, strong, healthy with no known medical conditions”. This is the only image Edith Nyachuru has of her younger brother But within 12 hours of him being dropped at the camp at Ruzawi School in Marondera, 74km (46 miles) from the capital, Harare, on the evening of 15 December 1992, the family received a call to say he had *****. Witnesses say that like all the boys, Guide had gone swimming ****** in a pool before bed – a camp tradition. The other boys returned to the dormitory, but Guide’s absence was not noticed – which his sister finds surprising – and his body was found at the bottom of the pool the next morning. His family rushed to the mortuary but Ms Nyachuru’s shock was compounded by confusion when she was stopped by officers from viewing his body: “They told me: ‘You can’t go in there because he is indecently dressed.’ “It was only my father, my brother-in-law and our pastor who went in and put him in the coffin.” Nakedness appears to be something Smyth was fixated on at his camps. Camp attendees have told of how he would often parade around without clothes in the boys’ dormitories – where he also slept, unlike other staff members. He would also shower ****** with them in the communal showers and the boys were ordered not to wear underpants in bed. “He promoted nakedness and encouraged the boys to walk around ****** at the summer camp,” a former student who attended a camp at Ruzawi in 1991 told the BBC. But his jocular manner put many of them at ease, he said. “Smyth was very friendly, *****-back, approachable, he was really fun, always joking. “Smyth would also walk the dorms and shower area wearing nothing but a towel slung over his shoulder.” The reason given for the no-underwear-in-the-evening rule was “because it would make them grow”, he recalled. As a British lawyer, John Smyth was respected in Zimbabwe Smyth gave talks on masturbation, would sometimes lead prayers in the ***** and encouraged ****** trampolining, an activity he described as “flappy jumping” – all behaviour noted in an investigation by Zimbabwean lawyer David Coltart that was launched in May 1993. It was the thrashings that Smyth was giving boys with a notorious table tennis bat, dubbed “TTB”, that led a parent to the door of Coltart, who worked at a law practice in Zimbabwe’s second city, Bulawayo. She wanted to know why one of her sons had returned from a holiday camp with bruises on his buttocks so severe that she took him to a doctor, who found a “12cm x 12cm bruise”. “She saw these and demanded to know what happened and then it came out that her son had been badly beaten in the *****, and she came to me for advice,” Coltart, now mayor of Bulawayo, told the BBC. “When I heard that this was a ********** organisation – I’m an elder in the Presbyterian ******* – I got hold of my pastor and we got hold of the ******** ******* Methodist ******* and two other churches in the city and then I was instructed by those churches to investigate the matter,” he said. Forty-four-year old Jason Leanders, who went on the camp that immediately followed Guide’s ******, said he was beaten three to four times a day by Smyth, who would put his hands into his pants to check he had not put on extra layers to cushion his buttocks. “My **** was ******,” he told the BBC. “But being a boy, you act tough.” For many boarding school students, corporal punishment was regarded as “normal”, former Zimbabwean cricketer Henry Olonga, who was attending the camp the night Guide *****, said in his 2015 autobiography. But after Coltart managed to track down the Rushton report, the severity of the problem became apparent. He wrote to Smyth instructing him to immediately stop the Zambesi Ministries camps. “It was calculated, he focused on boys. He groomed young men. He encouraged them to take showers in the ***** with him. There was a pattern of *********,” he said. But Coltart’s dealings with Smyth proved difficult. “He was a highly articulate man and quite aggressive in the meetings that I had with him. He employed all his skills as a barrister to seek to intimidate. He was older than me. I was then a relatively young lawyer in my 30s. He exploited the fact that he was an English QC [Queen’s Counsel].” Rather than comply with Coltart’s various requests, he doubled down and in a letter to parents ahead of the August 1993 camps, described himself as “a father figure to the camp” and defended the nudity and corporal punishment, writing: “I never cane the boys, but I do whack with a table tennis bat when necessary… although most regard TTB (as it is affectionately known) as little more than a joke.” This time there appears to have been no cloaking of the beatings as “spiritual discipline” as had been the case in the ***. He also admitted to Coltart that he took photographs of ****** boys, but said they were “from shoulders up” for publicity purposes. Coltart contacted two psychologists with his findings, both of whom advised that Smyth should stop working with children. His 21-page report was then published in October 1993, and circulated to head teachers and ******* leaders in Zimbabwe. “The report was never published widely, conscious of the dangers of a defamation suit,” Coltart said. However it “basically stopped him in his tracks in Zimbabwe” as the private schools were his harvesting ground, he said. Zambesi Ministries camps did continue in some guise, but not at schools or under Smyth’s leadership Coltart then instructed another law firm to pursue a legal case against Smyth who was eventually charged with culpable ********* over Guide’s ******, as well as charges relating to the beatings. But, according to former BBC TV producer Andrew Graystone in his 2021 book about the ******, the case was bedevilled with problems, police documents were missing and Smyth’s legal prowess led to the prosecutor being removed – another one was never appointed, so the case was essentially shelved in 1997. Ms Nyachuru says no post-mortem was carried out at the time – Guide was ******* on the day he drowned in the family’s home village, with Smyth presiding over the ********. Following the Coltart report, Smyth faced deportation from Zimbabwe but Graystone says he used his significant connections to avoid this, lobbying various cabinet ministers – some of whose sons had attended his camps – with suggestions that even then-President Robert Mugabe was approached by one of Smyth’s associates. In Justin Welby’s letter, he said that while he did not know about John Smyth’s behaviour at the time, he admitted Smyth was responsible for the ****** of her brother But from the time of Smyth’s prosecution, the family were given temporary residency permits, which had to be renewed every 30 days. In 2001, having spent too long out of the country on a trip, Smyth and his wife Anne were refused re-entry, prompting their move to South *******’s coastal city of Durban and then a few years later to Cape Town, where the couple were living when the ******* of England became fully aware in 2013 of the abuses he had committed in the ***. “The Anglican ******* in Cape Town in which John Smyth worshipped… has reported that it never received any reports suggesting he abused or groomed young people,” Thabo Makgoba, the archbishop of Cape Town, said in statement responding to this week’s resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury. Smyth was only excommunicated by his local ******* the year before his ****** in 2018, after he was named publicly as an abuser in a Channel 4 News report. Ms Nyachuru told the BBC it was not until 2021 that she received a written apology from Welby about the ****** of her brother, in which he admitted that Smyth was responsible and the ******* had ******* her family. She wrote back describing the apology as “too little, too late” and is now calling for other senior ******* leaders who ******* to intervene to prevent Smyth’s ****** to resign: “I just think people of the *******, if they see something not going in the right direction, if it needs the police they should go to the police.” Coltart feels it is not just the ******* that is to blame, and suggests other institutions in the *** need to face up to their ******** to warn people in Zimbabwe. He commended the ******* of England’s recent Makin report, saying it “left no stone unturned”. The report estimates that around “85 boys and young men were physically abused in ******** countries, including Zimbabwe”. Coltart urged the ******* to reach out to them. “I think possibly there are still victims in Zimbabwe, perhaps in South *******, who are suffering from PTSD and I think the Anglican ******* has a responsibility to identify those individuals and to supply them with the medical assistance that they might require,” he said. Mr Leanders says many of friends are still “so traumatised by the beatings they are not even prepared to talk about it”. “Smyth was protected in England and he was protected in Zimbabwe. The protection went on for so long it robbed victims the chance to confront Smyth as adults.” Additional reporting from the BBC’s Gabriela Pomeroy. You may also be interested in:Getty Images/BBC Source link #******* #England #blame #brothers #****** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apple’s AI-infused Final Cut Pro 11 is now available Apple’s AI-infused Final Cut Pro 11 is now available With its biggest update to Final Cut Pro (FCP) in years, Apple may be re-embracing the professional video creator crowd it has neglected since the launch of FCP X in 2011. The company finally unveiled its successor, Final Cut Pro 11 (FCP 11), an update that leans heavily on AI tools. At the same time, it introduced spatial video editing to produce content for the Vision Pro headset. The key AI feature is Magnetic Mask, which lets you cut out people and other moving subjects, then stylize them or put them in another location altogether. “This powerful and precise automatic analysis provides additional flexibility to customize backgrounds and environments,” Apple wrote. “Editors can also combine Magnetic Mask with ****** correction and video effects, allowing them to precisely control and stylize each project.” Apple The other key new AI feature is Transcribe to Captions, which automatically analyzes interviews and other timeline audio, transcribes it and places the captions directly on the timeline — effectively automating the entire process. That feature uses an Apple-trained large language model (LLM) designed to transcribe spoken audio, the company said. Final Cut Pro 11 also joins other pro editing apps like Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve in offering VR/AR video editing. “Spatial video editing” allows users to import and edit AR/VR video directly in the app, while adding effects, ****** correction and more. Footage can be captured from an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 models, along with Canon’s R7 mirrorless camera paired with the new RF-S 7.8mm F/4 lens. Users can choose from different viewing modes to preview left- and right-eye angles, or bring their edit directly in to Apple Vision Pro to get a 3D preview. To view this content, you’ll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the “Content and social-media partners” setting to do so. Apple also unveiled Final Cut Pro for iPad 2.1, further optimizing it for Apple silicon. The app also offers enhancements to the “light and ******” feature that let you quickly improve the ******, contrast and overall look of your video. And finally, the company released a new version of Final Cut Camera, which includes the ability to ****** in compact but high-quality HEVC files with Apple Log, rather than using storage-gobbling ProRes. As a professional tool, Final Cut Pro 11 is still missing features found in Resolve and Premiere Pro like text-based editing and certain advanced ****** correction tools. Still, the new version and features will no doubt be welcomed by FCP diehards. It’s now available to download for $299 for new users (following a free 90-day trial) and is free to existing Final Cut Pro owners. If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Source link #Apples #AIinfused #Final #Cut #Pro Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Noticed Windows 11 getting more buggy? Microsoft implements a load of bug fixes with new preview build, fighting some truly odd glitches Noticed Windows 11 getting more buggy? Microsoft implements a load of bug fixes with new preview build, fighting some truly odd glitches New preview for Windows 11 is almost entirely about bug fixes Bugs, especially weird glitches, seem to be more prevalent since 24H2 Microsoft is trying hard to cure all these various issues Microsoft is busy fixing a whole host of bugs with Windows 11, and that’s clearly illustrated with the work in the latest preview build for the OS, which is almost entirely focused on squashing glitches – of which we’ve seen plenty with the new 24H2 update, of course. In fact, Windows 11 build 27749 for the Canary channel only has one change that isn’t a bug fix, with Narrator getting a new keyboard shortcut combo (‘Narrator key + control + X’) which copies what was last spoken by the screen-reading tool to the clipboard. Also, Narrator now works to auto-read emails in the new Outlook app, as it did with the classic app. Let’s cover Microsoft’s raft of troubleshooting work in this build next, then, bearing in mind that the Narrator capabilities are just in testing, as are the bug fixes – albeit with a notable exception. That’s the fix for a bug where Task Manager errantly tells the user that zero processes and apps are running – which is, of course, impossible, given that the OS itself is built on a load of background processes – as this is also resolved with the cumulative update for the full version of Windows 11 in November. That Patch Tuesday update fixes another weird bug where Alt-Tabbing to switch between apps causes a lengthy pause and a ****** screen before the app you’re changing to is presented on the desktop – and a problem where the internet connection was failing on some PCs. Back to preview build 27749, which also shores up a bunch of glitches with the core parts of the Windows 11 interface. That includes File Explorer having the contents of its navigation pane spread out too much (with extra space between them), and also some fine-tuning for the taskbar. Microsoft notes it has: “Made a change so you will now see a search box if the taskbar auto-hides when the setting for search on the taskbar is set to ‘Search box; (rather than an icon).” On top of that, there’s a cure for an odd issue where a blank entry is present in the Privacy panel in the Settings app, and if clicked, it causes Settings to ******. Microsoft has also fixed an issue where Windows 11 would crank the volume to maximum on “certain audio devices” which doubtless made for a rude awakening after your PC returned from sleep (or it could happen on the first boot-up, too). Narrator got some fixes as well, including the resolution of an issue where it would slow down after 15 minutes of continuous use in a single app. Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable ****** Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content. There’s a clutch of other miscellaneous fixes here which Microsoft lists in the usual blog post. (Image credit: Marjan Apostolovic / Shutterstock) Analysis: The current prevalence of weird bugs What’s clear is that there’s a growing theme with Windows 11 being hit by some very strange bugs since the 24H2 update hit the scene. The weird spacing in the interface seen in File Explorer, zero processes showing in Task Manager, that blank entry in Settings that causes a ******, your audio suddenly being ramped to full volume, and many more oddball glitches besides (that menu disappearing off the top of the desktop springs to mind, too). Normally, these kinds of bizarre issues are relatively rare, but seem to have become more common since the release of Windows 11 24H2, both in the update itself, and as we see here, in preview builds. It’s our theory that the major change to a new underlying platform in Windows 11 – Germanium – might have some side effects that we’re seeing manifested in these stranger kinds of bugs. Hopefully, this run of quality assurance turbulence will start to calm down soon enough, and as we can see with this long laundry list of fixes in the latest preview, Microsoft is busy doing a lot of firefighting to resolve these multiple issues. We’ve already seen other preview updates where a lot of the work is bug fixing in recent times, and indeed in fairness, this era of heightened bugginess does go back further than the new version 24H2. Overall, 2024 has been something of a rocky year for Windows 11. All of this seems to broadly point to the need for Microsoft to get a better handle on QA and testing processes for Windows 11, something that some people have been ******** on about for some time now (ourselves included). The good news with 24H2, at least, is that it’s a major piece of work – in terms of the mentioned new Germanium platform underpinning the OS – and we haven’t seen any huge showstopping bugs (yet – touch wood). Just a lot of weird little cockroaches scurrying about. You may also like… Source link #Noticed #Windows #buggy #Microsoft #implements #load #bug #fixes #preview #build #fighting #odd #glitches Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

England v South *******: Freddie Steward and Jack van Poortvliet among four England changes England v South *******: Freddie Steward and Jack van Poortvliet among four England changes Scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet and full-back Freddie Steward start for England against South ******* as head coach Steve Borthwick makes four changes to his starting XV. The Leicester pair have yet to feature in the Autumn Nations Series but come straight into the line-up in place of Ben Spencer and George Furbank. Ollie Sleightholme makes his first England start on the wing in place of the injured Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, while Sam Underhill comes in for Tom Curry, who is also missing with concussion. England host the world champions looking for their first home win since the Six Nations in April. Borthwick’s side have lost five of their past six matches, including narrow defeats by New Zealand and Australia this autumn. England last tasted victory in June against Japan, who they face in their final Autumn Nations Series game on 24 November. The hosts will be looking to avenge their 16-15 defeat by South ******* in their last meeting in the 2023 World Cup semi-final. The Springboks arrive in London following victory over Scotland, having claimed their first Rugby Championship title since 2019 in September. Head coach Rassie Erasmus has made 12 changes to the side who won at Murrayfield, with captain Siya Kolisi returning to the starting XV. “We’re excited to challenge ourselves against the world’s top-ranked team and back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions,” said Borthwick. “Test matches against South ******* are always thrilling contests, and I’m sure Saturday will be no exception.” Source link #England #South #******* #Freddie #Steward #Jack #van #Poortvliet #among #England Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Is Stalker 2 coming to Xbox Game Pass? Is Stalker 2 coming to Xbox Game Pass? Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is one of the most highly anticipated games of 2024, bringing a survival horror edge to the first-person genre. The first installment left players wanting more, and 15 years later, players finally have a Stalker sequel to look forward to. It’s been a long time coming, and gameplay looks extremely promising, but what platforms will the game be available on, and more specifically, will Stalker 2 be on the Xbox Game Pass? Here’s all the details you need to know. Will Stalker 2 be on Xbox Game Pass? Stalker 2 will be available on the Xbox Game Pass at launch on November 20, 2024. This includes both the console (Xbox Series X|S) and PC Game Pass subscription, but not for the Standard or Core tiers on PC. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to ***** right into the game at launch, and they can even pre-install the game right now. If you’d rather not download the title, you can also stream it at launch. Credit to GSC Game World. This is huge for the game, as being available on day one for the Xbox Game Pass opens the first-person survival horror up to a huge player base. Those who haven’t even played any of the other games in the series may jump in and give it a go, meaning Stalker 2 will likely have a lot of new players experiencing the franchise for the first time. Titles that launch day one on the Game Pass tend to experience a great boost in player count, so we’ll have to wait and see just how successful the release of Stalker 2 will be for Xbox and PC players. Is Stalker 2 on Xbox One? Stalker 2 is exclusive to Xbox Series X|S and PC. Unfortunately, the game will not be available for Xbox One. There are also no details on a future release for PlayStation, so being available on the Game Pass is huge for the developers in terms of increasing their reach. Are you planning on playing Stalker 2 via the Xbox Game Pass? Let us know by leaving a comment in the Insider Gaming forum. If you’re planning on picking up and playing the game, make sure you also check out our guides on everything inside the Ultimate Edition and details on the game’s ******* customization. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Stalker #coming #Xbox #Game #Pass Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Research examines effects of wasting employees’ time at work Research examines effects of wasting employees’ time at work Credit: Yan Krukau from Pexels Many employees know all too well the feeling of frustration that comes with a chatty customer or coworker who just won’t leave you alone at work. But new research from Temple University takes a closer look at the real-world effects of wasting an employee’s time while they’re on the clock. “Don’t Waste My Time! The Development and Validation of the Wasted Time Perceptions Scale” is the latest scholarly research article authored by Brian Holtz, associate professor of management from Temple’s Fox School of Business; Crystal Harold, professor of management and associate dean for master’s programs at Fox; and Harshad Puranik from the University of Illinois-Chicago. Recently published online in the Journal of Management, the research explores what it means to have your time wasted at work, and it finds that employees feel a sense of frustration and engage in counterproductive work behaviors when they perceive that their time is being wasted. “Intuitively, I think we understand that time is important to people, and we really don’t like it when our time’s wasted,” said Holtz, whose research often focuses on fairness in the workplace, and more recently, the ways people experience time in the workplace. “But in the academic literature, it’s not really been well-defined what that means, and, from a scientific perspective, how we might study people’s perceptions of wasted time.” The researchers defined wasted time as anything that interferes with an employee’s ability to obtain their goals. “We viewed goals really broadly in terms of any desired outcome or any desired state,” Holtz said. “Your goal may be to have fun and be happy, or to get your work done. If someone is intruding on your time in a way that prevents you from accomplishing whatever your goal may be in that moment, that is going to be deemed as a waste of time.” They then administered surveys to several hundred participants, posing questions about how they perceived wasted time at work, and the emotions and behaviors that resulted from their time being wasted. “We found, probably not surprisingly, that when a person perceives that their time is wasted by others in the workplace—whether those are one’s boss, one’s coworkers, even one’s customers—that is a frustrating experience,” Harold noted. “They feel a greater frustration, and in turn, they act out accordingly.” The study found that if an employee feels frustrated with their boss, they act in ways that are counterproductive towards that boss. Or if it’s a coworker wasting their time, they try to get back at their coworker. The same is true with customers, the study found. These behaviors are often entity-specific, meaning that if one is frustrated with their coworker, they generally don’t lash out rudely at customers, or vice versa. They identified a multitude of counterproductive work behaviors that employees engage in when their time is wasted by a coworker or customer, including Criticizing that individual’s opinion or suggestion. Trying to avoid interacting with that individual. Excluding that individual from conversations. Speaking poorly about that individual. Being blunt with a customer. Intentionally slowing service to a customer. Making gestures (e.g., sighing, eye rolling) to express impatience with a customer. The study also found that employees will engage in counterproductive work behaviors targeted at their organization when they perceive their time is being wasted. These behaviors include Not working to the best of their ability. Spending time on tasks unrelated to work. Taking unnecessary breaks. Speaking poorly about their organization to others. While some of these outcomes may seem obvious, Holtz doesn’t think the effects of wasted time are appropriately understood by bosses and managers. “I think a lot of bosses in the workplace don’t appreciate that paying attention to whether or not employees feel their time is wasted is quite important,” Holtz said. The researchers discuss that lack of appreciation in relation to the commodified view of time concept, which suggests that time is a commodity, and organizations essentially pay for their employees’ time. Holtz believes that many managers subscribe to that viewpoint and lose sight of how it affects employees. “Our paper surfaces this idea that even though people are compensated for their time, they still care about whether or not their time is used in valuable ways,” he said. “It’s a frustrating experience to have one’s time wasted, even if you’re getting paid.” The paper also offers some real-world suggestions based on the findings. First and foremost, it is important for managers to be aware that employees are concerned about having their time used in what they perceive to be useful, goal-oriented manners. And beyond just being aware of that, bosses should work to ensure that everyone’s time is used in valuable ways, and they’re not assigning busywork or nonsensical tasks. They should also work to remove barriers to people’s goal accomplishments. So, the next time a chatty coworker steals 15 minutes of your valuable time on the clock, consider telling your boss about it. “If you have someone who’s constantly buzzing around the office, taking up peoples’ time in unproductive ways, maybe the boss needs to step in and intervene,” Holtz said. More information: Brian C. Holtz et al, Don’t Waste My Time! The Development and Validation of the Wasted Time Perceptions Scale, Journal of Management (2024). DOI: 10.1177/01492063241258726 Provided by Temple University Citation: Research examines effects of wasting employees’ time at work (2024, November 14) retrieved 14 November 2024 from This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. Source link #Research #examines #effects #wasting #employees #time #work Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

OpenAI’s next ‘giant breakthrough’ tipped to land soon and control your computer OpenAI’s next ‘giant breakthrough’ tipped to land soon and control your computer OpenAI is rumored to be launching new AI agent tool in January Report claims it’s codenamed Operator and can control your browser This help could help it write code or book travel on your behalf Forget chatbots – AI’s next big trick is expected to be artificial intelligence agents that can carry out computer-based chores on your behalf, and a new report claims OpenAI’s version will be landing very soon. OpenAI’s new tool, codenamed ‘Operator,’ could be released in January, according to Bloomberg and its two internal sources. It will apparently be released as a research preview initially and through the company’s application programming interface (API) for developers to get their hands on. AI agents are designed to operate your computer on your behalf without supervision. Like Anthropic’s similar ‘computer use’ tool for Claude, OpenAI’s Operator is expected to be able to carry out actions like writing code or booking travel. The space is shaping up to be the next big AI battleground, with Google recently leaking its so-called Jarvis AI tool that can browse the web for you. According to The Information, it could beat OpenAI to the punch by landing in December. Like Google’s solution, OpenAI’s equivalent is expected to be a “general purpose tool that executes tasks in a web browser,” according to Bloomberg’s source. So, while it might not be quite ready to pilot desktop apps on your behalf, OpenAI’s Operator sounds like another pretty powerful browser extension. How much do you trust AI? ChatGPT search (above) landed in October and effectively automates Google searches for you. OpenAI’s Operator is expected to do the same with web-based actions. (Image credit: OpenAI) There’s no doubt that tech giants think AI agents are the next big computing platform – in a recent Reddit AMA, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, “I think the thing that will feel like the next giant breakthrough will be agents.” This apparent breakthrough will come soon, too, with Altman adding, “IMHO this is going to be a big theme in 2025.” Recent announcements and leaks from Anthropic, Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI certainly support this. Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable ****** Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content. However, given that AI agents are expected to work autonomously without supervision, they could also demand a large amount of trust. A significant asterisk on tools like ChatGPT Search – which already searches the web for you – is that they’re early releases that can still make mistakes. In October, OpenAI released a new benchmark called ‘SimpleQA‘ to measure the accuracy of its own AI models – and its recent o1 preview model performed pretty poorly, only getting a 42% success rate in the new benchmark. So, while AI agents might be the next big hype feature in 2025, it could still be a while before we entrust them with automating our computer-based chores – at least without some careful supervision. You might also like Source link #OpenAIs #giant #breakthrough #tipped #land #control #computer Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ex-Wallaby Brett Robinson voted World Rugby chairman Ex-Wallaby Brett Robinson voted World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson, the former Wallabies back-row forward, has been elected as the first non-********* chairman of World Rugby in a huge boost for the game in Australia. The 54-year-old was voted as the governing body’s new leading official ahead of Frenchman Abdelatif Benazzi and Italian Andrea Rinaldo in Dublin on Thursday and will now succeed England’s Bill Beaumont in the prestigious and influential role. Robinson, a surgeon turned businessman and sports administrator, won after two rounds of voting at a meeting of the World Rugby council in the Irish capital and will serve a four-year term, with the possibility to stand for re-election in 2028. “It is an immense privilege and honour to have been elected World Rugby chair by my council colleagues today,” Robinson said. “During the course of the process, I have had many conversations with my colleagues around the world and am heartened by our shared ambition to continue to build on the strength of our game.” Robinson, who was on Rugby Australia’s board for nine years, has been on the global body’s executive board for eight years, with his appointment looking especially significant for domestic rugby at a time when the Lions’ visit next year and the 2027 World Cup is putting the game firmly back in the spotlight. Source link #ExWallaby #Brett #Robinson #voted #World #Rugby #chairman Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

New Leaks Suggest Valve Has Secretly Been Working on Half-Life 3 For All These Years New Leaks Suggest Valve Has Secretly Been Working on Half-Life 3 For All These Years For over a decade at this point, Half-Life 3 has loomed across the gaming landscape as a kind of ghostly presence, with most people making peace with Half-Life 2: Episode 2 being the canonical end of the saga. Gordon fighting the Antlion soldies – Image Credit: Valve. But if recent leaks are to be believed, Valve may have been quietly developing the mythical title all along. Its release would mark the return of one of gaming’s most legendary projects, possibly even coming out sooner than anyone might expect. Recent Leaks suggest Valve has been developing Half-Life 3 right alongside Alyx Alyx in Half-Life 2 – Image Credit: Valve. Recent findings that have surfaced across the internet suggest that Half-Life 3 might not just be an idea in Valve’s vault but an actual project. According to these leaks, the developers might be in the process of retooling their Source 2 engine, ramping up their physics and visual tech for the potential title, and aggressively hiring folks to work on their new projects. Not only that, but the project, codenamed HLX, involves a series of iterations aimed at creating a revolutionary physics engine and AI, suggesting that Valve may have scrapped or repurposed many ideas over the years to refine its vision for Half-Life’s future. This iterative approach makes sense, seeing how similar rumors surrounded Half-Life: Alyx, which saw multiple iterations before becoming the VR success it is today. Some even claim the game’s setting and mechanics have been completely mapped out, focusing on expanding the series’ signature blend of storytelling and innovative gameplay. These whispers also suggest we might see Half-Life 3 push beyond what Alyx achieved in VR. Think of it as the dev team trying to redefine what a modern Half-Life game could be, possibly incorporating VR elements but with the flexibility to cater to both VR and traditional players. Surprisingly, the team’s even experimenting with environments that respond intricately to players’ choices and interactions, which could make the world feel not just realistic but reactive on a whole new level. But with all this said, can we genuinely expect Half-Life 3 to become a reality soon? It’s a difficult question to answer, as Valve is notorious for keeping all its development processes a secret. Even if such a project is in the works, the road from prototype to polished release may be extended and winding. Yet these leaks, if accurate, suggest Half-Life 3’s development isn’t just some *********** theory—it’s taking shape in the background and could be upon us by the end of this console generation. How can Half-Life 3 build on what Alyx and its direct predecessors achieved before? Russell in Half-Life: Alyx – Image Credit: Valve. If Half-Life 3 does materialize, for starters, we’d likely see Gordon Freeman navigating the fallout of Episode 2’s events with Alyx. More importantly, and controversially, it might even play out from Vance’s perspective since HL: Alyx is also a thing now. Next, with the Combine storyline left more or less open-ended, a powerful new antagonist might emerge. One that challenges Freeman and has zero ties with G-Man would push the enigmatic character into uncharted territories as well. Gameplay-wise, Valve has always thrived on pushing the limits of physics, and Half-Life 3 would almost certainly ***** into deeper, richer interactivity. Think environmental puzzles built on the ones Alyx presented, which adapt dynamically to your approach or action sequences and rely on more than just ********* your way through. At the end of the day, though, a new Half-Life wouldn’t just be another game; it’d be Valve’s chance to remind the world why the company and its past titles are the stuff of legend. If Valve truly delivers on the vision suggested in these leaks, the title could go down as one of the most influential games ever made—if not the most—A revival that finally closes Gordon Freeman’s story would help the series claim the title of one of the greatest “complete” game franchises of all time. But, with all that said, what are your thoughts on the leaks so far? Do you think Half-Life 3 may come out a little sooner than expected? Let us know in the comments below! Source link #Leaks #Suggest #Valve #Secretly #Working #HalfLife #Years Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

12,000-Year-Old Doughnut-Shaped Pebbles in ******* May Be Early Evidence of Wheel Technology 12,000-Year-Old Doughnut-Shaped Pebbles in ******* May Be Early Evidence of Wheel Technology Archaeologists in ******* have uncovered doughnut-shaped pebbles that may be among the earliest forms of wheel-like technology. Found at the Nahal Ein Gev II site in northern *******, these 12,000-year-old limestone pebbles feature central holes and are thought to have been used as spindle whorls—a tool for spinning fibres like flax and wool. Talia Yashuv, a graduate student and co-author of the study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology, told LiveScience that these ancient artefacts suggest early experimentation with rotational tools that could have ***** the foundation for later advancements like the potter’s wheel and the cart wheel. This discovery was published in PLOS One on November 13, offering a glimpse into pre-agricultural technology in the region. The roughly 100 perforated pebbles were analysed by Yashuv and Leore Grosman, a professor of prehistoric archaeology at the same institute. After scanning each pebble in 3D, the team produced detailed models to assess their potential uses. Most of the pebbles were thought unlikely to serve as fishing weights or beads due to their size and shape, which diverge from artefacts used in similar periods. Instead, the team recreated spindle whorls from the scanned models, which traditional craft expert Yonit Crystal used to spin flax and wool. While the flax was easier to handle, the replicas demonstrated that the pebbles were likely effective as spindle whorls, supporting early textile production, the study noted. Implications of the Findings The findings indicate that these spindle whorls could mark a key point in technological evolution, potentially linked to new methods of storage and survival. Alex Joffe, a director at the Association for the Study of the Middle East and ******* and experienced archaeologist, told LiveScience that the possibility that these artefacts could have enabled innovations like bags or fishing lines. Yorke Rowan, an archaeology professor at the University of Chicago, echoed this view, noting that the analysis represents a “critical turning point” in early technology. A Continuing Debate While these pebbles may represent one of the earliest uses of wheel-like forms, Carole Cheval, an expert in prehistoric textiles at CEPAM in France, told that the publication that she observed that similar objects have been found in other regions, possibly from earlier periods. This adds another layer to understanding the origins of rotational technology, highlighting the ongoing exploration of ancient human innovation. Source link #12000YearOld #DoughnutShaped #Pebbles #******* #Early #Evidence #Wheel #Technology Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump’s proposed tariffs unlikely to include ********* oil: experts – National Trump’s proposed tariffs unlikely to include ********* oil: experts – National President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to slap an across-the-board tariff of at least 10 per cent on all imports including from Canada is unlikely to apply to ********* oil, energy experts are predicting. The threat of the tariff is causing a lot of concern north of the border, where the ********* Chamber of Commerce said such a tariff could take a $30-billion ***** out of the ********* economy. Rory Johnston, a Toronto-based oil market researcher and founder of Commodity Context, said he believes there’s a very small probability that Trump’s fees would apply to ********* oil, but it is “quite a potentially damaging one.” “Canada is uniquely vulnerable to market pressure posed by U.S. refineries given our lack of alternative egress,” Johnston said during a panel for the ********* Global Affairs Institute Wednesday. Michael Catanzaro, a former Trump energy adviser, told a forum in Washington, D.C. last week that he doesn’t expect Trump’s campaign vision of energy dominance and lower energy costs will exclude Canada. Story continues below advertisement “We should double down on the fact that the U.S. and Canada together can be this powerful force,” he said at the North ********* Energy Preeminence Forum hosted by the right-leaning Hudson Institute in Washington on Nov. 8. 5:38 The impact of a Trump presidency on the ********* economy More than 77 per cent of ********* exports go to the U.S. and trade comprises 60 per cent of Canada’s ****** domestic product. A significant proportion of that comes from oil and gas. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Canada is also the largest source of U.S. energy imports, and almost all ********* crude oil exports went to its neighbour in 2023. Most of that makes its way through pipelines to the Midwest, where the key battleground states flipped for Trump on promises of making life more affordable. Without exemptions for ********* crude, many experts agree that the cost at ********* pumps is certain to increase. It’s unlikely the *********** leader would take action that’ll make gas cost more, Johnston said. Story continues below advertisement Johnston added there could be a situation where Canada sees a boon from Trump’s tariffs. If the *********** leader puts those fees on all oil imports except Canada “that is actually a net good thing for ********* exports.” But all of this comes with the caveat that there’s been a rocky relationship between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Trump, and the ******** government in Canada has been at odds with the *********** politically on a number of fronts including climate action and renewable energy. Catanzaro recalled a meeting with ********* officials after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate agreement, an international treaty to cut greenhouse gases, during his first administration — a move the president-elect has promised to repeat. “They were very hostile to us and to the administration,” Catanzaro said. 4:04 Trump’s proposed tariffs would make it ‘very difficult’ for Canadians: ambassador to U.S. warns Trending Now Still trying to see Taylor Swift in Toronto? Last-minute tickets priced as high as $33K Police say missing Wisconsin kayaker faked his ******, fled to eastern Europe The ********* reaction set the bilateral relationship back for some time, Catanzaro said. Story continues below advertisement Fen Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa and co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations, said he’s not certain the *********** leader would be willing to give a tariff concession under Trudeau. Hampson said Trump would know that giving Canada an immediate exemption would provide Trudeau a powerful argument about his ability to negotiate with the president-elect ahead of Canada’s looming election. The *********** leader would not be happy with that outcome, given their notably rocky relationship during Trump’s first administration, Hampson added. More on Canada More videos Trump called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest” after the prime minister criticized the president’s 2018 tariff actions at the G7 summit in Quebec. There was another *****-up when Trudeau and other NATO leaders appeared to be on video talking about a Trump press conference the following year. Trump called the prime minister “two-faced.” Robert Lighthizer, Trump’s then-trade representative, recounted in his book that U.S.-Canada relations were “at their lowest ebb since the ******* ********* invasion of Upper Canada during the War of 1812.” The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, negotiated under the first Trump administration, will come under review in 2026. Hampson said Trump could use the tariffs, or a threat of them, to force Canada into concessions. Wilbur Ross, the former U.S. commerce secretary who was involved in the negotiation of that trilateral agreement, recently told CBC that Trump is likely to carve out exemptions for sectors such as ********* oil and gas. Story continues below advertisement Eric Miller, president of Rideau Potomac Strategy Group, said politicians run for office in poetry and govern in prose, agreeing that wide-reaching tariffs on ********* energy were unlikely. &copy 2024 The ********* Press Source link #Trumps #proposed #tariffs #include #********* #oil #experts #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

VCs say tech investing is ‘tough’ amid IPO lull and ‘nuts’ AI hype VCs say tech investing is ‘tough’ amid IPO lull and ‘nuts’ AI hype Edith Yeung, general partner at Race Capital, and Larry Aschebrook, founder and managing partner of G Squared, speak during a CNBC-moderated panel at Web Summit 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal. Rita Franca | Nurphoto | Getty Images LISBON, Portugal — It’s a tough time for the venture capital industry right now as a dearth of blockbuster initial public offerings and M&A activity has sucked liquidity from the market, while buzzy artificial intelligence startups dominate attention. At the Web Summit tech conference in Lisbon, two venture investors — whose portfolios include the likes of multibillion-dollar AI startups Databricks Anthropic and Groq — said things have become much more difficult as they’re unable to cash out of some of their long-term bets. “In the U.S., when you talk about the presidential election, it’s the economy *******. And in the VC world, it’s really all about liquidity *******,” Edith Yeung, general partner at Race Capital, an early-stage VC firm based in Silicon Valley, said in a CNBC-moderated panel earlier this week. Liquidity is the holy grail for VCs, startup founders and early employees as it gives them a chance to realize gains — or, if things turn south, losses — on their investments. When a VC makes an equity investment and the value of their stake increases, it’s only a gain on paper. But when a startup IPOs or sells to another company, their equity stake gets converted into hard cash — enabling them to make new investments. Yeung said the lack of IPOs over the last couple of years had created a “really tough” environment for venture capital. At the same, however, there’s been a rush from investors to get into buzzy AI firms. “What’s really crazy is in the last few years, OpenAI’s domination has really been determined by Big Techs, the Microsofts of the world,” said Yeung, referring to ChatGPT-creator OpenAI’s seismic $157 billion valuation. OpenAI is backed by Microsoft, which has made a multibillion-dollar investment in the firm. ‘The IPO market is not happening’ Larry Aschebrook, founder and managing partner at late-stage VC firm G Squared, agreed that the hunt for liquidity is getting ******* — even though the likes of OpenAI are seeing blockbuster funding rounds, which he called “a bit nuts.” “You have funds and founders and employees searching for liquidity because the IPO market is not happening. And then you have funding rounds taking place of generational types of businesses,” Aschebrook said on the panel. As important as these deals are, Aschebrook suggested they aren’t helping investors because even more money is getting tied up in illiquid, privately owned shares. G Squared itself an early backer of Anthropic, a foundational AI model startup competing with Microsoft-backed OpenAI. Using a cooking analogy, Aschebrook suggested that venture capitalists are being starved of lucrative share sales which would lead to them realizing returns. “If you want to cook some dinner, you better sell some stock, ” he added. Looking for opportunities beyond OpenAI Yeung and Aschebrook both said they’re excited about opportunities beyond artificial intelligence, such as cybersecurity, enterprise software and crypto. At Race Capital, Yeung said she sees opportunities to make money from investments in sectors including enterprise and infrastructure — not necessarily always AI. “The key thing for us is not thinking about what’s going to happen, not necessarily in terms of exit in two or three years, we’re really, really long term,” Yeung said. “I think for 2025, if President [Donald] Trump can make a comeback, there’s a few other industries I think that are quite interesting. For sure, crypto is definitely making a comeback already.” At G Squared, meanwhile, cybersecurity firm Wiz is a key portfolio investment that’s seen OpenAI-levels of growth, according to Aschebrook. The startup, which turned down a $23 billion acquisition bid from Google, hit the $500 million annual recurring revenue (ARR) milestone just four years after it was founded. Wiz is now looking to reach $1 billion of ARR in 2025, doubling from this year, Roy Reznik, the company’s co-founder and vice president of research and development, told CNBC last month. “I think that there’s many logos … that aren’t in the press raising $5 billion in two weeks, that do well in our portfolios, that are the stars of tomorrow, today,” Aschebrook said. Source link #VCs #tech #investing #tough #IPO #lull #nuts #hype Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The 13 best gifts for moms The 13 best gifts for moms We don’t speak for all moms, but a brief and unscientific survey has confirmed one gift most moms will love across the board: Time. Unspoken for, unstructured, zero-obligation time. While we couldn’t find extra hours on ***** anywhere online, we did find some gadgets and gizmos that help save time and others that make precious down time more enjoyable. Our recommendations include some of the gifts we’ve given to the moms in our own lives as well as what the moms on staff would want for themselves. Most have a tech bent, because we are who we are, but all should appeal to any mom who wants to make the most of their time. Check out the rest of our gift ideas here. This article originally appeared on Engadget at Source link #gifts #moms Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Power Metal review: The dilemma of mining more metals so we can ditch fossil fuels Power Metal review: The dilemma of mining more metals so we can ditch fossil fuels Lithium for batteries being extracted in the Atacama desert, Chile John Moore/Getty Images Power Metal Vince Beiser (Wildfire Books (***, 20 November); Riverhead Books, (US, 19 November)) The smartphone on which you are probably reading this article takes a heavy toll on the planet. If it is an iPhone, over 30 kilograms of ore had to be mined to harvest the metals within it, from the nickel and cobalt in its battery to the rare earths in its touch screen. Even larger volumes of such “critical metals”… Source link #Power #Metal #review #dilemma #mining #metals #ditch #fossil #fuels Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]