Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the RIP department: Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems and one of the first whistleblowers to allege Spirit leadership had ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX, died Tuesday morning after a struggle with a sudden, fast-spreading infection. Seattle Times: Known as Josh, Dean lived in Wichita, Kan., where Spirit is based. He was 45, had been in good health and was noted for having a healthy lifestyle. He died after two weeks in critical condition, his aunt Carol Parsons said. Dean had given a deposition in a Spirit shareholder lawsuit and also filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration alleging "serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line" at Spirit.
Spirit fired Dean in April 2023, and he had filed a complaint with the Department of Labor alleging his termination was in retaliation for raising concerns related to aviation safety. Parsons said Dean became ill and went to the hospital because he was having trouble breathing just over two weeks ago. He was intubated and developed pneumonia and then a serious bacterial infection, MRSA. His condition deteriorated rapidly, and he was airlifted from Wichita to a hospital in Oklahoma City, Parsons said. There he was put on an ECMO machine, which circulates and oxygenates a patient's blood outside the body, taking over heart and lung function when a patient's organs don't work on their own.
Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005
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Reddit user u/Expensive-Two-8128 we have our first look at the new GameStop Candy Con x Transformers Custom Controller kits. These are Gamestop’s exclusive line of customisable and affordable controllers in vibrant colors and patterns. They have teamed up with Transformers to bring us a Hot Rod and Soundwave themed controllers. Packaging features the 40th anniversary logo. We still have no concrete information about price or release date, but these are likely to be available online via
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Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the AI-craze-continues department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Microsoft said on Thursday it will invest $2.2 billion over the next four years in Malaysia to expand cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) services in the company's latest push to promote its generative AI technology in Asia. The investment, the largest in Microsoft's 32-year history in Malaysia, will include building cloud and AI infrastructure, creating AI-skilling opportunities for 200,000 people, and supporting the country's developers, the company said.
Microsoft will also work with the Malaysian government to establish a national AI Centre of Excellence and enhance the nation's cybersecurity capabilities, the company said in a statement. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who met Nadella on Thursday, said the investment supported Malaysia's efforts in developing its AI capabilities. Microsoft is trying to expand its support for the development of AI globally. Nadella this week announced a $1.7 billion investment in neighboring Indonesia and said Microsoft would open its first regional data centre in Thailand. "We want to make sure we have world class infrastructure right here in the country so that every organization and start-up can benefit," Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella said during a visit to Kuala Lumpur.
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the hey-check-this-out department: The Google Phone app is rolling out "Audio Emoji" to some users as part of an incoming update in the beta channel, version 128. As 9to5Google reports, they are "essentially stock sound effects attached to one of six different emoji." The list includes: clapping (applause), laughing, party, crying (trombone), poop, and sting (ba dum tss). From the report: When you, as the caller, select one of these "Audio Emoji," the Google Phone app will play a fun animation while a sound effect plays for a couple of seconds. The sound effect is heard on both ends of the phone call. There does seem to be a limit on how often you can use these sound effects, as there's a bit of a "cooldown" in between that prevents you from playing sounds back to back. That's probably for the best in the case of some of these.
Posted by from MMO Champion
WoW Hotfixes - May 1, 2024
Originally Posted by Blizzard
(
Blue Tracker /
Official Forums)
Dungeons and Raids
Aberrus (Awakened)
Fixed an issue that caused Thadrion to continually cast Unstable Essence after the encounter had concluded.
Nokhud Offensive
Addressed a Primalist Thunderbeast issue where Thunderstrike’s target is not correctly reflected in the unit frame.
Items
Amber Skitterfly should now appear in the Mount Collection for players who purchased it from the Trading Post.
Legendary items can now be upgraded as intended on the Awakened track.
Fixed a bug preventing legendary item upgrades from receiving appropriate stone/crest discounts.
Quests
Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the world quest “Zaqali Elders” to fail to start.
Cataclysm Classic
Archaeology digsites that appear in Uldum, Twilight Highlands, and Hyjal once players hit 450 Archaeology should no longer appear until the zones are accessible on official Expansion Launch.
Paladin
Fixed an issue with Seals of Command where Seal of Righteousness could trigger too many procs when it hits multiple targets.
Season of Discovery
Hunter
Raptor Fury now increases the damage done of Raptor strike and Mongoose Bite by 10% per stack (was 15%).
The Beast Mastery rune now increases pet damage by 10% (was 20%).
Shaman
The Burn rune now also grants a significant bonus to spell power when Flametongue Weapon is imbued on your weapon.
Rolling Thunder now has a 50% chance to trigger (was 30%).
Fixed a bug causing overload procs to not add a charge to Lightning Shield when the Shaman has the Rolling Thunder rune active.
Warlock
Invocation now also applies to Unstable Affliction.
< This article continues on their website >
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the tough-battery-to-swallow department: A new battery from Energizer comes with "color alert technology" to alert parents if their child has swallowed one. When the coin lithium battery comes into contact with saliva, it activates a blue dye "so parents and caregivers know that medical attention could be required," reports the New York Times. The battery also features more secure packaging and a nontoxic bitter coating. From the report: The new coin lithium battery features more secure packaging, a nontoxic bitter coating to discourage swallowing and "color alert technology" that activates a blue dye when the battery comes into contact with moisture, like saliva, so parents and caregivers know that medical attention could be required. The new battery was announced in a video last week by Energizer and Trista Hamsmith, whose 18-month-old daughter died after swallowing a button battery from a remote control. Ms. Hamsmith founded a nonprofit organization focused on children's safety, successfully advocated for legislation, known as Reese's Law, that requires a secure compartment of the batteries in products that use them as well as stronger warning labels on all packaging, and is now working to make the batteries themselves safer.
< This article continues on their website >
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the what-year-is-it department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: A controversial bill that would require all new cars to be fitted with AM radios looks set to become a law in the near future. Yesterday, Senator Edward Markey (D-Mass) revealed that the "AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act" now has the support of 60 US Senators, as well as 246 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, making its passage an almost sure thing. Should that happen, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would be required to ensure that all new cars sold in the US had AM radios at no extra cost. "Democrats and Republicans are tuning in to the millions of listeners, thousands of broadcasters, and countless emergency management officials who depend on AM radio in their vehicles. AM radio is a lifeline for people in every corner of the United States to get news, sports, and local updates in times of emergencies. Our commonsense bill makes sure this fundamental, essential tool doesn't get lost on the dial. With a filibuster-proof supermajority in the Senate, Congress should quickly take it up and pass it," said Sen. Markey and his co-sponsor Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
< This article continues on their website >
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the latest-layoffs department: According to CNBC, Google is laying off at least 200 employees from its "Core" teams and moving some roles to India and Mexico. From the report: The Core unit is responsible for building the technical foundation behind the company's flagship products and for protecting users' online safety, according to Google's website. Core teams include key technical units from information technology, its Python developer team, technical infrastructure, security foundation, app platforms, core developers, and various engineering roles. At least 50 of the positions eliminated were in engineering at the company's offices in Sunnyvale, California, filings show. Many Core teams will hire corresponding roles in Mexico and India, according to internal documents viewed by CNBC.
Asim Husain, vice president of Google Developer Ecosystem, announced news of the layoffs to his team in an email last week. He also spoke at a town hall and told employees that this was the biggest planned reduction for his team this year, an internal document shows. "We intend to maintain our current global footprint while also expanding in high-growth global workforce locations so that we can operate closer to our partners and developer communities," Husain wrote in the email. [...] "Announcements of this sort may leave many of you feeling uncertain or frustrated," Husain wrote in the email to developers. He added that his message to developers is that the changes "are in service of our broader goals" as a company. The teams involved in the reorganization have been key to the company's developer tools, an area Google is streamlining as it incorporates more artificial intelligence into the products.
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new department: Unity has appointed Matthew Bromberg, former CEO of Zynga, as its new CEO, president and board member. "Filling a role that has been temporarily filled by former Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst, Bromberg will formally join Unity as CEO on May 15," reports VentureBeat. "Whitehurst will serve as executive chair of the Unity board, and Roelof Botha will transition from chairman to lead independent board member." From the report: Bromberg fills a slot vacated by John Riccitiello, who resigned last fall after a pricing debacle that left game developers extremely angry at Unity. They calmed down after Unity walked back major parts of the price increase. It's an important time for Unity as it is about to ship Unity 6, the latest version of its game engine, in competition with Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5.4. Whitehurst will also return to Silver Lake, one of Unity's two largest shareholders, where he had previously been a senior advisor and will now join as a managing director leading both operating and investment team initiatives.
Bromberg brings over 20 years of experience across the gaming industry, having previously served as Chief Operating Officer of leading mobile game developer and publisher Zynga, where he played a key role in the company's turnaround, and was responsible for Zynga's game studios globally, while also overseeing product development and design, technology, data, and analytics. Bromberg also held multiple leadership roles at Electronic Arts, where he helped scale the company's mobile division and led teams on four continents that built popular games across all major genres.
Helldivers 2's next battle pass is just around the corner. Arrowhead Studios announced that the Polar Patriots Warbond, featuring new weapons and Arctic-themed armor, will drop on May 9. It’s the third battle pass the co-op shooter has received in as many months, and the latest example of how the PlayStation/ Steam… 
You know how you’re always saying, “I wish I could play Tetris on an unwieldy plastic Slurpee cup that doesn’t actually function as a drinking vessel,” and we’re all like, “Shut up, Steve”? Well now you can have the last laugh, because thanks to a team-up between Tetris and 7-Eleven, your dream has come true. 
We’re heading into the fifth month of 2024, and naturally, we have a full calendar of days and weeks of fresh new games to dig into. This month we’re looking at the anticipated sequel to Ninja Theory’s Hellblade, the return of Paper Mario, World of Goo, and yet another game that lets us play as a cat in a big city.… 
