Pelican Press

Snag This 75-Inch 4K Roku TV For $378 During Walmart’s Early ****** Friday ***** Snag This 75-Inch 4K Roku TV For $378 During Walmart’s Early ****** Friday ***** If you’re on the market for an affordable 4K smart TV, you should check out Walmart’s early ****** Friday *****, as the retailer has a great deal on a very large TCL 4K TV. The TCL 75-Inch Class S4 4K Roku TV is discounted to only $378 (was $498) until November 17. The TV runs on the Roku TV OS, which supports all the popular streaming apps like Netflix, SlingTV, YouTube, and more, and there’s a built-in OTA TV tuner you can use to access over 250 free channels. Oh, and you can use the Roku smartphone app as a second remote. While this makes it a great pick for streaming video or watching Blu-rays, it also features an Auto Game Mode that dynamically changes the picture settings for the lowest possible input latency when using a console, making it a solid choice for gaming, too. TCL 75-Inch Class S4 4K Roku TV As for the TV’s design, the 75-inch Class S4 4K TV uses a bezel-less LED screen with HDR support and built-in 4K upscaling for lower-resolution video. It has four HDMI ports, including one port with eARC support for higher-fidelity audio quality. The rest of the TV’s I/O includes an Ethernet port, a USB port, and support for Wifi and Bluetooth. Overall, this is a pretty great deal on a 4K Smart TV, especially at a sub-$400 price point. That said, if you’re looking for a TV with gaming on PS5 or Xbox Series X in mind, you may want a higher-end display with HDMI 2.1, which helps take full advantage of the current console generation’s graphical capabilities. Walmart has a pair of fantastic deals on LG 4K OLED TVs. You can get a 55-inch model for $798 or a 65-inch model for $998. Both TVs have four HDMI ports, two of which are HDMI 2.1. It’s also worth checking out the rest of Walmart’s ****** Friday *****, which includes deals on games, PC hardware, collectible figures, and more. Head over to our Walmart ****** Friday deals roundup to see more of our favorite discounts, or visit Walmart’s site to browse the full event. Source link #Snag #75Inch #Roku #Walmarts #Early #****** #Friday #***** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

******** AI startup Shengshu launches image-to-video tool, rivaling Sora ******** AI startup Shengshu launches image-to-video tool, rivaling Sora Pictured here is an AI-generated clip from Vidu’s website. The tool can create videos from text or image prompts. Evelyn Cheng | CNBC BEIJING — Beijing-based Shengshu Technology on Wednesday said that its artificial intelligence-powered text-to-video tool Vidu will now be able to generate videos by combining images. Vidu already allows users worldwide to create 8-second clips based on written prompts. While OpenAI — the maker of ChatGPT — in February revealed that its AI model Sora could generate one-minute videos from text, it has yet to release that publicly. Vidu’s new AI feature can combine three pictures — such as a shirt, person and moped — into a video of the person wearing the shirt and driving the moped through a scene, Shengshu said. Other platforms claim they can turn text or images into videos using AI, but the quality of output varies. The breakthrough that Shengshu claims is the ability to take three unique images and integrate them with visual consistency into an AI-generated video. “Very early on we pinpointed [visual consistency] as the problem, and wanted to solve it well,” Fan Bao, chief technology officer at Shengshu, said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. Vidu launched in April and its ability to turn two profile photos into lifelike videos of people hugging went viral on TikTok. The AI video generator is already making money from advertisers, animators and other businesses, Shengshu co-founder and CEO Jiayu ***** said in Mandarin, according to a CNBC translation. He said monthly usage rates per customer can range from 100,000 yuan to 1 million yuan ($13,871 to $138,711). To address copyright issues, ***** said a company might sign a deal with an artist that allows the AI to mimic the artist’s style of painting for an advertisement. He said he hadn’t seen significant legal cases around consumers’ use of images. ***** added that Vidu doesn’t allow the public to generate content using images of celebrities or “sensitive” individuals. He said the AI tool also bans nudes and violent images. As for personal photos, ***** said Vidu destroys the data in accordance with general data protection regulation — a global benchmark. Shengshu was founded last year with backers including Baidu Ventures, Alibaba-affiliate Ant Group, ******** startup Zhipu AI, Qiming Venture Partners and Beijing city, according to PitchBook. ***** said Vidu’s AI runs off rented cloud servers in China and abroad. Source link #******** #startup #Shengshu #launches #imagetovideo #tool #rivaling #Sora Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Monster Hunter Outlanders is the series’ most ambitious mobile game Monster Hunter Outlanders is the series’ most ambitious mobile game Capcom and TiMi Studio Group announced Monster Hunter Outlanders for iOS and Android today. Unlike previous Monster Hunter games for mobile, Outlanders will more closely emulate console games with a large 3D open world to explore, real-time gameplay and combat, and cooperative hunting. Previous Monster Hunter mobile games include Monster Hunter Now, which applied the Pokémon Go formula to Capcom’s long-running series, and the matching game Monster Hunter Puzzle: Felyne Isles. In 2022, the Tencent-owned TiMi Studio Group announced its partnership with Capcom and intention to create a new mobile game that would “reproduce the hunting actions that define the Monster Hunter series.” TiMi developers have created mobile adaptations of franchises like Age of Empires and Call of Duty. Monster Hunter Outlanders might be TiMi’s most ambitious game yet. It will sport a large open world full of different regions, as well as the combat, cooperative play, and crafting gameplay loops found in mainline Monster Hunter titles. A press release also teases features like world events and social-focused systems. Unlike most mobile game reveals, the announcement trailer for Monster Hunters Outlanders does contain gameplay, so you can watch that for a better idea of what to expect from the final release. It’ll certainly be interesting to compare Outlanders‘ feature set to that of Monster Hunter Wilds, which is the next console game in the series and will launch across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on February 28, 2025. TiMi and Capcom haven’t committed to a release date for Monster Hunter Outlanders yet. All we know is that several public playtests for the game will be held ahead of its eventual launch on iOS and Android. Source link #Monster #Hunter #Outlanders #series #ambitious #mobile #game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Google Chrome for iOS Receives Shopping Insights, Other New Features Google Chrome for iOS Receives Shopping Insights, Other New Features Google Chrome for iOS has received several new features that aim to make finding information and completing tasks easier. The web browser now lets iPhone users add text queries to visual searches via Google Lens for more helpful and relevant results. It also introduces new ways to save space on iPhone, find better deals while shopping online, and view maps of addresses quickly. These changes are arriving with the Google Chrome for iOS update for November 2024. New Features in Google Chrome for iOS In a blog post, Google announced that Chrome for iOS users can now add text queries to visual searches in Google Lens simultaneously. This is said to help in more complex searches with the option of adding a colour or visual attribute as a text query alongside the image search. Chrome for iOS also brings a new feature that might help users get rid of the “Storage Almost Full” notification. Following the latest update, it allows saving photos and other content from the web directly from the web to Google Drive and Photos apps on iPhone. When saving the file, users simply need to tap on the Drive option that appears and content will be saved in the new Saved from Chrome folder in Files. To save images, they can press and hold onto an image and select the Save in Google Photos option from the context menu. In the US, Google’s latest update for Chrome introduces a shopping insights feature for finding good deals when shopping online. While browsing for a product, users will get a Good Deal Now notification from the browser which provides information such as its price history, price tracking, and more buying options. This feature works when the Make Searches and Browsing Better setting is enabled on Chrome. It will initially only be available in the US but will be rolled out to more regions over the coming months, confirmed Google. Another new addition to Chrome for iOS is the ability to see maps of addresses with a single tap without switching between the browser and Google Maps. Once rolled out, users will be able to see a mini-map of the location in Chrome with one tap on the underlined address. The feature is currently said to be in the experimental phase and will be introduced globally soon. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Red Magic 10 Pro+, Red Magic 10 Pro With Snapdragon 8 Elite ‘Extreme Edition’ Chip Launched: Price, Specifications Source link #Google #Chrome #iOS #Receives #Shopping #Insights #Features Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump Media CFO, director sell DJT stock Trump Media CFO, director sell DJT stock Pavlo Gonchar | Lightrocket | Getty Images The chief financial officer of Trump Media and two other corporate insiders sold more than $16 million worth of company stock in the week following the presidential election, according to new disclosures. Most of the stock was sold by CFO Phillip Juhan, who in August adopted a trading plan that revealed his intention to sell 400,000 DJT shares by December 2025. Trump Media director Eric Swider and Scott Glabe, the company’s general counsel, each sold fewer shares of the company, whose majority owner Donald Trump was elected president on Nov. 5. Trump Media, which operates the Truth Social app, has a market capitalization of $6.3 billion despite reporting revenue of slightly more than just $1 million in the third quarter of this year. The company, whose share price has dramatically fluctuated since the stock became publicly traded in late March, reported losses of $19.2 million for the quarter. Truth Social’s daily active user rate is minuscule compared to other social media apps. Similarweb, a digital intelligence platform, reported that Truth Social had about 200,000 daily active users on Nov. 6, the day after Election Day. By contrast, the social media site X had 36.7 million users that day, Threads had 4.7 million users and Bluesky had about one million users. Juhan, who is also Trump Media’s treasurer, sold 320,000 shares on Friday at a price of $30.65 per share, or a total of $9.8 million worth of stock according to a Form 4 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. On Monday, Juhan sold another 64,000 shares at $32.97 per share, another $2.11 million worth, the same filing said. Read more CNBC politics coverage After the second *****, Juhan still had 265,798 shares of DJT, according to the filing. All but about 20,000 of those shares are restricted stock units, which were awarded to him on Nov. 5, Election Day, and which cannot be immediately sold. One-quarter of that awarded stock will vest, and become eligible for *****, on Dec. 25, a filing showed. The remaining shares will vest in quarterly installments through March 2027. Swider sold 136,183 shares of DJT on Friday at $28.23 per share, for a total of $3.84 million worth, according to his new Form 4 filing. The ***** disposed of all of Swider’s Trump Media shares, the filing indicated. Swider controls a company, Renatus Advisors, that still owns 18,043 shares of Trump Media. Glabe, the general counsel, on Friday sold 15,917 shares for $32.19 per share, or a total of $512,368, a filing shows. Glabe, who is also the company’s secretary, still owns 336,576 restricted stock units in Trump Media after that *****. That stock was awarded to him on Nov. 5, and will vest according to the same schedule as Juhan’s RSUs. On the same day that Juhan and Scott received the RSUs, Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes received 1.3 million RSUs, which as of Wednesday were worth nearly $38 million on paper. Nunes’ RSUs are subject to the same vesting schedules as those owned by Juhan and Scott. A Trump Media spokeswoman did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the stock sales. Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO Source link #Trump #Media #CFO #director #sell #DJT #stock Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Amazon Haul wants to be the new Temu Amazon Haul wants to be the new Temu will be the ecommerce titan’s new discount storefront designed to compete against Temu and Shein, reports. This new corner of Bezos’s empire is mobile-only and promises items at “crazy low prices.” Unlike Amazon Prime’s fast speeds, Amazon promises its Haul orders orders will arrive in less than two weeks. Previously, CNBC mentioned in a that Amazon was exploring a storefront where goods would be sold to US customers directly from China, though now it seems the company itself is doing the importing and acting as an intermediary. Speed isn’t the only alteration to the typical Amazon arrangement customers will have to get used to. It seems, regardless of if they subscribe to Prime or not, buyers will have to purchase $25 of goods per order with Haul to get free shipping. For lesser orders, the shipping fee will be $3.99. Amazon also won’t accept Haul returns if the value of the items is $3 or under. If customers take to Haul, the new storefront could put Amazon in a favorable position in a seemingly crowded market. Both the and EU have set their regulatory . If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Source link #Amazon #Haul #Temu Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

What to know about Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy What to know about Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Donald Trump is vowing to reduce wasteful federal spending by tapping two billionaires — Tesla CEO Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy — to spearhead the initiative, which the president-elect is calling the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The appointments, announced by Trump on Tuesday, raise a host of questions about the effort, including whether Musk and Ramaswamy will have the authority to make changes in federal outlays, given that Congress authorizes the nation’s spending, as well as where the businessmen might look to cut spending. Under the plan, meanwhile, DOGE is not an official government department, raising questions about how its powers and how it will operate. The announcement comes a week after Trump won a second term as president, with voters expressing their dissatisfaction with the economy under the Biden administration. As part of his campaign vows, Trump promised to slash government spending. Musk’s bio on X, the social media platform he bought in 2022, now reads, “The people voted for major government reform.” “Frankly, it does need to be done again, so every few decades you really need to look at everything,” Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution who managed the Clinton Administration’s National Performance Review, an effort to cut government spending in the 1990s, told CBS MoneyWatch. But Kamarck also harbors reservations about Musk and Ramaswamy’s mandate, especially after the former recently suggested he could find more than $2 trillion in savings — almost one-third of the federal government’s $6.7 trillion in annual spending. Two-thirds of that spending is mandatory through programs including Social Security and Medicare, while discretionary spending is largely spent on defense. “This is the first warning sign that this is going to be a ******* operation,” Kamarck said. “That’s insane.” The Trump campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Here’s what to know about the Department of Government Efficiency. What is the Department of Government Efficiency? Trump announced the DOGE in a statement on Tuesday, describing it as an effort to “slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” The name is a nod to Musk’s support for a cryptocurrency called dogecoin, which was created as a joke by two software engineers and uses the image of a smiling Shiba Inu dog. (Dogecoin has more than tripled in price during the last month, and now trades at 38 cents.) Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy’s work “will conclude no later than July 4, 2026,” or by the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Trump only outlined the initiative’s contours and didn’t disclose how it will be staffed or funded. The Trump campaign didn’t respond to a request about the DOGE’s funding or whether Musk or Ramaswamy will be paid for their work on the effort. Can the DOGE actually cut federal spending? At the moment, that appears unlikely given that the DOGE isn’t a real government department, which would need to be created by congressional approval. Federal spending is authorized by Congress, and senators and House representatives may hesitate to support cuts to major programs like Social Security or Medicare, which are popular with millions of voters, or to the nation’s military. It’s also not clear how the organization will operate. It could come under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which dictates how external groups that advise the government must operate and be accountable to the public. Trump described Musk and Ramaswamy’s role as providing “advice and guidance from outside of government.” That doesn’t amount to much, Kamarck said. “They have no authority — none whatsoever,” she added, while noting that the backing of the president can help convince lawmakers to throw their support behind efficiency efforts. What have Musk and Ramaswamy said about federal spending? Musk, the world’s richest person with a net worth of $319 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, has described the U.S. government as bloated and said it its spending is unsustainable. The Tesla founder also said he wants to reduce the number of federal agencies to 99, down from more than 400. “There are so many [agencies] that people have never heard of, and that have overlapping areas of responsibilities,” Musk said earlier this month. While on the campaign trail with Trump, Musk also said he could cut “at least $2 trillion” from the annual budget. “Your money is being wasted, and the Department of Government Efficiency will fix that,” Musk said. Musk is known for cost-cutting at his own companies, slashing most of X’s workforce after he bought the business two years ago as well as focusing on manufacturing costs at Tesla. Even so, those efforts have had mixed results, with X’s valuation falling by about 80% since his purchase. Tesla’s stock price, meanwhile, has surged 48% in the past year, bumping its value above $1 trillion. Ramaswamy, whom Forbes says has a net worth of about $1 billion, dropped out of the presidential race in January after running on an “anti-woke” campaign. He also advocated for government cuts by eliminating the Department of Education, a goal shared by President-elect Trump. Have administrations previously tried to cut costs? Yes, both *********** and Democratic presidents have created efforts to cut government spending. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan created the Grace Commission, led by wealthy businessman J. Peter Grace, the CEO of W. R. Grace & Company, a chemicals business. About 150 business people volunteered for the commission, which ultimately recommended 2,500 reforms, according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. “Most of the recommendations, especially those requiring legislation from Congress, were never implemented,” the library notes. “However, the Commission’s work provided a starting point for many ************* critiques of the federal government.” In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton created the National Performance Review with the goal to create a government that would work better and cost less, Kamarck said. The group was staffed with civil servants who understood the bureaucracy, and many of whom had frustrations with it, she added. The group had some successes in streamlining operations and paring costs, eventually cutting more than 300,000 jobs, according to a study from the Congressional Research Service. Kamarck noted that the group also focused on integrating technology into departments at a time when the internet was just emerging, leading to efficiencies such as online tax filing. Where could the Trump administration cut spending? While experts are skeptical of Musk’s claim he can cut $2 trillion in spending, they also point out there are opportunities to look at efficiencies. Eliminating Medicare ****** is one area that could result in savings, according to the Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan group that looks at government spending. Its recommendations also include reducing the nation’s contributions to the U.N. and ending subsidies for some agricultural products, like dairy and sugar. Its projected savings: $377 billion in the first year, or about 19% of the $2 trillion that Musk is eyeballing. But efficiency goes beyond cost-cutting, Kamarck noted. It’s also about understanding how the bureaucracy works, “Every single thing in the federal government is big and complicated, and there are layers and layers of complexity,” she noted. “Al Gore and I relied on hundreds of experienced civil servants to tell us how this worked — and if you don’t do this, which I suspect they won’t because Musk is an arrogant billionaire, you will fail.” Does Musk have conflicts of interest? Yes, as Musk’s SpaceX works with the Department of Defense and NASA, with the federal government pledging $3 billion to his companies last year, according to the New York Times. Tesla, meanwhile, has been investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as well as by other agencies. Federal employees are generally required to disclose their financial assets and entanglements to ward off any potential conflicts of interest, and to divest significant holdings relating to their work. Because Musk and Ramaswamy would not be formal federal workers, they would not face those requirements or ethical limitations. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Aimee Picchi Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports. Source link #Trumps #Department #Government #Efficiency #led #Elon #Musk #Vivek #Ramaswamy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

John Lewis, Tesco, Amazon go for tear-jerkers, as others find festive fun John Lewis, Tesco, Amazon go for tear-jerkers, as others find festive fun John Lewis A woman goes on a trip down memory lane in the John Lewis Christmas advert The festive season is getting under way again, and so too is the battle of the Christmas adverts. John Lewis has become the latest retailer to beam its festive message into *** homes. The advert, released on Thursday, is a whimsical journey through one woman’s memories as she tries to find the perfect Christmas gift for her sister. Set to Richard Ashcroft’s 1990s track Sonnet, the ad is a “real tear-jerker” and suggests the retailer wanted to “return to its roots”, analysts said. “Most of this year’s festive adverts have fun at their heart – gnomes taking over Asda, a mystery whodunit at Waitrose, the welcome return of Kevin the Carrot at Aldi,” said retail expert Catherine Shuttleworth. But John Lewis has hit a “more traditional” feel, she added, after last year’s advert proved divisive. Its 2023 commercial featured a giant Venus flytrap. It left some viewers perplexed, as they questioned what a bloodthirsty plant had to do with Christmas. John Lewis Family and memories feature heavily in this year’s John Lewis advert In this year’s John Lewis advert, the heroine, Sally, is seen frantically doing last-minute shopping for her sister. She falls through a rack of dresses and finds herself in a fantastical world, where she revisits moments in her life – from childhood through to teenage years and adulthood. There are no recognisable celebrities in the advert, something Charlotte Lock, customer director at John Lewis, told the BBC was deliberate. “We get contacted every year by A-listers who want to be in our ad,” she said. “We always have the conversation, but what we didn’t want was that celebrity to overtake the story.” It’s still only mid-November, but the John Lewis advert is one of the last Christmas adverts to be released. For retailers, capturing the mood of the nation is always a challenge, especially given that the ads are planned months in advance. Ms Lock said they felt people wanted “a bit of emotion and sentimentality” after “a tough year, with global conflict and an economic crisis”. “The cost of living is still on people’s minds, and people are concerned about the cost of Christmas,” she said. “It feels like there’s a nation that’s quite exhausted and actually has been waiting to celebrate, and Christmas is a great outlet for that,” she added. Aldi Kevin the Carrot is fronting Aldi’s advert again Elsewhere, many brands have taken a lighthearted approach. “Humour and fun are a good way to raise spirits after what has been a difficult year in the world,” Ms Shuttleworth said. “So you can see why retailers have taken that route.” Aldi has brought back Kevin the Carrot for his ninth consecutive year. Joined by his wife Katie, he plunges into another assignment, as he tries to get the “spirit of Christmas” back from the dastardly humbugs. Meanwhile, Asda’s festive advert features a team of garden gnomes who rise up from the snow to save Christmas. M&S Actress Dawn French stars in the M&S advert Marks and Spencer has also opted for tried-and-tested themes. Its food advert sees the return of Dawn French as a festive ******, and she also appears as herself. The first of the six-part ad series sees an exhausted French on her way home, complaining about how much she has to do. The ****** then pops up and offers a helping hand, transforming French’s house, making it ready for a Christmas party with mountains of festive food. Morrisons Morrisons’ oven gloves return for another singing performance Morrisons’ singing oven gloves are also back, as the supermarket puts the focus on those hosting the Christmas meal. The advert is set to Give a Little Love from the film Bugsy Malone, with the soundtrack sung by a choir of Morrisons staff. Argos has also gone for the same characters as last year – cartoon duo Connie the doll and Trevor the dinosaur. The decision to use familiar ideas and characters is a smart one, said Lynne Deason, head of creative excellence at analysts Kantar. “Consistency pays in advertising,” she said. “Sticking with the same creative approach often makes it easier for people to know which brand is being advertised. “It can build a sense of nostalgia too, adding to the entertainment factor.” Famous facesWaitrose Succession star Matthew Macfadyen plays a key role in Waitrose’s advert While John Lewis shunned celebrities, some other adverts are fronted by famous faces. Its Waitrose supermarkets has a whodunit two-parter which leaves audiences on a cliffhanger, starring Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen as a detective on the hunt to uncover who has stolen the family’s red velvet cake. Elsewhere, Greggs has enlisted Nigella Lawson to star in its first ever Christmas advert. The TV chef declares it is her “favourite time of year” before tucking into festive bakes. Opinion was divided on social media, with one X user saying the advert had combined “Nigella and Greggs, two of the greatest loves of my life”. But another questioned whether they were living in a “weird parallel universe”, adding: “Is this a really early April Fool?” Sainsbury’s The BFG stars in Sainsbury’s festive advert Other retailers have gone with famous animated characters. Sainsbury’s was quick off the mark with its advert, which features beloved Roald Dahl character the Big Friendly Giant (BFG). We see the BFG asking the supermarket to make his Christmas “a big more phizz-whizzing”. Lidl Lidl’s Christmas advert champions the joy of sharing Meanwhile, Lidl – like John Lewis – has gone for a classic tale designed to tug at the heartstrings. It depicts a girl who decides to send a present to a boy who is feeling lonely, a nod to the retailer’s toy bank scheme. There’s no mistaking the message of goodwill, as a voiceover encourages viewers to “think big”, but also asks: “Is it not more Christmassy to give?” Tesco’s advert features a man called Gary who is trying to celebrate Christmas while mourning his grandmother. The melancholy ad sees Gary continuing a tradition they shared, building a gingerbread house as his way to remember her. Amazon has also opted for the theme of kindness, telling the story of a theatre caretaker whose hidden singing talent is discovered by his colleagues. They encourage the janitor to go on stage, where he performs What the World Needs Now Is Love. ‘It’s part of the Christmas countdown’ Taken as a whole, advertisers are set to spend a record £10.5bn this festive season, according to the Advertising Association and World Advertising Research Centre. John Lewis, for its part, doesn’t disclose how much it spends on its Christmas advert, but Ms Lock admitted it was “incredibly important commercially”. Whether the money pays off is hard to tell, but experts say it’s about more than just getting consumers through the doors. “Adverts have become part of the ritual surrounding Christmas,” Prof Helen Wheatley, a historian of television, told BBC News. “The tradition continues, partly because it’s an absolutely prime time for retailers to be speaking to potential consumers,” she said. “And partly because it’s entrenched and it’s something they’ve always done.” Prof Wheatley pointed out that while we think of them as “Christmas TV adverts”, they are now also huge online moments, with the ads being shared widely on social media. But she said that some things don’t change – with retailers keen to conjure up a sense of cosiness and familiarity. “It’s a moment where the nation comes together,” she added. “We know people get quite excited about the festive adverts. It’s a marker in people’s years and has become part of that Christmas countdown.” Source link #John #Lewis #Tesco #Amazon #tearjerkers #find #festive #fun Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Xbox is considering a PC gaming handheld Xbox is considering a PC gaming handheld Xbox is exploring a PC gaming handheld, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer told . In an earlier , Spencer had mentioned a hypothetical “Xbox gaming handheld PC device,” which now appears to be in the early research and prototyping stage. Spencer told IGN that he liked his Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go and Steam Deck and that local play would be important to include if Xbox were to design a handheld console. As noted, it’s not clear what unique features an Xbox handheld would bring to the table. Still, any new piece of hardware is years away, Spencer told Bloomberg. For now, work on the Xbox app — which works on existing handhelds — would be the priority, Spencer said, admitting it leaves room for improvement. Source link #Xbox #gaming #handheld Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Earthquake with magnitude 4.0 recorded off WA coast Earthquake with magnitude 4.0 recorded off WA coast An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.0 has been recorded off the West *********** coast. Geoscience Australia recorded the quake offshore in the Southern Ocean off the coast of the D’Entrecasteaux National Park – about 380km south of Perth – in WA about 2.45pm on Thursday. Camera IconA magnitude 4.0 earthquake has been recorded off the south coast of WA. Geoscience Australia Credit: News Corp Australia The depth of the quake was about 10km. Since the quake, only three people have reported feeling its impact, according to Geoscience. More to come Source link #Earthquake #magnitude #recorded #coast Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

New Captain America: Brave New World Lego Figures Available For Preorder New Captain America: Brave New World Lego Figures Available For Preorder Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters next year, and if you (or your kids) are excited about the movie, you’ll find two cool Captain America Lego sets up for preorder. The first is a New Captain America Construction Figure, while the other is a Captain America vs. Red Hulk Battle Set featuring multiple minifigures and a buildable battle jet. Both arrive on December 1, so consider locking in your preorder today to ensure you have them in time for the holidays. $35 This 359-piece set lets you snap together a cool action figure that stands over 11 inches tall. And even though he’s made of Lego bricks, this is a functioning action figure with multiple articulating joints. The set also comes with Captain America’s iconic shield and a few other accessories–such as a detachable Redwing drone. This’ll likely become a hot commodity ahead of the movie’s arrival in February, so snag a preorder today to guarantee it doesn’t go out of stock. $55 If you want a comprehensive Lego set that comes with good guys, bad guys, and a bunch of accessories, take a closer look at this impressive preorder. It includes minifigures for Captain America, Falcon, Red Hulk, and Ruth Bat-Seraph, giving you all the pieces you need to recreate battle scenes from the upcoming film. You’ll even get to snap together a battle jet with a cockpit that opens to hold a minifigure pilot. The jet also houses a hidden compartment, along with two stud shooters to take down your foes. It’s a great set for young Marvel fans, and it packs in a lot of content for just $55. Aside from these two preorders, a bunch of Lego sets are on ***** during various early ****** Friday events. If you’re interested in buying some allies or enemies for Captain America, here’s a look at our favorite Lego Construction Figure deals. Be sure to also check out our ****** Friday Hub for more price cuts on games, electronics, and other accessories. Best Early ****** Friday Lego Construction Figure Deals Source link #Captain #America #Brave #World #Lego #Figures #Preorder Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission using helicopter to drop thousands of pounds of gravel into Lake Conway Arkansas Game and Fish Commission using helicopter to drop thousands of pounds of gravel into Lake Conway LAKE CONWAY, Ark. – A helicopter is dropping almost a million pounds of gravel and pipe gathered by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for future fish to flourish. Nicholas Feltz supervises the Mayflower district fisheries. When they dried up as part of the planned Lake Conway renovation, his sub-surface duties shifted to rehabilitation. “We’re using this gravel to build brim spawning beds, and so these locations are going to serve multiple sport fish species in the lake when it comes time for them to reproduce,” Feltz explained. Helicopters drop gravel for Lake Conway habitat project, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission If AFGC wanted to cart the 270 bags of gravel weighing about 3,500 pounds each by land, Feltz said there two options: drive through the lake or cut down dozens of trees on public hunting grounds. Because of the softness of the lakebed, the timing of hunting season and the impact on the environment, a helicopter was the best and most cost-effective option. Thomas Mann with Aircrane Incorporated out of Georgia is contracted for three days of moving pipe and gravel to select locations. Work started Tuesday and will finish Thursday. “I’ve been flying since I was 14 years old, been doing it now for over 25 years, 12,000 flight hours…First time doing lake rehabilitation work,” Mann said. Lake Conway treasure hunt underway as lake is drained for the first time in 75 years Each drop spot is picked to ensure fish can lay eggs where they won’t have to worry about being suffocated by silt. The plant life grown by drying out the lake will also help fish hide until they are great fishing size which AFGC said will be worth the wait. “We’re just trying to keep the needle moving forward on this project, doing the type of activities we’re allowed to do while we’re waiting for our other permits to come through…The comforting thing I can tell people. We all know how this story ends…an ********** of fish populations” Feltz said. This is the first of many habitat advancement efforts at Lake Conway. Feltz stated some may require a helicopter again or something else. “These guys have been great,” Mann said. “Everyone is out here to help the community…I can’t wait to see the finished product.” Recent conditions, planned renovations causing ***** fish to appear in Lake Conway When asked how the totality of renovation work on Lake Conway is progressing, Feltz said there is still some work in the process of getting permitted by the Army Corps of Engineers. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. Source link #Arkansas #Game #Fish #Commission #helicopter #drop #thousands #pounds #gravel #Lake #Conway Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NYT Connections: hints and answers for Wednesday, November 13 NYT Connections: hints and answers for Wednesday, November 13 Sam Hill / Digital Trends Connections is one of the best puzzle games from the New York Times. The game tasks you with categorizing a pool of 16 words into four secret (for now) groups by figuring out how the words relate to each other. The puzzle resets every night at midnight and each new puzzle has a varying degree of difficulty. Just like Wordle, you can keep track of your winning streak and compare your scores with friends. Some days are trickier than others — just like other NYT Games favorites The Mini and Strands. If you’re having a little trouble solving today’s puzzle, check out our Connections tips and tricks guide for some good strategies or check out the hints for today’s Connections puzzle below. And if you still can’t get it, we’ll tell you today’s answers at the very end. How to play Connections Connections is a daily game about finding common threads between words. Players must select four groups of four words without making more than three mistakes. Play now. pic.twitter.com/CqObVOqeUs — The New York Times (@nytimes) November 3, 2024 You can play Connections on the New York Times website or with the NYT Games app on iOS or Android. In Connections, you’ll be shown a grid containing 16 words — your objective is to organize these words into four sets of four by identifying the connections that link them. These sets could encompass concepts like titles of video game franchises, book series sequels, shades of red, names of chain restaurants, etc. There are generally words that seem like they could fit multiple themes, but there’s only one 100% correct answer. You’re able to shuffle the grid of words and rearrange them to help better see the potential connections. Each group is ******-coded. The yellow group is the easiest to figure out, followed by the green, blue, and purple groups. Pick four words and hit Submit. If you’re correct, the four words will be removed from the grid and the theme connecting them will be revealed. Guess incorrectly and it’ll count as a mistake. You only have four mistakes available until the game ends. Hints for today’s Connections We can help you solve today’s Connection by telling you the four themes. If you need more assistance, we’ll also give you one word from each group below. Today’s themes THINGS THAT ARE YELLOW BUILDING ADD-ONS CONCERNS FOR A DENTIST WORDS THAT SEEM LONGER WRITTEN THAN SPOKEN One-answer reveals THINGS THAT ARE YELLOW – CANARY BUILDING ADD-ONS – ADDITION CONCERNS FOR A DENTIST – CALCULUS WORDS THAT SEEM LONGER WRITTEN THAN SPOKEN – COLONEL New York Times Today’s Connections answers Still no luck? That’s OK. This puzzle is designed to be difficult. If you just want to see today’s Connections answer, we’ve got you covered below: THINGS THAT ARE YELLOW – CANARY, LEMON, MINION, MUSTARD BUILDING ADD-ONS – ADDITION, ANNEX, EXTENSION, WING CONCERNS FOR A DENTIST – CALCULUS, CAVITY, PLAQUE, TARTAR WORDS THAT SEEM LONGER WRITTEN THAN SPOKEN – COLONEL, PHARAOH, WEDNESDAY, WORCESTERSHIRE Connections grids vary widely and change every day. If you couldn’t solve today’s puzzle, be sure to check back in tomorrow. NYT Connection FAQs What time does the Connections puzzle change? The puzzle changes daily at midnight local time. Who edits the NYT Connections game? Wyna Liu, who has been editing puzzles at The New York Times since 2020, edits Connections daily. “A few months ago, a new assignment crossed my desk: Create the game boards for Connections, a category matching game that had recently been greenlighted and was in search of an editor,” wrote Liu in an article explaining her process in June 2024. Most of my puzzle experience has been working with crosswords, and I was excited at the chance to try something different. I’ve enjoyed learning how puzzle editing plays out once a game is greenlighted, and seeing how our team fits into a larger ecosystem.” On the one-year anniversary of Connections launching earlier this year, Liu posted this TikTok about her favorite puzzles so far: Source link #NYT #Connections #hints #answers #Wednesday #November Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stock market today: Live updates Stock market today: Live updates Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), after *********** Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, in New York City, U.S., November 6, 2024. Andrew Kelly | Reuters U.S. stock futures were little changed Wednesday night, as the major averages’ postelection run began to show signs of stalling. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose by 7 points. S&P 500 futures were near the flatline, while Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 0.04%. CNH Industrial shares jumped about 8% in extended trading after Greenlight Capital’s David Einhorn told attendees at CNBC’s Delivering Alpha conference that he took a medium-sized position in the agricultural equipment company. On Wednesday, the 30-stock Dow and S&P 500 closed out the regular session near the flatline, with the former rising 47.21 points, or 0.11%, and the latter eking out a 0.02% gain. The Nasdaq Composite ended the session down by 0.26%. Those moves come after the October consumer price index came in as expected, but nevertheless signaled the Federal Reserve’s ****** against inflation is yet to be won. Core CPI rose by 0.3% for a third straight month, with the 12-month rate at 3.3%. Investors are deliberating whether a postelection rally following Donald Trump’s decisive victory last week still has room to run after powering the major averages to new milestones. The Dow closed above 44,000 for the first time on Monday, and both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite notched new highs. Courtney Garcia, senior wealth advisor at Payne Capital Management, expects there’s still upside to be had, given the cash sitting in the sidelines from investors awaiting more certainty on the market. “I don’t think the rally is necessarily ending any time in the short term, but with that new money to add, I think there’s a lot of other areas of opportunity that still have room to run,” Garcia said Wednesday on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.” On the economic front, the October producer price index will be released Thursday, and the retail sales report is due out Friday. Fed Chair Jerome Powell is set to speak Thursday in Dallas, Texas. Elsewhere, Disney reports earnings before the open Thursday. Source link #Stock #market #today #Live #updates Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AMD lays off 4 percent of its global workforce AMD lays off 4 percent of its global workforce AMD has confirmed it’s laying off roughly four percent of its global workforce, according to reports by TechCrunch and others. It’s not entirely clear how many people will be impacted by this move, or which divisions the ***** off employees will be pulled from. We can, however, do some math. The company had around 26,000 employees last year, according to an annual filing by AMD. Four percent of 26,000 comes out to just over 1,000 people. That’s a lot. So that leads us to why. You already know the answer. It’s a bunch of corporate gobbledygook. “As a part of aligning our resources with our largest growth opportunities, we are taking a number of targeted steps,” an AMD spokesperson told CRN. Don’t worry. The company also said it’s “committed to treating impacted employees with respect and helping them through this transition.” Engadget reached out to AMD for more information as to what that respect and help will look like. We’ll update this story if we find out anything. This news comes after a fairly mixed Q3 earnings report. The company grew revenue and profit, but the gaming division saw a massive year-over-year decline of 69 percent, according to Wccftech. The company has also struggled to compete with NVIDIA in the world of AI chips. Experts still predict that AMD will make nearly $33 billion in 2025, thanks to forthcoming next-gen GPUs. This isn’t enough for investors, however, as it’s “just” an increase of around $7 billion when compared to 2024. The company’s stock is down around four percent this year, and dropped further today. Capitalism demands massive and endless growth. Rival (and occasional bestie) Intel has faced similar headwinds. The company announced over 15,000 layoffs earlier this year. Source link #AMD #lays #percent #global #workforce Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Markets priced to perfection on Trump trade. Why that could be a problem Markets priced to perfection on Trump trade. Why that could be a problem A trader wears a hat in support of *********** Donald Trump, after he won the U.S. presidential election, at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., November 6, 2024. Andrew Kelly | Reuters Investors have been busy for at least the past several weeks bidding up prices in anticipation of what President-elect Donald Trump will do when he takes office. Expectations are running high that potential tariffs won’t lead to adverse outcomes, the 2017 tax cuts will be renewed and be accompanied by others, and deregulation will spur dealmaking on Wall Street and lead to lower energy prices. That, of course, raises the question: What if they’re wrong? More specifically, the anticipated course of lower taxes, less regulation and spending on energy and other initiatives has fueled a run in which the major averages have posted solid gains while prices for gold, silver and cryptocurrencies also have rallied. The S&P 500, for instance, is up about 3% over the past month, when bets started to accelerate that Trump would prevail. Stock Chart IconStock chart icon S&P 500, 3 months In some corners, there is concern that the market is pulling forward gains now and could pay the price later, particularly if the Trump initiatives not only boost growth but also aggravate inflation, as some economists *****. “The markets were on a roar coming into the election, and now they are on a postelection high, really trading on euphoria, lower taxes, the pro-business stance of this new administration,” Holly Newman Kroft, managing director at Neuberger Berman Private Wealth, said Tuesday on CNBC. “The market’s going to have to digest what the impact of this sort of tug-of-war between the pro-growth positioning of this administration and the risk of higher inflation.” Inflation wasn’t an issue the last time Trump took office in 2017, but it is now, even though it has drifted back toward the Federal Reserve’s 2% 12-month goal. October’s core consumer price index reading, excluding food and energy costs, came in at a 3.3% annual rate on Wednesday, far from the Fed’s desired target. While Trump’s stated intention to slap 10% across-the-board tariffs on imported goods might not in itself reignite price pressures, a full-blown global trade war could. It’s also a different policy environment from then. Trump presidency — then and now When Trump took office in 2016, not only was inflation tame but the Fed’s main policy rate also was anchored near zero. Now, it’s in target range of 4.5%-4.75%, a restrictive level as central bank policymakers seek to balance a relative easing on inflation against concerns that the labor market is weakening. The stock market could yet post more gains into the end of the year, “but we are not chasing trends aggressively into 2025,” said Lisa Shalett, chief investment officer at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. “For starters — this is not 2016 redux. Trump entered that year amid tailwinds related to an economy finally emerging from six years of secular stagnation with fed funds at zero,” Shalett said in a note. “While markets may be discounting policy certainty based on a monolithic view, our experience suggests that the current Trump policy agenda entails risks and contradictions that put a premium on sequencing and **********, even with strong congressional backing.” In other words, Trump’s full goals may not come to fruition, and even if they do the timing of their implementation is uncertain. The investing implications are important, though perhaps not so ominous, according to strategists such as Kroft and Shalett. Despite her caution, Shalett said Morgan Stanley is “not inclined to fundamentally revisit our asset allocation advice” and instead is simply advising clients not to overload on risk and focus on “broad balance and diversification.” Kroft also is recommending diversification and a focus on higher-quality names rather than chasing momentum. For instance, she said Neuberger Berman is underweight high-yield bonds and emerging market debt while taking an overweight position in small caps, which have performed well since the Trump victory. The Fed question There’s another significant wrinkle, though, in the investing landscape: If Trump’s agenda drives an uptick in economic growth and inflation, that could change decisions on policy. Indeed, futures markets in recent days have recalibrated their expectations lower for the pace of interest rate cuts next year, now seeing the federal funds rate settling in a range of 3.75%-4%, or about half a percentage point higher than just a few weeks ago. Trump favors lower interest rates and berated the Fed the last time he was in office for hiking in the face of economic weakness. While such uncertainty could be cause for concern, there’s also a case to be made that it’s a good thing. Market veteran Jim Paulsen, citing research on economic uncertainty, said markets actually are inversely correlated, meaning more uncertainty has led to higher stock prices. “Historically, when economic policy concerns have become as extreme as they are today … the negative fundamental fallout from excessive worries about the future direction of monetary and fiscal policies tend to be more than offset by support from a large Wall of Worry,” Paulsen, a former chief strategist for Wells Fargo, wrote in a Substack post. That doesn’t mean there can’t be some near-term volatility, and the past two days have shown some slowing in the Trump rally. “I don’t think we’re falling apart and I don’t think the market’s all that far ahead of itself so much as people think,” Paulsen said in an interview. “This is just a normal ebb and flow of the market. We’re ready for an ebb at some point.” Source link #Markets #priced #perfection #Trump #trade #problem Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NHL 25 Adds Professional Women’s Hockey League This Year NHL 25 Adds Professional Women’s Hockey League This Year EA Sports has announced a multi-year deal with the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) to bring the upstart league’s players and teams to NHL 25. The PWHL comes to NHL 25 on December 5 with all six teams–these include the Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montréal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge, and Toronto Sceptres. These teams can be used in Play Now, Online Versus, Shootout, and Seasons. PWHL uniforms will be accessible in World of Chel and Hockey Ultimate Team. EA warned that not all player likenesses will be available right away, saying it will “continue to add more” players over time. PWHL integration in NHL 25 also includes the Walter Cup–the PWHL’s version of the Stanley Cup. NHL 25 isn’t the first NHL game to feature women, as this actually began with NHL 22 when EA struck a deal with the International Ice Hockey Federation. Sarah Nurse was on the cover of the following year’s game, NHL 23, alongside Trevor Zegras. EA’s other sports games have added women over the years, too, now spanning EA Sports FC, UFC, and PGA Tour. The PWHL is now in its second season. The Minnesota Frost won the inaugural Walter Cup. Beyond the introduction of the PWHL, EA is releasing a major update for NHL 25 this holiday, and one of the most exciting pieces of it is the introduction of the NHL Arcade event series. Beginning November 15 through World of Chel, this is an arcade-style, three-versus-three mode featuring a Big Head mode and power-ups like Supershot and Super Speed, along with big and small goalies. The action takes place in a bespoke rink with no glass and no rules. It’s not quite like the NHL Hitz days of yesteryear, but it might help satisfy the *****. NHL 25 is also introducing the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025. This is a round-robin tournament featuring players from the USA, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. There will be a dedicated mode for this, and each nation’s uniforms will come to the game across a variety of modes. The real-world 4 Nations Face-Off takes place in February 2025, so the update for NHL 25 will likely go live around then. NHL 25 gets a big holiday update soon. Additionally, EA is trying to lure players back to NHL 25 by offering free content to everyone who simply logs in between November 15 and January 2. Everyone who does so will get six vanity items for the arcade mode, along with a special pack for the Road to 4 Nations content that’s redeemable immediately. Players will also get a PWHL 83 OVR team building choice pack that will become redeemable when the PWHL integration goes live on December 5. Source link #NHL #Adds #Professional #Womens #Hockey #League #Year Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why Pharrell Williams’ Lego biopic doesn’t reference Blurred Lines Why Pharrell Williams’ Lego biopic doesn’t reference Blurred Lines Focus Features Piece By Piece follows the template of a music documentary and adds fantastical elements through its use of Lego-based animation Piece By Piece, the new documentary about musician Pharrell Williams, is unusual in many respects – not least because it is entirely animated with Lego. Critics have welcomed the film’s unique visual style, calling it “disarmingly joyous” and “oddly charming” – but they’ve also questioned one of the film’s big omissions. Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines, which Williams co-wrote, is heard briefly on the soundtrack, without referencing the song’s infamous plagiarism trial, which left the musician owing $5m to the estate of Marvin Gaye. Speaking to the BBC, director Morgan Neville said he had wanted to address the controversy, but the sequence ultimately derailed the story he was trying to tell. “I definitely thought about it. I even interviewed Robin Thicke,” he said. “And as a documentary filmmaker, I’m obsessed with copyright law. “But every time I looked at trying to work it in, a scene about copyright law, it felt like it belonged in a different movie.” The Blurred Lines trial was hugely consequential for the music industry, after a jury ruled that Williams and Thicke had copied the sound and “feel” of Marvin Gaye’s Got To Give It Up – rather than plagiarising a specific melody. The general consensus among music lawyers and songwriters is that the verdict ******* to distinguish between influence and theft. It has now become common practice for musicians to assign a share of their royalties to songs that directly inspired them. “My take on the Blurred Lines case is that it’s one of the worst judicial decisions about creativity in history,” Neville told the BBC. “I think Pharrell was in the right on it, and I think most creatives agree with him.” Ultimately, that led to him omitting the story from the documentary. “It’s not like Pharrell learned a big lesson from the case. I don’t know if it actually changed him in any way, which is what I’m looking for, when I’m looking at a story.” Williams has been contacted for comment. Neville previously won an Oscar for 20 Feet From Stardom – a documentary about the forgotten lives of backing singers who feature on some of rock’s biggest songs. His other documentary subjects include Keith Richards, Brian Wilson, Johnny Cash and, as a producer, Taylor Swift. With Piece By Piece hitting cinemas this month, Neville told us about the film’s unexpected genesis, how he convinced Lego to come on board, and the stars who had notes about their Lego minifigures. Getty Images Pharrell Williams and Morgan Neville at the world premiere of Piece By Piece at the Toronto Film Festival In the film, you dramatise the moment Pharrell asked you to make the film in Lego, and your response is “Lego? Seriously?” How true to life was that? The main difference is that when Pharrell said “Lego movie”, I thought, “*****, yeah!” I knew it was a crazy idea, but an exciting idea. I think it took me five minutes to fully buy into it. Can you break it down for me? What was Pharrell’s pitch? He basically said, “People have always wanted me to tell my story, and I’ve never been that interested, but I love your films, and I had the idea that you could make a documentary about me, and when you were done with it, you could throw away the visuals and do it again as Lego.” That’s almost exactly what he said to me – but beyond that, he had no sense of what that meant, or what his story was. So I really had to think, what does that mean? And one thing I instantly I realised is that it’s not just about taking the real-life documentary footage and making it Lego. It’s using what animation can do, which is time travel and go to outer space and all kinds of things that you can’t normally do in a documentary. How quickly did it go from a crazy idea to reality? It took us about a year from when we first met to starting production, because we had to meet with Lego and tell them about it. How did the conversation with Lego go? I said, “Look, it’s not a G-rated movie, but I get that it can’t be R-rated [either]. It’s something that has to have a little edge, and it’s going to get into questions of race and other things”. And Lego, to their complete credit, said, “Those are conversations that are good for us to have.” They knew it would push them, but in ways that they thought were good. But they didn’t fund it, they don’t own it, they’re just partners. What was the moment you knew it would work? Well, we had to figure out how to get somebody to pay for it, so we did a 90 second proof of concept. I interviewed Pharrell, and I cut together a scene of him listening to Stevie Wonder as a boy, on his parents’ stereo – and his synaesthesia kicks in. Suddenly there’s lots of colour and you can almost see what’s going on in his mind. That convinced me it would work. Focus Features The film uses the possibilities of animation to illustrate Pharrell’s synaesthesia, which allows him to see music as colours and shapes I love the way you visualise Pharrell’s beats as Lego sculptures, each with its own unique shape. It really helps illustrate the abstract concept of songwriting. Do you know, what was interesting about the beats? Pharrell, in his mind, can tell you the colour and the shape of every beat he’s made. So for each of those Lego pieces, we actually worked with Pharrell to make sure they looked like what he saw in his head. When you interviewed other people for the film – Missy Elliot, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg – did you tell them it was going to be rendered in Lego? We didn’t, partly because we filmed those interviews five years ago and we wanted to keep it on the down low. Then, cut to a couple years later, and I started sending out 3D renders of their characters, like, “Here you go. This is what you’re gonna look like”. It was a bit of a roll of the dice, but everyone was really excited about it. Did anyone ask for changes? Missy had a comment on her earrings, so one of the few bespoke [Lego] pieces that we made for the film were Missy’s earrings. The Lego characters have a limited range of facial expressions. Did that pose a problem? The face stuff was the thing I was most worried about, because when you have close up shots of a Lego minifig crying, is that going to be emotional? I didn’t know. But there were a few animators on our team who were really good at facial animation, and we gave them the most emotional scenes, the close-up scenes. And oftentimes, if something wasn’t quite right, we would send them videos. Somewhere in the world, there are a whole lot of clips me and Pharrell making very strange faces! Focus Features The film was shot and edited as a conventional documentary, then the footage was thrown out and replaced with animation The arc of the film is Pharrell re-discovering his muse after a ******* where he gets lost, creatively. Why did you focus on that aspect of his story? Without a doubt, the film reflects a lot of questions I’ve had about my own career. To me, the story about this ****** nerd from the projects of Virginia who sees the world differently… and it makes him an outcast for a long time. Then he finds a fellow outcast in Chad Hugo [Williams’ co-writer in The Neptunes] and they start making music. But their beats were just too weird for people. The signature Neptunes sound was very unorthodox. Nobody got it until everybody got it. Then you end up in this hall of mirrors – where the thing that makes you different becomes the sound of the mainstream. When that happens, how do you stay true to yourself? Your film comes out at the same time as the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man, where he’s played by a CGI monkey. Do you think music biopics had become too formulaic? I do. There’s so many tropes of music films, and I think we need to do more to help people identify with the people and with their characters. I haven’t seen Better Man yet but the idea’s perfect because, in a way, Robbie Williams is the performing monkey. He wants the attention. He’s always lived that life. And Pharrell is the Wizard of Oz. He’s like, “I want to be the guy behind the curtain.” Source link #Pharrell #Williams #Lego #biopic #doesnt #reference #Blurred #Lines Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How to connect Bluetooth headphones to Xbox Series X How to connect Bluetooth headphones to Xbox Series X Microsoft You can always count on your console making the best Xbox Series X games look their best, but sound quality is another story. If you don’t have an expensive speaker system, your next best bet is to invest in a high-quality headset for that full soundscape while gaming. This is especially important in multiplayer games where hearing your ******’s footsteps can save your life. Most of us already own earbuds and headphones, but if they use Bluetooth then you won’t be able to connect automatically. Here’s how you can get around this limitation so you can hear all the upcoming Series X games crystal clear. Shutterstock / AlessandroBiascioli / Xbox How to connect Bluetooth headphones to Series X To connect your Bluetooth headphones to the Xbox Series X, you will need to get a Bluetooth transmitter compatible with a 3.5mm headphone jack. Once you insert the Bluetooth transmitter into your Xbox Series X controller, follow these steps to pair your headphones to your console. Step 1: Turn your transmitter on after connecting it to the controller and place it in the pairing mode. Check the instruction manual, as each transmitter can vary with this process. Step 2: Power on your Bluetooth headphones and place them in pairing mode. A flashing light typically indicates pairing mode on your headphones or a sound ******. Step 3: Since there is no visual ****** of the headphones connecting, watch the lights on both devices or wear the headphones to see if you are getting any audio. You may have to follow this procedure after each session since this is not done on the Xbox Series X natively. The same steps can be used to pair your headset to your TV if it has Bluetooth support, but you won’t need the extra adapter. Source link #connect #Bluetooth #headphones #Xbox #Series Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Supreme Court Weighing in on Age-Limits for Trans Surgeries Supreme Court Weighing in on Age-Limits for Trans Surgeries The Supreme Court will hear a case next month challenging a Tennessee law that prohibits doctors from performing gender transition surgery and related procedures on minors. Tennessee passed the law last year banning children from receiving hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and gender-altering surgery. Those suing say that transgender patients must have the right to these interventions. The Biden administration claims the law violates the constitutional right of equal protection, but child advocates disagree, saying the procedures are harmful. “We know based on research, based on clinical practice, based on growing international consensus, that these interventions for minors are not based on any credible evidence that the benefits outweigh the risks. There are a growing number of teenagers and young adults who say that they have been harmed,” Dr. Leor Sapir of the Manhattan Institute says. Sapir says he hopes the case (******* States vs. Skrmetti) will expose what he calls the Biden administration’s “extreme” and dangerous transgender agenda when it comes to surgeries for kids. “They eliminated age minimums from their standard of care recommendations under pressure from Dr. Rachel Levin, the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,” Sapir said. “This is an opportunity for the court to put an end to this nonsense,” Ed Whelan of the Ethics and Public Policy Center said. He notes that the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) did propose age minimums for trans surgery. A recommendation that Levine, a trans-gender male, refused. “Levine said, no, that would be politically disastrous for us. Take them out. and that’s what ended up happening,” Whelan said. The Justice Department joined a Nashville teenager, his parents, and the ACLU, arguing the state law discriminates on the basis of transgender status and violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. “If the court can announce that we are not protected under the Constitution, it can and will do that for everyone,” ACLU attorney Chase Stangio said. “The movements that are targeting trans people currently are pushing the false narrative that it is harmful to be trans,” he claims. In a statement, Sabrina Williams the mother of the transgender boy who identifies as a girl said, “We don’t want to leave Tennessee, but this legislation would force us to either routinely leave our state to get our daughter the medical care she desperately needs or to uproot our entire lives and leave Tennessee altogether… No family should have to make this kind of choice.” Sapir points out, however, that research on gender-altering attempts shows it can harm kids, both short and long-term, leading England and several other ********* countries to limit the procedures. “Puberty blockers are associated with risks such as cognitive impairment, bone density problems, brittle bones, ******* dysfunction, and of course sterility when they’re coupled with cross-**** hormones, lifelong sterility, so there are serious risks that come from these interventions. And I haven’t even gotten into the surgery issue, so, it’s perfectly reasonable. In fact, it’s completely justified for states to say, this is an ongoing uncontrolled medical experiment on children, and we’re going to regulate it. We’re going to make sure that kids have the ability to understand what they’re getting themselves into before they can possibly give consent to these treatments,” Sapir said. Many detransitioners are also warning their peers about the danger and trauma of these often drastic procedures. Scottish detransitioner Sinead Watson who had a double mastectomy at 23 warns, “Whatever your issue is, cutting your body up is not going to solve that.” When asked about whether some of the “stuff” is reversible, she said, “I wish it was reversible.” Experts believe the Supreme Court will deliver a sweeping victory to Tennessee and uphold age restrictions for transgender surgeries, something more than two dozen states already do. Their big concern now is the other states that have no age restrictions for irreversible, life-altering trans surgeries which they argue is more about politics than science – and could put countless children in danger. ***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you receive the latest news from a distinctly ********** perspective.*** Source link #Supreme #Court #Weighing #AgeLimits #Trans #Surgeries Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

GTA 5 Actor Says He Is Filled With Bullet Holes Like His Character GTA 5 Actor Says He Is Filled With Bullet Holes Like His Character Shawn Fonteno’s GTA experience goes back two decades to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, when he lent his voice to the game. But the actor had a much ******* role in Grand Theft Auto 5 as Franklin Clinton, one of the game’s leading characters. More recently, Fonteno dropped in on Kai Cenat’s stream and related how much in common he has with his now-iconic character, including some grisly wounds. “When they picked us, they picked the right people for the job… Like my experience is just like that dude, Franklin. I got bullet holes all in my body [from] gang-********,” recalled Fonteno before pulling up his shirt and showing off the scars from some of his bullet wounds. “It was easy for me to be that character,” continued Fonteno. “I didn’t have to act like nobody else. I didn’t have to change my voice… You know, I had to pull up and interview with a bunch of dudes y’all ages. So I was like. ‘Man, I ain’t going to get this.’ But I guess they liked the voice, and the persona, and who I was. They called me back, and that’s when I met the dude that plays Lamar… Slink Johnson.” Fonteno and Johnson both reprised their roles for GTA Online, and the former called the latter for a vocal guest appearance during this stream. Fonteno also called his cousin, Young Maylay, who played Carl “CJ” Johnson in San Andreas. Maylay also briefly spoke to his cousin during a call into the stream. Fans hoping for any Grand Theft Auto 6 scoops from Fonteno may have been disappointed when he didn’t share much information or even confirm whether he’s involved or not. A former developer for Rockstar Games recently stated that fans will be “blown away” by GTA 6. Meanwhile, Rockstar has confirmed that GTA 6 is still on track for a Fall 2025 release. Source link #GTA #Actor #Filled #Bullet #Holes #Character Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Former Dixon school teacher arrested for allegedly paying students to have **** with her Former Dixon school teacher arrested for allegedly paying students to have **** with her DIXON, Mo. — A teacher for the Dixon School District was arrested by law enforcement on Tuesday, Nov. 12 on 19 charges, including statutory ***** and ******* contact with a juvenile, according to the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD). Online court documents state that Carissa Smith is charged with the following: Eight counts of second-degree statutory ***** One count of second-degree statutory ******* Two counts of ******* misconduct with a student Three counts of ******* contact with a student Two counts of second-degree ******* trafficking of a child under 18 years old One count of patronizing prostitution Two counts of hindering prosecution Online court records say Smith began as a substitute teacher for Dixon Middle School in 2022 and 2023. She was then hired as a Paraprofessional for the high school for the 2023-24 school year and was later hired as a long-term substitute until her resignation in August 2024. Two West Plains people arrested for ***** trafficking After interviewing multiple victims, PCSD says Smith offered money to students in exchange for **** or ***** ****, mainly at her residence. One victim stated they had **** with Smith when they were in middle school. The probable cause statement also accuses Smith of providing ********** and alcohol to students and letting them smoke and drink in her presence as well as sending inappropriate photos of herself to a victim through Snapchat. Smith is currently being held in the Pulaski County Detention Center with a $250,000 cash or surety bond. PCSD says she may face more charges after they interview more victims. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR – OzarksFirst.com. Source link #Dixon #school #teacher #arrested #allegedly #paying #students #**** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Early ****** Friday Lenovo Laptop deals 2024: Up to 20% off Early ****** Friday Lenovo Laptop deals 2024: Up to 20% off Mark Coppock / Digital Trends ****** Friday falls on November 29 this year, and while it’s still quite early, there are a lot of great Lenovo deals you can take advantage of already. Along with Dell and Asus, Lenovo is one of the best laptop brands on the market right now and offers a pretty substantial choice of laptops for you to pick from. In fact, its laptops often show up on our list of best laptops and best gaming laptops, so pretty much everything you grab from Lenovo is likely going to be pretty excellent. That’s why we’ve gone out and collected some of our favorite early ****** Friday Lenovo deals and put them for you down below. IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 — $507 $634 20% off Lenovo This configuration of the IdeaPad 5i is perfect for those who want a budget-oriented 2-in-1 laptop, and with a 14-inch WUXGA resolution screen, it’s really quite portable. It comes with an entry-level Intel Core 3 100U processor that should handle most tasks just fine, and while the 8GB of RAM isn’t a ton, the 512GB of storage is, plus it has a solid 20% discount. Yoga 7 2-in-1 — $680 $880 22% off Lenovo The Yoga lineup from Lenovo shows up on our list of best 2-in-1 laptops quite often, and this configuration comes with the mid-range AMD Ryzen 5 8640HS processor that gives you a bit more versatility. The 14-inch screen makes this very portable, while the 16GB of RAM is really nice to see at this discounted $680 price point. LOQ 15 — $810 $909 10% off Lenovo This configuration of the Lenovo LOQ is a great budget gaming laptop, especially since it’s been discounted to $810 from $909 and comes with an RTX 4050. That should let you play most free-to-play and older AAA games quite easily, and the AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS is a great mid-range CPU for work and day-to-day activities. Lenovo Slim 7i — $900 $1,130 20% off Mark Coppock / Digital Trends The Lenovo Slim 7i is a great mid-range work option if you want something relatively portable. It has a mid-range Intel Core Ultra 5 125H processor, 16GB of RAM, and a substantial 1TB SSD, as well as a 1080P FHD camera which is great for those who have online meetings. The 20% discount is also pretty great. Legion Pro 5 — $1,750 $2,000 12% off Jacob ****** / Digital Trends / Jacob ****** / Digital Trends A great mid to high-end gaming laptop is Lenovo Legion Pro 5 series, and even our lead reporter Jacob ****** said “The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is a next-gen gaming laptop that is actually affordable.” This configuration comes with an RTX 4070, which should handle most games pretty well on the 16-inch 2K screen, plus you get an AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX CPU and 32GBs, all for $1,750 instead of $2,000. How to Choose a Lenovo Laptop on ****** Friday There are a lot of great Lenovo laptops on the market, and most of them tend to be broken down into specific subgroups that you can look at depending on what you need. For example, if you’re interested in a gaming laptop, then the Lenovo LOQ is a great budget-oriented option, whereas the Lenovo Legion is the mid to higher-end gaming laptop option you can go for. Just be sure that if you do go for a gaming laptop, to aim for at least 16GB of RAM for a better overall experience. Other options include the ThinkPad lineup, which tends to be made for business uses and tends to be smaller, comes with better webcams, and will often include a fingerprint reader. Alternatively, the Lenovo Yoga laptops are great 2-in-1 laptops but also have some very solid budget-oriented laptops if you’re looking for something like that. Ideapads are another great option if you’re looking for a budget-oriented laptop that’s great for general day-to-day work and also school and university, and some of them even come as Chromebooks. How We Chose These Lenovo Laptop ****** Friday Deals Because there are so many different types of Lenovo laptops, we do our best to include various options at different price points and configurations so you can pick exactly the type of laptop you’re looking for. We also rely on our experience and tools to find the best deals so you’re getting the best bang for your buck. That way, you know that you can shop in confidence knowing that you’re getting the best deal you could possible get. Source link #Early #****** #Friday #Lenovo #Laptop #deals Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

***-listed stock Renold plc could rise over onshoring trend ***-listed stock Renold plc could rise over onshoring trend A 145-year-old British industrial company is positioned to capitalize on major trends, including the reshoring of manufacturing and increased defense spending, according to analysts at Shore Capital. London-listed Renold plc , which traces its roots to 1879 and Hans Renold , the inventor of roller chains, is the world’s second-largest industrial chain manufacturer. The company commands about 8% of a market worth more than £3 billion ($3.8 billion). RNO-GB YTD line The Manchester-headquartered company makes chains, gears, and transmission products that are essential components of automated manufacturing systems, where even a brief downtime can cost companies millions. Analysts say supply of such components has become increasingly critical to modern manufacturing, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic and trade tariffs in recent years have upended global supply chains. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to apply 10% import duties on products brought into the U.S., with imports from China potentially facing additional duties of up to 60%. Renold, however, operates two manufacturing facilities each in the ******* States, ******* Kingdom, Australia and six others globally to serve its customers in more than 100 countries, thereby potentially avoiding Trump’s taxes . “We believe with its high-quality, essential/mission-critical product offering and strategically located manufacturing/customer service locations, Renold will be a significant beneficiary of structural trends such as onshoring, reindustrialisation, automation and defence,” said Shore Capital analyst Akhil Patel in a research initiation note to clients on Nov. 13. Shore Capital has a “buy” rating and a target price of 90 pence per share, which points to more than 60% upside from the current share price of 55 pence. U.K. shares are generally priced in pence, with 100 pence equal to one British pound ($1.27). The company’s shares have risen by more than 55% this year as it has expanded through acquisitions. In September, Renold acquired MAC Chain Company for $31.4 million, expanding its presence in the ******* States and Canada even further. The Shore Capital analyst also noted that their 90 pence target price could rise to 130 pence if Renold continues its acquisition strategy of around one purchase of around £20 million in revenue annually. That would lift the stock by 133% from current levels. The company also reported steady performance in its latest trading update, with orders up 14% to £105.5 million in the five months through August. Looking ahead, the company also said that its order book stood at £85.5 million. “Our order book at year end was close to historic highs and well above pre-pandemic levels,” said Robert Purcell, chief executive of Renold, in an earnings call with analysts in July. Source link #UKlisted #stock #Renold #plc #rise #onshoring #trend Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apple ****** Friday deals include a four-pack of Apple AirTags for a record low of $70 Apple ****** Friday deals include a four-pack of Apple AirTags for a record low of $70 ****** Friday deals are already popping up around the web, and that includes some Apple devices. You can pick up a four-pack of Apple AirTags for just $70, which brings the price per tag down to $17.50. That’s a record-low price for the four pack and just about the cheapest we’ve seen on the price per unit. Apple AirTags easily made our list of the best Bluetooth trackers, particularly for regular iPhone users. We love the vast finding network, which really helps when you misplace a tag. Just think of all of those AirTags, iPhones and other Apple devices out there helping to create this network. Apple Apple AirTags also offer the ability to tap into the ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless protocol. This creates a sort of game out of finding lost items, as long as the object is within 25 feet of the phone. The screen will display directional arrows and a distance meter so you can zero in on the lost item without having to ring the AirTag. There are some caveats. These trackers only really work with iPhones, so Android users should buy something else. Also, the ringer only goes for seven seconds at a time, which isn’t always enough time to track something down. Finally, there’s no attachment point for connecting to a keychain or a related item. However, there are plenty of good AirTag accessories to solve that problem. Check out all of the latest ****** Friday and Cyber Monday deals here. Source link #Apple #****** #Friday #deals #include #fourpack #Apple #AirTags #record Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]