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World of Warcraft’s Player Housing Is Deeper Than I Imagined — Hands-On Impressions World of Warcraft’s Player Housing Is Deeper Than I Imagined — Hands-On Impressions Player housing is finally coming to World of Warcraft after 20 years in the upcoming Midnight expansion, and I went hands-on with the new feature at Blizzard’s Boston office earlier this week. Despite experiencing an early, incomplete development build, the housing system’s capabilities have thoroughly impressed me. This new avenue for rewards provides yet another carrot on a stick to keep players like me returning to Azeroth. In fact, after returning home from my session, I promptly reinstalled World of Warcraft to begin catching up on the latest expansion, The War Within, so I’m fully prepared for the long-requested feature. However, Blizzard tells me owning a home in Azeroth is a simple, low-cost effort — even new, inexperienced players should be able to afford a house soon after leaving the starting area. While I might retroactively unlock rewards by completing quests I’ve missed, there are no requirements I need to worry about satisfying before Blizzard introduces its neighborhoods. “If you come in on day one and say, ‘I really want a house in the Horde map,’ we’ll get you there pretty quickly. We want to get you a house you like […] and into a neighborhood with people you like—whether those are your friends, guild mates, or just people that vaguely align with the type of player you are,” Principal Designer Jesse Kurlancheek says. Neighborhoods, each hosting roughly 50 plots of land, are instanced and persistent. Your neighbors won’t change unless they choose to move away. Alliance neighborhoods feature biomes reminiscent of Westfall, Duskwood, and Elwynn Forest, among others. The Horde can purchase land in environments similar to Durotar’s redrock landscapes, the Tauren’s mesas, and coastlines where Trolls typically reside. Blizzard doesn’t answer most questions related to neighborhood activities, external decorations, or how mounts, pets, and other collectibles might interact with those features. Notably, Kurlancheek does not envision neighborhoods like subdivisions; instead, he reiterates that the team wants to help players realize unique homes, inside and out. “We’re still figuring out what game functionality to include, but it’s important we don’t associate player power with housing. You won’t get a stove that gives you +5 cooking or anything like that. If we do [make it interactive], it’ll be just a stove you can use,” Kurlancheek tells me. Adding rooms or interior decorations works just as you’d expect: select the object from the asset library and drop it onto the floor or hang it on the wall. Additionally, you can enter Advanced Mode to scale, rotate, and position the asset using gizmos – the colorful shapes representing X, Y, and Z axes in 3D software engines – to situate it wherever you like easily. Gravity does not affect building components, so players can presumably create floating platforms or kitbash items to create new assets. For example, I designed a small tavern with elements from Orgrimmar, Frostwolf, and Pandaren art sets. While the build’s asset library didn’t have many cooking appliances, I obscured half the mesh of a campfire pauldron inside of a Pandaren bar table to simulate an active stovetop. I complemented the fixture with cheeseboards, beverage steins, and a large keg before bringing it all together with stone floors and wall textures you might find in an Orcish establishment. “You’ll get decorations for your house the same way you get items in the rest of World of Warcraft. You can get them from questing, raiding, Mythic+ dungeons, and achievements,” Kurlancheek says. “It’s really exciting having a brand new rewards vector that’s completely orthogonal to everything, because now we can incentivize players that may not have wanted to do other content.” Both old and new quests may offer decorations upon completion, so returning players are likely to obtain many retroactive rewards when logging in for the first time after the expansion drops. With 20 years’ worth of content to consider, there are going to be many decorations available at launch, with more coming later as Blizzard updates older assets for implementation. While the functionality wasn’t ready for my visit, players can discover new items to unlock using a similar menu to how they currently search for equipment transmogs. “There are plans in place for people to be able to see items and know how they can obtain them, so that they can search for and find them. We’re also providing a [decor] starter pack with a wide variety when you get your house,” Game Producer Rachel Bussone says. “If you’re someone who hasn’t played much before, haven’t gotten a lot of previous achievements, and you’re worried that you won’t have anything at the start, we’ll have a lot of stuff available.” Despite essential tools like a duplicate button still missing, the early glimpse of player housing Blizzard gave me left me very excited for the future of World of Warcraft. I’d still love to see the inclusion of non-uniform mesh scaling and custom light sources, but the building tool provides deep customization in an easy-to-understand package. I cannot wait to own a home in Azeroth — it’s surely cheaper than the real thing. Disclosure: Activision Blizzard covered flight and hotel accommodations to Boston. Game Informer’s editorial team proudly remains impartial, professional, and committed to the truth in all forms of our coverage. Source link #World #Warcrafts #Player #Housing #Deeper #Imagined #HandsOn #Impressions Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

GlobalWafers to invest $4 billion into U.S. chip manufacturing after opening Texas plant GlobalWafers to invest $4 billion into U.S. chip manufacturing after opening Texas plant It was 2022 when GlobalWafers first began the motions to open a US-based chip manufacturing plant in Sherman, Texas. This move was planned well before the Trump administration’s tariff situation, but it seems to have excellent timing given the current economic impact of hardware imports. According to Chairwoman Doris Hsu, the new facility will be followed up with an additional $4 billion investment to help support chip manufacturing in the US, as reported by WSJ. News of the additional $4 billion investment came from the opening ceremonies held for the new Sherman, Texas, plant. It’s here that GlobalWafers intends to pursue further US-based operations going forward. GlobalWafers isn’t alone in this endeavor, as TSMC has also made plans to invest in the US chip manufacturing market. According to GlobalWafers, the Sherman, Texas facility will be responsible for the creation of silicon wafers—a critical component for semiconductors. So far, the plant has brought about nearly 200 permanent jobs and employed over 1,000 individuals during the construction alone. By 2028, GlobalWafers is hoping to introduce up to 650 new jobs for individuals in tech, engineering and operational fields. You may like Texas isn’t the only location receiving support from GlobalWafers. We reported on expansion in Missouri, as well, back in December of 2024. Overall, the timing couldn’t be better and opens the door for more affordable, domestically produced hardware for US clients. Whether or not the long-term benefits will outlast the economic climate remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say that GlobalWafers is in an advantageous position with a notable head start. Taiwanese chip giant TSMC has been helping on the front as well, planning an investment of $165 billion total in US markets since the Biden administration. The most recent promise from TSMC to bring $100 billion to the US chip market will help support the Phoenix, Arizona-based facilities. So far we’ve yet to see exactly how the investments will pay out but we can for sure expect more US-based manufacturing jobs to come about over the next few years—reducing US reliance on Asian manufacturing plants. Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #GlobalWafers #invest #billion #U.S #chip #manufacturing #opening #Texas #plant Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Charter Stock Jumps. It’s Buying Cox to Create a Cable Giant. – Barron's Charter Stock Jumps. It’s Buying Cox to Create a Cable Giant. – Barron's Charter Stock Jumps. It’s Buying Cox to Create a Cable Giant. Barron’sCharter and Cox to merge in blockbuster $34.5 billion cable deal CBS NewsCharter Communications to Merge With Cox in $21.9 Billion Deal WSJTwo of America’s largest cable companies are merging CNNCharter and Cox Communications agree to $35 billion merger Axios Source link #Charter #Stock #Jumps #Buying #Cox #Create #Cable #Giant #Barron039s Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33s Humor Walks a Line Often Crossed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33s Humor Walks a Line Often Crossed Clair Obscur finds levity in despair, using quiet humor that feels lived in, where laughter reflects survival more than it does comic relief. Source link #Clair #Obscur #Expedition #33s #Humor #Walks #Line #Crossed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nearly 100 people killed in Israeli attack on Gaza Nearly 100 people killed in Israeli attack on Gaza Rushdi Abualouf, Cairo; Yolande Knell, Jerusalem; Mallory Moench, London BBC News Reuters A mourner reacts during the ******** of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes at the Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia Nearly 100 people, including children, have been killed in a large-scale Israeli ground, air and sea attack launched early Friday in north Gaza, the ******-run civil defence and residents have said. The civil defence said at least nine homes and tents housing civilians had been bombed overnight and it had received dozens of calls from people trapped. Witnesses also reported smoke bombs, artillery shelling and tanks in Beit Lahia. Israel’s military said it was “operating to locate and dismantle terrorist infrastructure sites” in north Gaza and had “eliminated several terrorists” over the past day. This marks the largest ground assault on north Gaza since Israel resumed its offensive in March. Basheer al-Ghandour, who fled Beit Lahia for Jabalia after the attack, told the BBC people were sleeping when suddenly “intense bombing” hit overnight. “It came from all sides – air strikes and warships. My brother’s house collapsed. There were 25 people inside,” he said. He said 11 people were injured and five killed, including his nieces, aged five and 18, and a 15-year-old nephew. He and others tried to free relatives from the rubble. “My brother’s wife is still under the rubble – we didn’t manage to rescue her. Because of how intense the bombing was, we had to flee,” he said. “We didn’t take anything with us – no furniture, no food, no flour. We even left in bare feet.” Another survivor, Yousif Salem, told reporters he and his three children had “just escaped death”. “An air strike hit our neighbours’ home – none of them survived,” he said. He said artillery shells began hitting near their house as they were trapped inside. When he tried to leave, a quadcopter drone opened fire, he said. He made a second attempt under heavy shelling, he said. All roads were blocked, but they managed to find a side road. “We escaped only minutes before Israeli tanks encircled the area,” he said. According to local residents, the attack began with smoke bomb barrages followed by intense artillery shelling from nearby Israeli positions. Tanks then began advancing toward Al-Salateen neighbourhood in western Beit Lahia. Witnesses reported that Israeli armoured vehicles surrounded a school sheltering hundreds of displaced civilians. Reuters Palestinians make their way with belongings as they fled their homes, after Israeli air strikes, in the northern Gaza Strip on 16 May The attack in north Gaza comes after Israeli air strikes killed more than 120 people, mostly in the south, on Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Friday it had struck more than 150 “terror targets” throughout Gaza over the past day, including anti-tank missile posts, military structures, and centres where groups were planning to “carry out terrorist attacks against IDF troops”. In south Gaza, the IDF said it had dismantled ****** structures and shafts and killed “several terrorists” who Israel said had planned to plant an explosive device. While Friday’s powerful overnight strikes and reported advance by ground troops west of Beit Lahia are significant, this does not yet look like Israel’s threatened major military offensive. Israel’s government has pledged to intensify operations in Gaza and indefinitely reoccupy the Strip if ****** did not accept a proposal for a temporary ceasefire and the return of remaining hostages by the end of President Donald Trump’s regional trip, which concluded on Friday. While there has been no sign of a breakthrough with negotiating teams still in Doha, local media say that Arab mediators have been pushing for more time to give talks a chance. A ceasefire between Israel and ****** agreed in January broke down when Israel relaunched air strikes on Gaza in March. Israel also implemented a total blockade on humanitarian aid, including food, that has been widely condemned by the UN as well as European and Arab countries. Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz last month said the blockade was a “main pressure lever” to secure victory over ****** and get all the hostages out. There is growing evidence that Israel’s 10-week blockade is having an increasingly detrimental humanitarian impact. Aid organisations and residents say people in Gaza are now starving. A recent UN-backed report said Gaza’s whole population – some 2.1 million people – is at critical risk of famine. The Israeli government has insisted there is no shortage of food in Gaza and that the “real crisis is ****** looting and selling aid”. Getty Images Palestinians struggle to get their food rations outside a crowded distribution centre in Beit Lahia on 15 May Israel and the US have proposed allowing in and distributing aid through private companies – a plan rejected by the UN. The deteriorating situation in Gaza has drawn concern from the US this week. Boarding his flight home from the Middle East, Trump said the US needs to “help out the Palestinians” and acknowledges “a lot of people are starving”. On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration was “troubled” by the humanitarian situation. Israel launched a military campaign to destroy ****** in response to the group’s cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 53,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s ******-run health ministry. Fifty-eight hostages are still being held in Gaza, up to 23 of whom are believed to be alive. Additional reporting by Alice Cuddy in Jerusalem Source link #people #killed #Israeli #attack #Gaza Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Netflix’s Gears Of War Movie Reportedly Lands The Fall Guy, Bullet Train Director David Leitch Netflix’s Gears Of War Movie Reportedly Lands The Fall Guy, Bullet Train Director David Leitch Netflix’s upcoming film adaptation of Gears of War may have its director. The Hollywood Reporter states that David Leitch, director of The Fall Guy and Bullet Train, is negotiating to helm the project. The film was first announced in 2022, and David Leitch’s production company, 87North, will help produce the feature alongside Gears developer The Coalition. Leitch’s other directorial credits include Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, and Atomic Blonde. Netflix’s Gears movie already has Dune screenwriter John Spaihts as the scriptwriter, but there have been no casting announcements since the film is likely still a ways out. Netflix is also creating an adult animated series based on Gears of War, which will release after the live-action film. Gears of War: Reloaded The Gears series has been in the news recently with the announcement of Gears of War: Reloaded, a new enhanced remaster of the original 2006 game that will be released on PlayStation 5. This marks the series’ first appearance on a Sony platform. The next mainline entry, a prequel to the first game called Gears of War: E-Day, was announced during last year’s Xbox Games Showcase but does not yet have a release window. [Source: The Hollywood Reporter] Source link #Netflixs #Gears #War #Movie #Reportedly #Lands #Fall #Guy #Bullet #Train #Director #David #Leitch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

College majors with the best and worst employment prospects — philosophy now outranks finance College majors with the best and worst employment prospects — philosophy now outranks finance In general, what college students choose to major in has significant implications for job prospects and future earnings potential. Source link #College #majors #worst #employment #prospects #philosophy #outranks #finance Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Herd on the Terrace: Money of Mine reeling after founder Matthew Michael, Alexandra Gelevitis quit Herd on the Terrace: Money of Mine reeling after founder Matthew Michael, Alexandra Gelevitis quit Money of Mine nerds left to their spreadsheets as Matty, Ally quit West Perth industry watcher. Source link #Herd #Terrace #Money #reeling #founder #Matthew #Michael #Alexandra #Gelevitis #quit Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Death Stranding Star Norman Reedus Says He’s Willing To Appear In The Film Adaptation If Asked To Death Stranding Star Norman Reedus Says He’s Willing To Appear In The Film Adaptation If Asked To A live-action Death Stranding movie is currently in an early stage of development, and while no actors have been attached to it yet, the game’s original star Norman Reedus sounds interested in appearing in it if he’s offered the chance to do so. Speaking to IGN during a press junket for the John Wick spin-off film Ballerina, Reedus–who provided the voice and likeness of the game’s protagonist Sam Porter Bridges– was quizzed on if he’d be willing to appear in the Death Stranding movie. “If it was an option, yeah, for sure,” Reedus said. “I don’t know what’s happening with it, right? It’s so pre-[production] right now, but yeah, yeah of course.” The Death Stranding movie project has found its director, as Michael Sarnoski is attached to the production. Having previously directed A Quiet Place: Day One, Sarnoski’s is currently in post-production on his next film, The Death of Robin Hood. Other details about the Death Stranding project that we do know about so far is that it is being co-produced by A24 and Kojima Productions, and for the story, game creator Hideo Kojima has hinted at exploring the titular Death Stranding extinction event. In related news, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be released on June 26 for PS5. Ahead of its release, the game has tested very well in preview sessions and early reviews, but Kojima did express a desire for the game to be more “controversial” amongst the people playing it. The developer also has some ideas for a potential threequel, but if it does get greenlit, he plans to pass on development duties to someone else. Source link #Death #Stranding #Star #Norman #Reedus #Hes #Film #Adaptation #Asked Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

GTA 6 Trailer “Broke The Internet,” Take-Two Boss Says GTA 6 Trailer “Broke The Internet,” Take-Two Boss Says Grand Theft Auto VI’s new trailer “broke the internet,” according to Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick. Speaking during the company’s latest earnings briefing, the executive was asked if the trailer’s release has led to any positive impact on GTA Online. Zelnick said it’s too soon to say, and in fact, it’s not something the company is focused too much on anyway. Zelnick did, however, remind people that GTA 6’s new trailer reached 475 million views in its first 24 hours, setting an all-time viewership record for any trailer ever, spanning games, movies, TV shows, and everything else. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. Size:640 × 360480 × 270 Want us to remember this setting for all your devices? Sign up or Sign in now! Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos. This video has an invalid file format. Sorry, but you can’t access this content! Please enter your date of birth to view this video JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter Now Playing: GTA 6 (Grand Theft Auto VI) – Official Release Date Reveal | Trailer 2 “So, essentially, once again, Rockstar Games broke the Internet, and we feel really good about that and what that means for the upcoming release of GTA 6,” Zelnick said. GTA 6’s new trailer was the first since the debut trailer in December 2023–there was a huge amount of pent-up demand for any new footage, and people clearly ate it up. The trailer used The Pointer Sisters song “Hot Together,” and the tune experienced a massive spike in streams after the trailer arrived. The new GTA 6 trailer was released just a few days after Rockstar Games delayed the game to May 2026. While the delay announcement was a bummer for many, the trailer arriving a few days later alongside dozens of new screenshots and character information helped ease the pain. Responding to the GTA 6 delay, Zelnick said the push to 2026 “pains” him. However, Zelnick said it was necessary to delay the game to 2026 because the game needed more polish. Source link #GTA #Trailer #Broke #Internet #TakeTwo #Boss Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Rise of the Zombie Bugs review: Grisly new book reveals what zombie insects can teach us Rise of the Zombie Bugs review: Grisly new book reveals what zombie insects can teach us A Succinea snail that has been infected by a zombifying parasite shutterstock/JoostP Rise of the Zombie Bugs Mindy Weisberger (Johns Hopkins University Press) A snail, eyestalks pulsing with coloured stripes, leaves the safety of the shade and oozes its way onto an exposed leaf, where it catches the beady eye of a bird. The larger animal mistakes those eyestalks for delicious caterpillars and pounces; in the process, it accidentally gobbles up the parasitic worms infesting the Succinea putris snail. This poor mollusc is far from alone: worms, wasps and other creatures that manipulate their hosts’ behaviour are common in the… Source link #Rise #Zombie #Bugs #review #Grisly #book #reveals #zombie #insects #teach Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump’s Billion-Dollar Tech Deals, and a Military Buildup at the Border Trump’s Billion-Dollar Tech Deals, and a Military Buildup at the Border Tripp Mickle reports on Apple and Silicon Valley for The Times and is based in San Francisco. His focus on Apple includes product launches, manufacturing issues and political challenges. He also writes about trends across the tech industry, including layoffs, generative A.I. and robot taxis. Source link #Trumps #BillionDollar #Tech #Deals #Military #Buildup #Border Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Data Centers’ Hunger for Energy Could Raise All Electric Bills Data Centers’ Hunger for Energy Could Raise All Electric Bills Individuals and small business have been paying more for power in recent years, and their electricity rates may climb higher still. That’s because the cost of the power plants, transmission lines and other equipment that utilities need to serve data centers, factories and other large users of electricity is likely to be spread to everybody who uses electricity, according to a new report. The report by Wood MacKenzie, an energy research firm, examined 20 large power users. In almost all of those cases, the firm found, the money that large energy users paid to electric utilities would not be enough to cover the cost of the equipment needed to serve them. The rest of the costs would be borne by other utility customers or the utility itself. The utilities “either need to socialize the cost to other ratepayers or absorb that cost — essentially, their shareholders would take the hit,” said Ben Hertz-Shargel, who is the global head of grid edge research for Wood MacKenzie. This is not a theoretical dilemma for utilities and the state officials who oversee their operations and approve or reject their rates. Electricity demand is expected to grow substantially over the next several decades as technology companies build large data centers for their artificial intelligence businesses. Electricity demand in some parts of the United States is expected to increase as much as 15 percent over just the next four years after several decades of little or no growth. The rapid increase in data centers, which use electricity to power computer servers and keep them cool, has strained many utilities. Demand is also growing because of new factories and the greater use of electric cars and electric heating and cooling. In addition to investing to meet demand, utilities are spending billions of dollars to harden their systems against wildfires, hurricanes, heat waves, winter storms and other extreme weather. Natural disasters, many of which are linked to climate change, have made the United States’ aging power grids more unreliable. That spending is one of the main reasons that electricity rates have been rising in recent years. American homes that use a typical 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month paid, on average, about $164 in February, according to the Energy Information Administration. That was up more than $30 from five years ago. Dominion Energy, a large investor-owned utility based in Richmond, Va., is one of those that Wood MacKenzie expects will spend more on new infrastructure than it will be able to recover from selling electricity to data centers and other large users. More data centers have opened in Virginia than in any other state. Asked about Wood MacKenzie’s filings, Dominion said that on April 1 it filed a proposal to electricity regulators in Virginia for requiring large-load customers to pay their “fair share” of utility costs. “Ensuring a fair allocation of costs and mitigating financial risk are not new concepts to the company,” Edward H. Baine, president of Dominion Energy Virginia, said in testimony that Dominion submitted to state regulators and provided to The New York Times. “Addressing both the needs and the risks associated with growth in high-load electric customers with high-load factors is both a public policy and a regulatory priority for Virginia.” A 2024 analysis by Virginia officials concluded that data centers paid the full cost of the service they received. But that report warned that the addition of many more large users of electricity could raise rates for all users if the state did not make policy changes to protect individuals and small businesses. Wood MacKenzie’s report found that some states do have policies to protect individuals and small businesses from higher rates. Chief among them is Texas, where customers can pick a power source that is different from the utility that maintains the lines that deliver electricity to their homes. This arrangement, according to Wood MacKenzie, helps protect individuals from having to pay for grid upgrades that mainly or entirely benefit large users. Mr. Hertz-Shargel said many utilities also had programs that allowed large electricity users to buy emissions-free energy directly from power producers like solar and wind farms. Such programs, he said, could be refashioned to help ensure that the cost of new power projects is largely or entirely borne by the users responsible for major grid upgrades. The policies that states and utilities have put in place will significantly reduce risks of spreading the costs of improvements for the large-load customers, but “they do not provide complete protection,” Mr. Hertz-Shargel said. “Only by removing data-center-caused infrastructure from utilities books, such as by allowing large loads to contract with third parties for generation via clean transition tariffs, are both ratepayers and utility shareholders fully protected.” Source link #Data #Centers #Hunger #Energy #Raise #Electric #Bills Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Polish voters set for tight presidential race after 10 years of Duda Polish voters set for tight presidential race after 10 years of Duda Adam Easton BBC Warsaw correspondent WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP There are two front-runners among the 13 candidates: Rafal Trzaskowski (R) and Karol Nawrocki When Poles vote for a new president on Sunday, they are expected to set up a second round run-off between Warsaw’s liberal mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and national-conservative historian Karol Nawrocki. If opinion polls are correct, that would mean a 1 June contest between candidates backed by the two parties that have dominated Polish politics for the past two decades, a domination some voters say they’re fed up with. Trzaskowski, the current front-runner, is deputy leader of prime minister Donald Tusk’s centre-right Civic Platform (PO). Nawrocki, currently polling between 4%-6% behind, is supported by the Law and Justice (PiS) opposition party that lost power 18 months ago. Poland’s president has the power to veto government bills, so what happens in this election is significant. Tusk’s coalition does not have a big enough parliamentary majority to overturn that veto, which outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a former PiS member and ally, has used on several occasions. That barrier may now fall as Duda cannot run again after serving two consecutive five-year terms. Observers outside Poland portrayed Tusk’s election as prime minister in late 2023 as saving liberal democracy after eight years of right-wing authoritarian populism by the PiS-led government. Critics widely accused PiS of turning public media into crude propaganda for its conservative Catholic worldview, politicising the civil service and judiciary and punishing judges who dared to oppose the reform. But Tusk’s coalition government has also used questionable legal methods to wrestle back control of the public media. Tusk has suspended the right for migrants arriving on the border with Belarus to apply for asylum and failed to deliver many of his campaign promises such as liberalising the country’s strict abortion law. “This is not the triumph of liberal values. It’s a choice between a stupid and authoritarian right-wing populism and a hypocritical, and in my eyes, morally corrupt liberal populism,” Konstanty Gebert, a columnist for Kultura Liberalna told the BBC. The presidential election could be won in Sunday’s first round with more than 50% of the vote, but latest opinion polls suggest it will be decided on 1 June. Miroslaw Kaznowski, a member of the Green party that belongs to Tusk’s broader Civic Coalition, will vote for Trzaskowski, despite some reservations. He told the BBC: “I am disappointed the coalition government is pandering to the right-wing electorate instead of standing up for its values.” In one of the presidential debates, the PiS-backed candidate Nawrocki, proudly brandishing a mini Polish flag, tried to embarrass Trzaskowski by handing him a small rainbow flag. In the past, the Warsaw mayor has been a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and attended equality marches in the capital. Trzaskowski took the flag and put it on the floor, causing left-wing candidate Magda Biejat to walk over, saying “I’m not ashamed of it, I’ll gladly take it from you”. Kaznowski said: “Migration, LGBT+, women’s rights and the environment have fallen off the agenda, but we’re still at the risk of falling back to an authoritarian government that aspires to Eastern values.” Getty Images Donald Tusk has been unable to deliver on many of the reforms he promised before he became prime minister Tusk promised Polish women legal abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy, but he has not delivered on his promise. He presides over a broad coalition built around his own centre-right grouping that also includes smaller left-wing and conservative parties. Disagreements within the coalition over abortion and legalising same sex partnerships stalled even before President Duda had the chance to veto them. Following Russia’s war in neighbouring Ukraine, state security has dominated political discourse. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said “outflanking” PiS on security, including a tough migration policy, was key to winning the 2023 election. This year, Poland is planning to spend 4.7% of its GDP on defence, a larger proportion than any other Nato member. Tusk wants to offer all adult males the chance to do military training. Trzaskowski was photographed going through basic drills during the campaign. Getty Images Karol Nawrocki has so far been largely undamaged by claims surrounding his purchase of a flat from a pensioner in bad health The liberal mayor’s tough messages on security and migration led PiS to accuse him of saying anything to win votes. It’s a view shared by civil servant Wojciech Karlik, who plans to vote for the PiS-backed candidate, Nawrocki. “Nawrocki will fight for Poland’s interests in the EU. He’s reliable unlike Trzaskowski who keeps changing his mind on issues like migration,” he said. Nawrocki has come under fire recently over accusations, which he denies, that he bought a council flat from a senior citizen in poor health at a 90% discount to the market price in return for promises of assistance and care. By his team’s own admission, Nawrocki was surprised when he lost contact with the pensioner last December. Local media reported the man had been living in a nursing home paid for by taxpayers for six months by that stage. Opinion polls suggest the accusations have not damaged Nawrocki’s chances so far. But the numbers indicate none of the 13 candidates will win sufficient votes to avoid a run-off between the two front-runners. PiS, led by 75-year-old Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and Tusk’s PO are the two parties that have dominated Polish politics for the last 20 years and some voters are fed up with the duopoly. In March, 38-year-old far-right libertarian candidate and brewing entrepreneur Slawomir Mentzen, who attracted voters, especially young men, with his anti-migrant and tax-cutting talks during his “Beer with Mentzen” meetings in small towns and cities, appeared close to overtaking Nawrocki into second place. But his support has dropped since he gave an interview calling for the introduction of student tuition fees and a ban on abortion even in cases of *****. Aleksandra Januszewicz, a psychotherapist, told the BBC: “I’m fed up with the stranglehold of PO and PiS. The politics I’m seeing is mostly a form of populism that plays to voters’ emotions. “I’m not decided yet [on who to vote for], but I’m going to throw up afterwards.” Human rights lawyer Malgorzata Szuleka agrees there is fatigue, both with the duopoly and Tusk government’s failure to deliver. “Polish politics looks a little bit like going to McDonalds,” she told the BBC. “You go in hoping for something else and you leave with a burger and fries. “My hope is for a president that can freeze the polarisation in the country, and we can start talking to each other again.” Source link #Polish #voters #set #tight #presidential #race #years #Duda Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Spiritfall Review – Game Rant Spiritfall Review – Game Rant Gentle Giant’s debut title Spiritfall has just come to consoles, and it’s certainly worth playing this fast-paced roguelike with a unique hook. Source link #Spiritfall #Review #Game #Rant Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Remarkable photos highlight the haunting resilience of nature Remarkable photos highlight the haunting resilience of nature Suspended Grace: A sleeping ****** whale and her calf Paul Nicklen With a full belly – look closely and you can see the tentacles of the deep-sea squid she has just feasted on, dangling from her mouth – this mother ****** whale sleeps, her calf nearby. This photograph, named Suspended Grace, was taken by photographer Paul Nicklen and is one of a host of images displayed at the photography fair Photo London this week. It exudes peace, but Nicklen was feeling a real mix of emotions when he took it in Dominica in 2019. “Even as my lungs burned and my brain tried to induce panic to take a breath from the surface that was 15 metres away, I had to stay calm,” he says. “In that moment, I focused on breathing, framing and floating still. I wasn’t disconnected from fear, but I was focused.” As he centred himself, a sense of “awe mixed with something quieter” came over him. “There was a kind of joy to it—being accepted into their rhythm for even a few moments,” says Nicklen. “Over time, that joy has deepened into something heavier. I think about the risks [whales] face now – the rising noise levels in the ocean, plastic, ship strikes, nets, warming seas. When I revisit these images, I see a lineage that may not survive unless we change. And still, I feel lucky. Lucky to have been let in. Lucky to carry their story.” Photo London is taking place at Somerset House from 15 to 18 May. Nicklen’s work is being displayed by Hilton Contemporary, which is also showing the photography of marine biologist Cristina Mittermeier – including this evocative shot from Berenty, Madagascar, in 2008, called Laundry on the Mandare. As bright clothes dry on the cracked earth, two emaciated cows stand nearby on the dry bed of the Mandare River. Laundry on the Mandare: The dry bed of the Mandare River in Madagascar Cristina Mittermeier Seventeen years on, Mittermeier remembers that her thoughts on taking the shot were clouded at the time. “Not just by illness – a tropical fever – but by guilt. Not guilt for being there, but for leaving,” she says. “The families in this village had no way to escape the drought. There are no backups, no alternate routes, no tap to turn. The Mandare dries up, and everything with it.” Today, those feelings have morphed into “a kind of respect” for the endurance of the local people there “and a deep unease that this scene is becoming more common, more permanent”, she says. “I think of the resilience in that curve of fabric, bright against the dust, and how survival here is patched together one garment, one meal, one cup of water at a time,” says Mittermeier. “It’s a record of drought, yes, but also of decisions made far away that shaped who suffers and who escapes.” Below is Nicklen’s shot, Ephemeral Palace, taken in the Antarctic Peninsula in 2012. A vast iceberg is pictured as it drifts along, destined to melt as it makes its way out to sea. Ephemeral Palace: An iceberg on the Antarctic Peninsula in 2012 Paul Nicklen An unexpected visitor is shown in this final shot from Nicklen, Face to Face, taken in Svalbard, Norway, in 2008. Nicklen, winner of awards including BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year, said that although they are labelled “problem bears” in Canada’s Arctic, he has encountered over 2000 polar bears in the wild in his time as a photographer and he has never had to take a life in self-defence. Face to Face: A close encounter with a polar bear in Norway Paul Nicklen Topics: Source link #Remarkable #photos #highlight #haunting #resilience #nature Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Early Memorial Day laptop sales are live – here are the 12 best deals I’d buy Early Memorial Day laptop sales are live – here are the 12 best deals I’d buy The Memorial Day sales may be best known for offers on appliances and mattresses, but it’s also a great time of the year to pick up a new laptop. And, with several retailers kicking off sales early ahead of Memorial Day, I’ve picked out 12 of the best laptop deals worth shopping now. Check out all of my top picks below. Options range from cheap Chromebooks to powerful devices from Microsoft and Apple – and everything in between. I’ve hand-picked these offers below using my years of experience hunting down the best laptop deals each week here at TechRadar and the hands-on testing experience from our expert computing team. Deals worth checking out today include this excellent value Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook at Best Buy for $439 (was $599), this high-end Dell Inspiron 14 at Dell for $629.99 (was $849.99) and the powerful MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) on Amazon for a record-low price of $849 (was $999). Expect even more Memorial Day laptop sales to get underway throughout the week as we get closer to the holiday weekend. I’ll continue searching through all the offers to pick out the very best laptop deals right here. Early Memorial Day laptop sales – quick links The best 12 laptop deals ahead of Memorial Day Source link #Early #Memorial #Day #laptop #sales #live #deals #buy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Take-Two Boss Feels “Really Good” About Switch 2 Amid Reports Of RDR 2 Port Take-Two Boss Feels “Really Good” About Switch 2 Amid Reports Of RDR 2 Port Take-Two has confirmed that it plans to launch numerous “new iterations of prior releases” in the time ahead, and this news comes amid reports of a GTA 4 port for modern consoles and Red Dead Redemption II for Switch 2. For Switch 2 specifically, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said he is a “big believer” in the console, which is only fueling the speculation online about the possibility of more Take-Two titles coming to the system. A slide from Take-Two’s earnings briefing shows off some of the games that Take-Two has coming during its Fiscal Years 2026, 2027, and 2028. As you can see, Take-Two has 38 titles listed for released by the end of FY 2028 (April 1, 2028), and only 12 have been announced so far. Given that, Take-Two surely has numerous announcements still to come, though the company also cautioned that, “It is likely that some of these titles will not be developed through to completion” or that release dates could change. Take-Two said it might add more games to the slate, too. Take-Two has 38 more games coming by April 2028. These games include “immersive core” titles like GTA 6 and sports games, as well as mobile titles, along with “new iterations of prior releases.” That last category is what’s drawing the most attention recently against the backdrop of the reported ports of GTA 4 and RDR2. This category is defined by Take-Two as titles that would include “ports and remastered titles,” but not sequels. If there are indeed ports of GTA 4 and RDR 2 coming, they would seemingly fall into this category. The GTA 4 port is said to be in the works for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S and could launch later this year, while reports from Spanish websites Gamereactor Espana and Nintenduo published today, May 16, claim that Rockstar is working on a RDR 2 port for the Switch 2. RDR 2 was originally released in 2018 and is currently available on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, as well as PC. It just recently crossed an astonishing 74 million copies sold. During an earnings call this week, Zelnick was asked about more Switch 2 ports, and he said the company “would not necessarily bring every title to the platform,” but he noted there is a “great” opportunity to bring some of its older titles to Switch 2. Talking about Fiscal 2026 specifically (ending April 1, 2026), Take-Two said it has four new iterations of prior releases coming to market, including Civilization VII VR and Civilization VII for Switch 2. What the other two are remains a mystery, and some believe they could be the GTA 4 and RDR 2 ports. “Really good” In an interview with The Game Business, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said the company feels “really good” about the Switch 2 and plans to offer more for the console at launch than ever before for a Nintendo platform. The company has confirmed four games for Switch 2 so far including Civilization VII, Borderlands 4, and the next NBA 2K and WWE 2K titles. “It remains to be seen how [the Switch 2] does, but I am a big believer,” Zelnick said. Zelnick also aggreed that it might have been historically true that Nintendo does a better job of supporting first-party games on its platforms, but the executive said Nintendo is “aiming to change that.” “You know, historically, being a third-party in the Nintendo business has been a bit challenging,” Zelnick said on the earnings call. “I think Nintendo’s been very forthcoming in addressing that, and we’re stepping up too because we have great optimism for for the platform. In terms of what we would bring to any platform, we address it on a case-by-case basis. We we obviously wanna be where the consumers are.” The Switch 2 launches on June 5. For more, check out GameSpot’s Switch 2 preorder guide. Source link #TakeTwo #Boss #Feels #Good #Switch #Reports #RDR #Port Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Larry Niven interview: Ringworld legend discusses his classic novel and all things sci-fi Larry Niven interview: Ringworld legend discusses his classic novel and all things sci-fi Ringworld author Larry Niven in 2021 Eugene Powers/Alamy Larry Niven is one of the biggest names in the history of science fiction, and it was a privilege to interview him via Zoom at his home in Los Angeles recently. His 1970 novel Ringworld is the latest pick for the New Scientist Book Club, but he has also written a whole space-fleet-load of novels and short stories over the years, including my favourite sci-fi of all time, A World Out of Time. At 87 years of age, he is very much still writing. I spoke to him about Ringworld, his start in sci-fi, his favourite work over the years, his current projects and whether he thinks humankind will ever leave this solar system. This is an edited version of our conversation. Emily H. Wilson: Larry, thank you so much for taking part in this interview and being part of the New Scientist Book Club. It is a huge honour to have you here as an undisputed master of science fiction and an important person in the evolution of the genre. Larry Niven: Thank you. EHW: So, what got you started as a science fiction writer? LN: I read science fiction almost exclusively in my early twenties and in my teens, but I didn’t know about science fiction fandom until I had started it writing it for *****. That was a great boon to me. I finally had some contact with the people I wanted to reach. EHW: How did you come up with the idea of Ringworld? LN: I was told about Dyson spheres [hypothetical megastructures in space] by one of the other writers. I think it was Poul Anderson. I looked at the concept, which is a neat one. [It] told us how we could see other civilisations if they were powerful enough, because a tool-using civilisation should end up using all of the power from its sun. For that, it has to block all of the sunlight. I look at the Dyson sphere, I see that unless you can generate gravity, you’ll have to depend on spin gravity. And you wind up using just the equator. With that idea in mind, I took just the equator… the poor man’s Dyson sphere! EHW: One of our book club members pointed out that the Ringworld itself inspires awe and wonder. LN: My decision to go with a large-scale structure, despite the possibility of getting laughed off the stage, was [part of] my success. Ringworld is a grand intellectual toy, as I found it, and as a lot of readers did too. You can play with it, elaborate, work out Niven’s mistakes. EHW: Looking back at it from 2025, it looks as if it was as if it was a huge hit straight away and transformed your fortunes and your career. LN: Absolutely true. EHW: You mentioned in a piece you wrote for New Scientist about how science students and academics really got involved in the physics of Ringworld after it was published. They were doing papers on it. What was that like for you? And do you think that sort of intense global interactive reaction would happen today? LN: Science fiction has pretty much won its point with all the movies and comic books and stuff. So Ringworld would be a ******* success today, but it wouldn’t grab the mathematicians as easily as it did. EHW: What was science fiction’s point? LN: Look to the future. Things are changing. And also, the point science fiction seems to make is that there are minds out there that think as well as you do, but differently. EHW: Why did you leave it so long before you wrote The Ringworld Engineers? By the way, one of our book club members said he read that first before Ringworld and loved it. It was his favourite novel. LN: I was trying to make a better book than Ringworld. Ringworld doesn’t have enough of the occupants of the structure. I wanted to elaborate on that. [The author] Robert Heinlein told me that Ringworld and Ringworld Engineers made a great novel, as if they belong together. EHW: The universe that Ringworld is set in, Known Space, ended up spilling in so many directions. What was it like building such a web of connected literature? LN: It seemed obvious [that] if I had a story that fitted a universe I’d already started writing in, I should [set it here]. It would make a more elaborate story. And I’ve been doing that for 60 years. EHW: Is there anything you would do differently if you wrote Ringworld today? LN: I’ve been telling people that I would start over with a universe in which you can’t go faster than light [and] nobody’s got psychic powers. The point is, if you build a Ringworld, it has to be because you can’t reach other stars. EHW: At what point in your career did you become a full-time science writer? Was there a time when you juggled it with other work? LN: I started as a science aficionado, particularly astrophysics and astronomy. About age 24, I realised I was just spinning my wheels as a graduate student in math. When I ran out of options, that’s when I started writing. EHW: What is your general view of science fiction today? LN: I have not been following the science fiction field as well as I might. I have been buying books on the internet for my Kindle at $2.99 or less. It doesn’t mean I’m getting the best of what’s coming out. EHW: My personal favourite of your books, and in fact my favourite sci-fi by anyone, is A World Out of Time, which a lot of people haven’t read. It’s such a great story. It’s done in such a short amount of space. What can you tell me about writing that book, and do you view it as fondly as I do? LN: First, I wrote a dystopian story in which the people who are getting frozen in order to reach the future get their wish a little bent. [They are] revived, but with no civil rights. You don’t have to consider a revived dead man as a citizen… and you don’t have to give money to him. I put it in a short story [called Rammer] and was very happy with it. And it’s the first chapter of A World Out of Time. One day, I just continued the story and reached as far into the future as I felt comfortable with, and a little further. EHW: You’ve been a great collaborator on books, for example, The Mote in God’s Eye, which you wrote with Jerry Pournelle. How do two novelists write a novel together? LN: I think [Jerry and I collaborated on] a little more than nine novels. When Jerry suggested doing a collaboration, I said, yes. I didn’t know what it would be like, but I was sure it would be fun. It was fun, but it was also a lot of work. It took longer than I expected. We belong to the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society and they watched us talk about The Mote in God’s Eye as it progressed over three years. And they gave us an award they made up: Best Unfinished Novel. EHW: When I asked you before, via email, which of your books I should read before this interview, you said Draco’s Tavern, a collection of short stories. I bought the book and I started it with a bit of a heavy heart, because I’m not a short story person. For anyone who hasn’t read it, it’s set in a bar on Earth, you know the barman, and aliens come in. Each story is very short. And I think why it was so successful for me is because you’ve got the character of the barman going through, and you learn about the aliens. So I felt it was more of a novel really, with an unusual structure, rather than an ordinary short story collection. Also, you put so many ideas into that book. LN: I started writing short stories. I rapidly realised that if you wrote a really short story, it still had to be story-shaped rather than just a glimpse of story. Eventually, I decided I wanted to write stories that showed wisdom and also were story-shaped and localised and very short. That’s what I was after, wisdom and short, when I started the Draco’s Tavern stories. Yes, the Draco’s Tavern series became novel shaped. EHW: If you were going to send a reader to four of your books other than Draco’s Tavern, which four would you choose? LN: When people ask me my favourite book, I usually base my answer on who they are. Lucifer’s Hammer for normal people. Footfall for military people. Ringworld for actual fans. Let’s see, Destiny’s Road, I think, again for normal people. EHW: What are you working on now? LN: I’m working with Steven Barnes on a novel set in the universe of Gil “the Arm” Hamilton [Niven’s fictional detective in Known Space]. A guy popped up with the idea of opening the Gil the Arm universe to other writers, and to do that as an anthology. [As part of that project] Steven and I wrote a short story called Sacred Cow with Gil as a star. And it won a best short story award from Analog Magazine. [Now] they want us to write another. EHW: I’ve got some quick-fire questions now. What is your favourite science fiction book not written by you? LN: Just off the top of my head, I love Nova by Samuel R. Delany. EHW: What is your favourite book in any genre not written by you? LN: I’m afraid it has to be The Wizard of Oz. EHW: What is your favourite science fiction TV show? LN: Star Trek, although I’ve lapsed. EHW: What is your favourite sci-fi movie? LN: Reaching way back, it’s Destination Moon. [I like] the ambitious ones, like 2001: A Space Odyssey. Rollerball was ambitious and it did it perfectly. EHW: What is the one piece of advice you would offer someone trying to write science fiction today? LN: Shorten your name, like I did. EHW: Would you like to meet an alien, presuming you haven’t already? LN: I think I’d be ready to meet a Pierson’s puppeteer or a Motie mediator [two fictional species of alien in Niven’s novels]. EHW: And do you think that humans are eventually going to make it out of this solar system? LN: We are making progress. We’re not making it as fast as any of us expected. We thought the moon was in easy reach. It’s in difficult reach. EHW: Larry, thank you so much for talking to us. It’s been an absolute privilege. LN: You’re welcome. And it’s a pleasure to be [talking to] New Scientist. Have fun reading. Larry Niven’s Ringworld is the latest pick for the New Scientist Book Club. Sign up and read along with us here. Topics: Science fiction/ New Scientist Book Club Source link #Larry #Niven #interview #Ringworld #legend #discusses #classic #scifi Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet – Destined Rivals | The Coolest Cards We Pulled Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet – Destined Rivals | The Coolest Cards We Pulled Team Rocket takes center stage in the latest Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion. Scarlet & Violet – Destined Rivals puts the likes of Giovanni, his Mewtwo, and various other well-known Pokémon used by the nefarious organization in the spotlight. The Pokémon Company sent us a bunch of booster packs of this latest expansion to crack open and share our favorites. Pokémon Trading Card Game: Scarlet & Violet – Destined Rivals adds more than 240 new cards to the perpetually growing TCG catalog. Of those cards, over 85 are Trainer Pokémon, with more than 45 belonging to Team Rocket. I loved opening packs and finding Team Rocket versions of Golbat, Arbok, and, of course, Mewtwo. However, trainers powerful enough to oppose Team Rocket, like Misty, Cynthia, Ethan, and Arven, are also featured; Misty’s Gyarados is among my favorite cards I pulled. You can see the complete gallery of my favorites below. Pokémon Trading Card Game: Scarlet & Violet – Destined Rivals arrives on store shelves on May 30. For more Pokémon TCG coverage, head to our hub through the banner below or by visiting this link. Source link #Pokémon #TCG #Scarlet #Violet #Destined #Rivals #Coolest #Cards #Pulled Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Scattered Spider hackers in *** are ‘facilitating’ cyber-attacks, says Google | Cybercrime Scattered Spider hackers in *** are ‘facilitating’ cyber-attacks, says Google | Cybercrime ***-based members of the Scattered Spider hacking community are actively “facilitating” cyber-attacks, according to Google, as disruption to British retailers spreads to the US. A group of hackers labelled “Scattered Spider” have been linked with attacks on *** retailers Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods, with Google cybersecurity experts warning this week that unnamed retailers across the Atlantic are being targeted as well. Charles Carmakal, the chief technology officer at Google’s Mandiant cybersecurity unit, said that the threat had moved to the US in a pattern typical of Scattered Spider assailants. “They tend to focus on a particular industry sector and geography for a few weeks and then they move on to something else,” he said. “And right now they’re focused on retail organisations. They start in the ***, and now they’ve shifted to US organisations.” Asked if *** members of Scattered Spider were involved in hacking M&S, he said: “Without specifically naming who the victims are I will say broadly Scattered Spider members in the *** are facilitating and contributing to intrusions.” The targeting of retailers in the ***, and the techniques associated with Scattered Spider, has prompted the country’s cybersecurity agency to warn companies to look out for specific tactics. In an advisory note, the National Cyber Security Agency told businesses to look at how their IT help desks help staff members reset passwords. One gambit associated with Scattered Spider – a name coined for a set of hacking tactics rather than an homogenous group – is to ring up IT help desks and pretend to be employees or contractors in order to gain access to company systems. “What we’re seeing is they’re making telephone calls, calling up help desks, pretending to be employees and convincing helpdesks to reset passwords,” said Carmakal. Carmakal added that the task of ringing up helpdesks was sometimes carried out by younger members of the Scattered Spider network. “It’s not always the [threat] actors themselves … that are actually making the phone calls. They outsource some of that work to other members of the broader community, generally younger individuals that aggregate on Telegram and Discord and want to make a few hundred bucks.” Scattered Spider is unusual among hacking groups deploying ransomware because it is composed of native English speakers from countries such as the ***, US and Canada. Carmakal said he had listened to “countless calls” that Scattered Spider hackers have made to company employees, “whether they were extorting them, or trying to convince somebody to provide credentials or harassing somebody”. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning 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 Ransomware gangs infect their targets’ computer systems with malicious software that effectively locks up their internal files, which the criminals then offer to release in exchange for a payment. Typically, these gangs are from Russia or former Soviet states. Carmakal’s comments came as French luxury brand Dior said this week an “unauthorised external party” had accessed some customer data. The scale of the breach and the identity of the attacker remains unclear, although Paris-based Dior said no payment information had been taken. This week Google’s cybersecurity specialists said Scattered Spider was targeting US retailers. “The US retail sector is currently being targeted in ransomware and extortion operations that we suspect are linked to … Scattered Spider,” said John Hultquist, the chief analyst at Google Threat Intelligence Group. “The actor, which has reportedly targeted retail in the *** following a long hiatus, has a history of focusing their efforts on a single sector at a time, and we anticipate they will continue to target the sector in the near term. US retailers should take note.” Source link #Scattered #Spider #hackers #facilitating #cyberattacks #Google #Cybercrime Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Risk of a star destroying the solar system is higher than expected Risk of a star destroying the solar system is higher than expected A passing star could send planets scattering Triff/Shutterstock Stars whizzing by our solar system could cause more havoc than astronomers previously thought, from sending Pluto’s orbit haywire to forcing Mercury to fly into the sun – or even catastrophically altering Earth’s orbit and climate. The overall risk of these events is still low, but the greater influence of passing stars means that events like these might be commonplace in other planetary systems. While the orbits of the planets were once thought to be as predictable and unchanging as clockwork, modern astronomers have found that on long timescales, they are… Source link #Risk #star #destroying #solar #system #higher #expected Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia customers will push into AI until they ‘become irrelevant’ Nvidia customers will push into AI until they ‘become irrelevant’ 00:00 Speaker A Let’s take a look at Magnificent Seven stocks. Still moving to the upside today after rallying this week along with the broader market recovery. Nvidia is back in positive territory for the year with meta and Microsoft hovering around the flat line year to date. Joining us now, Kimberly Forrest, Boca Capital Partners founder and chief investment officer. Kimberly, always great to have you on here. To what extent do you think this most recent rally is a signal of a comeback for Tech for the year? 00:36 Kimberly Forrest Sure. Well, it’s really hard to divorce yourself from, well, the thing that’s growing, and that would be tech. Um, you know, it’s, uh, there are parts of the market that have languished, but I think everybody acknowledges that AI is a thing, and, um, the companies that count, which are those in the Magnificent Seven, are not only benefiting from it, Nvidia, I’m talking to you, but also driving it, and that would be Microsoft, Amazon, meta and Google. So I think because AI is still in the forefront of most growth oriented, and certainly momentum oriented investors, that’s why they love them. 01:48 Speaker B And so, as we’re still waiting for, of course, the poster child of AI and the semiconductor trade and really the most magnificent member of the Mag 7 Nvidia to report earnings. What can they say that either further solidifies the the rally at least back to break even over the course of the year, especially knowing that Nvidia and Apple were two of the larger names that had actually led some of the declines in pre, um, you know, essentially been predecessors to the market decline more broadly, uh, that we had seen at the start of 2025. 02:45 Kimberly Forrest Sure. Well, I think the AI trade is always in question because a lot of people have tremendous amounts of hopes on what it can actually do. And, um, if you let me, I’m probably gonna be a little bit of a wet blanket on that because of meta’s latest announcement that, um, behemoth would not roll out, um, for unspecified reasons, right? They just said, well, it’s not ready. We’re gonna delay it, you know, couple months, blah, blah, blah. But I think that AI really is a few force for the future, and people really want exposure to that. So, you know, why not? Why not pile into the companies that could benefit from it or making it and actually get paid for it. Oh, back to Nvidia. Sorry, I I got lost there. Nvidia needs to say, uh, that its chips are in demand and that there are no other competitors currently because everybody, if you make a semi, wants to replace Nvidia as the preferred chip. So those are the two comforting, um, messages that Nvidia has to say. 05:06 Speaker A Well, Kimberly, I I know that you have a particular interest in LLMs and meta’s behemoth, but I I wanna tie it back to Nvidia to the point that you’re making here because if we as investors can’t really get clarity on who’s gonna have the best LLM, what the timelines are going to look like, the argument I’ve heard from sources like Dan Ives is you buy what’s juicing the LLMs regardless, aka Nvidia. How do you rate that framework of thinking for investors? 06:02 Kimberly Forrest I think that’s gonna work right up to the point where it doesn’t because what this is is a momentum investing play, right? And I love, I love moment to investing when it’s working. But here’s what the problem is. The top buyers of Nvidia are playing this game that they are gonna continue investing at the same rate their competition is because the minute one of them takes their foot off the gas pedal, they’re going to become irrelevant. Not just lose first place. We’re talking irrelevancy, right? So that’s why Dan’s argument works. Now, I’m not saying they would collude, but they might get to a point where they say, oh gee, the promise of, um, you know, truly autonomous learning where we don’t have to have any human governors on there. They just know the truth. You know, if that can be formulated or, you know, programmed, we’ll say, maybe maybe this is a winner in perpetuity for as long as I’m gonna be in this business, right? But I don’t think that’s the case. So I think there’s gonna be bumps along the way where it will call for lower investment, and by lower investment that you don’t need every last Nvidia chip that’s coming off the line. 08:59 Speaker B What do you believe about magnificent magnificent 7 performance relative to the rest of the 493 in the S&P in your outlook? 09:14 Kimberly Forrest I think it’s merited. They’re showing growth. Like I am a growth at a reasonable price investor, so I don’t necessarily own a lot of the Magnificent 7. But I do know this, Wall Street over time rewards growth, and these companies have proven year after year that they have some kind of magic formula to get whatever customers they need, and it’s not direct in many of their cases, right? Because Google and meta, the users don’t pay for it. The advertisers do. But as long as you can get paying customers to keep paying, they’re gonna win. Source link #Nvidia #customers #push #irrelevant Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Red Dead Redemption 2 is reportedly coming to Switch 2, as Take-Two commits to Nintendo Red Dead Redemption 2 is reportedly coming to Switch 2, as Take-Two commits to Nintendo Red Dead Redemption 2 could be coming to Nintendo Switch 2 later this year, alongside a current-gen upgrade for PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. That’s according to Gamereactor, which says it’s heard from sources close to Rockstar that the acclaimed open world game is in the works for Nintendo’s new console. Citing its own sources, Nintendúo also says RDR2 is coming to Switch 2. It’s claimed that RDR2 for Switch 2 could release around the same time as an update to the game for current-gen hardware, with graphics and performance improvements. Red Dead Redemption 2 was first released for PS4 and Xbox One in October 2018, before making its way to PC in November 2019. Speaking to The Game Business on Thursday, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked for his thoughts on Switch 2, to which he replied that the publisher was planning to support it at launch more than it had done for any previous Nintendo platform. Currently, Take-Two plans to release Civilization VII, Borderlands 4, WWE 2K, and NBA 2K for Switch 2 this year. “We feel really good about it. But it always remains to be seen,” he said. “We’re offering more on launch support than ever before for a Nintendo platform. We’ve announced four titles for Switch 2. It remains to be seen how it does, but I am a big believer.” When TGB noted that third-party titles traditionally find it harder to succeed on Nintendo platforms, Zelnick replied: “That is true. Historically, Nintendo has done a better and more supportive job with first-party titles. But I think they are aiming to change that. “And we have basically risen to the challenge and opportunity, and we’ll see how it goes. We voted with our feet. Nintendo has asked us to be supportive, and we do believe we’re doing that. Now we will see what happens.” Source link #Red #Dead #Redemption #reportedly #coming #Switch #TakeTwo #commits #Nintendo Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Could a $125 billion investment fund halt global deforestation? Could a $125 billion investment fund halt global deforestation? An initiative led by Brazil will pay countries to preserve tropical forests Luiz Claudio Marigo/Nature Picture Library/Alamy At the COP30 climate summit in November, a group of countries led by Brazil will launch a bold new initiative that will pay tropical countries to maintain forest cover. Instead of relying on donations or selling carbon credits, the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) will raise money from investments, a radical approach that could generate billions in additional funding for nature, its proponents say. “We need new ways to raise funds for… Source link #billion #investment #fund #halt #global #deforestation Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]