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Handy Raspberry Pi battery charger doubles as attractive desk clock Handy Raspberry Pi battery charger doubles as attractive desk clock We’ve come across our fair share of useful Raspberry Pi projects, but it’s the ones with dual functionality that really catch our eye — such as this desktop clock put together by maker and developer Max K. Using one of our favorite microprocessors, the Raspberry Pi RP2040, he’s created a useful AA battery charger that doubles as a beautiful desk clock he calls SPINC. Not only do you get the benefits of an automatic NiMH charger, you get a snazzy little device that keeps track of the time for you when it’s not busy charging batteries. SPINC – DIY Automatic NiMH Charger – YouTube Watch On The system is designed so that you can quickly load batteries into the top — no need to line up polarity, just drop them in the top and it will automatically adjust the charging mechanism depending on its orientation. As the batteries are charged, the system automatically dispenses them into a tray at the bottom. SPINC can charge up to seven rechargeable AA batteries at a time, and it doubles as a storage box for the charged batteries. All you have to do is drop in your ***** batteries and forget about them (until you need a fresh one). In addition to the NiMH charging station, SPINC has a built-in LCD display that functions as a high-resolution desk clock with a couple of settings that can be adjusted. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Max K.) (Image credit: Max K.) (Image credit: Max K.) Driving the operation is a custom PCB that Max K designed specifically for this project. The PCB features a Raspberry Pi RP2040 as the main processor. It’s connected to a LS027B7DH01A, which is a monochromatic 240 x 400px LCD display panel. It’s also connected to an EMAX ES08A micro servo that helps rotate the batteries. A DS2712 module is used as the charging mechanism. All of the hardware is housed inside of a custom-designed 3D printed shell. The DS2712 module takes care of the charging aspect of the project, while the RP2040 PCB is responsible for checking the polarity and managing the clock portion of the project. It also manages the servo, which adjusts the battery into position for charging using an arm and then allows it to pass through to the bottom once it’s charged. The clock display is managed using the open source library LVGL interface. All of the code, the PCB design, and the CAD files are available on the official project page at GitHub. If you want to see this Raspberry Pi project in action, you can check it out in greater detail over at Hackaday. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Handy #Raspberry #battery #charger #doubles #attractive #desk #clock Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Women jailed over sadistic monkey ******** videos Women jailed over sadistic monkey ******** videos BBC People from across the world paid to see the videos of macaques being tortured and ******* Two women have been jailed for their part in a monkey ******** ring and behaviour described by the judge as “depraved, sickening and wicked”. Adriana Orme, 56, from Upton upon Severn, and Holly Le Gresley, 37, from Kidderminster, previously admitted being part of the global network. Worcester Crown Court heard graphic details of the suffering experienced by young macaques in Indonesia – with the footage sold to people around the world. Le Gresley, who the judge said played a “leading role”, was jailed for two years, while Orme was handed a 15-month term. Warning: This article contains upsetting and disturbing content More than 130 videos and 22 images were uploaded by Le Gresley, who the court heard had been an archivist, cataloguing and distributing some of the footage. She also made a payment to a PayPal account to encourage cruelty. West Mercia Police Adriana Orme (left) and Holly Le Gresley (right) previously admitted being part of the network Orme, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to publishing an obscene article by uploading one image and 26 videos of monkey ********, and to having encouraged or assisted the commission of unnecessary suffering by making a £10 payment to a PayPal account. The women’s roles were exposed after a BBC investigation into the network that began life on YouTube, before it moved to private groups on the messaging app Telegram. The online group paid for baby long-tailed macaque monkeys to be taken from their mothers and then tortured and *******. Members even voted on proposed methods. A protest took place outside the court before the hearing and animal rights campaigners were allowed in the gallery. PA Media Adriana Orme was the second woman from Worcestershire to be charged over the monkey ******** ring Jailing the women, Judge James Burbidge KC described their behaviour as “deplorable, abhorrent and sadistic”. He said their offences went against any sense of compassion and were “beyond comprehension for most of society”. “You promoted the physical ******** of monkeys by others, you shared videos and images of such ******** and ******, retained images and videos for what appeared to be your own pleasure and amusement,” he said. He told Le Gresley she had “caused significant pain, ******** and ****** to the monkeys in Indonesia”. In all, police recovered thousands of files from 20 devices owned by the women in a year-long investigation. PA Media Holly Le Gresley admitted her role in the group in May Speaking after sentencing, West Mercia Police described it as a landmark case. Det Ch Insp Ben Arrowsmith said it was the first time in British legal history that “charges relating to animal cruelty have been brought for offences that took place abroad, where the offenders are in the ***”. “The hatred and deviant fascination the defendants have shown in relation to the cruelty and ****** towards monkeys is incomprehensible,” he said. “The suffering the animals endured is sickening and sadistic; it’s impossible to comprehend how anyone could find it enjoyable.” The force said both women had watched the videos, expressed delight at the images and regularly shared material. Ch Insp Kevin Lacks-Kelly, head of the national wildlife ****** unit, said it was the worst cruelty he had ever seen. Despite this being the latest in a series of high-profile ********* cases, he said that the “transnational investigation” into the global network was still ongoing. West Mercia Police Le Gresley, who called herself The Immolator, was aware that she could face up to five years in jail, the judge said In mitigation, Tom Walkling representing Le Gresley, said she had been living with the knowledge of how she had behaved, had a long history of depression and anxiety and was “likely to be diagnosed with autism disorder”. The court also heard Le Gresley now believed she had post-traumatic stress disorder from the videos. Curtis Myrie, representing Orme, said she had several physical illnesses and described her as “a loving mother and grandmother”. The court also heard how pre-sentence reports recognised how well she had cared for her rescue dog, Diesel. ‘Beyond comprehension’ However, the judge disputed several of the claims made by the defence teams and rejected their calls for suspended sentences. He also referenced Le Gresley’s knowledge of the jail time she could face if she was caught, based on comments found by police in a chat. After the hearing, Sarah Kite, from Action for Primates, who provided evidence, said: “The complete lack of empathy both women showed for the ******* and suffering of the monkeys, some just a few days old, is so disturbing. “To pay for someone to inflict such ********* is beyond comprehension.” US-based animal rights group Lady Freethinker, which also helped track the global network, said the “horrors being inflicted on innocent, baby monkeys for online videos are sickening”. Source link #Women #jailed #sadistic #monkey #******** #videos Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

November’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and Classics titles revealed November’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and Classics titles revealed Sony has announced November 2024’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and Classics titles. Unlike November’s PlayStation Plus Essential games, which are available for all subscribers to claim, Game Catalog’s downloadable PS4 and PS5 titles are only available for Extra and Premium tier members. This month’s additions (which are listed in full below) include Grand Theft Auto 5, Dying Light 2: Stay Human and Like a Dragon: Ishin. PlayStation Plus Premium also offers a selection of PS1, PS2 and PSP games to download, and PS3 games via cloud streaming. November’s additions to the Classics Catalog include Blood Omen and Resistance games. All of the titles listed below will be available beginning on November 19. PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium | Game Catalog Grand Theft Auto V* | PS4, PS5 Dying Light 2: Stay Human | PS4, PS5 Like a Dragon: Ishin | PS4, PS5 MotoGP 24 | PS4, PS5 The Sims 4 Island Living* (Add-on only) | PS4 Digimon Survive | PS4 Overcooked! All You Can Eat | PS4, PS5 Stick ******: The Game | PS4 Clash: Artifacts of Chaos | PS4, PS5 ******* Frequency | PS4, PS5 Hungry Shark World | PS4 Chivalry 2 | PS4, PS5 *PlayStation Plus re-release. PlayStation Plus Premium | PS VR2 & Classics Synapse | PS VR2 Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain | PS4, PS5 Blood Omen 2 | PS4, PS5 Resistance: Fall of Man Resistance 2 This month’s PlayStation Plus Essential games are Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged (PS4, PS5), Ghostwire: Tokyo (PS5) and ****** Note ******* Within (PS4, PS5). Alone in the Dark 2 is seemingly headed to the PlayStation Plus Classics Catalog, after PS Store listings for the game on PS4 and PS5 were spotted by a website which tracks updates on the marketplace’s backend. Source link #Novembers #PlayStation #Game #Catalog #Classics #titles #revealed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

BlackRock expands tokenized money market fund to Polygon, other blockchains BlackRock expands tokenized money market fund to Polygon, other blockchains The BlackRock logo is pictured outside the company’s headquarters in the Manhattan borough of New York City on May 25, 2021. Carlo Allegri | Reuters BlackRock has expanded its tokenized money market fund to include several more blockchains. The investment manager said Wednesday that its USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) is now available to investors on the Aptos; Arbitrum; Avalanche; OP Mainnet, formerly known as Optimism; and Polygon blockchains. It initially launched the fund on Ethereum in March. The BUIDL fund, which BlackRock debuted two months after iShares Bitcoin Trust, its popular bitcoin exchange-traded fund, gives investors an opportunity to earn U.S. dollar yields through a blockchain-based vehicle. The idea of tokenizing “real world assets” such as gold, a key aspect of decentralized finance, or DeFi, has gained popularity among financial institutions that are cautious on crypto assets but keen on the underlying blockchain technology. “There’s some irony in the fact that with … [iShares Bitcoin Trust], we took a crypto native investment exposure and we put it in a traditional finance wrapper … and with tokenization, we’re taking traditional finance investment exposure, and we’re putting it in a crypto native wrapper,” Robert Mitchnick, BlackRock’s head of digital assets, said in March. “That dichotomy will persist for a while,” he added at the time. “But eventually, we expect there will be some convergence that looks like the best of the old system and the best of this new technology fused into a next generation infrastructure set in finance.” The BUIDL fund is tokenized by Securitize, a company BlackRock has invested in that specializes in the tokenization of real-world assets. The announcement follows a weeklong rally in cryptocurrencies after Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election. Polygon’s token climbed 28%, according to Coin Metrics. On the campaign trail, Trump promised more supportive regulations for crypto projects and businesses, a reversal from Biden administration policy, in which the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has largely regulated the industry through enforcement actions, hampering growth. DeFi is one of the most popular sectors among crypto market participants but has suffered from the lack of regulatory clarity, with tokens of some DeFi projects being classified as securities in SEC lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase last year. Don’t miss these cryptocurrency insights from CNBC PRO: Source link #BlackRock #expands #tokenized #money #market #fund #Polygon #blockchains Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

As Canada Post job action looms, what to know about other delivery options – National As Canada Post job action looms, what to know about other delivery options – National As the threat of a Canada Post strike or lockout looms, Canadians are likely wondering if their holiday mail will arrive on time, while businesses look for alternatives for their parcel delivery needs. Canada Post issued a lockout notice Tuesday after the ********* Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) gave the Crown corporation strike notices for both the urban operations unit and the rural and suburban mail carriers (RSMC) unit. As the labour negotiations continue, a Canada Post spokesperson told Global News the company does not plan to cease operations at this time, but it could make changes to its operations starting Friday. Amid the uncertainty of a job action at the national postal service, other courier services are already preparing for an influx of deliveries and making contingency plans. FedEx said it is hopeful that negotiations between Canada Post and CUPW are resolved amicably. Story continues below advertisement “Anticipating that the circumstances at Canada Post may trigger an increase in demand for FedEx services, a comprehensive contingency plan is in place to manage volume demands,” James Anderson, a FedEx Canada spokesperson, told Global News in an emailed statement. “We ask Canadians to plan ahead and understand that we may adjust some of our domestic services to accommodate.” A UPS Canada spokesperson said: “As discussions continue between Canada Post and the ********* Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), UPS ******** dedicated and prepared to serve the needs of our customers.” Purolator, which is owned by Canada Post, is also monitoring the situation and has contingency plans in place to manage a possible increase in volume. 2:41 Business Matters: Canada Post workers issue strike notice Could holiday deliveries cost more? If Canada Post customers switch to other courier options, they may end up having to pay a bit more, depending on the company, experts say. Story continues below advertisement Matt Poirier, vice-president of federal government relations for the Retail Council of Canada, said Canada Post is not only one of the cheaper mailing options, it’s also one of the biggest suppliers, particularly for small businesses that rely on it. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. For instance, the flat rate charged by Canada Post for a small box is $19.99 and $24.99 for a medium box, according to prices that went into effect in July. In comparison, the flat rate for FedEx’s small box is at least $20.26 and as low as $25.5 for its medium box. Purolator recently introduced a flat rate box which starts as low as $15, plus taxes and fees, for provincewide shipping and $20 for the rest of Canada ground shipping. Purolator’s express boxes cost $22 for provincewide shipping and $52 for the rest of Canada. 2:01 2 port worker stoppages, looming Canada Post strike have country in turmoil not seen in decades Sylvia Ng, CEO of ReturnBear, which is an e-commerce platform that enables instant refunds and returns on products, said the switch to other courier companies may seem straightforward for consumers, but not for businesses. Story continues below advertisement “We can walk to a FedEx location or a Purolator location instead of a Canada Post and off we go. The reality is, it’s a lot ******* for businesses to make that adjustment because of the sheer volume and also because of the systems that are in place that are already hooked into Canada Post tech directly.” Trending Now Canada Post issues lockout notice after union’s strike warning Trump’s appointees have criticized Trudeau, Canada’s border security Canada Post said the looming job action could impact millions of Canadians and businesses who rely on their service. The potential work stoppage has retailers worried ahead of the busy holiday season. “This is one of the main suppliers for parcel delivery for retail, and it couldn’t come at the worst time during the holiday season,” Poirier said. 2:00 Calgary businesses await repercussions from possible postal strike Ng said merchants are now scrambling to figure out how else they can ship with other courier options to minimize any disruption that could happen potentially starting Friday. Story continues below advertisement However, she said it’s difficult to plan ahead given that there is no clear indication of if or when the shutdown could occur and what it could look like. “It’s the ambiguity of not knowing what might happen and at what time, like it’s almost like if you knew the exact timing of everything, you can plan better,” she said. “When you don’t know … it’s a moving target, essentially.” Poirier told Global News retailers can turn to alternative mailing companies, but those can be more expensive and consumers can also expect to see some of those cost differences being passed onto them. “Retailers have options. However, they’re going to be more costly and if everyone’s jumping to the alternate sources of supply, it’s going to drive down availability and increase prices. So that’s the big concern we have in retail right now.” 1:41 As possible Canada Post strike looms, who could see biggest impact? Poirier said the holiday season is the “busiest time of year for retail” and a Canada Post work stoppage following twin shutdowns at Canada’s largest ports is going to be “really bad news” for the retail sector and for Canadians shopping during the holidays. Story continues below advertisement “It’s unfortunately the consumer that ends up paying for these delays and these disruptions,” he said. — with files from Global News’ Anne Gaviola More on Lifestyle More videos &copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Source link #Canada #Post #job #action #looms #delivery #options #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

CCTV footage reveals search for Clare Nowland before she was fatally tasered by Kristian White CCTV footage reveals search for Clare Nowland before she was fatally tasered by Kristian White Surveillance footage has revealed the final moments before a great-grandmother was fatally tasered by a police officer. Source link #CCTV #footage #reveals #search #Clare #Nowland #fatally #tasered #Kristian #White Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Space Marine 2 Needs a War Memorial to Honor Our Fallen Brothers Space Marine 2 Needs a War Memorial to Honor Our Fallen Brothers There’s no doubt that Sabe Interactive’s Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 has enjoyed an incredibly successful launch since its release back in September and has continued to evolve in terms of content and player base, with new updates bringing new features and items to unravel. Saber Interactive has a lot of big plans for the future of Space Marine 2. (Image via Focus Entertainement) Just like its competition out there, Space Marine 2 came with a roadmap laying down exactly what we can see with the upcoming updates for the game. Saber has tons of exciting stuff coming for the title, but the one thing the studio must bring is a dedicated war memorial for our fallen brothers in the battle to keep humanity safe. Space Marine 2 Must Honor Our Fallen Comrades in the Right Manner It’s a known fact that the Warhammer 40k universe is a bleak and dark battlefield where courage, duty, and sacrifice are what define humanity’s greatest soldiers, Space Marines. These genetically enhanced troops give everything to protect the Imperium and will go to any lengths to fend off against humanity’s greatest enemies. However, sometimes, Space Marines fall heroically on the battlefield. The ****** of these soldiers leads to the loss of centuries of skill, knowledge, and experience. Each fallen Marine reminds us of the sacrifice demanded by brutal missions. Such heroes always need to be remembered, and one of the best ways that can be done is by building a dedicated Shrine in Space Marine 2. It’s really mind-boggling how Saber ignored the sacrifice of our fallen brothers and still hasn’t designed a specific place to honor them. With the upcoming update, the developer can still make things right by placing a shrine on the ship to represent what we lost along the way. The shrine could also be functional, giving us stats about operations, the number of bullets fired, losses/wins against bosses, and so on. Even other games, such as Mass Effect 3 and Gears of War, have memorials that make the battle against the ****** personal. By adding a shrine honoring fallen Marines and giving it some functionality, Saber could establish an even stronger connection with Warhammer 40k‘s never-ending conflict. Space Marine 2 Has Brought a Brand-new Update Saber Interactive has introduced a brand-new **** in Space Marine 2. (Image via Saber Interactive) In Space Marine 2, we have a wide range of weapons that allow players to choose their specific playstyle. The available options range from light and heavy weapons to close-range, ranged, and melee weapons. All weapons can be upgraded, allowing players to get different perks to boost stats or use new abilities. Saber has released a brand new update for Space Marine 2, bringing a secondary ******* called the Neo-Volkite *******. This is a thermal ray ******* that can only be used during Operations. It’s a lethal ******* that outputs increasing thermal damage the longer it stays locked onto a target, eventually causing an ********** that damages the target and all enemies nearby. Currently, players can experience this new ******* in the Battle Barge’s Sparring Arena, but Saber plans to bring it to the Eternal War mode with the next major update. The developer has also adjusted several primary weapons in Operations mode to improve their performance and fixed several bugs and technical issues to improve the overall gameplay stability. The patch also fixes some DLC cosmetic items and ******* perks. With that said, do you think there’s think there’s any other way Saber can honor fallen soldiers in Space Marine 2? Let us know in the comments below.. Source link #Space #Marine #War #Memorial #Honor #Fallen #Brothers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia just scaled down DLSS 3, and that’s a good thing Nvidia just scaled down DLSS 3, and that’s a good thing Nvidia’s signature tech, DLSS 3, just got yet another update — and although it’s subtle, it actually seems like a good thing for some of the best graphics cards. The latest version, 3.8.10, bundled with the GeForce 566.14 driver, doesn’t seem to introduce any major changes, but Nvidia enthusiasts noticed that it’s about half the size that it used to be. Where’s that difference coming from? No, Nvidia didn’t downgrade DLSS 3 — at least not in any major way. Although this hasn’t been confirmed by Nvidia itself, it appears that the company removed a whole bunch of DLSS presets and replaced them with just two. These presets make it easier for gamers to choose the type of focus they want to apply to each game. Some profiles are centered around performance, meaning frames per second (fps), while others focus on high graphics quality. Not every game lets you pick between all the presets that Nvidia used to offer, but you’ll find that some game settings allow you to tweak DLSS and shift between Quality and Performance modes. Now, the choice should be simpler, although it’ll still vary depending on the game. Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming Prior to this update, Nvidia offered various DLSS 3 presets, from A through D. These profiles covered all sorts of different DLSS tweaks, ranging from profiles made to improve ghosting issues to presets made for fast-paced games. The latest driver removes all of those presets and instead comes with two that are in use and one that’s not currently in use. Jacob ****** / Digital Trends Preset E is, according to VideoCardz, the new default preset for Performance, Balanced, and Quality modes. It should provide greater image stability. Meanwhile, preset F is focused on ultra-high performance and deep learning anti-aliasing (DLAA) and should push for higher frame rates. Preset G is not currently in use. Cutting out all of these different profiles made DLSS 3.8.10 take up less space. That, in itself, really doesn’t matter, but perhaps simplifying the profiles will make it easier for gamers and developers alike to optimize their game settings. You can use third-party tools to optimize your DLSS profiles in games outside of their intended settings, but be careful, because some titles may flag you for cheating when you use that kind of software. Meanwhile, many are speculating about DLSS 4 and what that might entail, but chances are we won’t find out until Nvidia’s RTX 50-series arrives in January. Source link #Nvidia #scaled #DLSS #good Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Republicans projected to win House majority, securing GOP trifecta Republicans projected to win House majority, securing GOP trifecta Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., holds the gavel onstage ahead of the start of the first day of the *********** National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 15, 2024. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images Republicans will keep control of the House of Representatives, NBC News projects, securing a GOP trifecta with the White House and the Senate. The GOP’s projected win comes after President-elect Donald Trump claimed a decisive victory against Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election and after Republicans flipped control of the Senate. The *********** triumph also presents an opportunity for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to keep his job, though he will first have to be reelected by his House colleagues. Going into the election, House Republicans were looking to expand their razor-thin majority. They had been governing with 220 *********** seats to Democrats’ 212, with three vacancies. That threadbare GOP majority gave Democrats high hopes to flip the chamber. They needed to gain a net of just four seats to seize back control, because the vacancies leave the chamber with fewer than 435 total votes. Going into Election Day, Democrats outraised their *********** rivals in all but one of the 26 House races rated to be a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, according to an NBC News analysis of October campaign finance data. Democrats also outspent Republicans in crucial races from July through September. Despite the massive fundraising effort, Democrats ******* to stave off the red wave. In Pennsylvania’s 8th House District, *********** Rob Bresnahan unseated incumbent Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright, and in the state’s 7th District, *********** Ryan Mackenzie defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Susan Wild, two particularly competitive races. In the battleground state of Michigan, *********** Tom Barret grabbed an open seat in the 7th Congressional District that formerly belonged to Democrat Elissa Slotkin, who declared victory in her Michigan Senate race. The single-party controlled Congress will have an abundance of key issues to legislate, including whether or not to extend the $3.3 trillion Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, much of which is set to expire next year. Trump signed the initial bill into law in 2017, and has said he wants to not only extend the tax breaks, but also pursue deeper cuts. Also on tap for Congress is the extension of enhanced subsidies under former President Barack Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act, which expire at the end of 2025. A debt ceiling ****** is also coming up. Source link #Republicans #projected #win #House #majority #securing #GOP #trifecta Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why Rivian Shares Are Still Surging Today Why Rivian Shares Are Still Surging Today Shares of Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN) were still surging on Wednesday afternoon, after the company announced the closing of a deal with Volkswagen that could be worth well over $5 billion to the electric vehicle (EV) maker. As of 1:30 p.m. ET, Rivian’s shares were up about 18.3% from Tuesday’s closing price. Start Your Mornings Smarter! Wake up with Breakfast news in your inbox every market day. Sign Up For Free » Under the deal, first outlined in June, Rivian and Volkswagen have created a ****** venture to develop and commercialize Rivian’s so-called “zonal” EV architecture. The zonal architecture, set to be implemented in Rivian’s upcoming R2 SUV, can provide an extremely flexible technical basis for EVs of different sizes and price points. Among automakers outside of China, only Tesla has something similar. Rivian’s next model is the midsize R2, due in 2026. Image source: Rivian. The ****** venture will develop the architecture into something that can underpin a series of upcoming new EVs from brands in the Volkswagen group. The deal provides for a series of payments from Volkswagen to Rivian as key milestones are met, plus an option for a $1 billion loan that brings the total potential value of the deal to about $5.8 billion by early 2028. Volkswagen will receive shares of Rivian in return for most of these payments. But for Rivian shareholders, any concerns about dilution should be more than offset by the security that VW’s incoming cash will provide for the California EV maker. Here’s the key takeaway for Rivian investors: This deal makes it more likely that Rivian will have the cash to get to sustainable scale, no matter what happens in the U.S. political arena. Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Amazon: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2010, you’d have $23,529!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $42,465!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $441,949!* Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon. Story Continues Source link #Rivian #Shares #Surging #Today Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake review – this is what nostalgia looks like – Eurogamer Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake review – this is what nostalgia looks like – Eurogamer That eternal Dragon Quest charm is especially potent in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake — a thoughtful repackaging of a classic RPG. With its quality of life additions and delightful 3D visuals, it’s easy to argue that this is the adventure’s definitive form — even if some of its structural weaknesses remain in place. Source link #Dragon #Quest #III #HD2D #Remake #review #nostalgia #Eurogamer Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

This early ****** Friday deal has Cooler Master’s NR200P MAX mini-ITX case with an included 850W SFX power supply and liquid cooling at its lowest-ever price This early ****** Friday deal has Cooler Master’s NR200P MAX mini-ITX case with an included 850W SFX power supply and liquid cooling at its lowest-ever price No need to find a separate PSU or AIO and worry about it fitting in your small build. The Cooler Master NR200P Max comes with both already included, so you know you can concentrate on the other components you’re going to place inside. With a spacious 18.30L volume to build in, the NR200P Max features a tool-free design for the external panels and a removable GPU panel at the rear for easier installation. You can find this deal at Amazon, where you can pick up the Cooler Master NR200P Max for just $288, thanks to a $80 coupon savings. The original MSRP price of this small case was $399, discounted to $368, and then to $288 when you clip the coupon. We reviewed the Cooler Master NR200P Max previously and awarded this great little case an Editor’s Choice Award for its included pre-installed 280mm AIO & 850W PSU, vertical GPU & PCIe 4.0 riser cable, ease to build-in, and tidy cable management. We found the price to be quite expensive, but this deal makes the case far more affordable. This case is designed for a mini-ITX motherboard and comes with an included Gold-rated 850W SFX power supply and liquid cooling with a 280mm radiator. The Cooler Master NR200P can still fit a large graphics card up to an RX 7900 XTX / RTX 4080 Super, which is pretty impressive. However, if the particular model of GPU exceeds 330mm or three slots in thickness, then the card won’t fit in the case. Other features of this great case include a custom-sized PCIe 4.0 riser cable and a choice of either tempered glass or mesh side panel. Source link #early #****** #Friday #deal #Cooler #Masters #NR200P #MAX #miniITX #case #included #850W #SFX #power #supply #liquid #cooling #lowestever #price Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Guardian to stop posting on X, calling it “a toxic media platform” The Guardian to stop posting on X, calling it “a toxic media platform” The Guardian will no longer post its content under its official account on X, the British newspaper announced on Wednesday. The Guardian stated the move had been under consideration for a while, “given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right *********** theories and racism.” The media outlet added that the U.S. presidential election campaign underscored its view that the social media platform is “toxic” and that its owner, Elon Musk, used it to shape political discourse. The London-based paper’s announcement comes as President-elect Donald Trump named Musk as co-head of what he called his “Department of Government Efficiency.” Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla and SpaceX, was heavily involved in Trump’s campaign. X had been Twitter before its board agreed to be acquired by Musk in 2022 in a deal that valued the platform at $44 billion. Behind Trump’s plans for Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy 04:01 X users will still be able to share Guardian articles on the platform, and the newspaper’s journalists will at times use it for news-gathering purposes, just as they use other social networks. “We can do this because our business model does not rely on viral content tailored to the whims of the social media giants’ algorithms — instead we’re funded directly by our readers.” The Guardian’s X account bio now describes itself as an archived page and points readers to its website and app. X did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The move by the Guardian comes in the wake of an exodus by advertisers on X, with companies including Apple, Coca-Cola and Disney removing paid ads from X last year. The company’s difficulties persisted into 2024, with the World Bank halting all paid ads on the platform in early September after a CBS News investigation found its advertisements showing up under a ******* post from an account that prolifically posts pro-***** and white nationalist content. More recently, a survey of marketers by Kantar found a quarter of advertisers plan to reduce spending on X in 2025. Kate Gibson Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York, where she covers business and consumer finance. Source link #Guardian #stop #posting #calling #toxic #media #platform Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Buy now, pay later provider Klarna filed confidentially for U.S. IPO Buy now, pay later provider Klarna filed confidentially for U.S. IPO Buy now, pay later firms like Klarna and Block’s Afterpay could be about to face tougher rules in the U.K. Nikolas Kokovlis | Nurphoto | Getty Images Klarna, which is known for its popular buy now, pay later business, announced Wednesday that it’s confidentially filed IPO documents with the SEC. The Swedish payments company has yet to publicly file its IPO prospectus. The company said the offering would follow the SEC’s review process and is subject to market conditions. Analysts recently valued Klarna, which was founded in 2005, in the $15 billion range. At its peak during the pandemic-led surge in fintech stocks and e-commerce, the company had a valuation of $46 billion in a funding round led by SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2. But Klarna took an 85% haircut in its most recent primary fundraising round, in 2022, when the company raised money on a valuation of $6.7 billion. In addition to SoftBank, Klarna’s roster of shareholders includes Sequoia Capital and London-based firm Atomico. Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski previously told CNBC in an interview that unfavorable rules in Europe on employee stock options could risk the company losing talent to U.S. tech giants such as Google, Apple and Meta. Plans for an IPO have been in the works for some time. In a February interview with CNBC’s “Closing Bell,” Siemiatkowski said an IPO in 2024 was “not impossible.” Affirm, one of the company’s key competitors, went public in 2021 and is now valued at about $18 billion. In August, Klarna said it swung to a profit in the first half of the year. Klarna’s decision to go pursue a listing in the U.S. represents a major ***** to ********* stock exchanges, which have been trying to encourage local tech companies to list at home. The London Stock Exchange, for example, has made reforms to make the U.K. a more attractive market for tech companies to list, including the ability for founders to issue dual-class shares that enable entrepreneurs to maintain control over a company’s strategy and direction. Siemiatkowski hadn’t previously committed to listing in one market over another, and London was among the markets he was considering for Klarna’s IPO. However, in 2021 he said that the firm was more likely to list in the U.S. than the U.K., due in part to higher visibility. WATCH: Block and Affirm slide on earnings Source link #Buy #pay #provider #Klarna #filed #confidentially #U.S #IPO Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A Google ‘test’ will omit EU publishers from news links A Google ‘test’ will omit EU publishers from news links Google is conducting a “test” that will omit results from EU-based news publishers. The company says the time-limited trial will only affect a small portion of users in nine EU countries and will help “assess how results from EU news publishers impact the search experience for our users and traffic to publishers.” But given the fragile state of the news media — and the company’s history of threatening to pull its services in the face of news-related regulations — it’s tempting to view it as the equivalent of a mob boss conducting a “little test” to see how the corner laundromat fares without its protection. Google describes the experiment (via The Verge) as a “small, time-limited test” to omit EU results from search, Google News and the personalized Discover feed. It will only affect one percent of users in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. Those users will still see results from other websites, including non-EU news publications. The company says news results will reappear as usual once the test concludes. (It didn’t list a specific timeframe.) Google stresses that the experiment won’t impact the publisher payments it makes under the ********* Copyright Directive (EUCD), under which the company has inked deals with over 4,000 EU publishers. Google does have a history of using the potential withdrawal of its visibility as a negotiating stick in similar situations. In some cases, the tactic has helped it draw concessions. Last year, Google pulled its news links from Canada in response to Bill C-18 (the Online News Act), which required tech companies to negotiate compensation with online publishers for linked content. After months of negotiations, Google said Canada had addressed its concerns and given it a path to an exemption. Canada said it granted one to Google last month, with the company agreeing to pay $100 million annually to news organizations. In April of this year, Google briefly removed links to California news outlets in response to the proposed California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA), which would require Google to pay news publishers in exchange for continuing to link to their websites. Although the bill’s fate is still up in the air, Google struck a deal with state lawmakers this summer, committing tens of millions of dollars to a fund supporting local news. In 2021, the company threatened to remove its entire search engine from Australia in response to a then-proposed law requiring tech companies to share royalties with news publishers. The nation’s then-Prime Minister stood firm. “Let me be clear. Australia makes our rules for things you can do in Australia,” Scott Morrison said. After the bill was passed and enacted, Google struck deals with *********** media companies to license content. Google says it hopes the data analysis tools it provides publishers will help them use the EU test to “understand traffic patterns.” Source link #Google #test #omit #publishers #news #links Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Amazon shuts down secret project to develop fertility tracker Amazon shuts down secret project to develop fertility tracker Amazon CEO Andy Jassy speaks during the GeekWire Summit in Seattle on Oct. 5, 2021. David Ryder | Bloomberg | Getty Images Amazon has discontinued a secretive effort to develop an at-home fertility tracker, according to internal documents and people familiar with the matter. The company had been working to launch a fertility monitoring device and companion smartphone app for the past four years as part of a project codenamed “Encore,” said the people, who asked not to be named because they weren’t authorized to speak to the press. The team sat within Amazon’s Grand Challenge, also known as its Special Projects division, the sources said. Last month, Amazon told people working on the tracker that it was disbanding the team. Those being ***** off will remain on Amazon’s payroll until Dec. 27, but won’t be expected to work during that time, according to documents reviewed by CNBC. If staffers don’t secure another job by that date, Amazon will provide them with a “lump sum” severance payment equal to one week of salary for every six months of tenure at the company, the documents said. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has been reeling in costs companywide since late 2022, when inflationary pressures and rising interest rates led to a slowdown across the tech and consumer markets. In addition to slashing more than 27,000 jobs, Jassy has shuttered several projects, ranging from a roving sidewalk ****** to a telehealth offering and a rapid delivery service. The wave of frugality marks a distinct departure from the approach taken by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Jassy’s predecessor, who was known for greenlighting experimental projects and giving employees extended runway to develop them, even if they burned cash along the way. Grand Challenge was one of the hallmarks of that era. Bezos launched Grand Challenge in 2014 as a way for Amazon to tinker with riskier projects that may or may not see the light of day. Grand Challenge was the brains behind a pair of connected eyeglasses equipped with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant and a machine learning tool for analyzing medical records. Other Grand Challenge projects, like the Amazon Care telehealth service, a video-calling device for kids, a virtual tours service and an augmented reality headset for meetings were discontinued. On the morning of Oct. 28, employees working on the fertility tracker were told to join a videoconference where a director of the team informed them that the project was ending. The call lasted about two minutes, one of the people said. A layoff notice viewed by CNBC was signed by Doug Weibel, who took over as the head of Grand Challenge after its founding leader, Babak Parviz, left in 2022 and joined Madrona Venture Group. Margaret Callahan, an Amazon spokesperson, confirmed the layoffs and the existence of the project in a statement to CNBC. Roughly 100 employees will be ***** off, Callahan confirmed. “We regularly review our businesses to ensure we focus on areas where we can make the biggest difference for customers,” Callahan said. “Following a recent review, we’ve decided to discontinue this project within Grand Challenge, and we’re working directly with employees whose roles are impacted to support them through the transition and help them find other opportunities within Amazon.” Predicting fertility with saliva The project was born out of the company’s 2020 acquisition of Wisconsin-based startup bluDiagnostics, the sources said. BluDiagnostics was founded in 2015 by Weibel, Katie Brenner and Jodi Schroll, all of whom joined Grand Challenge following the purchase. The startup had developed a thermometer-like device, called FertilityFinder, to help women track their fertility from home by testing their saliva and measuring two key hormones, estradiol and progesterone. The results of the test were viewable through a corresponding app. Business Insider reported on aspects of the fertility device in 2022, when its codename was Project Tiberius. The team was working to develop its own saliva collection device and mobile app, which could predict when a user might be in the fertile window. Users could also log their ******* symptoms, ******* activity and other data to assist with tracking their fertility. There are similar offerings on the market from companies including Inne, Oova, Ava and Mira, along with fertility and ovulation tracking apps like Flo, Clue and Max Levchin’s Glow. Amazon initially aimed to release the product this year, but the timing was pushed out after the team encountered technical issues with the device, one of the people said. It was a costly endeavor and required significant upfront investments for lab research and development, in addition to the high salaries for scientists and engineers, the sources said, adding that the team’s weekly overhead was roughly $1.5 million. Amazon didn’t comment on the figure. Only one project now ******** active within Grand Challenge. Its focus is on health tech, the people said. WATCH: Amazon could make Anthropic ditch Nvidia chips in potential new deal Source link #Amazon #shuts #secret #project #develop #fertility #tracker Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Eddie Jones has chip on shoulder: England’s Cipriani Eddie Jones has chip on shoulder: England’s Cipriani It is nearly two years since Eddie Jones was sacked by England but former players continue to bash the *********** coach who led them to three Six Nations titles and the 2019 World Cup final. Danny Cipriani is the latest, accusing Jones of an overly confrontational approach with “a chip on his shoulder” who is “always in a ******”. The comments made by Cipriani, who won two caps under Jones and was left out of the squad for the 2019 World Cup, echo similar accusations by Danny Care, who described a toxic environment akin to a “dictatorship” in his recent autobiography. Reflecting on his abridged international career under Jones, Cipriani said: “My experiences of Eddie are he probably felt that I would stand up to him too much and he didn’t feel like he could bully me, so he just didn’t bring me into the environment. “I’m not here to bash Eddie, (but) as an individual he’s not somebody that I’d want to lead my country, because of the way he carries himself. Cipriani, who had a spell with Melbourne Rebels, said: “That’s his experience of the world. I know he’s had a tough one and he’s got his chip on his shoulder and he leads with that everywhere he goes, and he’s always in a ******. “I don’t think he’s happy with the way he’s behaving and the way he is. I think it’s all he knows how to do, so I also have compassion for him.” Cipriani was widely credited with having saved Jones’ job in 2018 by setting up the try that secured a victory against South ******* in the final Test with the Springboks having already taken a 2-0 lead, in what was to be the last of his 16 appearances for England. Cipriani added: “You can win games in rugby doing whatever you want to do, because we’ve got so many good players, but I don’t really judge you as a coach on that. “It’s more how do you uplift a nation, how do you inspire players and get them play outside of themselves. When coaches do that then I’m listening. “I found Eddie difficult in that sense, because I was turning water into wine one season and he didn’t even pick me, so it was ****.” The 37-year-old Cipriani was speaking ahead of a charity match, his first outing in two years, blending the rugby codes to raise funds to research and support those living with Motor Neurone ********. Sunday’s match at Headingley was contrived by the late Rob Burrow and Cipriani’s former England team-mate Ed Slater, who was diagnosed in 2022. It is dubbed the ‘745 Game’ in honour of the shirt numbers worn by Burrow, Slater and Scotland union great Doddie Weir, and will be played under a series of unique cross-code rules. Source link #Eddie #Jones #chip #shoulder #Englands #Cipriani Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Helldivers 2 are Tired of Asking for the Same ******* All Call of Duty Fans Enjoy and ****** the Sh*t Out of Helldivers 2 are Tired of Asking for the Same ******* All Call of Duty Fans Enjoy and ****** the Sh*t Out of When it comes to spreading managed democracy across the galaxy, Helldivers 2 players have access to an impressive arsenal of weapons and stratagems. From orbital strikes to laser cannons, Arrowhead has made sure that defenders of Super Earth are well-equipped for their mission. Yet, there’s one particular ******* that players have been clamoring for since launch—something that Call of Duty enthusiasts have been enjoying (and arguably abusing) for years. The community’s creativity and persistence in requesting this addition has spawned countless memes and fan concepts. The Juggernaut in Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6. | Image Credit: Activision As Helldivers 2 continues to evolve with each update, this particular omission becomes more noticeable, especially given how perfectly it would fit into the game’s “more dakka” philosophy of freedom distribution. The Most Requested Addition to Helldivers 2‘s Arsenal The community’s ******* for this particular ******* has reached new heights, with players designing detailed mockups of how it could work in-game: This concept art, clearly inspired by Call of Duty‘s infamous ****** Machine, has sparked renewed discussion about how such a ******* could be implemented. Some players are even willing to make “generous” offers to see it happen: Comment byu/Downtown-Menu7710 from discussion inHelldivers The recent updates, courtesy of the 60-day plan, have shown that Arrowhead listens to their community, evidently bringing many players back to the game. Some fans believe this would be the perfect next step: Comment byu/Downtown-Menu7710 from discussion inHelldivers The timing couldn’t be better for such an addition. With the game’s player base experiencing a significant resurgence thanks to recent updates, a Super Earth-sanctioned Gatling **** could be just the thing to bring even more democracy-loving patriots back into the fold. After all, nothing says “managed democracy” quite like a belt-fed freedom dispenser. Beyond Basic Bullet Democracy Bringing out the big guns. | Image Credit: PlayStation/YouTube Of course, the Helldivers 2 community isn’t just asking for a simple copy of what Call of Duty‘s Juggernaut has on offer—they’re imagining something that truly fits the game’s unique style and mechanics: Comment byu/Downtown-Menu7710 from discussion inHelldivers Of course, some players are already joking about the potential cost of such devastating firepower, drawing parallels to another beloved gaming classic: Comment byu/Downtown-Menu7710 from discussion inHelldivers While players patiently await official news about such an addition, the enthusiasm hasn’t dimmed: Comment byu/Downtown-Menu7710 from discussion inHelldivers The potential for this ******* goes beyond just mowing down bugs and bots. It could represent a new tactical option for teams, especially when combined with existing stratagems and support weapons. Imagine providing covering ***** while your teammates call in orbital strikes, or creating a wall of bullets to protect your squad during extraction. Whether Arrowhead will answer these calls ******** to be seen, but one thing’s for certain: the community’s creativity and passion continue to demonstrate why Helldivers 2 has become such a beloved game. What do you think about this potential addition to the Helldivers 2 arsenal? How would you implement it to maintain game balance while maximizing the fun factor? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Source link #Helldivers #Tired #******* #Call #Duty #Fans #Enjoy #****** #Sht Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘A phenomenon’: how World of Warcraft smashed out of geekdom and conquered gaming | World of Warcraft ‘A phenomenon’: how World of Warcraft smashed out of geekdom and conquered gaming | World of Warcraft In 2004, Holly Longdale was a game designer on EverQuest, then the champion of a new genre of video game that allowed for multiplayer role-playing on a huge scale. In these online fantasy worlds, players could quest together rather than alone, adding a fascinating new social – and competitive – dimension to the static, offline role-playing that Holly’s generation had grown up with. But whenever she could, Longdale would sneak in a few hours playing EverQuest’s main competitor instead. That game was World of Warcraft (WoW). “There were so many moments in WoW I was envious of,” she says, “and completely lost in. I remember running through Ashenvale as a Night Elf Hunter and the music and the ambience – there was a mood you couldn’t deny. Then I saw another player running in the opposite direction, a Druid who buffed me on their way by. That was when I knew I was going to be in this for the long-haul.” Twenty years later, Longdale is now WoW’s VP and executive producer at its developer, Blizzard, as well as one of millions who embraced the game as part of their lives. By 2021, players had collectively clocked up a total playtime of nearly 9m years For two decades, World of Warcraft has been emblematic of nerd culture, referenced everywhere from South Park to The Big Bang Theory to Family Guy. WoW became a useful shorthand not just for a certain type of gamer, but any and all geeky, nerdy and dorky subcultures. In the 00s, it was advertised by the likes of Ozzy Osborne, Chuck Norris and Mr T, with his infamous Night Elf Mohawk. It counts Henry Cavill, Mila Kunis and Vin Diesel among its fans, while a movie adaptation in 2016 grossed $439m, without being particularly good. In 2021, Blizzard revealed that players had collectively clocked up a total playtime of nearly 9m years. ‘WoW is more than a game’ … Holly Longdale at BlizzCon 2023. Photograph: Robert Paul/© Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. There were certainly other role-playing games prior to WoW’s release in 2004. But 3D graphics were still in their infancy. The likes of Star Wars Galaxies and Everquest had large, mostly barren worlds that relied on reams of in-game text for exposition, and clunky rules lifted from tabletop games. Then along came Blizzard – a developer that had made its name and a small fortune from superb online competitive strategy games such as StarCraft and Warcraft III. Unlike its competitors, WoW’s world of Azeroth felt lived-in, with gorgeous scenic vistas and vast numbers of animals and monsters prowling its landscapes. Iconic bright-yellow exclamation marks hovered above the heads of non-player characters, letting you know a quest awaited. And, of course, you’d see other players everywhere, taming beasts, taking down monsters for quests, drinking in inns, mining ore or just running by in high-level gear that filled you with jealousy as you struggled to tackle a pack of lowly Murlocs. It was the social side of the game that came to define early WoW. The world’s tightly curated zones encouraged players to stumble across other people as they quested through Azeroth. And when you created your character, you had to pick between two factions, Alliance and Horde, giving players an immediate sense of allegiance. Whether it was grouping up to tackle dungeons, rallying into 40-person bands to take down colossal raid-bosses, or even rushing the ****** capital as an army of low-level cannon-fodder, seemingly every player has a story about their time in Azeroth. A perfect storm is brewing … World of Warcraft: Shadowlands. Photograph: Blizzard Entertainment I still romanticise my role in sneaking up to the Alliance capital of Stormwind alongside a group of low-level Undead Rogues. What we’d imagined as a daring raid ended up with us running for our lives. Another time, I asked a better-geared passerby for help taking down a particularly tough monster in the Night Elf zone of Darkshore, only to end up chatting to him for hours. I messaged that same player for months after. WoW was quite simply a phenomenon. Blizzard had to more than double its headcount within a year, employing legions of people to answer players’ questions, solve their technical issues and keep servers up and running. WoW racked up staggering subscriber counts, boosted further by the release of two expansion packs: The Burning Crusade in 2007 and Wrath of the Lich King in 2008. By 2010, more than 12 million players had active monthly subscriptions. Some called themselves WoWaholics. Other players found WoW to be an escape from the limitations of real life, as evidenced by the touching story of Mats Steen, recently told in the Netflix documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin. Mats had muscular dystrophy before his untimely ****** at 25, but he was living a vibrant life inside WoW, a life of which his parents were totally unaware until his online friends sent long messages from all over Europe telling them how their son had touched their lives. Five members of Mats’ WoW guild went to Norway for his ********. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Pushing Buttons Keza MacDonald’s weekly look at the world of gaming Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion The way we’re social on the internet has changed – and WoW is a reflection of that But no game can stay in the spotlight for ever. While WoW went from strength to strength in its first six years, as the game aged, so did its players. As then lead game designer, now game director, Ion Hazzikostas put it in 2014: “The person who picked up the game in 2004, who was a student with tons of free time, is now a career person with a family.” Blizzard had to attract a new generation, while keeping existing fans. For the 2010 Cataclysm expansion, a decision was made to shake up the game through a massive revamp of its world, with a new design philosophy suited to faster gameplay that it was thought modern gamers demanded. The changes are still controversial. Questing through Azeroth today is a scarcely recognisable experience compared to those early years. WoW has had several distinct eras: there’s the classic WoW era running up to Wrath of the Lich King (2004-8); the world revamp that defined Cataclysm (2010) through to Warlords of Draenor (2014); the pivot to a long endgame grind, where players could become endlessly more powerful in Legion (2016) through Shadowlands (2020); and WoW’s modern era, beginning with Dragonflight (2022) and continuing into the recently launched expansion The War Within (2024). These “eras” are so distinct that it feels as though the game reinvents itself every six or so years. The social aspect has also changed with the times. As Taliesin – one half of the husband and wife WoW YouTube duo Taliesin & Evitel – puts it: “The way we’re social on the internet has changed – and WoW is a reflection of that; 2004 was a time of message boards and forums and a more ‘underground’ internet. The internet today is much shorter and sharper. It’s TikTok, it’s all your social media focused on one or two megasites. What we do socially on the internet has changed, and so has WoW.” Anger … protesters in 2021. Photograph: David McNew/AFP/Getty Images It’s common to hear complaints that WoW has changed so much that its original spirit has been lost. Players have often been left confused about design decisions they felt were inconsistent with the traditional experience. Unfortunately for Blizzard, these reached their peak following the launch of Shadowlands in 2020, precisely when a perfect storm was brewing for the company. Not only was game development upended by Covid, but in 2021 Blizzard was hit with a lawsuit brought by California’s department of fair employment, accusing it of fostering a “frat boy” workplace culture, with ******* harassment and poor treatment of women. The lawsuit had wide-reaching implications for the company and the wider gaming industry. Several senior executives, including Blizzard’s president J Allen Brack, stood down, and the company agreed to pay millions to address gender discrimination and wage inequality concerns. The suit ultimately contributed to the formation of the first labour union at a major US gaming firm. Within WoW specifically, the suit led to rapid changes in-game. Characters named after accused abusers were renamed and many in-game assets deemed inappropriate in light of the allegations, such as sexualised depictions of women, were replaced or tweaked. Many of the changes were ridiculed by the playerbase, who urged Blizzard to combat toxicity, rather than “turning women into fruit bowls”. Showdown in Azeroth … a WoW battle. Photograph: Blizzard Entertainment Longdale had only just joined Blizzard in 2020 when the lawsuit kicked off. “It was heartbreaking,” she says. “I was only a few months in. To see the team just devastated, wondering what the future will be, was truly heartbreaking.” The fallout, combined with the already-present malaise about the state of the game, could easily have been the beginning of the end for WoW. But a commitment from both the WoW team and the new Blizzard leadership to build back better meant the game held on. “What I’m really proud of,” says Longdale, “is that the diversity of our team has grown significantly. There’s a lot more ‘voice’ in the content that we make now – and people are creating content that is very personal, based on their own experiences.” Every time WoW seemed at risk of losing relevance over the years, it has managed to reinvent itself and claw its way back. And while its cultural reach has lessened over time, the impact it’s had is undeniable. ountless fantasy roleplaying worlds and characters have been inspired by WoW’s pantheon of heroes. The game is in the DNA of every subsequent generation of video games that have been developed since 2004. While the WoW of today may not spark that same wonder that early players felt roaming the green hills of Stranglethorn or taking that first ship from Kalimdor to the Eastern Kingdoms back in 2004, the fact it’s still going, and still changing, is testament to the incredible foundations it ***** down 20 years ago. And as for WoW’s future? “My goal, and I think the team’s goal, is that WoW is more than a game,” says Longdale. “It’s essentially part of your lifestyle. It can be for your friends, it can be for parents playing with their kids. It’s a charming fantasy world that connects you with people.” Source link #phenomenon #World #Warcraft #smashed #geekdom #conquered #gaming #World #Warcraft Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

What to know about Sen. John Thune, the new *********** leader in the Senate What to know about Sen. John Thune, the new *********** leader in the Senate Thune elected Senate *********** leader John Thune elected Senate *********** leader as Mitch McConnell steps down 02:39 Washington — Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected Sen. John Thune as leader, anointing a new standard bearer to replace Mitch McConnell at the party’s helm in the upper chamber. The South Dakota *********** is set to lead the Senate as majority leader in the new Congress, after Republicans flipped the chamber in the 2024 elections. Who is John Thune? Thune, 63, currently serves as the GOP whip, the No. 2 *********** role. With a long history in leadership, he chaired the Senate *********** Policy Committee from 2009 to 2011, and served as conference chair from 2012 to 2018. The South Dakota *********** was first elected to the Senate in 2004, after representing South Dakota in the House. Before coming to Congress, Thune served in the Small Business Administration under former President Ronald Reagan and as executive director of the South Dakota *********** Party. Senate ********* Whip John Thune (R-SD) speaks during a news conference following the weekly Senate *********** policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on September 10, 2024. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images Thune is well respected in the conference and seen as a leader capable of taking the reins long held by McConnell. Thune’s history with Trump The South Dakota *********** hasn’t always had a strong relationship with the president-elect, and was critical of his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and the ******* on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Thune initially endorsed Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina in the *********** presidential primaries. But Thune has worked to mend the relationship in recent months, and pledged in the leadup to the leadership race to work with the president-elect to advance his priorities. “As Congress returns to Washington, we must prepare the Senate to advance President Trump’s agenda legislatively and ensure that the president-elect can hit the ground running with his appointees confirmed as soon as possible,” Thune said in a post on X on Tuesday. Kaia Hubbard Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Source link #Sen #John #Thune #*********** #leader #Senate Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Beirut ******** victims’ $1.68 billion Iran judgment overturned by US appeals court Beirut ******** victims’ $1.68 billion Iran judgment overturned by US appeals court By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday threw out a $1.68 billion judgment against Iran’s central bank that had been won by family members of troops ******* and injured in the 1983 ******** of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said a lower court judge should have addressed questions of state law before ruling against Bank Markazi and Luxembourg intermediary Clearstream Banking, a unit of Deutsche Boerse. In a 3-0 decision, the panel also rejected a claim that a 2019 federal law designed to make it easier to seize Iranian assets held outside the ******* States waived Bank Markazi’s sovereign immunity. That law “neither abrogates Bank Markazi’s jurisdictional immunity nor provides an independent grant of subject matter jurisdiction,” Circuit Judge Robert Sack wrote. The court returned the case to U.S. District Loretta Preska in Manhattan to address state law questions in the 11-year-old case, and whether the case can proceed at all in Bank Markazi’s absence. ******** victims sought to hold Iran liable for providing material support for the Oct. 23, 1983, ******** ******* that ******* 241 U.S. service members, by seizing bond proceeds held by Clearstream in a blocked account on Bank Markazi’s behalf. Bank Markazi claimed immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which generally shields foreign governments from liability in U.S. courts. Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bank Markazi’s and Clearstream’s lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests. Iran, other U.S.-designated sponsors of terrorism, and banks accused of providing services to terrorists face thousands of claims in U.S. courts by victims and their families. It is often difficult for these claimants to collect judgments. In the Bank Markazi case, the plaintiffs sued in 2013 to partially satisfy a $2.65 billion default judgment they had won against Iran in 2007. Another judge dismissed the case in 2015, but the 2nd Circuit revived it in 2017. Then in 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a fresh review in light of the 2019 law, which then-President Donald Trump signed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The plaintiffs have said they hold more than $4 billion of judgments against Iran and have been unable to collect for decades. The case is Peterson et al v. Bank Markazi et al, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 15-690. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis) Source link #Beirut #******** #victims #billion #Iran #judgment #overturned #appeals #court Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

World War Z “Sin City Apocalypse” Update Arrives Dec. 5, and Here’s a Preview of What’s Incoming World War Z “Sin City Apocalypse” Update Arrives Dec. 5, and Here’s a Preview of What’s Incoming This looks like a great update. The deadliest ****** against the undead begins today! The new “Battle of Arizona” update is now available and free for all players in World War Z: Aftermath, the ultimate co-op zombie shooter from Saber Interactive inspired by Paramount Pictures’ blockbuster film. “Battle of Arizona” introduces a brand-new map for players. Source link #World #War #Sin #City #Apocalypse #Update #Arrives #Dec #Heres #Preview #Whats #Incoming Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Cooler Master launches a souped-up version of the Amazon Basics CPU cooler — Hyper 411 Nano hits the market for SFF builds Cooler Master launches a souped-up version of the Amazon Basics CPU cooler — Hyper 411 Nano hits the market for SFF builds Cooler Master launched the Hyper 411 Nano to rival the best CPU coolers. The Hyper 411 Nano is the successor to the Hyper 410R, which gave life to the Amazon Basics CPU Cooler. The Hyper 411 Nano is a single-tower air cooler with a single ****** fan, perfect for placing in small form factor PC builds. This little cooler is compatible with multiple generations of Intel and AMD processors, so you can pick this cooling solution whether you’re building a PC with the latest parts or just changing your current computer’s cooling solution. The 411 Nano has an all-****** aesthetic, although Cooler Master says it will launch an ARGB version in early 2025. The Hyper 411 Nano is Cooler Master’s latest addition to the Hyper series of air coolers, expanding its portfolio of small CPU coolers with an even smaller model that would fit the most compact CPU cases. This cooler has four heat pipes that directly contact the processor’s integrated heat spreader (IHS) for more efficient heat removal, while it uses a single 92mm fan that spins up to 2,500 RPM for airflow. Swipe to scroll horizontally Cooler Master Hyper 411 Nano RR-H410-25PK-R1 ****** ****** CPU Sockets Intel LGA 1861 / 1700 / 1200 / 1151 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 and AMD AM5 / AM4 Dimensions (L x W x H) 102 x 85 x 136mm (4.0 x 3.2 x 5.3 inches) Heat Sink 4 Heat Pipes / Direct Contact / Aluminum Fins Number of Fans 1 Fan Size 92 x 92 x 25.4mm (3.6 x 3.6 x 1 inch) Fan Airflow 45.14 cubic feet per minute Fan Noise Level 30.04 dBA Fan Pressure 3.25mmH2O Fan Power Connector 4-Pin (PWM) Rated Voltage 12V DC Power Consumption 1.68W Warranty 2 years Compared with the iconic Hyper 212, the 411 Nano’s length is 23 mm shorter and 16 mm shorter. However, the Hyper 411 Nano makes up for these smaller dimensions with its thickness, adding 11mm more than the Hyper 212. Since the Hyper series all feature small fans, you can expect them to be noisier than larger air coolers like the Monster XX. Its noise level is 30.04 dBA, which is still within an acceptable range. Of course, if you want a quieter cooling solution, you should look at the larger MasterAir air cooler or even go for an AIO. However, the Hyper 411 Nano is a great option if interior space is a limitation. Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Cooler Master) (Image credit: Cooler Master) (Image credit: Cooler Master) (Image credit: Cooler Master) So, if you’re planning a new SFF or compact PC, Cooler Master gives you a solution with the Hyper 411 Nano air cooler. Although Cooler Master didn’t provide the availability or pricing for the Hyper 411 Nano, some Hong Kong-based retailers have already listed the cooler. SE Computer Ltd and WCSL Mall have listed the Hyper 411 Nano for $17.86. These could be placeholders, so we’ll need to wait until the CPU cooler hits the market to ensure its pricing. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Cooler #Master #launches #soupedup #version #Amazon #Basics #CPU #cooler #Hyper #Nano #hits #market #SFF #builds Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stock market today: Live updates Stock market today: Live updates Traders work on the New York Stock Exchange floor on November 12, 2024 in New York City. Source: NYSE The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged higher Wednesday as investors look to keep a postelection rally going after a key inflation report was in line with expectations. The 30-stock Dow added 258 points, or 0.3%. The S&P 500 gained 0.3%, while the Nasdaq Composite ticked up 0.2%. The October consumer price index accelerated a tad to a 2.6% annual rate, matching the consensus estimate from economists polled by Dow Jones. Core prices, which exclude food and energy from the reading, rose 3.3% last month, which also matched estimates. After the inflation report, fed funds futures trading suggested a high likelihood that central bank policymakers would cut rates again in December, according to the CME FedWatch tool. “It’s time to stop worrying about the Fed and inflation,” said David Russell, global head of market strategy at TradeStation. “Stocks have been on autopilot since the election and today’s numbers do nothing to hurt the trend. December is still in play for a cut.” The major averages fell Tuesday as the market took a breather from its postelection rally. The 30-stock Dow fell about 382 points, or 0.9%. The S&P 500 declined 0.3%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite inched down 0.1%. These moves followed a rally on Wall Street after the election of Donald Trump last week that sent stocks to record highs. The Dow closed above 44,000 for the first time on Monday, while both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also earned fresh records. The gains also extended to cryptocurrencies, sending bitcoin above $90,000 on hopes that Trump will make good on a slew of promises to the industry. Other notable economic data releases later this week include the producer price index data and retail sales numbers, which will be announced Thursday and Friday, respectively. Source link #Stock #market #today #Live #updates Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

PlayStation Plus Game Catalog additions for November include GTA V (again) and Dying Light 2 PlayStation Plus Game Catalog additions for November include GTA V (again) and Dying Light 2 Sony has the latest slate of PlayStation Plus Game Catalog additions for Extra and Premium members, and it’s a dang solid lineup this month. The biggest name, of course, is Grand Theft Auto V. That’s returning to the Game Catalog after Sony removed it in June. GTA V has now sold more than 205 million copies (not a typo), but if you’ve yet to ***** into the game or its perennially popular online mode, here’s your chance. GTA VI, meanwhile, is . In case you’re all GTA’d out for the time being, there are lots of other PS Plus additions to explore. One of those is the open-world zombie survival action RPG Dying Light 2: Stay Human, which I’ve been meaning to check out for a long time. Like A Dragon: Ishin (which, coincidentally, is this month) and Chivalry 2 are among the other big names on the list, but I’m especially happy to see make the cut. That’s a terrific bundle of both Overcooked games and all of the expansions. For years, I’ve been calling these games the perfect relationship test. Just, uh, maybe don’t play with your partner if you’re going through a rough patch. Elsewhere, The Sims 4 expansion pack Island Living is included. Naturally, you’ll need the free-to-play base game to access that. Moto GP 24, Digimon Survive, Stick ******: The Game, Clash: Artifacts of Chaos, the intriguing ******* Frequency and Hungry Shark World round out the newcomers to the PS Plus Game Catalog’s Extra tier. The Premium lineup is pretty exciting this month as well. I spent many hours playing the multiplayer modes of Resistance: Fall of Man in the PS3 era. Insomniac Games has been on an incredible run for the last six years, so it should be fun to hop back into that game and its sequel, Resistance 2, for a hit of nostalgia and to see how far the studio has come. Note, however, that these two games are streaming-only. Ahead of arriving next month, you can warm up by playing Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Blood Omen 2. Last but not least, there’s one PS VR2 addition to the lineup in the form of action shooter Synapse. PS Plus Premium and Extra subscribers can play these games at no extra cost starting on November 19. Source link #PlayStation #Game #Catalog #additions #November #include #GTA #Dying #Light Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]